And the fun EcoBoost-triple under the bonnet!
Ford’s local office has detailed the all-new Focus ahead of its arrival in December, giving us an idea of what we can expect when the model lands come December. As the passenger car segment is shrinking, we were expecting a bit of a shakeup with the Focus’ offering in our market, and to some extent we were right, though in one particular aspect we were wrong.
There will only be three variants for the Focus on arrival, namely the Trend, ST-Line, and Titanium in ascending order. However, the Focus will be landing as both a hatch and as as an estate, the latter marking the first-time the practicality-focused bodystyle has been offered on our shores. It’s a pretty exciting thing as we’ve no doubt it’ll resonate with buyers who might still be apprehensive about getting an SUV, and also for motoring journalists (it’s almost an unspoken rule that we all like estate cars, though we’re not all too sure why).
The entire Ford Focus lineup will utilise just one powertrain setup: There’ll be a 1.5-litre EcoBoost 3-cylinder engine up front, with a healthy 134kW and 240Nm on tap, sending power to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Further, the ’19 Focus will benefit from advanced AEB across the range too, packing the ability to detect cars, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The new entry-point of $25,990 for the Focus Trend hatch might seem a bit steep considering the outgoing Focus Trend was $2600 cheaper, but you do get a lot more kit for the money. That eight-speed auto and its rotary gear selector come as standard, along with 16-inch alloys, LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, an 8.0-inch SYNC3 infotainment system (with satnav and smartphone mirroring), a 6-speaker audio system, lumbar-adjustable drivers seat, and selectable drive modes.
And while the upholstery is fabric, the steering wheel is wrapped in leather. Further, Focus Trend cars benefit from that AEB system, hill-hold assist, reversing camera with parking sensors, secondary-collision braking, and a raft of airbags around the cabin.
Step up to an ST-Line model for $28,990 (or $30,990 for an estate), and you get plenty more to play with. For starters you get things like a bodykit and 17-inch alloys, a unique grille in a honeycomb design, sports suspension (with a 10mm height reduction), LED taillights, LED fog lights, chrome exhaust tips, automatically-folding side mirrors, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, and keyless entry/go.
There’s also dark-grey headlining, a new steering wheel with a flat-bottom, tyre-pressure monitoring, and silver pedals. The $2000 premium commanded by the Focus ST-Line estate nets additional items like a tonneau cover, roof-rails, and rear seats that fold down with ‘EasyFold’ releases in the boot.
Then comes the Titanium, the poshest new Ford Focus money can buy. At $34,490 it certainly asks for a lot of coin, but it throws in a long kit-list in return that goes some way in justifying its considerable premium. You get advanced cruise control (with traffic-jam functionality), and lane-keep assist, and collision-mitigating steering, and blind-spot monitoring, and traffic-sign recognition, and rear cross-traffic alert as standard, which is pretty cool.
And on the outside, you get smarter LED headlights with an adaptive beam, as well as ‘progressive’ indicators and automatic high-beam. You also get heated front seats, leather upholstery, LED ambient cabin lighting, and a 9-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. It might be nearly $35k but we’re going to bet it feels every dollar worth it.
But if that’s still not enough money for you, you can add a few things to the Titanium models. You can spend more cash and get a heads-up display for $300, or Active Park Assist 2 for $1000 (but seriously, you can park your own damned car). If you have a Titanium or an ST-Line you can add a panoramic roof for $2000, or if you have an ST-Line, you could get a Design Pack for $1800 (which adds the smart LED headlights from the Titanium model).
Or if you have a Trend or ST-Line car, you can add all that critical advanced driver assistance systems from the Titanium model for $1250, an option that we wholeheartedly recommend to keep you and your family safer on the roads. But what is annoying is that despite the generous kit the 2019 Ford Focus offers as standard, “prestige paint” remains a $550 option across all models.
| Model | Bodystyle | Price |
| Focus Trend | Hatch | $25,990 |
| Focus ST-Line | Hatch | $28,990 |
| Focus ST-Line | Estate | $30,990 |
| Focus Titanium | Hatch | $34,490 |
For the best deals on a new Ford, check out our Showroom.
