World's Best Selling Car Gets Better
Ford Inside News
April 16, 2014
By: Austin Rutherford
The world's best selling car is just about to get even better for the 2015 model year. The Ford Focus has undergone a rather extensive facelift not only including the exterior and interior, but powertrain wise as well. Though we had already seen the hatch (and the wagon) in Geneva of this year, Ford chose to show the sedan in New York. The revised Focus ST will debut later this year.
Exterior
The 2015 Focus's exterior moves away from its "Kinetic" design to the new design methodology that debuted on the Ford Start Concept. The grill now looks very similar to that of the Focus Electric, which debuted two years ago. Gone are the triangle design elements, and it their place is the Ford family trapezoidal grill. The grill also has bars, which in different cases are painted or accented in chrome.The fog lamps have been redesigned from their round setting to having a swept back design toward the base of the wheels.
For the first time in North America, the Focus will offer an LED lighting strip in the headlights. This strip comes only with higher end models including the Sport package and Titanium.
LEDs are also featured on the revised rear end. The hatchback gains by actually losing some of the girth of what were large tail lamps. The sedan's taillights are the same shape as the pre-facelifted model, but have a new glass display.
Interior
Interior speaking, the center dash has been entirely reworked save for the air vents. The climate controls have changed to feature smaller, but better quality knobs. Buttons now are also featured in this space for some commands. The Sony designed MYFord Touch display in higher end models carries over through the facelift. However, no non-MyFord Touch photos or vehicles have been shown, so we can not tell you what the basic interface will look like yet.
The steering wheel has been redesigned with new placements for audio control and cruise control. Between the gear shifter and the driver, the rather unusable tray that once existed is gone. There is a new, more usable tray now in the lower center console below the climate controls. The cup holders are now deeper and able to keep those big-gulps from spilling.
One interesting tidbit is that the glovebox has been completely reengineered. With the current model, there was little space up front so if a lot of material was placed onto the door, the glovebox would not close. To make up for this, the glovebox extended well into the dash beyond the door. Though this did give more room, it was a struggle for a driver to reach that far back for something they might need. With the new model, the initial door area has been expanded and the elongated area removed so that it is easier to reach for materials.
Powertrains
In addition to the already offered 2.0L I4, the 2015 Ford Focus will now offer the two-time reigning International Engine of the Year, the 1.0L I3 EcoBoost. Though already launched in the Focus elsewhere, this is the first time the engine will be offered in the vehicle for North America. Like the Fiesta, it will only be offered with a manual in what Ford explains as a decision due to the better fuel economy the manual gives with the engine compared to the automatic.
FIN has also learned that the 1.0L I3 EB will also usher in its own on 'EcoBoost Package.' Though not released in the press release, we are told this will not only feature exterior and interior appearance upgrades, but will also have suspension improvements to provide better ride and handling.
The 2015 Ford Focus will launch this summer and will continue to be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. All plants around the world will switchover within about a year's period.
Ford Inside News
April 16, 2014
By: Austin Rutherford
The world's best selling car is just about to get even better for the 2015 model year. The Ford Focus has undergone a rather extensive facelift not only including the exterior and interior, but powertrain wise as well. Though we had already seen the hatch (and the wagon) in Geneva of this year, Ford chose to show the sedan in New York. The revised Focus ST will debut later this year.
Exterior
The 2015 Focus's exterior moves away from its "Kinetic" design to the new design methodology that debuted on the Ford Start Concept. The grill now looks very similar to that of the Focus Electric, which debuted two years ago. Gone are the triangle design elements, and it their place is the Ford family trapezoidal grill. The grill also has bars, which in different cases are painted or accented in chrome.The fog lamps have been redesigned from their round setting to having a swept back design toward the base of the wheels.
For the first time in North America, the Focus will offer an LED lighting strip in the headlights. This strip comes only with higher end models including the Sport package and Titanium.
LEDs are also featured on the revised rear end. The hatchback gains by actually losing some of the girth of what were large tail lamps. The sedan's taillights are the same shape as the pre-facelifted model, but have a new glass display.
Interior
Interior speaking, the center dash has been entirely reworked save for the air vents. The climate controls have changed to feature smaller, but better quality knobs. Buttons now are also featured in this space for some commands. The Sony designed MYFord Touch display in higher end models carries over through the facelift. However, no non-MyFord Touch photos or vehicles have been shown, so we can not tell you what the basic interface will look like yet.
The steering wheel has been redesigned with new placements for audio control and cruise control. Between the gear shifter and the driver, the rather unusable tray that once existed is gone. There is a new, more usable tray now in the lower center console below the climate controls. The cup holders are now deeper and able to keep those big-gulps from spilling.
One interesting tidbit is that the glovebox has been completely reengineered. With the current model, there was little space up front so if a lot of material was placed onto the door, the glovebox would not close. To make up for this, the glovebox extended well into the dash beyond the door. Though this did give more room, it was a struggle for a driver to reach that far back for something they might need. With the new model, the initial door area has been expanded and the elongated area removed so that it is easier to reach for materials.
Powertrains
In addition to the already offered 2.0L I4, the 2015 Ford Focus will now offer the two-time reigning International Engine of the Year, the 1.0L I3 EcoBoost. Though already launched in the Focus elsewhere, this is the first time the engine will be offered in the vehicle for North America. Like the Fiesta, it will only be offered with a manual in what Ford explains as a decision due to the better fuel economy the manual gives with the engine compared to the automatic.
FIN has also learned that the 1.0L I3 EB will also usher in its own on 'EcoBoost Package.' Though not released in the press release, we are told this will not only feature exterior and interior appearance upgrades, but will also have suspension improvements to provide better ride and handling.
The 2015 Ford Focus will launch this summer and will continue to be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. All plants around the world will switchover within about a year's period.