The new FordFocus

[Butuz]

What on earth did they do with the styling?

Did they get a blind man who couldnt draw to pen that one up!!!!

Cor blimey, i am amazed at what a backward step the outside of the new car is. I bet Vaux and Volks are laughing their merry bums off at how ford have managed to turn one of the most daringly styled premium family cars into one of the most mundane looking.

Ok so its still leading the field with regards to cost and driving pleasure, but ffs. Other people gotta look at it too :|

Shocked

Butuz

[Vimeous]

Methinks the wheelarches are a little oversized. Odds on the looks improving with .... erm .... they're gonna need 22's to fit in 'em!

Focus goes sensible.

[Tumble]

TTIUWP c'mon.. someone lazy HAD to say it....

[Rob]

Hmmm

[Tumble]

omg... looks like a Citroen mated with a Fiesta.... I reckon they shoulda just left well alone, and put more toys in it... like the keyless tech in the renaults, sat nav etc.. instead of spending money on rubbish re-designing...

Used to like the look of the Focus...

[Stringent]

The front almost looks like an Astra ...

Well I want a Focus (Mk1) so hopefully this will push the 2nd hand prices down a bit

[Butuz]

Flanderz will be selling my 99 T reg 5 door focus 2.0 ghia at the end of this month.

Interested?

Butuz

[jon bda]

From the front i don't think it looks to bad, the arse is hideous though. And iirc, wasn't this the model they were waiting for before they started to build a proper Cosworth version, due to the chassis being able to take a 4wd system without tonnes of work?.

[dkmech]

While I agree that the old focus was more adventurous and that the front of the new one is a bit dull i can still see some touches of the old one in the back. Although when they went for the less steep rear window they abandoned the trick i used to love on the focus - of making a nice swooping line with the windows to make it look sleek while keeping the space of a tall roof in the back.


But since we are talking about design of new models let me mention something that bugged me for a while

Vauxhall Astra ______________________________________ Nissan Almera

Since Almera has never been widely acclaimed for being anything but dull... Well, you see where i am going. As for Golf - that looks as exciting and novel as, erm, golf (the game). Pug 307 looks pretty similar to those two too. Civic looks nice as a type-r but quite average in normal trim. Corolla looks quite nice, but not adventurous either.

Only the Megane in my opinion followed the original Focus with a new radical design. In fact its a wonder it went on with it since the avantime and vel satis weren't very successful.

Thats my opinion anyway.

[Vimeous]

dkmech
I'm with out on the Almera thinking. Even so the Astra's extra width and sharper edges give it a more substantial prescence.

For those of you unhappy at the latest stylings look out for the new Citroen C4. Tumble mentions the Focus similarities, have a peek (sadly Autocar pix are much better!):

[Fox]

Thing is they are damned if they and damned if they don't. People used to complain all the time about the Focus's daring 'new edge' styling both inside and out.

So Ford toned it down, and now people complain again..

[Rob]

I liked the old focus, and I must say, I actually quite like the new one. Although yet to see one in the 'wild', so will hold judgement till then.

I think the astra has definately benefitted from the facelift. It seems to have somehow matured. Which is the impression I get from the new focus. Yes, there are parts that I don't think seem to flow with the rest of the design, those hoooge arches for one. But overall, I quite like the lines. Especially the the way the pillars are extended down the bonnet to meet at the grille.

The jury's still out on the backend. Although it does look rather Audi-esq to me. That rear window don't half remind me of the awful rear of an A2.

[Knoxville]

From the front i don't think it looks to bad, the arse is hideous though. And iirc, wasn't this the model they were waiting for before they started to build a proper Cosworth version, due to the chassis being able to take a 4wd system without tonnes of work?.

Yeah it was and quite frankly they shudda done the extra work and had a good looking cossie. Twas all an excuse to keep us waiting anyway as with some resonably minor work you could make a Mk2 Focus rear or 4wd it was done in the u.s a while ago now.

[Stringent]

Flanderz will be selling my 99 T reg 5 door focus 2.0 ghia at the end of this month.

Interested?

I was till I saw 5 door. Looking for a 3 door mate, but thanks for offering. Gotta get the old bank balance up a little bit more as well!

[mike_w]

I definately prefer the old styling - the new styling is just bland, and the back just doesn't look right.

[Shogun]

I honestly can't see anything wrong with those wheel arches, or am I the only one?