2012 Ford Focus Energy in motion and frugal too

One of many pleasant little villages you pass through along this road, "it could be missed with the blink of an eye", as they say in Ireland, unless you spot an unusual monument. It's a full-sized stainless-steel replica of a Model-T Ford. Yes, you are on the ancestral home turf of Henry Ford, of Ford Motor Company fame. Erected as a new millennium project, the site has been visited by a number of Ford family members, the most recent being William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. and family.

Bill is a great-grandson of Henry Ford and currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company. A commemorative plaque at the site was dated August 3, 2011. That was only a couple of weeks prior to my visit with the latest product from the Dearborn, Michiganbased company, a 2012 model year Ford Focus.

The new Focus was redesigned mainly in Germany and is built on a new C-car platform that will underpin a number of other Ford products. It's a global car in every other sense and is produced in Ford plants in Spain, Russia, China and, as well as Germany and North America (Michigan).

In Canada, Ford sells Focus in both 5-door hatchback and 4-door sedan body styles. And in Ireland it's also offered in a wagon version, called an "Estate". Although different descriptive names are used, both countries also offer Focus models in four prepackaged equipment and trim levels.

Sticker shock, however, is a highvoltage jolt when you do a euro-todollar conversion on the asking prices on an Irish Focus - it's almost double the Canadian price. Our proximity to the largest and most lucrative car market in the world certainly helps keep Canadian auto prices low when compared with most other countries in the world.

Besides having the steering wheel on the right side of the passenger cabin, my test Focus also came with a diesel engine, which is not available in Canada. In fact, two sizes of diesel engine (1.6-and 2.0-litre) are offered, and only one gasoline (or petrol) engine (1.6-litre) is available.

Even though diesel models are priced higher (about $700 more) they tend to be more popular with Irish buyers. It's mainly because diesel fuel is cheaper and these engines provide considerable better fuel economy. You pay a bit more, but get more for the car when you trade it in, I was told.

My test Focus came with Active Park Assist, which automatically pilots the Focus into a parallel roadside parking space. A salesperson at the dealership sheepishly described it as a "lady park system" and could only recall ever selling one vehicle with it.

Apparently I'm more in touch with my feminine side than I ever realized - okay, call me a sissy - but I do like Active Park Assist. It first measures a parking space as you drive by and tells you if the car will fit in it. You can then choose to let it do the steering or just use it as a guidance system - so parking is a much easier task.

On a side note, Ford is planning to build (in Detroit) a full electric version of the Focus and it's expected to be released next year. A full recharge, with a 240-volt charging station is reported to take less than four hours, which would be best in the industry.

Ford describes the "Kinetic Design" styling theme used to create the Focus as "a visual representation of energy in motion." Sounds great and it is a good looking car, especially the 5-door hatchback. Soft, flowing curves allow Focus to slip through air with a very low 0.295 coefficient of drag, which is an eight per cent improvement over the previous generation car. Underneath it has 25 per cent more torsional rigidity, with 55 per cent more highstrength steel, plus more than 26 per cent of that is ultra-highstrength or Boron steel (in the B-pillars). That's a higher ratio than any other Ford product.

The upfront space provided is excellent and there's an impressive range of seat adjustments to accommodate an above-average height driver, like myself. Legroom in the rear, however, is a bit limited and taller occupants may need to seek a compromise with frontseat users.

In addition to the strong body structure, a new generation driver's airbag uses a tether system that when deployed pulls in the lower section and creates a "pocket" that lessens its impact on the driver's chest and ribs. Smaller occupants also benefit from unique side airbags with shoulder vents that stay open, to reduce pressure quicker.

The Healy Pass spans Ireland's spectacular Beara Peninsula. It connects the counties of Cork and Kerry and it's a very special driving experience. The road is long, winding and narrow, but the valley views on either side of the mountain ridge can be absolutely stunning when the weather cooperates - and it did.

The Focus also proved to be a highly enjoyable driving experience as it danced back and forth along the winding mountain road with Michael Flatley-like agility. Some credit must go to the new, and standard Dynamic Cornering Control system that uses "torque vectoring" techniques. It enhances cornering ability by lightly applying the brakes to an inside front wheel.

The diesel engine was another revelation. It had gobs of great pulling power and ran so quietly that passengers questioned, "is it really a diesel?" Our total average fuel economy was a very frugal 5.3 L-100km (about 53 mpg), with roughly a 60/40 mix of highway and city driving.

A feature associated with hybrid drivetrains that I've never come across in a diesel-powered car, called Active City Stop, was also interesting. It saves fuel normally wasted while idling by automatically turning the engine off and restarting. It worked like a charm, even with the manual transmission in my test Focus.

Hopefully, at some point, Ford will offer this engine to Canada. Some competitors have already announced their intention to add diesel engine models, so it's a real possibility.