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The unwritten rule of the kitchen regarding leftovers is reheat once, then on to the next meal. Any other trips to the microwave and you're risking some unsavory consequences.
Not that we're comparing the 2008 Ford Focus to leftovers. It's just the first thing that sprang to mind after reading AutoWeek's assessment of the car. Those haughty Europeans got the excellent all-new Focus, based on Ford's global C1 platform, in 2004. Meanwhile, the American car languished with a mere facelift.
Leap ahead to the upcoming 2008 model, and one might expect to see a new chassis, new engine options, a new car all-around.
What we get is yet another facelift and the axing of the 2.3 liter engine option as well as the hatchback and wagon models. The styling is somewhat reminiscent of the European Mondeo, a car that annually wows critics with its smart looks, comfortable interior, and superior driving dynamics. It also has "gills", for lack of a better word, that seem lifted from the also Europe-only Focus S-Max (a sort of mini-minivan). On the whole, not bad, but as AutoWeek opines, on par with a mid-90's Chevrolet Cavalier.
The interior is also fully revised, and now includes the Mustang's user-adjustable dash backlighting. The new top-of-the-line Focus SES is also the first Ford to feature its new Sync electronic interface, which is the result of a partnership with Microsoft. (And having dealt with the company's software, this only makes us slightly nervous.)
At least it drives well. (The Focus, that is.) The car improves on the original Focus, providing a quiet ride, a cooperative shifter, and a compliant ride, thanks largely to Ford's retention of a multi-link rear setup, rather than switching to the increasingly common yet less sophisticated twist-beam axle. Amazingly, the new Focus may --gasp! -- be a better balanced drive than its European sister's cousin, the Mazda3.
The Focus retails at $14,695 for the coupe and $14,995 for the S-trim sedan, or $16,995 for the SES. This is maybe the best part of the deal, making a strong case for comparison to other entry level cars such as the entire Scion range, or even the latest sub-compacts from Japan (e.g., Toyota Yaris). If the new car is an improvement over the 2007 model, then it should have no trouble trouncing Dodge's Caliber, at least when it comes to the driving experience.
The trick will be getting people to even consider the Focus. Without much leverage in terms of marked improvements over the outgoing model, which was already the subject of slacking sales, Ford has a real challenge on its hands.
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