05-02-2009

Bekijk ook 19-05-2008 een eerder bericht over een eventuele Ford Focus Coupé.

Focus coupé’s licence to thrill:

Sensational three-door model to give new Ford range an added dose of style as it takes on Volkswagen’s Scirocco.

Here are the pictures that prove the Focus is on style at Ford like never before! It’s a new three-door Coupé version of the blue oval’s family hatchback – and it has VW’s Scirocco and Renault’s Mégane Coupe in its sights.

As we revealed in Issue 1,037, Ford has ambitious plans for the next-generation Focus range, with the first variant, the C-MAX MPV, due in 2010. According to our sources at sister magazine Auto Bild, the firm is working on a bold new look – and this Coupé will be the flagship.

As Renault has shown with the Mégane, it’s possible to offer two very different hatchbacks in the same model range with a more conservatively styled five-door that appeals to core family buyers – and a sleeker coupé-style machine for younger customers. And that’s just what this Focus aims to do.

These world exclusive pictures give the best view yet as to how the newcomer could look. It takes inspiration from the successful shape of the latest Fiesta with its lower grille, which is accompanied by bold headlights and LED spotlights.

Chunkier wheelarches and huge alloys add visual muscle, but the most head-turning features are the steeply rising waistline and angular C-pillars. At the rear is a sloping tail with neat lights, a diffuser-style lower bumper and a smart roof spoiler.

The look may be rakish, but the Focus Coupé is practical, too, with plenty of room in the rear for tall passengers.

Up front will be a new dashboard that boasts even higher quality materials than the current Focus, but the big change is a control system similar to BMW’s iDrive and Mercedes’ COMAND set-ups, which will help reduce clutter. Under the skin lies Ford’s new compact family car platform, which engineers at the company are currently developing.

Driving dynamics are key to the appeal of the Focus, and the new model will be no different with direct steering and fine body control.

The three-door will have slightly stiffer suspension settings than the five-door for more agility and driver appeal.

Power will come from Ford’s new direct-injection, turbo EcoBoost range with base models getting a 1.0-litre unit with either 89bhp or 108bhp. But most sales will come from a new 1.6-litre turbo in 148bhp or 178bhp guise.

Two new oil-burners are also on the way: a 1.6-litre TDCi with 89bhp, 108bhp or 128bhp, and a 2.0-litre with 168bhp or 197bhp. Manual gearboxes will be standard, but there will also be the option of Ford’s PowerShift twin-clutch transmission.

The Focus Coupé will arrive in late 2010, with an estate and a CC due around a year later.

Bron: Autoexpress.co.uk

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