2008 FORD
FOCUS
DELIVERS FRESH DESIGN, BETTER FUEL ECONOMY AND NEW SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY
FEATURES
- Bold New Focus. 2008 Ford Focus brings a bold exterior design,
all-new interior and improved driving dynamics to a growing small car
market.
- Refined Interior. Redesigned cabin delivers improved
craftsmanship and comfort along with added flexibility and storage.
- Innovative Technology. Available Ford Sync™ – an
industry-first – offers unprecedented levels of in-car connectivity
for mobile phones and media players.
- Dynamic and Confident. New suspension tuning and chassis
refinements improve an already rewarding and dynamic driving
experience.
- Quiet Ride. Improvements to sealing and sound deadening materials
reduce noise, vibration and harshness levels, providing a quiet,
comfortable ride.
Product
Highlights Downloadable PDF
The 2008 Ford Focus brings a bold new look, a refined and flexible
interior and a higher level of driving enjoyment to an evolving small car
market. With features including Ford Sync™, standard side-curtain air
bags and fuel economy in the mid-30s, the redesigned Focus will play an
important role in Ford Motor Company’s resurging car portfolio,
continuing the momentum built by the successful Ford Fusion mid-size
sedan.
“The 2008 Focus is further proof that Ford is back in the car
business,” said Cisco Codina, Ford group vice president, North America
Marketing, Sales and Service. “The new Focus delivers the superior
quality, refinement and exciting driving dynamics that today’s small
car customers demand – and introduces some cutting-edge innovations
that will make it stand out from the pack.”
Muscular stance, sharp character lines define Focus
For the new 2008 Focus, Ford’s design team drew inspiration from the
highly successful Fusion, borrowing that car’s prominent chrome-bar
grille design, flared wheel arches and sweeping, crisp lines to create a
small car that stands out with a sporty stance.
Even details in the distinctive headlights help enhance the 2008
Focus’ design story. Horizontal bars with a matte surface run through
the reflection area, visually connecting the headlights with a sweeping
line running through the chrome-bar grille.
The taillamps borrow cues from the 2008 Ford Escape, with a white
arc cutting across the red lens. Complementing the taillamps, the center
high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) is carefully integrated into the decklid
and features a new clear lens that illuminates with red LEDs for a
progressive, modern appearance.
Focus SE and SES models feature a front fender appliqué integrated
just behind the front wheel well, adding a bright accent to the profile.
On all models, the “Focus” name is brightly spelled out in bold
italic letters on the decklid, scuff plates and instrument panel.
The 2008 Focus is available in two body styles – two-door coupe
(a first for Focus) and four-door sedan – in S, SE and SES trims. Focus
is built in Wayne, Mich.
Redesigned cabin is quiet, inviting and refined
While the exterior design helps the Focus stand out, the real news for
the 2008 Focus is the interior design. The all-new interior design, with
unique materials and new levels of craftsmanship, delivers a sense of
modern, contemporary openness and provides even more flexible storage
space.
Interior features include:
- A new “top of dash” display positioned at eye level at the
top of the center stack. This simple, efficient design puts much of
the vehicle’s information in one place, making it easier and quicker
to read when driving.
- A new “poke-through” center console design replaces the
traditional “brick” design for the radio and HVAC controls. The
all-new center stack houses the controls for the audio and HVAC as
well as a standard auxiliary input jack and two power points. In
vehicles equipped with the available Sync option, the associated USB
port is located on the center stack near the power points.
- New Ice Blue Lighting on the instrument cluster, center console,
steering wheel and door lock and window switches presents a cool,
crisp light that enhances the overall feel of the interior and is easy
on the eyes when driving at night.
- On SES models, the dashboard and center console sport a brilliant
matte-silver-metallic finish. On SE models, the center console and
dashboard center finish panels also feature contrasting colors.
The 2008 Focus offers a larger center console as well as added space
in front of the shifter for extra storage. Newly designed door trim
features larger bins and cup holders in the doors. The console also
provides three additional cup holders. New seats have improved contours
and offer more lateral and lumbar support. A new cloth pattern is
featured for 2008, while the leather seats include contrast stitching for
an added touch of craftsmanship.
Focus S models feature a Stone interior; SE and SES models are
available in Stone or Charcoal. Vehicles equipped with the SE Deluxe
package feature a white-face instrument cluster and chrome accents on the
door handles and side-view mirror caps and unique 16-inch wheels. The SES
model also features the white-faced instrument cluster, and adds body
colored door handles and mirror caps, rear spoiler and unique 16-inch
wheels.
Focus lets you set the mood
Adding to the appeal of the interior, the 2008 Focus comes with an
available next-generation color-configurable interior ambient lighting
system. Taking the customizable dashboard lighting system first
introduced on the 2005 Mustang to the next level, the ambient lighting
system on the 2008 Focus can change the light inside the cup holders and
in the front and rear footwells. The driver or front-seat passenger can
choose from seven different colors, including red, orange, blue, indigo,
violet, green and yellow, simply by cycling through a dash-mounted
switch.
Customizable and unique interior lighting inside cars and trucks is
an emerging trend. According to a recent survey, more than 90 percent of
consumers said they would be interested in unique lighting to enhance the
appearance of their vehicle’s interior.
Sync connects your digital life to your drive life
The 2008 Ford Focus is one of the first Ford Motor Company vehicles to
feature Sync, a cutting-edge way to use cell phones and media players
inside a vehicle. This industry-first technology offers unprecedented
levels of connection, control, simplicity and personalization for
electronic devices inside a car.
A microphone inside the cabin allows consumers to use their mobile
phones hands free while operating a vehicle. Using Bluetooth technology
as a foundation, Sync can wirelessly connect up to six different mobile
phones to the vehicle through a process called pairing. Once the phone is
paired, the user’s personal features (such as address book and ring
tones) are readily accessed by the system.
Sync is also the only automotive application that offers full
hands-free, voice-activated command and control over portable media
players and USB storage devices. Sync’s advanced capability allows
consumers to access the songs, artists, genres, albums, playlists and
more through voice commands. The selections also are shown on the
vehicle’s audio display, since Sync allows complete command and control
via dashboard or steering wheel controls. Ultimately, Sync acts as an
extension of the media player, effectively melding the player’s
functionality into the vehicle.
Sync hosts nearly all media players, including all Apple iPods, all
MP3 players with “Plays for Sure” technology, and Microsoft’s new
music player, Zune. Sync also accepts music saved on USB storage drives.
Located on the dashboard near the power outlets, the Sync USB port
simultaneously charges the player as the music is being played over the
vehicle’s audio system. All music played through Sync is
high-resolution digital quality.
Revised suspension settings further refine the Focus driving
experience
Since its North American introduction in 1999, Focus has been hailed for
being an affordable car that handles and drives like a car twice its
price. For 2008, the suspension has been redesigned and retuned to
further improve overall driving dynamics.
The Focus gets its great driving dynamics from a suspension setup
that features MacPherson struts up front and an independent multilink
design in the rear. The spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars, and
bushings are all new for 2008. Generally speaking, the spring rates were
dropped and improvements to steering and handling were accomplished by
careful tuning and increasing the size of the front stabilizer bar.
Engineers also derived unique tuning packages for vehicles equipped
with 15- or 16-inch wheels and tires. Models with 15-inch wheels and
low-rolling resistance Hankook tires use a front stabilizer bar only.
Models with 16-inch wheels and sporty, responsive Pirelli tires use front
and rear stabilizer bars.
The revised chassis settings help improve steering feel and
responsiveness over the previous Focus. Changes in body structure also
help improve handling. The cross-car beam located beneath the instrument
panel has been significantly stiffened for 2008. The steering column is
mounted to this beam, which means minimal vibration in the steering wheel
as Focus is driven over rough and uneven roads.
Focus gets an all-new brake system for 2008. New aluminum calipers
save weight and improve brake pedal feel. The brakes are 10.9-inch vented
discs in front and 11.0-inch drums in back with an available anti-lock
braking system (ABS).
The 2008 Focus comes with a choice of two engines. The standard
engine is a 140-horsepower (up four horsepower from the previous model)
2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), inline 4-cylinder. The
added power comes from an all-new air intake system and a new cooling
system, both of which are designed to improve efficiency and reduce
back-pressure in the exhaust.
There’s also a super-clean, 130-horsepower Duratec 20E engine
that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV). The 20E
is cleaner than some hybrid gas-electric vehicles. The PZEV engine is
required from dealers in California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and
Maine. For orders from dealers in cross border states – Arizona,
Connecticut, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and
Rhode Island – PZEV Focus models are available as a limited option.
The Duratec 20 and 20E are available with a 5-speed manual
transmission or a 4-speed automatic. For 2008, the transmissions have
revised final drive ratios, which let the engine turn at a lower rpm rate
during highway driving and get better fuel economy. In addition to
powertrain refinements, fuel economy gains were also achieved by weight
reduction and aerodynamic improvements. Compared to a comparably equipped
2007 model, the new 2008 Focus is about 100 pounds lighter.
Focus provides a quite, refined ride and low NVH
The new exterior design doesn’t just look good, it provides function as
well. Many hours were spent in the wind tunnel developing the shapes of
exterior parts such as mirrors and front openings, spoilers, and the
shape of the air deflectors under the car. The improved airflow helps
reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.33 to 0.32 and delivers a quieter
cabin and improved fuel economy.
At a simulated 80 mph in the wind tunnel, the previous Focus had
28.8 sones of wind noise while the new model recorded 25.6, an 8 percent
reduction in wind noise. In a road test measuring “boom, rumble and
roar,” decibel levels dropped from 70 dBA to 67.3.
The difference between the previous model and the 2008 Focus is far
more dramatic than the numbers show. Sones reflect overall noise levels
and not the directionality of the noise. A noise coming from a particular
area can be perceived as being louder, even though the overall noise
level is similar. With Focus, engineers addressed not only the overall
noise level, but also where the noise is coming from.
- Engineers reduced wind noise by installing a new acoustic
windshield and thicker side glass in the front doors (increased in
thickness from 3.2 to 3.8 millimeters).
- Closed-cell foam is used for the dash panel seal, as opposed to
open-cell foam material, to help reduce wind noise even further.
- Fluffy cotton-like sound-deadening material is incorporated into
the door trim panels, C-pillars and the shelf behind the rear seats to
reduce cabin noise.
- The sealing around the side mirrors is redesigned and reduces
noise entering the passenger cabin.
- The front air dam is stiffened and produces less noise.
The climate control system is more efficient, with improved cooling
and heating performance. Switching to electronic actuators for the floor,
panel, defrost and temperature controls improves heating, ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC) performance. The completely redesigned climate
control system is also quieter and lighter than the system it replaced.
New and improved standard safety features
The 2008 Focus comes standard with Ford’s Personal Safety System®,
including thorax side air bags and side air curtains for increased
coverage in the event of a side impact crash.
Focus uses Ford’s Safety Canopy™ side air curtains that deploy
in certain side-impact collisions to help protect front- and second-row
outboard occupants. The curtains remain inflated for several seconds
after deployment to enhance protection during an extended crash event.
The air curtains feature “roll-fold” technology. If occupants
are improperly seated and resting their heads against a window, the
Safety Canopy™ is designed to slide between the glass and occupants as
it inflates.
The 2008 Focus is built to last
The 2008 redesign for the Focus is more than skin deep. Engineers and
designers improved every part of the body to improve how the vehicle
behaves under all driving conditions.
Engineers reworked and improved the strength of the roof structure,
the package tray, the connections between the rear floor and the
underbody and the door systems. A stiffened cross-car beam beneath the
instrument panel connects the car side to side and provides better
lateral stiffness.
Even the wiring in the new Focus has been rethought and redesigned.
A new Smart Power Distribution Junction Box distributes electrical power
throughout the vehicle. In the past, the car had separate connections and
unnecessary wires. This modern system is lighter, more efficient and less
complex, reducing the amount of wires. It also simplifies manufacturing.
Key Features and Options:
Standard features include: Power front-disc and rear-drum brakes;
Power rack-and-pinion steering; 5-speed manual transmission; Rear
defroster; Manual adjust side mirrors; Tinted glass; AM/FM single CD/MP3
player four speakers; Audio input jack; Two 12V power points; Padded
armrests; Two-way adjustable, manual front seats; 60/40-split rear seat;
Visor mirrors; LATCH; SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system; Tire
inflation kit.
Available options include: 16-inch aluminum wheels; AM/FM
six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 player; Audiophile system for AM/FM six-disc
in-dash CD/MP3 player with four coaxial speakers and 8-inch subwoofer;
SIRIUS® Satellite Radio; Ford Sync™; Interior ambient lighting system;
4-speed automatic transmission; Anti-lock brakes with traction control;
Floor mats; Power moonroof; Perimeter alarm system; Four-way manual
adjustable driver’s seat; Heated seats; Leather-trimmed seating
surfaces; Spare tire; Floor mats.