If you live in Europe and the 247-horsepower Ford Focus ST Estate is out of the question, but still like the station wagon variant, then you may want to take a look at what German tuning firm Loder1899 has to offer for the regular models. Read more »
Local authorities in Scotland have released video footage of a woman driver ramming into a pedestrian and then taking him for a wild ride through the crowded streets of Falkirk, a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.
The incident took place in June last year with a judge this week sentencing the 37-year old driver of the Ford Focus hatchback, Suzanne Gilchrist, to jail for four years and three months, according to a report from the UK's Express.
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With specialized performance cars, it's always best to think out of the box when it comes to commercials.
Instead of a humdrum TV spot, Ford and its advertising agency came up with the bright idea of having X Games Rally gold medalist Tanner Foust and stunt driver Greg Tracy drive the 2013 Focus ST hot hatch one-on-one through the narrow streets of Florida's Key West.
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When is it worth paying extra money for a more fuel-efficient version of the same model? The answer to that question depends on the price of gas, how much more fuel-efficient is said car and how long it will take to recoup the added cost.
Consumer Reports (CR) set out to see if buyers would benefit in the long run by choosing the fuel-economy variants of the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. While each of these models returns better mileage than their standard counterparts, they also cost between $500 and $800 more.
The following calculations were based on driving 12,000 miles (~19,300 kilometers) annually with an average gas price of $4 per gallon (€0.85/lt).
Starting with the Ford Focus, CR found that the $495 SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, which adds flush hubcaps, a rear spoiler, and low rolling resistance tires, provides a 3-mpg improvement in overall and city fuel economy, to 31 and 21mpg, respectively.
The new Ford Focus ST goes on sale in the UK from 1st of June with first deliveries scheduled for September. The hottest and fastest iteration of the current Focus series will be available in Britain in two body styles, a five-door hatchback priced from £21,995 on the road, and the Estate from £23,095. Read more »
With all the odd and crazy things we have seen taking place on Russian roads thanks to the widespread use of dashboard mounted cameras over the past years, one could say that nothing surprises us anymore.
All the same, we cannot say that we remember seeing a police officer filming a pursuit on a hand held camera (or cell phone), but we guess there is a first for everything in Russia these days… Perhaps the explanation is that the cop was an avid fan of the Nissan GT-R, who knows.
Anyway, the two Moscow cops in the Ford Focus managed to catch up to the lime-green Nissan GT-R R35, but only because the latter gave up. One of the police officers approaches the car, politely tips his hat and asks for the driver's license and registration. The driver then exits the GT-R and gets into the cop's car, at which point the video ends.
A new remap of the engine control unit (ECU) of Ford's European market 1.6-liter EcoBoost petrol engine by British tuner Superchips promises to lift output from 20hp to 34hp, depending on the application.
Superchips' upgraded ECU can be used on the 1.6-liter turbocharged unit found on the C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, Focus, Galaxy MPV, S-MAX and Mondeo models covering the 150PS (148bhp,) 160PS (158 bhp) and 182PS (180bhp) variants of the range.
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It took Ford less than 24 hours to announce official pricing for its new 2013 Focus ST hot hatch after last night's leaked spec sheet gave us initial details. We will just remind you that the five-door model starts at $23,700, not including a $795 delivery and handing fee.
The new Focus ST gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine SAE-certified at 252 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. linked to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels.
Among the more interesting options available for the Focus ST is the ST2 package priced at $2,385, which adds a Sony audio system with HD radio and a pair of Recaro partial-leather seats, and the ST3 package that costs $4,435 adding HID headlamps, ambient lighting and full-leather Recaro sport seats.
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We are not sure when Ford is planning to release official pricing for its U.S. market 2013 Focus ST, but a leaked dealer document discovered on the FordSTNation forums by the team over at Jalopnik tells us that the hot hatchback will start at $23,700 when it arrives in dealerships across the States within the next few weeks.
The aforementioned MSRP does not include a destination and handling fee (*), which should be the same as the rest of the Focus lineup at $795, bringing up the price to $24,495.
We also see the cost of some options including the moonroof at $895, the navigation system at $795, the Tangerine Scream Tricoat Paint at $495, and the engine block heater at $35. There are also two equipment packages named 201A ($2,505) and 201A ($4,840), though we don't get any details about their content.
Following an announcement earlier this month, Ford officially revealed the 2012 Focus EV that will become the first all-electric pace car to field a NASCAR race at this weekend's Richmond 400.
Ford showed the two Focus Electric pace cars at the Richmond International Raceway. Aside from the prominent decals wrapped around the car and the safety lights on the roof, there is nothing else different from the stock electric Focus.
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In today's congested cities, people are forced to learn how to park in very tight spaces if they don't want to drive in circles for hours on end, but as you have probably seen time and time again, not all manage to master the art of parking.
To promote the Active Park Assist system found in the new Focus, Ford of Europe set out to find the worst driver when it came to parking in an area of Paris.
The automaker installed a giant pinball over a free parking space flanked by two cars, the ends of which were programmed to react as pinball bumpers every time the driver hit the vehicles. The person with the highest score (i.e. the worst) had the opportunity to try out his or her luck with a Focus equipped with the automatic parking system.
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In a new marketing effort to promote its pure-electric Focus, Ford says it will make history this month, as the battery-powered version of its compact hatchback will become the first all-electric pace car to lead the pack at a NASCAR race.
The new Focus Electric, which rolled off the production line in December at the company's Michigan Assembly Plant, will perform all pace care duties for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Richmond International Raceway on April 28.
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One of the main problems of owning an electric car or a plug-in hybrid is where and how to recharge its batteries. Ford of Canada promises to offer a simple solution to owners with a home charging station, which will be supplied and installed by Best Buy Canada.
The 240-volt home charging station is suitable for the all-new Focus Electric battery electric vehicle as well as Ford's upcoming plug-in hybrid models in Canada. Best Buy said it will supply the charging station and offer complete consultation and installation services through its Geek Squad and third-party licensed electrical contractors.
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For a car that was never officially imported in the United States, the European market Ford Focus RS has sure made plenty of appearances on this side of the Atlantic over the past couple of years.
This time, the hot hatch was captured on film revving its 300-horsepower inline-five at the Wild Bills car meet in Atlanta, Georgia, last Thursday. For a quick view of the car and some lip-smacking sounds from the turbocharged five, just follow the break to watch the video.
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Here are two of Europe's finest hot hatches (that you won't be able to buy in the States, at least not in their current generation…) racing each other on the Nordschleife.
The VW Scirocco R is the flagship model of the series and is powered by a specially tuned 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that churns out 261hp (265PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft).
Like the Volkswagen model, the Focus RS is front wheel drive but instead of a four-banger, it sports a 2.5-liter force-fed inline-five generating 300hp (305PS) and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft).
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In a posting on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) website, Ford said that it is recalling certain Focus cars from the 2012 model year in the States to fix a potential problem with a windshield wiper wiring harness connector.
"Water or other contaminants may accumulate in the connector, resulting in an intermittent or inoperative passenger side wiper motor, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash," Ford said in a statement.
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In a surprising development, the Volkswagen Group has grabbed the much-famed Jost Capito from the Ford Motor Company.
The 53-year old will head the German company's Motorsport division effective May 1, 2012, replacing Kris Nissen, who will remain in the company to support Capito during the transition phase and consequently assist the Group in an advisory role, according to VW.
Capito, who is credited with overseeing the development of the original Focus RS as well as the current Focus ST and Fiesta ST models, was Ford's director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. Both the North American SVT and European TeamRS performance divisions reported directly to Capito. It is believed that he will have a similar role in the VW Group as well.
It is not known who will replace him at Ford yet.
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On Monday, we showed you a video of a thoughtless driver in a Ford Focus who endangered the lives of several people in Russia with his foolish road antics.
Today, we have an update on the story, courtesy of a Carscoop commentator who goes by the nickname 'europeon'.
Beginning with the video itself, as another reader pointed out, when the driver of the vehicle with the camera stops to confront the driver in the Focus, he asks the passenger if he should take a gun with him, which probably explains why the young man in the Ford goes from rock hard to velvety soft slithering back into his car…
A week after Ford revealed that it's all-electric Focus achieved a 105 MPGe combined EPA rating, the company announced that owners of the car in California can access the High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) lanes. That, in itself, is another selling point for Ford. Read more »
Dashboard mounted car cameras are just about as common as snow in Russia giving us an insight on what your average driver has to deal with on a daily basis.
In the following video, you will find one of the most reckless drivers we've ever watched on camera – period.
We don’t know what went on before, but in the clip, we see the driver of a previous generation Ford Focus bypassing the car with the camera and then slowing down, accelerating and performing dangerous maneuvers on the road.
Not only does the Focus driver force the camera car to slide over to the side of the snowy road, but also an oncoming vehicle to do the same. And if that wasn't enough, he makes a 'U' turn and stops to confront the driver of the car he just pushed over!
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