The brand new Ford Focus will be dropping in Australia in November. With three models, selectable driving modes (which is a first), as well as a 20 per cent increase in torsional rigidity — it promises to deliver on both enhanced driving dynamics and passenger comfort.
And then there’s the tech.
The fourth generation of the Focus is different in that it was something of a blank canvas project. At the recent launch in France, the term “human centric” was used repeatedly to describe the design approach and experience of the car.
“The all-new Focus is a clean sheet design, offering customers the latest EcoBoost technology and adds a significant amount of new convenience and driver assistance features to the range,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Kay Hart. “From Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian detection across the range to the new B&O Play audio system on Titanium, we are confident the expanded Focus line-up will have broad customer appeal.”
Three models will be available at launch. Joining the Trend and flagship Titanium will be the ST-Line, which is a first for Australia. The latter will be offered as both a five-door hatch and a wagon. Sadly the absolutely stunning Vignale won’t be gracing our shores.
The tech that has been injected into the latest Focus range is one of the predominant ways that Ford is attempting to make the vehicles “human centric”. Here’s some of the best on offer:
Safety
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Post-impact braking
- adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go
- Lane keeping aid
- Lane departure warning
- Lane centering
- Evasive steer assist
- Blind Spot Information System (BLIS)
- rear cross-traffic alert
- 180-degree reverse camera
- Night-time pedestrian detection
- Cyclist detection
- Active park assist
Lighting
- Automatic headlights
- Follow Me Home lighting
- Automatic high-beam control
- Dynamic bending (a camera enables the light beam to swivel into a road curve before the car reaches it)
- Speed-sensitive light modes
- Sign-based light modes
- New LED package draws less power than the previous generation
Entertainment and Extras
- Wireless phone charging
- 8-inch touch screen with Sync 3, compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Voice-activated sat nav
- Voice activated climate control
- 675-watt 10speaker B&O Play audio system, including sub-woofer
It’s worth noting that not all of the above tech will be included as standard across the entire range.
The new range will be powered by an advanced 1.5L EcoBoost three-cylinder engine that produces 134kW/240Nm and is matched to a new eight-speed automatic. It also includes a low-inertia turbocharger and twin-fuel injection system (port and direct) in a bid to maximise power and fuel efficiency. This is further aided by its light weight aluminium alloy construction.
The 2019 Ford Focus will be arriving in Australia in November. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear about pricing.
The author travelled to the Focus launch in France as a guest of Ford.