Why are Ford always changing the Ford Focus shape?
Discussion
It's a great car no doubt but Ford continually seem to meddle with it. I think I know my cars but I realised today that I could not tell you what the latest one looked like compared to the one they released just before Easter. Does it still have that horrible rear light, the Aston Martin front grill, new shaped carbon plastic side nolders ?
What? You don't know what a side nolder is? Go drive a new Focus, they will surely have added them by now.
This was all brought to light when I went to the wife's mother in laws 2nd bastid brother's caravan for the weekend. The chap next to us brought his 10 year old Focus. I'd not seen one for a while so surreptitiously took a photo. Doesn't it still look fresh and spritely?
The back of the car is even better but I resisted snooping around to get a photo in case they thought I was some sort of weirdo and was hunted down with pitchforks.
It all just gels so well. So why do Ford keep wanting to change it and make it worse. Look at the front grill, it's not in your face like the modern way which is all in your face.
Driving an earlier Focus is a delight as well. Zesty Yamaha 1.6 and the steering, brakes, clutch and gearbox all work as a harmonious whole. Now it seems, from Dan's piece, the steering is going to be modernised also, just like the graphics. I guess it keeps them all in a job.
Perhaps it is just the rose tinted glasses coming out for the past again.
What? You don't know what a side nolder is? Go drive a new Focus, they will surely have added them by now.
This was all brought to light when I went to the wife's mother in laws 2nd bastid brother's caravan for the weekend. The chap next to us brought his 10 year old Focus. I'd not seen one for a while so surreptitiously took a photo. Doesn't it still look fresh and spritely?
The back of the car is even better but I resisted snooping around to get a photo in case they thought I was some sort of weirdo and was hunted down with pitchforks.
It all just gels so well. So why do Ford keep wanting to change it and make it worse. Look at the front grill, it's not in your face like the modern way which is all in your face.
Driving an earlier Focus is a delight as well. Zesty Yamaha 1.6 and the steering, brakes, clutch and gearbox all work as a harmonious whole. Now it seems, from Dan's piece, the steering is going to be modernised also, just like the graphics. I guess it keeps them all in a job.
Perhaps it is just the rose tinted glasses coming out for the past again.
The second time today I'm reminiscing about my old Focus! I had an 'Ebony' model, the last special edition Focus Ford UK did before the second generation arrived. Standard spec was full leather interior, heated front seats and front screen, Alpine stereo, polished exhaust tip, rear tints and parking sensors. Not a bad spec for the car; the seats were fantastic and the stereo was great.
Moreso than the spec, the drive was fantastic. Great handling and lovely weight to the controls, and a reasonably responsive engine. It wasn't 'quick', but it didn't have the rubbery, slow throttle response and awful rev-hang that spoils so many cars these days.
Moreso than the spec, the drive was fantastic. Great handling and lovely weight to the controls, and a reasonably responsive engine. It wasn't 'quick', but it didn't have the rubbery, slow throttle response and awful rev-hang that spoils so many cars these days.
Mk2 driver here. I've had mine for seven years, and I really don't like the Mk3 shape - It looks like a Kia or Hyundai. I definitely wouldn't buy one. I thought the Mk1 shape was good at the time, but much prefer the Mk2. I am not that fussed by the Mk2.5 either way. Overall the shape is slightly better, but the headlight design is off-putting.
I like the Focus. Haven't owned one yet but I have a lot of time for them and have driven quite a few (hire cars, owned by friends etc).
The MK1, in my mind was a quantum leap for Ford. Looked like nothing else on the market and was a real peach to drive. Made the previous Escort and it's rivals look slightly staid. As said it still looks pretty sharp for being a 16 year old design now.
I looked at buying a 1.0 Ecoboost late last year, impressive little car but wasn't leagues ahead of a comparably priced Astra. To be fair the current shape Focus could easily sport a Hyundai badge and I don't think anyone would notice. In fact I don't think I've seen that many on the road, or I just haven't noticed. I'd still buy one though and probably will at some point.
In my mind I think Ford is a little unnoticed these days, roads seem to be awash with prestige German fodder. Why?
The MK1, in my mind was a quantum leap for Ford. Looked like nothing else on the market and was a real peach to drive. Made the previous Escort and it's rivals look slightly staid. As said it still looks pretty sharp for being a 16 year old design now.
I looked at buying a 1.0 Ecoboost late last year, impressive little car but wasn't leagues ahead of a comparably priced Astra. To be fair the current shape Focus could easily sport a Hyundai badge and I don't think anyone would notice. In fact I don't think I've seen that many on the road, or I just haven't noticed. I'd still buy one though and probably will at some point.
In my mind I think Ford is a little unnoticed these days, roads seem to be awash with prestige German fodder. Why?
The MK1 interior was bloody awful in my opinion, specifically the dashboard.
I saw a 55 reg (MK2?) the other day, wheelarches rusting like buggery. I was surprised to see that.
The MK1 was a trailblazer in the styling department though, now they seem to be just one of many amongst the Korean and Japanese rivals. Perhaps one of the reasons that German stuff seems favoured is that they have kept to less faddy designs, a bit boring on the whole and playing safe, but they age better. That said VAG cars are morphing into a homogenised shape now, Seats, Skodas, VWs and Audis.
I saw a 55 reg (MK2?) the other day, wheelarches rusting like buggery. I was surprised to see that.
The MK1 was a trailblazer in the styling department though, now they seem to be just one of many amongst the Korean and Japanese rivals. Perhaps one of the reasons that German stuff seems favoured is that they have kept to less faddy designs, a bit boring on the whole and playing safe, but they age better. That said VAG cars are morphing into a homogenised shape now, Seats, Skodas, VWs and Audis.
Gandahar said:
It's a great car no doubt but Ford continually seem to meddle with it. I think I know my cars but I realised today that I could not tell you what the latest one looked like compared to the one they released just before Easter. Does it still have that horrible rear light, the Aston Martin front grill, new shaped carbon plastic side nolders ?
What? You don't know what a side nolder is? Go drive a new Focus, they will surely have added them by now.
This was all brought to light when I went to the wife's mother in laws 2nd bastid brother's caravan for the weekend. The chap next to us brought his 10 year old Focus. I'd not seen one for a while so surreptitiously took a photo. Doesn't it still look fresh and spritely?
The back of the car is even better but I resisted snooping around to get a photo in case they thought I was some sort of weirdo and was hunted down with pitchforks.
It all just gels so well. So why do Ford keep wanting to change it and make it worse. Look at the front grill, it's not in your face like the modern way which is all in your face.
Driving an earlier Focus is a delight as well. Zesty Yamaha 1.6 and the steering, brakes, clutch and gearbox all work as a harmonious whole. Now it seems, from Dan's piece, the steering is going to be modernised also, just like the graphics. I guess it keeps them all in a job.
Perhaps it is just the rose tinted glasses coming out for the past again.
That is exactly the same as my mother's old Focus, in fact if you look at the black plastic "chin spoiler" you can see a slight dent where it has been pushed in slightly (RHS). Did the reg start HF04?What? You don't know what a side nolder is? Go drive a new Focus, they will surely have added them by now.
This was all brought to light when I went to the wife's mother in laws 2nd bastid brother's caravan for the weekend. The chap next to us brought his 10 year old Focus. I'd not seen one for a while so surreptitiously took a photo. Doesn't it still look fresh and spritely?
The back of the car is even better but I resisted snooping around to get a photo in case they thought I was some sort of weirdo and was hunted down with pitchforks.
It all just gels so well. So why do Ford keep wanting to change it and make it worse. Look at the front grill, it's not in your face like the modern way which is all in your face.
Driving an earlier Focus is a delight as well. Zesty Yamaha 1.6 and the steering, brakes, clutch and gearbox all work as a harmonious whole. Now it seems, from Dan's piece, the steering is going to be modernised also, just like the graphics. I guess it keeps them all in a job.
Perhaps it is just the rose tinted glasses coming out for the past again.
ETA: meant to add I agree with you. IMO the MK1 facelift in ghia spec (colour coding) was the best looking. The pre facelift looks a bit tired to me...
Edited by Triumph Man on Sunday 1st June 19:46
I think the changes between successive versions have been too much. I had a Mk2 a while ago and whilst not in any way a bad looking car, it just seemed a little anonymous alongside my mate's Mk1. Perhaps because the shape was markedly different to the Mk1 but not massively dissimilar to other hatches on the market. Current car is actually duller to look at than the current Astra, much as it pains me to admit that!
I do agree with the comments about the Mk1 interior though; in their effort to make it "radical" Ford made it a bit tacky. Mk2 had a much nicer interior, not in any way exciting but it felt well made and reasonably classy.
I do agree with the comments about the Mk1 interior though; in their effort to make it "radical" Ford made it a bit tacky. Mk2 had a much nicer interior, not in any way exciting but it felt well made and reasonably classy.
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