2011 Ford Focus Mk3 Review

The new third generation Ford Focus Mk3 has gone on sale with lots of road tests and reviews of the new third generation Focus Mk3. The new Focus ST release date will be announced soon as Ford are ready to set the Focus ST to be the latest and greatest hot hatch.

Road Test

The new Ford Focus's first UK road test will presumably be on Top Gear's next series starting in June 2011. This would mean that the Ford Focus road test will include something action packed like their recent Fiesta review a couple of years back, and will no doubt include a lap of the top gear test track.

Handling

Ford have set the benchmark for sporty performance from a family hatchback with the mark 1 and the mark 2 Focus. With the mark 3 Focus, handling will no doubt be better again. Ford have spent ages developing this new model and seem to be holding back the official launch while further adjustments are made. Plenty of Ford fanatics are waiting to try out the handling of the new Ford Focus.

Launch Date

The launch date for the all new mark 3 ford focus is still unknown. In some circles it is being even referred to as the "2012 ford focus", suggesting that the new Ford Focus won't be on sale until the middle end of 2011 or early 2012.

When Ford are ready to start taking orders for the new Focus, they will launch it with plenty of TV adverts and press releases, ensuring that there will be plenty of road tests and media buzz surrounding the launch date of the new Focus. It will of course be a mighty step, just as when previous Focuses were released, but we should get an announcement soon concerning when the new ford focus will be in showrooms and ready to order. If you are impatient then there are already quite a few details and specifications about the new Ford Focus already released as you will find out below.

Styling

There are quite a few pictures of the forthcoming Ford Focus Mk 3 circulating the internet. Whilst the Focus's styling might still be being retweaked before full production is started, opinion on the internet seems to be that the Focus is too bland. In the looks department, the new Ford Focus seems to fall behind the latest Vauxhall Astra MK6. So far there don't seem to have been many spy shots of the new Ford Focus Mk3, indicating that Ford are keeping the new Focus well under wraps until it's official launch.

If fact, in many departments the new Ford Focus will face a lot of competition from the new Astra, which is proving to be one of the most popular Astras yet in the cut throat family hatchback market. Ford's previous model Focuses have been highly successful; the first Focus had much higher sales figures than the Astra at the time, but this time round Ford might not win so easily.

The new Focus Mk3 radiator grill is quite distinctive, as you can see from this picture of the new Ford Focus grille. The grille has a flat top to it with and oval bulge to accomodate the Ford oval badge, which sits in the centre of the grille above the front bumper. The new Focus ST's grill looks even meaner, with a wide and low grill with black mesh.

The headlights on the new Ford Focus are similar to the headlights on the older mark 2.5 Focus, and also similar to the headlights on the current Mondeo. Some pictures of the new Ford Focus headlights show a slightly different design, but we expect the headlights to look similar to the ones pictured here.

Engine Options

Some details of the engines available for the new Ford Focus Mk3 are already available. It seems that the third generation petrol-engined Focuses will be a mixture of Ford Duratec and newer more efficient EcoBoost four cylinder engines, while the diesel-engined Focuses will be Ford's DuraTorq engines.

The Ford Duratec engine range has been around for a little while now. The Duratec Ti-VCT engine that is going in the new Ford Focus has variable camshaft timing, (hence 'VCT'), which allows for greater engine performance, increaded fuel efficiency and reduced emissions compared to engines with fixed camshafts.

The EcoBoost engine is newer than the Duratec, using a turbo to help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Prices for the new Ford Focus with EcoBoost engines will be a little higher than a Duratec-engined Focus, but the fuel economy will be better over the life of the car. The Ford EcoBoost engine in the all-new Focus will be competing against Vauxhall's EcoFlex and Fiat's MultiAir engines, both of which are very good for fuel economy, and are available for quite a good price.

Ford Focus Mk3 Engines

Engine	Fuel	Cylinders	Displacement	Power	Torque
1.6L Duratec Ti-VCT L4	Petrol	4	1597cc	unknown	unknown
1.6L EcoBoost L4	Petrol	4	1597cc	148bhp	unknown
2.0L EcoBoost L4	Petrol	4	1997cc	247hp (184kW)	250lb-ft (33Nm)
1.6 L Duratorq TDCi	Diesel	4	1597cc	approx 95hp	unknown
2.0 L Duratorq TDCi	Diesel	4	1997cc	134 hp/100 kW	251 lb-ft (340 Nm)

Park Assist Option

The all new Ford Focus comes with a revolutionary new Active Park Assist feature - the ability to automatically assist the driver in parallel parking the car.  It's not a fully automatic parking system of course, the driver still has to remain in control of the vehicle.  When you are looking for somewhere to park, simply turn on the Park Assist feature.  Ultra sonic sensors in the car will start looking for a parking space on the left or right of the car as you drive past.  When the system has found a suitably-sized parking space, it will sound a beep and let you know via a message on the dashboard.  Then, simply follow the instructions on the dashboard. As you slowly reverse the car, the steering wheel will automatically turn by itself to put you snugly alongside the kerb.

Active Park Assist is available as a £525 option on the Titanium model and is fitted as standard on the Titanium X models.  Active Park Assist is not available as an option on the more basic Focus models, meaning that you would need to shell out a lot more than a basic model to get a Focus with semi automatic parking.

Mk3 Ford Focus ST

Launched at the 2010 Paris motorshow, the new Mk3 2011 Ford Focus ST will be the much sportier version of the new third generation Ford Focus. It will be packaged with sports seats and a sports styling pack, not to mention a 247hp 2.0L EcoBoost engine. The New 2012 Focus ST is more powerful than the outgoing Focus ST despite having a smaller 2.0 litre engine versus the previous Focus ST's 2.5 litre turbocharged engine. The new 2012 Ford Focus ST Mk3 performance figures and 0-60 time of this sporty hatchback are not yet released, but expect it to be quick.

Ford Focus Web Links

Ford Focus Wiki The Ford Focus Wiki page has lots of information about all the Focus models.

Ford Focus on Twitter The latest tweets from the global Ford Focus team.

Ford Parts Parts for Ford cars, listing everything from Ford breakers to new Ford parts suppliers and also Ford forums that are worth a look for Ford parts.

Ford Focus Videos The All-New Ford Focus channel on youtube.

Ford Focus Parts Spare parts for the Ford Focus.

Which Wheels a car wheel offset and pcd dimensions reference guide, with a page about Ford Focus wheels.

Ford Forums

Passion Ford Passion Ford is a very busy Ford Forum in the UK.

Ford Owners Club A UK club with free membership for Ford enthusiasts.