The 2014 Ford Focus will bring with it a fresh new design and a new engine line-up, including the much-acclaimed 1,0-litre EcoBoost, which looks to improve efficiency across the range.
The visual update adheres to Ford’s ‘One Ford’ design ethos, which has already been applied to the latest generation of Fusion and Fiesta models. Among the highlights of the frontal aspect are slim-line headlamps, a bolder new facia with a more prominent louvered grille and a redesigned bonnet. The rear benefits from a mildly tweaked valance and a more streamlined take on the current car’s divisive taillamps.
As part of the interior updates, Ford has taken heed of consumer feedback regarding the current model’s somewhat cluttered central instrument stack and multifunction steering wheel by introducing a more intuitive layout. A combination of black satin trim punctuated by chrome detailing further enforces the cleaner look, while greater noise suppression will be achieved with the application of thicker versions of the current car’s cabin carpeting, windows and engine bay insulation materials.
The 2014 Ford Focus will be the first model to locally introduce the company’s 1,5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine (110 kW/132 N.m) while also ushering in the 2012/2103 International Engine of the Year-winning 1,0-litre EcoBoost, which develops 91 kW.
Among technological highlights of the 2014 Ford Focus is a new Perpendicular Parking assistant. This unit adds two sensors to the Kuga’s existing parallel parking system that scans a potential parking space and provides automated steering to guide the vehicle into the chosen spot.
The Focus’s updated system integrates a Cross Traffic Alert module that warns drivers of vehicles crossing behind them at a range of up to 40 metres and an automated steering function that helps guide the car out of its parking spot.
A city-speed assisted barking system that now operates at speeds of up to 50 km/h (previously 30 km/h), lane departure warning and lane keeping assist will also be offered on the new car.
The 2014 Ford Focus will make its official debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show before finding its way to SA during the fourth quarter of the year.
