2012 Ford Focus Preview
HardwareIn addition to contemporary design and quality craftsmanship, Ford wanted to make the Focus fun and fuel-efficient. Ford group vice president of Design and chief creative officer, J Mays, says: "Focus combines the best from Europe, North America and Asia to deliver a level of emotional driving enjoyment never before experienced in a car this size."
To that end, a new direct-injected, 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine with what Ford calls Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) will come standard on the North American version of the Focus. Ford says this new engine provides 20 more horsepower than today's standard engine, and claims that fuel economy is projected to improve by 10 percent. Doing the math, that's 160 horsepower and estimated EPA ratings of 26 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. A turbocharged, 1.6-liter engine has been developed for the Focus, too, and this EcoBoosted engine is likely to find its way into a possible performance variant of the new North American Focus.
The 2012 Focus will drive the front wheels through a 6-speed, dual-clutch Ford PowerShift transmission, which is essentially a manual gearbox that operates like an automatic, saving weight and improving fuel economy. Ford has not yet announced whether a traditional manual transmission will be standard, but we'd guess yes.
With its ride and handling tuned by European driving dynamics specialists, the Focus is equipped with electric power steering, 4-wheel independent suspension, and a Dynamic Cornering Control system. This latter technology employs "torque vectoring" to transfer power between the drive wheels to improve traction, sharpen turn-in response, and reduce understeer, making the Focus more fun to pitch into corners. Ford says minor regional tuning differences may exist between markets, but insists "all global customers will benefit from the same quality of dynamic performance in the new Focus."
Ford has also announced that it will offer a battery-powered electric version of the new Focus for 2012, making it the first fully-electric model the company has ever built. Details about the new electric Focus will be available at a later date.
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