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It may technically be a mid-cycle change, but it’s almost mostly all-new, sort of
What is it?
Ford says the Focus is the best-selling nameplate in the world, period. But in the U.S. it’s only the fourth-best-selling in the compact class, behind the Corolla (339,498 U.S. sales in 2014), Civic (325,981) and Cruze (273,060). Ford sold 219,634 Focii in America last year, which isn’t bad but it makes you wonder what the rest of the world knows that American buyers don’t. The Focus sedan and hatchback sit on a global platform, engineered in Germany, so our Focus isn’t very different from what the rest of the world drives. Who knows? Maybe the improvements that make up the mid-cycle facelift will help raise it to subcompact sales supremacy.
For 2015, the Focus gets a new look on the front and rear ends along with improvements inside the cabin and under the hood. The biggest change is the optional 123-hp 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine, which is already available in the subcompact Fiesta. That’s the engine that famously fits inside your carryon luggage, as you’ll recall. In the compact Focus, it comes with six-speed manual only, which is fine by us. You can also opt for the big-block 160-hp 2.0-liter four mated to your choice of five-speed manual or six-speed PowerShift automatic.
In addition to the shapely new hood, grille, headlamps and rear-end treatment, the 2015 Focus gets active grille shutters to tailor radiator airflow to ambient conditions as well as more underbody shields for better airflow management. Combined with fuel-efficient engines that return up to 42 mpg highway (or as low as 23 city), you have a fairly efficient package. Most efficient of course is the 1.0-liter EcoBoost manual -- in SFE trim that’ll give you 30 city and that 42 highway.
There’s more standard content on the 2015 Focus: a rearview camera, SYNC AppLink and MyKey, the latter to keep your teen driver in line. Options now include a blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert and a lane-keeping system. Upgrades to the electronic stability control improve transitional handling and there’s a better electric power steering system. There are even cupholders in the doors, simpler controls on the console and a new steering wheel.
What’s it like to drive?
The changes in driving feel are subtle but noticeable. The front end is stiffened with new bushings at the rear toe link and on the lower control arm. Those lead to better steering response with less effort. The stability control has been changed so that as you put effort into it, the system brakes individual wheels to avoid skids and help you turn. Reactions from stability control now come 100 to 200 milliseconds quicker. New electronic tuning on the EPAS power steering gives slightly better on-center feel, too.
Does all this make it a BRE Datsun 510 with Mulholland kit? Not quite, but it is more responsive and lively than before -- and we drove it on Mulholland. When we noticed a longish gap between second and third in the 1.0 Ecoboost, engineers said to “just keep the revs up” (good advice for any situation). Peak torque in that powerplant is only 148 lb-ft at 5000 rpm.
NVH improvements throughout the car make for a quieter ride, too.
We drove only the Focus SE hatchback with EcoBoost and a Titanium-trim-level Focus with the 2.0. This round we didn’t get a chance to drive the sporty Focus ST, which gets springs, shocks and steering improvements for 2015. Likewise, there is still an electric version of the Focus available in the 2015 model year, which we didn't drive, either.
Do I want it?
The turbo Cruze manual is pretty fun, we recall, and you can add a few HPD parts to a Civic to bring your drive alive (or just get the Civic Si for a few dollars more). Still, all these improvements to the 2015 Focus should definitely put it on your shopping list in this class, especially since it starts at under 18 grand. A 2015 ST starts at just over $25,000. That's a sensible and still fun-to-drive option. And it's all we have until the Focus RS arrives.
Read more on AutoWeek.
