Ford Focus live unveiling

NEW FOCUS PICTURES

Looks nice, although looks very much like a big brother Fiesta from the back & side.I'm sure it will be a nice car. but will it be exciting to drive?

By derekwormald on 11 January, 2010, 6:03pm

Unimpressed really, the artists impressions in auto express were so much more promising than the final result. Rather bland to appeal to the American market, it has strong hints of Hyundai from certain angles.

The front bumper triangles look out of place and the rear headroom looks quite low. It's been going down hill since the original Focus.

By Arrowsmith on 11 January, 2010, 6:18pm

The same is said everytime Ford change the Focus, "won't be as good as the current one. World wake up! The Focus a great to look at and great to drive car. This new one will only enhance that. Arrowsmith you are wrong. Ford will once again set the world alight with this car. All I can say is....Golf had better look out!

By no1fordfan on 11 January, 2010, 8:44pm

Arrowsnith is right the Auto Express renders were far more exciting than the front of this. The origianl focus to me is still more attractive than the current weird arched roof MK2. The only thing better about the MK2 was the interior quality.

I'm not bothered about it having hints of the Fiesta as that really is a beautifull car but I'm not sure about these show cars. To be fair the lighting is too bright and I don't think that Verve concept colour suits it. Its alright but I'm going to reserve judgement till I see professional pictures and it in the flesh at a show or on the road.

By JordanB2710 on 11 January, 2010, 10:10pm

Ho Hum.......

Have they stolen the KIA stylists and design team?

Can see bits of Mondeo,Fiesta inthe lines but it looks a bit derivative from these pics...Maybe its the dull colours that the cars are painted in?

Focus MK1 is still is the best looker of the Focus gene pool, especially in 3dr ST or RS variants...Theyve gone backwards since then! Vauxhall have got better and VW hit the spot with the MK5 and then has gone backwards with Mk6...But then I`m a Honda man.(so I dont really care!)

By LegioIXHispana on 12 January, 2010, 12:25am

steve

This wont be the euro focus. It just cant be, really. The us focus always differs. This car is criminally boring and staggeringly unimpressive. Even the interior, as seen on another website, is outrageously hyundai. Ill put money on it that the focus AE showed us, will be closer to what we get. This car will never cut it in Europe. Ford always give us the best cars, the yanks get the duffers.

By stevetyler899010 on 12 January, 2010, 3:19am

Is that a new Astra window line DLO? Oh yes...it is.

Have an imagination of your own.....please!

By mondeo_man on 12 January, 2010, 8:37am

Yep it great new Ford Focus. Like Mondeo very great car. Now I heard lately in Australia that World Ford Falcon will be axed after 4 decades serving the New Zealand & Australian Ford drivers.

By deviras on 12 January, 2010, 9:07am

It is sad to see that after the new Fiesta and Kuga kinetic design has gone downhill (b-max,c-max,Focus MK3). It really takes effort to create such an embarrasing -design - car. Looks like a lost apportunity for Ford. A mix of mazda 3 and the new astra-only done much worse. I actually own the new Zetec S Fiesta and wanted to get the new focus as my next car.I would have to think again...but then again we haven't seen the new Focus coupe yet.

By Gillan_Zetec on 12 January, 2010, 9:10am

mondeo_man, wake up, that window line is a Ford design signature they have had since the S Max. It is VX who have copied the Ford design not the other way around.
Gillian_Zetec, what B-Max? there is currently no car it was shelved a couple of years back so no-one outside of Ford has seen what that car will look like, rumours are just surfacing that the programme is now coming back off the shelf.
I like the styling, it involves the Ford Kinetic design more so than the current Focus and carries it off well. The saloon looks great, no longer just a hatch with a boot lid thrown on, it looks like it was meant to be and I can see more of these being sold in the UK compared to the previous incarnations.
The roofline may look low at the rear but that is just a trick of the design, the waistline rises too, believe me short of someone over 7ft tall trying to sit in the back, there will be no problems with headroom.
I'm torn between a new Fiesta, the new Focus and a new Mondeo for my next car, looking forward to trying an Ecoboost engine.

By mondeo2000 on 12 January, 2010, 9:45am

Then again this is the American spec model. Hopefully the looks would be slightly different for Europe cars.Look at what they did on the looks of Fiesta just to send it over to the US :)
@mondeoman2000: How can you be torn between cars of different segments??? :). As for the b-max you are probably right but the pics floatong around for it were pretty dreadful.

By Gillan_Zetec on 12 January, 2010, 10:27am

Where did they get that front bumper?

From the bonnet backwards, it's pretty bland and not that much different from how I would expect a Ford to look. But that front end though: it's hideous! The lights, the grill and especially that front bumper just look cheap and nasty. It spoils the look of the whole car.

By chrome500 on 12 January, 2010, 10:42am

@Gillian_Zetec: Any pictures you may have seen of the B-Max won't have been Ford derived or concept pictures at best. The Fiesta bumpers have been tweeked ever so slightly for the NA cars so as you say there may be a slight change for the European Focus, but I wouldn't expect a big difference.

As for peoples comments that the car bears resembelence to a KIa or Hyundai, I've just been on those respective sights and see no cars with styling anything like it, other than Hyundai have also tried to copy the Ford window line.

By mondeo2000 on 12 January, 2010, 10:55am

Yep,the Darth Vader bumps could/should change for European Focus. But mondeo2000 (sorry for misprinting your name on previous post) I think we all agree on that most people expected more out of the new Focus' design.And this of course is only because Ford has recently provided some very sexy looking cars.

By Gillan_Zetec on 12 January, 2010, 11:07am

bumbar

Sad day for Ford ! A cant bealive, what`s happened in Ford ? This is catastrophe retro design !

By bumbar on 12 January, 2010, 12:49pm

terrible

im sorry... but when i first saw it i could have sworn it was a kia ceeed! it looks terrible.

By Outrunn on 12 January, 2010, 2:33pm

Designed by committee. Badly.

This a blatant branding exercise.

The big cheeses at Ford have jumped on the 'lets-make-all-cars-in-our-range-look-the-same' band wagon.

What's worse is that they've not developed the best features from other models in the line up, and furthermore they've taken design cues from Vauxhall?!

Front headlights - Signum / Corsa / New Astra

Wheels - Astra, last model. changheable yes - but for a show?!?!)

Front bumper - Mondeo, not a design cue I'd take. and too tall.

Back bumper - Fiesta - uninspiring and drags it down in percieved value

Back lights - J-U-S-T- -A-W-F-U-L (better on the saloon - was it designed around the saloon originally - looks like a mini Mondeo?)

Overall I agree with LegioIXHispana - the whole is less than a sum of it;s parts. It looks like a Kia Cee'd. No. It looks worse than a Kia Cee'd.

And as a Mk 2 pre-facelift Focus ST owner, who feels the facelift was a massive step in the right direction, I'm appaled that Ford have dropped their balls and then proceeded to run them over.

They should, should, should look at AE renderings...

By Cavester3 on 12 January, 2010, 8:33pm

It's a Kia. Anyway who cares. I am not going to buy one anyway as it's a Ford and it won't keep it's value anyway. It's a Fiesta stretched by 75%. A bit like the Audi Q5 and Q7. No identity these these days unless it's a Citroen. And that's from a Merc Owner.

By THREEPOINTEDSTAR on 12 January, 2010, 10:21pm

I must be looking at completely different cars to anyone else. I see nothing like a Kia of any description. As for headlights like a new Astra, errrr no, other than being on the front of the car the Astras are different shape. All car manufacturers have family designs.

By mondeo2000 on 12 January, 2010, 11:53pm

my views

Some of the comments here are utterly silly. Where does anyone see ANY similarities with the Cee'd???

People seem to ignore the fact that KIA/Hyundai are the ones you took many design cues from European Fords and that their design languages are far from original.

Even so there is nothing on this new Focus that says KIA to me, nothing at all.

+The sheetmetal is exceptional
+Proportions are lovely and spot-on
+Front, while generic indeed, is most definitely not bad at all - just check the MK2's front and tell me if its better looking than this
+Interior is the best Ford interior ever

There are negatives such as the very strange tail lights but at least it makes the car look different and interesting.
I am not completely happy with this but at the same time it doesn't look nearly as bad as many are saying and the sedan is amazing

By falcon80 on 13 January, 2010, 10:41am

oh and..

Something else: Martin Smith is still Ford Europe's designer and some seem to either forget or ignore the fact that he was chief designer for Opel before signing with Ford. So any similarities are down to Smith being the same designer, even the newly released Insignia is a continuation of his work

By falcon80 on 13 January, 2010, 10:43am

What about the Ford Capri / 3 Door Focus Variant

Agree with many of the comments above,I just hope they dont use the same front headlighting, grille and rear headlights on the upcoming Capri.

By nickteen on 13 January, 2010, 5:02pm

The new focus looks really nice.the profile seems to look sporty and no matter what the critics may say,ford will shift the focus 3 by the bucket load.i look forward to seeing the car on the roads.well done ford.another winner.

By loveford on 14 January, 2010, 11:18pm

hmm

Looks good in overall but why it has to look like Kia or Hyndai? it lost its own design like original Focus MK1 had. It's a bit of mess.

By hubabuba on 15 January, 2010, 11:53am

It's a Kia! Isn't it?

Front end could just as easily have the blue oval removed and the word Kia written in in crayon!

And as for the new Astra style kink on the side at the back?

I thought Ford designs were getting better with the new Fiesta (still ran out of car before design = bad rear end) but this is even more dreary than the MK2 Focus! Yawn...

By NSanderson on 15 January, 2010, 12:04pm

copy cats

It looks very much like the Kia PRO-CEED.As Ford are behind Kia in world standings i can understand why they try and copy....
Will they have the go nads to put a 7 year warranty on it????
I don't think so.....

By markshark on 15 January, 2010, 4:51pm

kia designers

In response to falcon80's comments about designers....
Kia's cheif designer is Peter Schreyer who designed the audi tt and new look beettle......He is regarded in many quarters as one of the leading designers in the industry....

By markshark on 15 January, 2010, 5:16pm

Focus III

I agree with Arrowsmith. The renderings showed a car with much more of an appealing compact, bulldog stance. The design we see now is reminiscent of a Citroen or Peugeot. It has too much frontal overhang and has grown to grotesque proportions. In reality it is a shorter-wheelbase Mondeo. The same applies to the Golf as the Polo is the real modern derivative of the original concept. A Fiesta RS with 200bhp EcoBoost will do for me.

By Steward on 15 January, 2010, 7:42pm

Have Fords designers gone completely mad? Don't they see that the new Focus saloon looks like the current Mondeo????

By 1deano1 on 18 January, 2010, 10:28am

Oh What Have They Done

I am a staunch Ford Fan being the owner of a 2009 Mondeo and 17 Ford's before this.
I have really been taken by the Ford Kinetic Design however this Focus is terrible, is bland, has poor proportions and lines. The front and rear lights, front bumper and wheel arches are weak to say the least.
I agree with the other comments that it looks similar to a Kia but not as good.
AE Focus from March 2009 is definatley the way forward in my view. Lets hope that Europe and US versions differ otherwise I can see Ford loosing sales. There are much more interesting cars out there for less money with more style. Fords are getting pricey following last years price rises which wont help sell this car. If they change the range for this styling, even I may move to another brand.
Come on Ford sort it out!

By andrewknox75 on 19 January, 2010, 3:39am

Disappointing

Disappointing and I’m a Focus fan. I own a Focus and was looking forward the new 2010. Arrowsmith is right. The teaser pics looked so much better. This has nothing to do with the initial aggressive looks Ford started with. This misunderstanding looks like a typical GM design that only hardcore neo-conservative Americans buy and has nothing to do with the European consumer’s understanding of style. May by in time I’ll start liking it, but I doubt it. Two thumbs down.

By sasander on 23 January, 2010, 6:58am

Disappointing

Disappointing and I’m a Focus fan. I own a Focus and was looking forward the new 2010. Arrowsmith is right. The teaser pics looked so much better. This has nothing to do with the initial aggressive looks Ford started with. This misunderstanding looks like a typical GM design that only hardcore neo-conservative Americans buy and has nothing to do with the European consumer’s understanding of style. May by in time I’ll start liking it, but I doubt it. Two thumbs down.

By sasander on 23 January, 2010, 7:14am

UGLY!!!

What's wrong with manufacturars these days??? They make great driving cars but they spoil with the looks... or they look great but drive rubbish!!!

This looks like an Astra-fied Fiesta to me!!! The interior copies the Astra too and I thought that was the key competition.

By Abdurrahman1 on 28 January, 2010, 8:27pm

Hmmm?

Hmmm! looks like a hundred other cars on the road. Nothing special.

By zerotolerance on 10 April, 2010, 6:16am

Tweaks required. I've left it a month to give my oppinion- has it grown on me?

The Answer is: um no! I drive the current Focus and was looking forward to this new one being available. AE are no car designers and live in cuckoo land, but must agree for once - perhaps Ford should take a look! AE's is kind how most of us would have expected Focus 3 to look with lots of visual drama. That said; if they change that busy and silly trapezodial front bumper nothing too much just get rid of the corner triangles and replace with some horizontal DLR leds.

I'll not comment on the rear lights, we are stuck with them either way, too hard for Ford at this stage to replace. I would have prefered different head lights though maybe twins lamps would make the front visually dramatic as they've never been on a Focus, you can only sweep back lights so much before it goes wrong (think Peugeot!) Ford should read these comments and tweak this car for Euro tastes, or just UK tastes, afterall we buy way more of them than anywhere else!

By Focus_your_mind on 21 April, 2010, 10:02am

It's offical I know like it alot, though still not a fan of the trapezoidial front bumper

Ok a month on and I've decided I like it, these long to grow on you designs often have the longest appeal, think E36 BMW of the 90's took ages to take off then sold by the bucketload for years. One thing look at photo number 5, note something strange below the rear tail lamp, is this a wrap around tail gate? That would mean superwide access to the boot!

By Focus_your_mind on 7 June, 2010, 4:28pm

forget photo number 5!

It's a bloody huge fuel filler flap!

By Focus_your_mind on 7 June, 2010, 4:31pm

KIa Defence 2

Ford need to look more closely at the Koreans
I'd choose this over a Mundaneo.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/259852/kia_optima.html

By armac31 on 13 December, 2010, 11:37pm