The Ford Focus is certainly a capable car, offering a good blend of power, stylish design, safety and smart features. Sime Darby Auto Connexion is currently offering a special promotion for the Focus, where you’ll be able to own one from just RM668 per month. Another attractive offer being made available is a RM15,000 cash rebate, which should make the Focus an even more tempting proposition.
All three variants of the Focus sold in Malaysia – Trend, Sport+ and Titanium+ – are powered by Ford’s 1.5 litre EcoBoost four-cylinder petrol engine, which serves up more power than the previous 2.0 litre normally-aspirated Duratec powerplant.
With an output of 180 PS and 240 Nm of torque, the EcoBoost unit is one of the most powerful engines available in a C-segment model. The mill directs drive to the front wheels via a SelectShift six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
Aside from the powertrain, the Focus is equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety features. The Focus is fitted with an autonomous emergency braking system dubbed Active City Stop, which works at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
There’s also a Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert to alert the driver if a vehicle is approaching either from the left or right side (up to a range of 40 meters), or if a motorist is in the driver’s blind spot. Add to this the usual array of systems (ESP, ABS, EBD), an airbag count that goes up to six, and you have a car that is worthy of a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
The Focus also comes with a hands-free parking system called Enhanced Active Park Assist, which is capable of handling both parallel and reverse parking. The easy-to-operate system scans for available parking spaces when activated, and informs the driver when one is found.
From there, the driver only needs to follow the on-screen instructions, controlling the shifting, braking and acceleration, while the car takes control of the steering. On the other hand, should you need to exit a parallel parking spot, Park-Out Assist takes the stress out of doing so.
For those who plan to lend their car to less experienced drivers, the Ford MyKey allows owners to programme a smart key that is capable of performing a wide range of functions. This includes limiting the vehicle’s maximum speed, flashing an earlier low-fuel warning, plus limit or even disable the in-car infotainment system if the seatbelts aren’t fastened.
Speaking of the infotainment system, the SYNC 3 system in the Focus isn’t just something that is limited to playing music. In fact, SYNC 3 acts as your assistant on the road, allowing you to give voice commands to make calls, play music and have text messages read to you. It even works with your Android and iOS device thanks to its integrated Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
With an impressive resume, the Focus packages all of this into a stylish body, which has been revised to provide a bolder form that has function to go along with it. The face features a sculpted bonnet, slim headlights and a shapely bumper with rectangular fog lamp enclosures.
The Active Grille Shutter is another unique aspect of the Focus, helping reduce aerodynamic drag by up to 6% to save fuel. At the back, the facelift introduces the car to new taillights that sport a slimmer profile, a redesigned tailgate and a reprofiled rear bumper, which features larger rear fog lamp/reflector assemblies.
For more information about the Ford Focus promotion, head on over to Ford Malaysia’s website, here.
