Gaining Focus
An unbelievable number of factors go into my consideration of what makes a car appeal to me strongly enough that I would want to own it. Design plays a critical role as I will not consider any car that offends the eyes. Of course, almost no design—particularly in my price range—is perfect. The first generation, pre-recall TT was purely executed and its cousin the New Beetle did a nice job as well. That's been 12 years and the best rival since is the 2011 Fiesta. Since it's a bit smaller and narrower than I'd like, I'm forced to keep looking. Calling all C-segment competitors.
The 2012 Focus has caught my eye and is a leading candidate to replace the '95 E300D as my daily driver. I'd be lying if I said its design was exclusively the reason for this as there are a good number of faults like the lower front grille and tail lights. It seems the hatch body style is beating the sedan, but both models' tail lights could have lost several square inches in surface area and done wonders for profile and rear 3/4 shots.
Proper design includes the interior, and the Focus does earn points as it includes many of the things off my dream car spec list. A strong, sporty, and comfortable steering wheel is a must as are manual transmission and analog gauges. Essentials out of the way, any car needs comfortable bucket seats and a 3-seat rear bench with each row having its own doors. After experiencing cooled seats for the first time on a 2003 Lincoln LS, I've hoped that one day I'd enjoy them as well. With luck, Ford's press release photos showing heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel will see their way to the US Focus. I would pass on the heated wheel though I'm sure that won't be possible with package grouping. No passing on cooled seats unless they push the Focus into some crazy stratospheric price level. It would be great if the heated and cooled seats were offered on manually adjustable seats but I will settle for those pesky motors in exchange for the glorious comfort of a cooled seat on a hot day.
I prefer having all controls, including power windows, mounted centrally but I'm not sure anyone does that these days—even the Germans have abandoned this 1990’s quality. An often overlooked component is interior vent shape. The Focus has four very similarly shaped outlets instead of typical use of different styles centrally and on the outer dash. Well done Ford. I don't particularly care for automatic climate control though it sometimes means more fan speed options which is never a bad thing.
Stereos are not a big deal as long as there is a CD slot and connections for the iPod/iPhone I'm fine with it. Sync seems like an excellent system other than the apparent problems with the iPhone, so MyFord Touch on the Focus naturally seems like a good choice. Hands-free calling without needing a headset or wires all over the car would be nice so I'm hopeful the next car can provide that without the hassle any hands-free system I've ever used has had. I hope it doesn't require Bluetooth since that drains batteries so quickly—functioning through the USB port would be ideal while charging the phone at an optimal rate as compared to 12V outlets although that’s probably not possible.
I wanted a moonroof on my NB, but it was a late availability option not available when we ordered. The E300D has a sunroof which I use at every opportunity, but a moonroof should be part of my next car. I've been aesthetically bothered by moonroofs of late since they are always just plain rectangles; they could look much better if the leading edge followed the contour of the windshield edge. To my knowledge, the Focus has not been shown with a moonroof at this point though I cannot imagine it won't be offered. Recent spy photos around Dearborn show a moonroof in the sedan so it’s nice to know it’s at least in the works.
On the mechanical aspect, I would enjoy a sport model with at least 200-hp in a Focus. For this purchase, I'm thinking this will not be able to be as important a factor given what it could do to the price combined with all of the other features I want. We'll see what things look like when it's launched and what other models are out or on their way. Even if there is a performance model in the works, I may not be able to wait its launch as I would prefer to have some time to enjoy the new car before the 80-hour work week of residency becomes reality.
No discussion of what I want in my next car is complete without mention of possibly the most important two aspects—color and wheels. Navy and gray are my colors, and I want navy paint over gray leather in a Focus. My eye tells me the dark shades should look best on the Focus; Ford, don't leave me hanging, you already have Kona blue which is just about as good as any deep blue on the market. Paint the Focus in it, too.
At some point I went from being a fan of the 6-spoke wheel to the 7-spoke variety. Owning two German cars with 6’s must have done the trick. Ford has been hit or miss in wheel design though their Europe division has some excellent 7-spokes in their lineup. Now for those to find their way to the US Focus and not as wheel covers or chrome or anything other than an alloy wheel. A recent set of spy shots out of Arizona shows a Focus hatch with what appear to be 18” 7-spoke alloys that look absolutely perfect. Those wheels with the dark blue Ford center caps as seen on the EU Fiesta would be just right paired with the Navy/Kona paint.
Given the many requests and requirements I have for a new car, I'll undoubtedly have to give up more than just the diesel and rear wheel drive portions of my dream car. Ford has a lot of potential in the Focus. I am pleased it is going a bit more up market for the content improvement that allows and hope it keeps the price within reason for my budget. A navy 5-door with gray heated and cooled seats and a 6-speed manual sitting on 17-18" 7-spoke wheels sounds pretty good.
The 2012 Focus has caught my eye and is a leading candidate to replace the '95 E300D as my daily driver. I'd be lying if I said its design was exclusively the reason for this as there are a good number of faults like the lower front grille and tail lights. It seems the hatch body style is beating the sedan, but both models' tail lights could have lost several square inches in surface area and done wonders for profile and rear 3/4 shots.
Proper design includes the interior, and the Focus does earn points as it includes many of the things off my dream car spec list. A strong, sporty, and comfortable steering wheel is a must as are manual transmission and analog gauges. Essentials out of the way, any car needs comfortable bucket seats and a 3-seat rear bench with each row having its own doors. After experiencing cooled seats for the first time on a 2003 Lincoln LS, I've hoped that one day I'd enjoy them as well. With luck, Ford's press release photos showing heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel will see their way to the US Focus. I would pass on the heated wheel though I'm sure that won't be possible with package grouping. No passing on cooled seats unless they push the Focus into some crazy stratospheric price level. It would be great if the heated and cooled seats were offered on manually adjustable seats but I will settle for those pesky motors in exchange for the glorious comfort of a cooled seat on a hot day.
I prefer having all controls, including power windows, mounted centrally but I'm not sure anyone does that these days—even the Germans have abandoned this 1990’s quality. An often overlooked component is interior vent shape. The Focus has four very similarly shaped outlets instead of typical use of different styles centrally and on the outer dash. Well done Ford. I don't particularly care for automatic climate control though it sometimes means more fan speed options which is never a bad thing.
Stereos are not a big deal as long as there is a CD slot and connections for the iPod/iPhone I'm fine with it. Sync seems like an excellent system other than the apparent problems with the iPhone, so MyFord Touch on the Focus naturally seems like a good choice. Hands-free calling without needing a headset or wires all over the car would be nice so I'm hopeful the next car can provide that without the hassle any hands-free system I've ever used has had. I hope it doesn't require Bluetooth since that drains batteries so quickly—functioning through the USB port would be ideal while charging the phone at an optimal rate as compared to 12V outlets although that’s probably not possible.
I wanted a moonroof on my NB, but it was a late availability option not available when we ordered. The E300D has a sunroof which I use at every opportunity, but a moonroof should be part of my next car. I've been aesthetically bothered by moonroofs of late since they are always just plain rectangles; they could look much better if the leading edge followed the contour of the windshield edge. To my knowledge, the Focus has not been shown with a moonroof at this point though I cannot imagine it won't be offered. Recent spy photos around Dearborn show a moonroof in the sedan so it’s nice to know it’s at least in the works.
On the mechanical aspect, I would enjoy a sport model with at least 200-hp in a Focus. For this purchase, I'm thinking this will not be able to be as important a factor given what it could do to the price combined with all of the other features I want. We'll see what things look like when it's launched and what other models are out or on their way. Even if there is a performance model in the works, I may not be able to wait its launch as I would prefer to have some time to enjoy the new car before the 80-hour work week of residency becomes reality.
No discussion of what I want in my next car is complete without mention of possibly the most important two aspects—color and wheels. Navy and gray are my colors, and I want navy paint over gray leather in a Focus. My eye tells me the dark shades should look best on the Focus; Ford, don't leave me hanging, you already have Kona blue which is just about as good as any deep blue on the market. Paint the Focus in it, too.
At some point I went from being a fan of the 6-spoke wheel to the 7-spoke variety. Owning two German cars with 6’s must have done the trick. Ford has been hit or miss in wheel design though their Europe division has some excellent 7-spokes in their lineup. Now for those to find their way to the US Focus and not as wheel covers or chrome or anything other than an alloy wheel. A recent set of spy shots out of Arizona shows a Focus hatch with what appear to be 18” 7-spoke alloys that look absolutely perfect. Those wheels with the dark blue Ford center caps as seen on the EU Fiesta would be just right paired with the Navy/Kona paint.
Given the many requests and requirements I have for a new car, I'll undoubtedly have to give up more than just the diesel and rear wheel drive portions of my dream car. Ford has a lot of potential in the Focus. I am pleased it is going a bit more up market for the content improvement that allows and hope it keeps the price within reason for my budget. A navy 5-door with gray heated and cooled seats and a 6-speed manual sitting on 17-18" 7-spoke wheels sounds pretty good.
posted by azulejost at 21:47
0 comments
