2008 Ford Focus unveiled

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: LordNoob
Anyone know if they will bring the convertible focus to the US?

Unlikely. The Focus is a cheap car in the US. No one will pay 'Vert tin-top money in teh US for a Focus.

 

[SketchMaster]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Jahee

Originally posted by: SketchMaster
AU Focus looks nice.

Haha is that what they call it there, the focus XR5... for those that know, is the focus the same car in england aswell as the US? or is it different?

The Orange car is the Focus ST. It has the Volvo five pot with a snail, but only 225hp. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty of grunt for a Focus, but 250 is just a sweet number. nothing a little remap won't fix however.

I want to know how they get so much dang torque out of thoes four-banggers. ~240 if I did my math right (unlikely).

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: SketchMaster

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Jahee

Originally posted by: SketchMaster
AU Focus looks nice.

Haha is that what they call it there, the focus XR5... for those that know, is the focus the same car in england aswell as the US? or is it different?

The Orange car is the Focus ST. It has the Volvo five pot with a snail, but only 225hp. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty of grunt for a Focus, but 250 is just a sweet number. nothing a little remap won't fix however.

I want to know how they get so much dang torque out of thoes four-banggers. ~240 if I did my math right (unlikely).

Are you speaking strictly about NA 4 bangers, or do FI ones count too?

 

[SketchMaster]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
Are you speaking strictly about NA 4 bangers, or do FI ones count too?

Their NA mainly.

 

[RU482]

anyone else seeing a mid 90's Ford Escort?

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

:thumbsdown:

All kinds of ugly.

 

[MBrown]

It doesn't look horrible. I think nowadays GM is producing better vehicles than Ford or Chrysler.

 

[The Stigenator]

its FUGLY!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

The back looks like a squashed Dodge.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: teckmaster
Looks pretty nice. I'm glad they are going with a coupe version instead of the hatchback though.

Why? Coupes are such a useless concept. Ford should have a hatch like the Mazda6.
Mazda6 Hatchback

It looks better than the sedan.

Totally agree. If the mazdaspeed6 came in the hatch, I would seriously consider taking the loss on a trade in of my 3.... stupid, yes, but since it doesn't exist I don't have to worry about it

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Originally posted by: Strk

Also, let's not forget that you're going to be paying a lot more for the Mazda (with incentives, the Focus is selling for around $13k for the highest end model).

It is also weird how Ford operates. Others have brought it up. Ford makes some of the best selling vehicles in the world, yet they keep those top sellers separate on each continent (F-150 here, Focus in Europe etc). The Focus used to be similar, but even then, the European version did offer more.

Well, that may be the case with the 3, but I got an awesome deal on the Speed6 because no one knows about them. ~$7k under MSRP, ~$4k under dealer invoice.

ibhs

(In Before HeatSoak )

- M4H

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Originally posted by: Strk

Also, let's not forget that you're going to be paying a lot more for the Mazda (with incentives, the Focus is selling for around $13k for the highest end model).

It is also weird how Ford operates. Others have brought it up. Ford makes some of the best selling vehicles in the world, yet they keep those top sellers separate on each continent (F-150 here, Focus in Europe etc). The Focus used to be similar, but even then, the European version did offer more.

Well, that may be the case with the 3, but I got an awesome deal on the Speed6 because no one knows about them. ~$7k under MSRP, ~$4k under dealer invoice.

ibhs

(In Before HeatSoak )

- M4H

5.4 0-60, 13.8 1/4 mile times in a 3600lb car...yep..heatsoak is obviously a problem.

Regardless, the upgraded intercooler I'll be putting on has no such issue. The stock intercooler doesn't perform as well not due to heatsoak, but because of the pressure drop from the poor airflow through it.

Also, C&D seemed to like it...put it in their top 10 quickest cars under $30k.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12244/2007-mazdaspeed-6.html

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: teckmaster
Looks pretty nice. I'm glad they are going with a coupe version instead of the hatchback though.

Why? Coupes are such a useless concept. Ford should have a hatch like the Mazda6.
Mazda6 Hatchback

It looks better than the sedan.

Totally agree. If the mazdaspeed6 came in the hatch, I would seriously consider taking the loss on a trade in of my 3.... stupid, yes, but since it doesn't exist I don't have to worry about it

Really? I don't think I'd like the speed 6 in a hatch...but I'm coming from a hatch and it's nice to have a trunk. Also, a big reason it does not have a hatch is all the structural enhancements they made to it. It's body is 50% more rigid than a normal 6, and I doubt they would be able to attain that rigidity on a hatch....

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
Where the fvck is the C1 platform???

still the old focus platform?

:thumbsdown:
i guess you gotta do what you gotta do to sell a car for $13K and have any hope of making money off it. keeping the fixed costs as low as possible is one way to help.



if i were running ford, first thing i'd do is take the current euro lineup and sell it as mercury, except maybe the ka. and don't botch it like merkur and the xr4ti. no one wants to buy a car named merkur or xr4ti.

second thing i'd do is keep the taurus around for rental car sales. i don't want people to get a bad impression of the fusion from some beat up rental.

i'm debating whether i'd sell both compact and mid-sized trucks. none of the japanese make compact trucks anymore, so the ranger is a safe bet for ~100,000 a year if it could get a nice overhaul (fun fact: the ranger has not had an all-new design since it's introduction, though i doubt that anything remains the same). ford doesn't want to sell a mid-sized truck because they're afraid of cannibalizing F150 sales.

build the interceptor (and get rid of the F350 grille), get lincoln a semblance of an identity, and we'll be on our way.

i'd like to fix jaguar too. though i'm not sure on the c-xf.

 

[DougK62]

Ewww. Lots of overstyling on the exterior.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
5.4 0-60, 13.8 1/4 mile times in a 3600lb car...yep..heatsoak is obviously a problem.

Run autocross instead of drag and see how that works

Regardless, the upgraded intercooler I'll be putting on has no such issue. The stock intercooler doesn't perform as well not due to heatsoak, but because of the pressure drop from the poor airflow through it.

So it doesn't lose the power because of heatsoak ... but it suffers from poor airflow, which causes heatsoak?

Also, C&D seemed to like it...put it in their top 10 quickest cars under $30k.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12244/2007-mazdaspeed-6.html

While it's a nice car, I still maintain that TMIC + no hood scoop = idiotic.

- M4H

 

[foghorn67]

Wow. Some un-educated posts here. Focus of Europe is at a different target market compared to the one sold here. If they imported that, it would be sold at a different price point. Ford needs an entry level sedan, not another Volvo.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Run autocross instead of drag and see how that works

I don't drag, and have you ever driven the car? It's handling is it's best feature.

So it doesn't lose the power because of heatsoak ... but it suffers from poor airflow, which causes heatsoak?

I'm talking about airflow THROUGH the intercooler, not over it.

While it's a nice car, I still maintain that TMIC + no hood scoop = idiotic.

- M4H

I guess you aren't too versed on the car to know that they have a ducting system that forces air over the intercooler without some dumb ass looking hood scoop on the hood. The lower grille has ducts that feed up to a duct the is underneath the hood, and forces air over the intercooler. There is a rubber seal under the hood that makes sure all that air hits the intercooler. I'll take some pics for you if you'd like.

Your opinion is fine, but please don't try and make statements when it's kind of obvious you aren't too familiar with the car in question. I'll ask again...have you driven one?



Edit:

Here's a description from a TMIC thread...

CPE's testing suggests the stock TMIC ducting is well engineered, the stock TMIC is a POS so if it cools as well as CPE's data implies the ducting provided by Mazda must be very effective. Mazda certainly picked a high pressure area on the front of the car for the IC duct inlets, much better that many other manufacturer's hood mounted locations. On the road this 3" TMIC really does add power, less pressure drop is letting the turbo work at a lower pressure ratio and higher efficiency so the turbo doesn't have to spin as fast to make the same manifold boost as compared with the higher pressure drop of the stock TMIC and the result is less exhaust back pressure for better VE. And cooler temps in/out of the IC due to lower pressure ratio across the turbo. It works as advertised. We all know that heat soak will suck compared to a FMIC but once underway the stocker cools like a madman according to CPE's testing, so all we give up with this TMIC is a bit of heat soak for stopn'go driving and we put $500+ back in our pocket and save a whale of time as compared to a FMIC install.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
Where the fvck is the C1 platform???

The next gen Focus platform is supposed to be global (including U.S., I mean).