Ford Focus

Starting MSRP:$14,075
Vehicle type: compact sedan and coupe
EPA fuel economy: city: 24 / hwy: 33-35
Available engines:
132-hp, 2.0-liter I-4
140-hp, 2.0-liter I-4
Available transmissions:
four-speed automatic
five-speed manual

Ford Focus: fresh design, better economy
from Ford

The 2008 Ford Focus brings a bold new look, a refined interior and a higher level of driver enjoyment to an evolving small-car market. With features including standard side curtain air bags and highway fuel economy in the mid-30s, the redesigned Focus will play an important role in Ford Motor Co.'s resurgent car portfolio, continuing the momentum built by the Fusion midsize sedan.

"The 2008 Focus is further proof that Ford is back in the car business," said Cisco Codina, Ford's group vice president of North America marketing, sales and service. "The new Focus delivers the superior quality, refinement and exciting driving dynamics that today's small-car customers demand, and introduces some cutting-edge innovations that will make it stand out from the pack."

The 2008 Focus is available in two body styles -- two door coupe (a first for Focus) and four-door sedan -- in S, SE and SES trim levels.

The new interior design, with unique materials and new levels of craftsmanship, delivers a sense of modern, contemporary openness and more-flexible storage space.

Interior features include a new "top of dash" display positioned at eye level at the top of the center stack. The design puts much of the vehicle's information in one place, making it easier and quicker to read when driving.

New Ice Blue lighting on the instrument cluster, center console, steering wheel and door and window switches presents a cool, crisp light that enhances the overall feel of the interior and is easy on the eyes when driving at night.

The 2008 Focus offers a larger center console and added space in front of the shifter for extra storage. The newly designer door trim features larger bins and cup holders, and the console provides three additional cup holders.

Taking the customizable dashboard lighting system first introduced on the 2005 Mustang to the next level, the ambient lighting system on the 2008 Focus can change the light inside the cup holders and in the front and rear foot wells. The driver or front-seat passenger can choose from seven colors -- red, orange, blue, indigo, violet, green and yellow -- by cycling through a dash-mounted switch.

The new Focus is one of the first Ford vehicles to feature Sync, a cutting-edge way to use cell phones and media players inside a vehicle. A microphone inside the cabin allows consumers to use their mobile phones hands-free while operating the vehicle. Using Bluetooth technology as a foundation, Sync can wirelessly connect up to six mobile phones to the vehicle through a process called pairing. Once the phone is paired, the user's personal features (such as address book and ring tones) are readily accessed by the system.

Sync's advanced capability allows consumers to access songs, artists, genres, albums, playlists and more through voice commands. The selections also are shown on the vehicle's audio display, since Sync allows complete command via dashboard or steering-wheel controls. Ultimately, Sync acts as an extension of a media player, melding the player's functionality into the vehicle.

Sync hosts nearly all media players, including Apple iPods, Microsoft's Zune and all MP3 players with "Plays for Sure" technology. Sync also accepts music saved on USB storage drives.

The 2008 Focus comes with a choice of two engines. The standard engine is a 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter Duratec 20 DOHC inline four-cylinder.

There's also a 132-horsepower Duratec 20E engine that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. The 20E is cleaner than some hybrid gas/electric vehicles.

The Duratec 20 and 20E are available with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.

In addition to powertrain refinements, fuel-economy gains were achieved by weight reduction and aerodynamic improvements. Compared with a comparably equipped 2007 model, the 2008 Focus is about 100 pounds lighter.

Engineers reduced wind noise by installing a new acoustic windshield and thicker side glass in the front doors.

The climate-control system is more efficient, with improved cooling and heating performance. The system also is quieter and lighter than the one it replaced.

The 2008 Focus comes standard with Ford's Personal Safety System, including thorax side air bags and side air curtains for increased coverage in a side-impact crash.