The facelifted third-generation Ford Focus was officially introduced in Malaysia on Thursday, and having covered the car’s specifications and trim in detail in our comprehensive launch report, it’s time to look at the performance aspects of the refreshed C346 Focus from a local perspective.
To recap, three variant forms are on sale in Malaysia, the MCA (mid-cycle-action) Focus range now made up of two five-door hatchbacks (the entry-level Trend, essentially a mid-line unit, and the Sport+) and a sedan (the Titanium+). The Trend rolls in at RM118,888, while the Sport+ and the Titanium+ sedan go for RM139,888,
As is the case with the rest of the APA region, the new Mk3 gets a new drivetrain and powertrain combo, in this case a turbocharged 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine and a six-speed torque converter automatic, which replaces the 2.0 litre normally-aspirated Duratec mill and six-speed DPS6 PowerShift dry dual-clutch transmission that equipped the pre-facelift.
Following the launch, there was a drive session with the Focus in its Sport+ form, which Gerard will offer his musings on. He’s no stranger to the facelift, having also driven it previously (we were both at the Asia-Pac regional drive for the car that took place in Adelaide last year, though he was then working with another publication).
Separate from that was a run with both the Series 15 Sport+ and Series 40 Titanium+ to grab the photo sets as seen in the launch report. While the drive time wasn’t extensive, the back-to-back sampling of the duo offered many points of note – some of these were not observable on the Australian drive (mainly related to performance), but the more pertinent element was the insight gleaned on the different characters of both body-styles.
We’ll explore the Sport+ hatch first. Much to like with regards to overall balance and poise, as a series of mechanical changes in areas involving steering, NVH and ride/handling make the Focus a better drive than before. The car turns in crisply to input, and there’s plenty of mechanical grip.
In a nutshell, it feels tauter and more integrated dynamically, and primary ride running off the sports suspension and 15-spoke 17-inch alloys (as seen on the Oz Sport variant, and shod with 215/50 Michelin Primacy LC tyres) is firm, yet supple. Secondary ride aspects are likewise very good, and on the whole the car feels well sorted out and immensely coherent.
In absolute terms (and also with regards to interior trim and plushness) the Focus arguably still hasn’t gotten the measure of its primary competitor – the more expensive Volkswagen Golf – in outright refinement, but the gap has been narrowed significantly.
The perception of the revised interior continued where it left off from Down Under – it’s not the lightest and delicate cabin frontage-wise, but the reduction in clutter makes the overall layout easier on the eye and offers much more polish and snap to the presentation. Trim and material levels are good, and though still missing some element of premium at points, these are mostly off the direct line of sight.
Many of the improvements have come in leaps and bounds. The smaller acreage taken up by the Sony audio system works very well visually compared to the heavily-dotted landscape of the outgoing car, and the eight-inch touchscreen is a significant jump from the 4.2-inch TFT unit in the current Focus. It looks the business, though if you want to nitpick, the resolution could be higher than it is.
As for SYNC2, it’s a cinch to use; operation is an easy affair and the interface is intuitive in use. Glaringly, no navigation on the MY-spec car, but otherwise it’s quite an advance from the primarily mechanical operation/small screen layout on the pre-facelift.
Much of the current switchgear continues on in the MCA Mk3, so the familiar feel carries on, but some areas are much improved – the repositioned handbrake lever doesn’t feel out of place any more, and the streamlined centre console has, at least to me, more functional appeal and usability, with the trade-off being a smaller capacity and less efficient console box.
A word about the steering – the EPAS has been retuned and feels lighter in the first third of the turn, which should be a boon in city use for most drivers. The initial definition takes some getting used to, because it can come across as woolly especially if you’re coming in from the pre-facelift (and ST), but thankfully there’s no loss of precision, and it does load up nicely when more lock is dialled-in.
The Titanium+ is inherently less dynamic in scope, its presentation tuned very differently to the Sport+. The inclusion of a standard comfort-oriented suspension and smaller 16-inch alloys (shod with 205/60 Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, as opposed to the 18s on the Oz Titanium) changes the pitch by a fair degree, both in terms of visual perspective and, more significantly, ride/handling orientation.
It’s obvious Ford is likely banking on sedan owners being a different – and calmer – breed than hatchback adopters. The sedan is still relatively sprightly handling-wise, but it’s nowhere close to the Sport+ dynamically. Thresholds are far lower, with less grip coming off the different rubbers and suspension setup.
The ride has a softer focus (pardon the term), great for going about the urban crawl but less so if you decide to punch the speed up – Chris Aaron, who helped shuttle the cars for the photo session, reported that the sedan felt wallowy at 180 km/h, which was not the case with the hatch.
Personally, I’m not too hot on the sedan’s Medium Light Stone interior, even if the beige shade does give the cabin a more spacious and airier feel. The Charcoal Black presentation of the hatch actually presents a classier rendition of the cabin’s internals.
Likewise, the seating from a driver’s perspective – the sedan may have a six-way power-adjustable unit, but it seats the occupant higher than the four-way manual one on the Sport+, and isn’t quite as comfortable when you manage a direct back-to-back comparison of both.
In Australia, we never managed to get the car going fast due to the usual speed restrictions, so it was a chance to see what the 180 PS and 240 Nm 1.5 litre EcoBoost mill and attendant transmission would finally be like when pushed. There’s no lack of punch from the Romanian-assembled EcoBoost 15, especially in the midband, and we easily touched 180 km/h on a number of occasions in both examples during the drive.
Again, as was observed on the Australian drive, the Sigma-derived unit exhibits a rather grainy character, but there’s no doubting its willingness to haul when you floor the pedal, with far improved movement into speed than with the Duratec. As before, there’s a nice visceral growl to it when climbing up the rev range on wide-open throttle – it’s raucous, but the tone is meaty and very easy on the ears.
The SelectShift, meanwhile, is a decent dance partner – not the fastest or most seamless, but it’s a very capable unit, the Ford/GM 6F35 ‘box. Response-wise, the 6F feels quicker that in another of its mid-range applications presently, in the current CD391 Mondeo facelift.
While the low end take-up isn’t as snappy as the Getrag 6DCT250’s, transitions between cogs are clean and smooth, and you don’t have to deal with dragging and clunky behaviour any more. Not as exciting, granted, but a much easier-going proposition for most.
The newly-included steering-mounted paddle shifters work well enough – in keeping with proceedings, changes to input are accomplished in somewhat relaxed fashion, but if you’re not in a hurry or needing to hustle along, the reaction times are well acceptable.
Not a deal clincher, but the shifters are neat to have, being good to the touch and infinitely far more workable than the rather poor gearshift-mounted controls seen previously (which are still to be found on the Trend variant). Good contact to touch aspects on the new three-spoke wheel, and its switchgear operation is fuss-free.
All in all, the first impressions of the MCA Focus Mk3 from a local perspective are very positive – it drives very well (especially so with the hatch), and it’s nicely specified in terms of kit and driver-assistance tech; shame about there only being halogen headlamps across the model range, but that’s how it now rolls across the region.
Otherwise, the rework has resulted in a compelling offering, one that arguably should have been as such from the onset. Great mechanicals and inspired choice of running gear, but all that advancement in scope has come at a price, quite literally. How the game plays out remains to be seen, but the impending arrival of the 1.5 litre turbocharged Honda Civic here later this year should only make things even more interesting.
Gerard Lye takes a spin in the 1.5L EcoBoost Focus Sport+, and reports on his findings:
Following the launch of the new Ford Focus, we had a chance to spend some time with the facelifted C-segment hatch in its Sport+ variant in an ‘Amazing Race’ style challenge within the Klang Valley.
Though I may say ‘facelift’ here, it is of course an understatement. Subtle changes to the exterior – new grille, headlights, tail lights – do provide the Focus with a more handsome demeanour compared to its predecessor. It’s simpler and certainly less fussy, a trait that is emulated within the interior as well.
Inside, the button fest of the past has been deported, making it less ‘in your face’ than before, and a much nicer place to be in as well. The new highlight here is the SYNC2 touchscreen infotainment unit, which was utilised during our media drive, reading out text messages that contained information on where our next destination would be.
The new unit is certainly a major step-up from before, and though it may not have the fastest touch response, it is pretty easy to fathom, the screen has a nice viewing angle and it has the standard array of inputs (Bluetooth, AUX, SD card) for your media playback needs.
Beyond the looks, the Focus also gains a new powertrain that features a 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine and a six-speed torque converter SelectShift auto. Though the transmission isn’t the most direct in terms of response, once you get it going, the EcoBoost’s 180 PS and 240 Nm truly shines.
Acceleration is brisk, accompanied by a lovely grunt from the engine. Power delivery is pretty linear, with the turbo slowly easing in the power from 1,600 to 5,000 rpm instead of one big shove in the back. Another big plus point here is the addition of paddle shifters, which makes it significantly more intuitive to change gears (albeit delayed at times) than the shifter-mounted controls before.
On the handling front, the car rides very well despite its ‘sport’ suspension. Bumps and undulations on the road can still be felt, but it isn’t as jarring as one might expect, be it at low or high speeds.
During periods of spirited driving, the Focus maintains its composure pretty well. Body roll is kept in check, and the car’s chassis does well to ensure understeer is easily managed, before shutting it out with the aid of the car’s safety electronics (those blind spot monitors are helpful too).
Furthermore, the car’s tweaked EPAS requires less input than before to get the amount of turn-in you so desire. On the downside, I wished the leather seats had a little more bolstering on its sides to hold me in place through the corners.
One of the activities during the media test drive involved utilising all three of the Focus’ Active Park Assist functions. Where the previous car only did parallel parking, the new one gains perpendicular parking and Park-Out Assist, which helps drivers exit a parallel parking space.
It is also incredibly easy to operate. Simply push the Active Park Assist button once to engage parallel parking, flick your indicator to the direction of the parking spot, and drive slowly until the car finds an appropriate parking space. For perpendicular parking, push the same button twice instead.
After the car finds a suitable spot, simply follow the onscreen instructions, where the only thing you’ll need to work is the gear selector, accelerator and brake. The car steers itself into the parking spot, adjusting itself if required. It really is idiot proof and is something that needs to be tried out.
The new Ford Focus is a pretty well-rounded car. It’s fun to drive when needed, and supple and cushy enough when you just want to have a slow drive. It also packs some pretty nifty tech, which can either help those that find it hard to park their car, or impress as a party trick. Add to that a formidable powertrain, and it’s a pretty tempting package.
GALLERY: C346 Ford Focus Mk3 facelift, 1.5L EcoBoost Sport+ hatchback
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Next , compare with other C segment with turbo engine
Focus, Civic , Golf , Peugeot 308 & others
Sad on its body stabiliy. Why the sedan (body) can’t handle 180km/h?
only proton can do that :)
Honestly, this looks like what the Focus should have been from the start. What was Ford thinking back in 2012 to launch the Focus with the DCT…
The Focus is and was always a very good car, with only the Golf being able to pip it, but the absolutely clumsy transmission that we got was just a hot pile of crap. Having had the second gen Focus, and stepping into the 3rd gen, it was a huge step forward, until you drove it. And it didn’t help that the clumsy transmission also had a lot of reliability issues too, which in Sime Darby AutoConnexion fashion, meant at least a 2 week wait for parts (if you were lucky, and this is from past experience with having to order parts with SDAC). Many who bought the 3rd gen Focus were coming from things like Toyotas and Hondas which were more bulletproof but not very exciting to drive, hence the very negative perception of the brand here.
Fingers crossed they’d be able to turn it around, cause one thing for sure, it was much easier to find a Focus over a Golf on our roads.
With Ford closing a chapter on DCT for Ford Focus, one could expect that support for faulty DCT will end once the 5 year warranty period ends.
Ford Focus owners should get together and do a VW on Ford Malaysia. I am quite upset that I bought an otherwise perfect car if not for the faulty DCT. I mean, I am on the 3rd (yes, 3rd) set of clutch under 3 years of ownership!
Hi Colin, mind to share the milage of ur car? If u r going to the next clutch pad again (which I hope not), u can ask whether they can swap the clutch pad of the 1.0 Ecoboost in ur Focus? I was informed that the clutch pad of the ecoboost variant is much much more durable and perform better compared to the dafault one in 1.5 Fiesta and 2.0 Focus. I have physically compared both clutches with my own eyes, and apparently the one on the 1.0 Ecoboost is different and uses some kind of dog tooth mechanism in addution to the normal friction surface for clutch operation. (I am no expert on this, this is my conclusion after seeing the clutch pad myself, perhaps any expert here can enlight me?)
So far, all the Ford service center had not reported any 1.0 Ecoboost clutch issues and the higest milage of the lots had clock more than 60,000km since 2014. And based on the average first failure of the Focus and and Fiesta clutch pad at around 20,000km to 30,000km, the first Ecoboost variant should have claimed its warranty by now. So far, as the feedback I got from SDAC PJ and Persada Auto, none.
Some old 1.6 Fiesta and 1.5 Fiesta had already done swapping the Ecoboost clutch pad and it fits and function perfectly, albiet slightly noisy during gear shiting compare to the old one. And that’s a small price to pay for some Fiesta owners who wanted better reliability. Since old 1.6 Fiesta, 1.5 Fiesta 1.0 Fiesta and the 2.0 Focus share the same 6DCT250 transmission set, the only question left is whether the Ecoboost varaint clutch pad can accomodate to the Focus Duratech’s 2.0 flywheel? No harm asking, I think.
Finally, try not to ride the clutch while driving any DCT transmission. It’s a manual under the skin, so it should be driven like one. One major habit of DSG owners who destroy the clutch pad is that they ride the clutch too often by creeping the car forward during traffic jam. This is done using the brake control without any throttle input. In a torque converter auto, it’s fine. But on a DCT, that’s a big no no habit to be avoid at all cost, because the computer is creeping the car forward by half-clutching (without stalling the car in extremely slow speed) and this is very detrimental to the clutch life-span. If you are familiar to driving a manual car, it’s equivalent to 1/2 pressing the clutch padel all the time in slow traffic. Hope this helps, cheers.
actually this kind of comment that I (or perhaps most readers would like to see and read here.. not like some craps comments that cursing, nonsense and political kind..
Very constructive comment that is a rare sight on Paultan.org.
1.6L variant in other markets still using the same DCT. don’t worry nuub.
At the price point for theSport+ and the Titanium+ sedan , RM139,888 I would be inclined to give both cars a miss. Many better alternatives are available such as forthcoming Civic or even the facelifted Subaru XV; albeit they are in different segment. Besides, Ford is renowned for its poor after sales service. I have owned a Laser HB and Ranger Splash in the past.
the Civic is in the same segment, but why is it a ‘better alternative’? they’re incredibly sloppy to drive (except for the tuned up variants).
yes someone’s gonna come shouting about RV and stuff but really…are you buying a car for how much you can sell it for after a few years or buying a car for what it is to be driven on a daily basis.
bring back dual clutch please
Bring back manual please
After seeing thailand civic spec, i think the focus is beter.
Yes, I do
So how fast is 0-100 km/h for the 1.5 turbo mill?
14 sec?
The mill itself cnt do century sprint. Lol.
factory claim 8.1s in 0-100kmh for 1.5 ecoboost focus
That’s not really fast for a turbo. The good old Satria Gti has a acclaimed 7.9 sec, 0 to 100km dash and its a NA, 1.8cc.
can the car go more than 180km/h?
my honda city can hit 190km/h. i would expect this car to hit about 220km/h.
Mine prefacelift easily 180kmh la. Only able to hit the most 210 but some other people in mk3 forum able to hit more than that. Compare city and focus? That’s nuts.
But everybody choose City lor!!
Focus compare with what??
haha City can thrash focus into rubbish dumb
yeah only in the ah-beng majority population of Malaysia…you do realise the Focus has been a global top selling nameplate.
when will people get that they don’t make cars for tax-laden Malaysia only…it’s a global picture.
City reaching 190kmh…. After how long? It’s all about how u get to 190kmh…
aiks? no review of the trend model?
There should be a shootout between this new turbocharged C-segment contender with other turbocharged C-segment cars like the Jetta, 408 Turbo and Preve/Suprima, and N/A competitors like the Civic and Mazda 3
*heavy breathing*
I want one! SDAC pls keep this below 120k!
Are guys sure it comes with only 2 airbags? At that price, what is Sime thinking? Some UMW disease? Government should start implementing minimum airbag count and mandatory VSC on all new vehicles.
Two for trend. Cant read?
Sorry…lah. ! Civic is gonna trump you to the ground.
No chance la look at thai civic spec.
does the trend model screen is touch screen too?
Oz model seems to be colour + touch screen even for trend model
Recycle your old monochrome CRT monitor oso can
ya good idea…
i thk i use my old 32 inch LCD TV instead :D
For the RM100K pricing, you should at least get projector LED front headlights! Are we regressing or what? I thought the prefacelifted had the projector HID..what happened?
lots of reasons but mostly down to cost and purchasing power.
look at the new Mazda2 LED..that’s a B segment which is nearly touching the RM100k mark just because of added LEDs.
Good car. But the one that people waiting for is the mustang
You sure you can afford it?
The car comes without Bi-Xenon headlamp & Capless Easy-Fuel at RM139k mark is simply unacceptable. With the movement of Euro 5 diesel, SDAC should consider bringing in 1.5L or 2.0L TDCi models.
The sync2 8inch support screen mirroring from Android phone?
Not android not like proton
Any improvement in leg room for rear passengers compare to pre-facelift/outgoing modem?
leg room? are 180cm or above? go to buy almera la which is more affordable for u…
why the rear air-cond vent is missing for the sedan? no gps is unacceptable with this price, even K3 1.6 has it. Reflector for 139k, gosh….don’t tell me there is no reverse camera as well….
btw, if compare to Golf TSI rm164k, it is much cheaper…TSI only 138hp 250NM, no gps, no reverse camera too…ok fair, i am going to get u
If they also paired this guy with a 6-speed MT, would the FiestaST even more suffering?
What’s with the reflector headlamps?? Hello guys I think you’re going the wrong way. They are suppose to be LEDs now not reflector halogens. Someone missed a memo somewhere somehow I’m guessing.
no reverse camera, no rear air con vents.
Still would like to see fact & figures on its performance & petrol consumption. tq
Fact about focus 2.0 dct
1. 174hp , reach 180km easily(sport mode but not use +- button, its change gear at 4000rpm
2. Transmission sys
A. Standard mode- change gear at 3000rpm
B. Sport ( no use +-) – shift gear at 4000 rpm
C. Sport use +- – can push but it change gear itsself at 6500 rpm
3. Stability & corner is very great!
4. Fc 7.3l/100km ( real , cmbine cty & hwy
5. Sys tech PRACTICALLY USE- voice command to answer& call, missed call, phone audio bluetooth, msg read on screen
~ sony speaker very nice ( for who really love music)
~ push start button, keyless entry sys.
5. Hot hatch with big boots when half rear seat
6. Most power in segment
DISADVANTAGE
~ not very spacious cmpore to other
~ boots cannot vs sedan
~ Electronic car ( sometimes tech servuces take time to find out)
~ battery use a lot compare to standard car
~ half leather seat @ hatcback
~services & sparepart takes time can drag to 2 weeks or more
~ if owner hv other 2nd car is just nice
~ normal services rm500
~ service cntre only 2 at jb area
~ standard workshop not expert on ekectronic cars like this
NOTED* SPEC IS WISE but diff people think differently.
Now I have to admit that proton Turbocharged GDI engine are still have the highest output that produce 180hp 250nm while the honda vtec turbo produce 173hp 220nm..the only proton strongest rival is ford turbocharged ecoboost 1.5 engine that produce 180hp 240nm..proton still have the highest output :)