Editor-in-Chief | Zhang Kehuan
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Author | Steamy Jun
Reports from The GreatAuto
At the 1998 Paris Motor Show, the Ford Focus unveiled its first public presence in the world, followed by its first launch in the European market. As the English word "focus" means, Fox quickly became the focus of the compact car market with its superior handling in its class.
The Predecessor of Fox was the well-known Escort, a model of European ancestry that was born in 1967 and sold more than 16 million units over a period of more than 30 years. Not only that, but Escort has also made a name for itself in the world's top rally, establishing the image of a sports car.
As Escort's successor, the Ford Focus is much more fashionable than the Escort, but the same thing is that they all exude a strong sporty atmosphere.
Of course, this inherent advantage has also helped Fox win a number of honors after its introduction, including being selected as one of the top ten models of "CAR AND DRIVER" for three consecutive years.
In China, Changan Ford introduced the second generation of Fox in 2005, and subsequent generations of models have also been introduced. In the period from 2012 to 2014, Changan Ford Focus ushered in a highlight moment, becoming the sales hegemon of the domestic car market for three consecutive years, even better than the popular sixth-generation golf in the same period.
However, after Changan Ford introduced a new generation of Fox in 2018, this highly anticipated model has not been able to show its style that year. The key to its sales is that it is equipped with a three-cylinder engine throughout the series.
There is no doubt that "talking about tricolor change" has long formed a subconscious in the minds of domestic consumers, even if many new three-cylinder engines are stronger than many four-cylinder engines from a technical point of view, but the Chinese people are still difficult to accept it.
Switching back to the four-cylinder has become something that many manufacturers who have launched three-cylinder models have to consider. Changan Ford Focus is certainly no exception.
Not long ago, the new Focus was officially released in overseas markets, and the new car still provides a variety of models such as five-door version, travel version, crossover version and ST version, and has been fully upgraded for appearance, interior and power.
Overseas version of the new Fox
According to Changan Ford's new product planning, the new Focus will also be officially released in the second quarter of this year, and the new car will be upgraded in an all-round way like the overseas version. The two biggest of these points is that the new car will abandon the three-cylinder engine and fully carry the four-cylinder engine.
The new car will be available in two four-cylinder engines, the 1.6-liter Dragon TiVCT and the 1.6T Dragon GTDI. At present, the official has not yet provided the power parameters of these two engines, but it is understood that the new car will have a substantial upgrade in power. In terms of drivetrain, the 1.6L model is expected to continue to carry a 6-speed manual/6-speed AUTOMATIC, and the 1.6T model is expected to continue to carry an 8-speed AUTOMATIC.
This indicates that the competitiveness of the new Focus will be greatly improved.
First of all, it still provides manual transmissions, whether it can meet the needs of some consumers for driving pleasure. You know, in recent years, more and more manufacturers no longer provide manual models in their compact cars, which has disappointed many consumers. If the new Focus continues to offer manual transmission models, it will meet the needs of some people.
Secondly, in the compact car market, there are only a few models that can provide 1.6T power. Take the best-selling Sagittarius, Civic and other models in their class, and their power versions only provide 1.4T or 1.5T power. Coupled with the 1.6T power will be greatly improved, this indicates that its maximum horsepower will far exceed the maximum power of the current 1.5T engine's 174 horsepower.
Can the increase in power help the new Fox return to the top?
In fact, the current Focus has a qualitative improvement over the previous generation of models in terms of design and interior. Especially in terms of design, the new car also added the ST-line sports kit for the first time, which made the whole car full of performance and was well received. In the interior, the new car is also equipped with an LCD instrument and a floating central control screen, and adopts a more fashionable knob-type gear shift.
Not only that, but in terms of space, the current Fox still has advantages. Especially in hatchback models, the new Focus has more space than models such as golf and Audi A3. This also makes the Fox still a competent family car.
It is worth mentioning that the new Focus will most likely continue the rich intelligent configuration of the current model. In terms of the current model, it is equipped with the Ford Co-Pilot360 Intelligent Driving Assistance System, which integrates 10 driving assistance functions such as ACC full-speed intelligent adaptive cruise control and intelligent pilot assistance system, one-key parking assistance system, intelligent inductive brake protection system (with pedestrian recognition function) and intelligent traffic sign recognition, reaching the level of L2 automatic driving.
In terms of smart connectivity, the new Focus is also equipped with Ford-Pie Interconnection, which allows users to remotely control the car through a smartphone, while having a 4G LTE wireless hotspot function, supporting up to 10 devices to access high-speed wireless networks at the same time.
It is understood that the overseas version of the new Focus has been upgraded to 13.2 inches, with a built-in SYNC 4 central control system, and supports voice control, OTA updates, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions.
Of course, for more young people, Fox's manipulation is still outstanding.
The chassis of the current Focus has been adjusted at the racing level, and the suspension system is set according to the weight classification of different models, and the SLA long and short arm blade after the independent suspension is equipped with an independent subframe; at the same time, it is equipped with EBD electronic braking force distribution system, etc., so that the wheels of the new car bounce fast and the steering response is sensitive.
In addition, the unique EPAS electronic power assist steering system software tuning brings excellent torque gain and a strong sense of steering center, resulting in better following and directivity.
In addition, compared with the regular model, the ST-line model is more extremely sporty, its chassis height is reduced by 10mm, and it is tailored for springs, shock absorbers, and stabilizer bars.
After the new Focus is equipped with a more powerful 1.6T four-cylinder engine, it is bound to further enhance the handling pleasure on the basis of retaining the original control advantage. And these are undoubtedly the advantages of the new Fox compared to its peers.
Write at the end
Even though SUVs are popular, compact cars are still the first choice for most ordinary families, which makes this segment still have a lot of potential. As the star model of Changan Ford, Fox has gained a large number of fans with excellent handling.
Despite the intensification of market competition, Changan Ford has judged the situation and actively responded to various challenges, and switching back to a four-cylinder engine may help this former sales king return to the peak.
In the era of personalization, Changan Ford's new Focus, with its inherent athletic temperament, will bring driving pleasure to more young people and add more happiness to their lives.
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