Radical changes for Focus facelift - Jan '08

pburns

Looks like a hatchback Mondeo!:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/209134/ford_focus.html

I'll be amazed if the changes are so comprehensive for a mid-life facelift. Mind you, the Focus needs a facelift - it looks more dated than the Focus MkI. In my mind it's more of a 'Escort' than a Focus - if you know what I mean...

dogmatix

I like the look of it - very muscular if you know what I mean. As for the current "mk2" focus - it is a bit conservative looking compared to the "mk1" but it's looks do grow on you and compared to the likes of the as-bland-as-shyte-looking Almera's and Corolla's it still looks the biz.

Not so sure about the new Mondeo - saw one in the liffey valley last week and while it's an impressive looking car it could suffer a bit because it looks like a focus mk2 but a bit bigger. People will say why buy that when the slightly smaller one over there is cheaper...

mik_da_man

I'm not sure I like it - It's a change all rite but looks similar to the Astra Sport Hatch IMO

yop

I think it looks very well but as Mik-da-man says it is very like the astra

tc20

The model in the pics looks good, but thats with a full styling kit, the base 1.4 is going to look quite plain beside it. I too prefer the Mk1 focus, i still think it looks fresh compared to its peers. Not so keen on the Mk2
I've seen 2 of the new Mondeo's in the last couple of days, one passed me in black, and looked pretty good. However i got the chance to have an up close look at one (one of next doors reps just got one) and wasn't so impressed. Its very similar to the latest Laguna IMO, (it was the hatch version) and the dash just looks tacky with that fake aluminium.
Still think the last generation Mondeo is a pretty smart looker, for what it is.

maidhc

Auto Express make stuff up, they do about everything. My fantasies are more grounded in reality. I can exclusively reveal the Mk2.5 focus will look just like the current one except with the nose looking something very similar to the current C-Max.

Ford will have to recoup a bit more of the tooling cost before doing anything as radical as in those pictures.

311

bazz26

I would agree with maidhc on this. I reckon the existing Focus will receive the new Ford "corporate" look. In other words it will most likely get a redesigned front and rear end similar to the new Mondeo. The interior will probably get a revamp too. This will last until the MkIII Focus arrives in 2010/11.

On a side note, I saw a new Mondeo up close the other day. It was a basic LX hatchback, I wasn't that impressed with it. It had terrible plastic wheel trims, the 16" rims really looked small under the arches of the car too. Also the car was silver but the door handles were black which really looked terrible, very 1990s. The saloon definately looks nicer imo and it really needs bigger alloy wheels from the higher spec models to look nice.

E92

Mondeos since 2001 always look ugly in LX trim. And its the same with the new one.

Ford seem to have decided that in order to move the car more upmarket, they will copy when the Germans were great for doing and arguably still are in some cases, that is to sell you a car, but in order to get a good one, you spend half as much again.

Lex Luthor

looks very nice indeed....I'd have one over the Astra any day

The ST will look 'deadly'

ballooba

B...o...r...i...n...g

Henry Ford III

That image of the Focus Mk 2.5 really is very similar to the Astra OPC.

JoeA3

Take anything you see in AutoExpress with a grain of salt... their "exclusive" images are usually wildly off the mark photoshop jobbies.

Lex Luthor

_Brian_ wrote:

That VW looks nice...very Italian

pburns

JoeA3 wrote:

Take anything you see in AutoExpress with a grain of salt... their "exclusive" images are usually wildly off the mark photoshop jobbies.

That's usually the case if a car is a few years away. But this is only a few months away so I'd expect it to be a little more accurate...

However I agree with maidhc et al that Ford couldn't justify the tooling costs for a mere mid-life facelift.

G Luxel

why does the company only offer Lx and Zetec at the start of any launch? both models look to be the same spec, hardly any difference in appearance? Ghias and Titaniums seem to arrive here just before the model is being replaced.....