2014 Ford Focus: Three Cylinders (US), Style Updates (US/EU/ETC)

  • Thread starter YSSMAN
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RocZX
2015 Focus facelift

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2015-Ford-Focus-3%25255B3%25255D.jpg


2015-Ford-Focus-Turnier-2%25255B3%25255D.jpg


2015-Ford-Focus-Turnier-3%25255B3%25255D.jpg
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Wrong thread.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/the-just-plain-ugly-car-thread.98041/
 
They've kinda fixed the ugly front end with the facelift, goodbye silly grill, but the rear is no better. Those rear lights are still ugly. It's a step in the right direction though.
 
On top of the new look,

The 2015 Focus 1.0L EcoBoost is happening in the US, and it'll be equipped with only a six-speed manual. That's pretty interesting, less that we're getting the 1.0L at all in the Focus, but that it'll be manual-only. Good move for Ford, I'd say.

We're supposed to expect a bunch of upgrades to their infotainment system, Sync, which will also become a standard feature. But how long will the support last when they might be switching to a Blackberry based system?
 
And because the vast majority of drivers in the US are clueless when it comes the pedal all the way on the left, Ford won't sell as many as they'd like.
 
YSSMAN
On top of the new look,

The 2015 Focus 1.0L EcoBoost is happening in the US, and it'll be equipped with only a six-speed manual. That's pretty interesting, less that we're getting the 1.0L at all in the Focus, but that it'll be manual-only. Good move for Ford, I'd say.

We're supposed to expect a bunch of upgrades to their infotainment system, Sync, which will also become a standard feature. But how long will the support last when they might be switching to a Blackberry based system?
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I see this all as bad new for them.
1.0 doesn't make people in the US think "power" and 6 speed only rules out many, Many, automatic required customers. On top of that, Black-berry based systems? Seriously, welcome to 2005, let's try to make something worthwhile.
Is that a recoil from the Apple connection?
 
The city/highway mpg numbers for the 1.0T pretty much tell the story of how the car is to drive.
You have to wring it out in the city to get any reasonable power and you get a taaaal cruising gear for the highway.
Great car for europe, not 'murica.
 
Wring it out? I dunno. In the Fiesta, it should be more than adequate, if not, better than the standard engine. In the Focus, it'll depend on the weight savings and what the final gear ratios work out to be. I'd imagine that they'd change that for the North American market. Car and Driver seemed to think it adequate. However, the price increase may negate the fuel savings.

Worse case scenario: Ford doesn't sell that many, puts some crazy deals on it, and crazy people like me get a deal that we can't refuse.
 
Azure Flare
And because the vast majority of drivers in the US are clueless when it comes the pedal all the way on the left, Ford won't sell as many as they'd like.
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I don't know if it's the fact that they are clueless (though this is a big issue, I agree), more so that they are just lazy.
 
It's not even being lazy, most people just don't want to do it or we've had cars available with an automatic for so long, it's just what we're used to.

If Ford sorted out their problems with their DCT the put in the Focus, I don't see why they wouldn't just put it in everything because it would work quite well.
 
Slash
I don't know if it's the fact that they are clueless (though this is a big issue, I agree), more so that they are just lazy.
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Try looking at it as a normal person rather than a car guy. There's a hundred things that enthusiasts do which you could call someone lazy for not doing.

You could say the reason most people don't build their own computers or cook meals from scratch or whatever is because they're lazy, but it's more to do with different priorities. Most people view their car as an appliance and an automatic is much better if you're using it as one.
 
Noob616
Try looking at it as a normal person rather than a car guy. There's a hundred things that enthusiasts do which you could call someone lazy for not doing.

You could say the reason most people don't build their own computers or cook meals from scratch or whatever is because they're lazy, but it's more to do with different priorities. Most people view their car as an appliance and an automatic is much better if you're using it as one.
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Oh I'm not arguing against that at all. In fact I had this conversation with my mother today and she's a non car person.
 
Noob616
Try looking at it as a normal person rather than a car guy. There's a hundred things that enthusiasts do which you could call someone lazy for not doing.
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I wouldn't say "enthusiast", it's a normal way to drive in some countries.

America had the oil boom so fuel efficiency was never a problem, hence massively torquey engines that would have been difficult to drive with clutches.

Such crazy engines are nowhere near as common nowadays but America still has very cheap oil and therefore the extra fuel costs of an automatic are easily absorbed.
 
Joey D
If Ford sorted out their problems with their DCT the put in the Focus, I don't see why they wouldn't just put it in everything because it would work quite well.
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That's 99% of the reason why I wouldn't want to do an automatic in a Focus to begin with. The performance was spooky in the '12 model I drove, and even if they'd have updated it, they still don't allow for manual control of the box. You know, like everyone else does.

I have to be honest and say that I'd be interested to see a lot of these Ford vehicles with a standard, torque-converter automatic. The tech seems to have caught up with the DCT boxes, especially with the ZF units and some of the GM ones. Where would Ford be on that if they would have stuck with it?
 
TenEightyOne
I wouldn't say "enthusiast", it's a normal way to drive in some countries.

America had the oil boom so fuel efficiency was never a problem, hence massively torquey engines that would have been difficult to drive with clutches.

Such crazy engines are nowhere near as common nowadays but America still has very cheap oil and therefore the extra fuel costs of an automatic are easily absorbed.
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And everyone still bitches about the price of gas. Though I must say it's remained steady lately.
 
Slash
And everyone still bitches about the price of gas. Though I must say it's remained steady lately.
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It makes me cry when my friend in OK fills up his continent-sized truck for about £4. I'm exaggerating but only a bit :)
 
They have surprisingly small gas tanks. Though new ones have gotten rather large (36+ gallons). In the old days, if you didn't have a 35+ gallon with a dual tank system (for 55+ gallons total), you got stuck with an under 20 gallon tank.
 
YSSMAN
That's 99% of the reason why I wouldn't want to do an automatic in a Focus to begin with. The performance was spooky in the '12 model I drove, and even if they'd have updated it, they still don't allow for manual control of the box. You know, like everyone else does.

I have to be honest and say that I'd be interested to see a lot of these Ford vehicles with a standard, torque-converter automatic. The tech seems to have caught up with the DCT boxes, especially with the ZF units and some of the GM ones. Where would Ford be on that if they would have stuck with it?
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You can manually control the box, although it might be something only on the Titanium model, I'm not sure. But there's a little toggle switch on the side of the gear switch you can push up or down to change gears, it works reasonably well too.
 
Joey D
You can manually control the box, although it might be something only on the Titanium model, I'm not sure. But there's a little toggle switch on the side of the gear switch you can push up or down to change gears, it works reasonably well too.
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I was going to say, I don't think it was on the SE that I drove. Driving around here in the suburbs, it was more than fine, in fact, you could hardly tell a difference. But once I got to Chicago, driving around in stop/go, and having to drive up a pretty steep grade in a parking garage, it just didn't seem to know what it was doing. Even if a torque converter would suck down more gas, in town, it just seems to work better. That, or a CVT. There I said it.
 
Joey D
I'm guessing it's something to do with airflow.
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All manufacturers seem to be going for a similar side-profile type on their headlamps (ie much more of the turn signal and beam reflectors visible) so I wonder if it's a newer regulatory standard somewhere?
 
Leonidae@MFT
So, they gave the ST no-season tires.. Oy.
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I think they're an option and chances are they are high performance all-seasons which are essentially just summer tires with harder rubber compounds.
 

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