Test drive Ford Focus 4 doors 2001 - 2005 sedan

Focus in the perspective

In November, against the backdrop of the magnificent Sochi landscapes, the specialists of the Vsevolozhsk Ford plant showed the public focus, on whom they worked for many months.
We upset fans of circus art with a difficult-pronounced name prestidigration: today we are not talking about the dexterity of hands, but about the presentation of Ford Focus, produced since the summer of 2002 in Vsevolozhsk (Leningrad region). The European premiere and the start of the release of the model at the Spanish factory took place much earlier, so almost all those present at the performance already tried the car in the steering wheel. So the main task that the company of journalists solved can be formulated as follows: to determine the difference between the Focus made here and here.

Interest in the event was heated with hype demand for the model of Ford dealers (according to some reports, the queue for a Russian novelty stretched until March next year).

The participants of the Sochi test drive were offered the full menu of Vsevolozhskiyskoy cuisine of hatchbacks, station wagons and sedans with three engines (Duratec 1.6i 8V, Zetec 1.8i 16V and Zetec 2.0i 16V). The side dish, too, was for every taste four options for configuration (Ambiente, Comfort, Trend and Ghia).

It was especially curious to check the basic engine of the Russian Focus Duratec 1.6i 8V in the case. It is no secret that many buyers are attracted by the basic, most affordable equipment ...

At our disposal, the sedan and a simple road legend that will lead us along the route. Prior to the start of ten minutes enough to get comfortable inside. The interior is spacious. The front seats are maximally spaced, and the driver with the front passenger does not push shoulders. The high location of the seats provides the rear passengers with an additional space for the legs.

Torpedo in the style of a new line is replete with boxes and pockets. The plastic is very soft and pleasant to the touch. On the doors are comfortable armrests.

The turning of the key made the arrows on the instrument panel startle, and the steering wheel swayed under the weight of the arm (the hydraulic power steering turned on). There are no other signs of engine operation.

The first few meters of the journey allow you to check the suspension: on the exit from the parking lot, a policeman laid down. Focus overcame the obstacle much more calmly than expected, a couple of times in Limusinsky sorryly swayed. No extraneous noise all the details of the cabin are perfectly fitted and gently sit in places without knocking and creaking.

In the transmission with a mechanical KP, there is a low -engine clutch and a cable transmission change mechanism that determine high accuracy and ease of switching. Only the back is pits with some effort, but it should be so. The selection of gear rates is an even number of numbers in decreasing. Translated by the driver’s sensations, this means smooth acceleration without the need to twist the motor to red to achieve a pickup in the next gear.

Sochi streets are peculiar: capabilities for overtaking are almost everywhere limited by solid marking lines. We are not used to breaking the rules we float in the stream, accelerating and slowing down. This mode allows you to get acquainted with the virtues of the motor. Duratec behaves as a solid diesel stubbornly pulls the tachometer arrow already from 1,500 revolutions and continues to pull until it rests on cutting at 6000. It provides this simple but effective and reliable engine design, as well as specific settings, thanks to which the torque schedule (from A maximum of 140 nm) looks like an almost flat line.

Despite this, the car has a good capacity of 100 hp, although usually engineers have to look for a compromise between power and a large range of torque. We also note that the motor fits perfectly into the latest European standards for the toxicity of emissions.

On a suburban highway with steep turns and sharp rises, all forecasts regarding the engine are fully confirmed. However, something new is added. In addition to smooth movement in a space that does not require permanent transfers, Duratec gives the driver almost sports sensations. You just need to not be afraid, be careful and not lower the tachometer arrow below 3500 4000 revolutions.

We write a turn over the bend. Independent, steering, multi -link rear suspension forgives many errors, until the last keeping the car from the breakdown in the skid.

To a large extent, the accuracy of control depends on the increased hardness of the Focus body to bending and twisting, which allows you to maintain accurate adjustment of the suspension. The rolls in turns are minimal, the body does not play, and the car remains predictable in the most risky episodes. A pleasant addition to the absence of noise and vibrations.

Having waved one and a half hundred kilometers, we find ourselves at the end point of the route to the airport. It usually says something like a sorry to part with the car, but we do not say goodbye to it. The car is good, and most importantly, it is done in Russia. I only would like to wish the leadership of the Vsevolozhsk plant in cold blood to be treated, not to drop a high bar of quality and rather increase production volumes.

Text: Artem Shurgalsky

A source: Magazine 5 wheel [12/2002]