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2003 Ford Focus Facelift
2001-06-28 - By ciaran
It's a credit to the Ford design team that the Focus still looks too fresh for an update. But time moves on and the Focus will need a personality boost by the time Opel's Astra breaks cover.
Currently scheduled for a Frankfurt 2003 launch, the new Focus (more accurately a facelift) keeps the same approach as the current model. In fact, whilst GM moves forward with its bold styling, Ford is taking a step back, with the new car looking far safer than the current one.
 A Mondeo-style front-end has been grafted onto the front of the car, with the trademark thin ovaloid grille and sunken round foglights. At the back, the C-Pillar mounted taillights are freshened with a chrome injection. Otherwise, detail changes are limited to redesigned mirrors, a new set of wheels, restyled interior and improved safety equipment (expect side airbags to be standard).
Much has been made of the forthcoming Focus RS, due later in 2001. Unfortunately, it will be front-wheel-drive, and so unable to compete with the Subaru Impreza WRX / Mitsubishi Evo VII. But rally fans know the four-wheel-drive Cosworth-engined WRC, and Ford is going to produce a road-going version. This will be a strictly limited but highly capable road-going racer. Expect at least 280bhp.
Most confusingly, from a speculative point of view, is that this car is due in 2003 - the same year the facelift shown here is to arrive. The sensible thing to do would be to incorporate the Cosworth 4wd running gear and engine into the facelifted car, so that it fits in seamlessly with the rest of the range and provide an aspirational model, which would look more like the bread-and-butter cars. But as we know from previous Ford efforts, common sense does not always rule, especially at management level.
To muddy the waters still further, the planned next generation Ford/Mazda/Volvo C-class hatchback is due to arrive in 2004. The combined effect of this facelift plus inter-company political difficulties, will almost certainly delay this to 2005.
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