Collection of Sports Cars: Ford

Showing posts with label Ford. Show all posts

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium X

Here is the all-new version of our favourite hatchback

This is Ford's first entry into the high powered diesel end of the class

Focus is extremely quiet, extraordinarily so for one powered by a high output, 4-pot diesel engine

Ford has retained its game-changing 'control blade' independent rear suspension architecture

Exterior detailing isn't to everones liking

Design of the switchgear, dash and instrument has a distinctive and pleasing style

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI Titanium X
Price: £22,745; 0-62mph: 8.6sec; Top speed: 135mph; Economy: 56.5mpg (combined); CO2 emissions: 129g/km; Kerb weight: 1421kg; Engine layout: 4 cyls in line, 1997cc, turbodiesel; Installation: Front, transverse, front-wheel drive; Power: 161bhp at 3750rpm; Torque: 251lb ft at 2000rpm; Power to weight: 113bhp per tonne; Gearbox: 6-spd manual

Ford C-Max 1.6 Titanium Auto Car Review

Here is the the new 124bhp 1.6-litre petrol motor, mated to the standard five-speed manual gearbox

It's comfortable, quiet, practical and very well equipped

Ford C-Max 1.6 125 Titanium
Price: £18,745; Top speed: 117mph; 0-62mph: 11.5sec; Economy: 42.8mpg (combined); CO2: 154g/km; Kerb weight: 1374kg; Engine: 4 cyls, 1596cc, petrol; Power: 123bhp at 6000rpm; Torque: 118lb ft at 4000rpm; Gearbox 5-spd manual

Auto Car Ford Focus Electric

Ford’s new Focus Electric is the flagship of its five-strong fleet of alternatively fuelled cars and potentially the most significant all-electric rival to the Nissan Leaf yet.

Whereas Nissan and sister firm Renault have developed dedicated platforms for electric vehicles (EVs), Ford has adopted Volkswagen’s approach with its electric Golf and based the Focus Electric on the standard car’s platform.

See the official pics of the new Ford Focus Electric

As well as lower development costs, there are marketing benefits because buyers should be more at ease with the concept of an EV when buying into a name they know, such as Focus or Golf.

The Focus Electric has been launched today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas ahead of a motor show debut in Detroit next week.

The car’s electric motor is powered by a 28kWh lithium ion battery, giving a top speed of 84mph. A standard full recharge from a 240V outlet will take three to four hours — half the time of the Nissan Leaf — and Ford is targeting a range of 100 miles.

Read more on the trials of the current Ford Focus Electric

The company says the EV’s steering, handling and braking feel almost identical to those of the standard Focus, with the main changes being improved aerodynamics and a much quieter cabin due to the electric powertrain.

The Focus Electric includes an advanced MyFord Touch infotainment system, featuring coaching on achieving a more eco-friendly driving style, detailed information on battery life and a smart satellite navigation system that tells you how far your current charge will get you.

A MyFord Mobile app will allow the owner to control certain functions remotely, such as the heating. It will also provide charging data and receive alerts when the car needs charging or has finished charging.

Read Autocar's first drive of the current Ford Focus BEV

Ford has also teamed up with Microsoft to offer a value charging system that fuels the car when electricity is at its cheapest. This, in turn, minimises the strain on the national grid. Ford intends to work with utility companies to better understand the demands charging EVs has on the grid.

American-spec Focus Electrics will be built in Michigan, with a final decision to be taken on a plant for Europe. The car will be launched in the US later this year, with European sales expected to follow in 2012. Trials of the previous-generation Focus Electric are taking place in Hillingdon, north London, and these will influence how Ford markets the car in Europe.

The company’s other alternatively fuelled offerings include its electric Transit Connect, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the C-Max and a yet-to-be-revealed next-gen hybrid.

History Ford focus RS WRC

The first version of the car was built in 1999 to replace the Ford Escort WRC. It debuted in the Monte Carlo Rally with Colin McRae and Simon Jean-Joseph behind the wheels of the two cars. It was immediately on the pace, setting many fastest stage times, but the use of an illegal water pump meant that the two cars were excluded from the event. McRae gave the Focus its first win two events later on the Safari Rally Kenya finishing over 15 minutes ahead of the second placed Toyota of Didier Auriol.

In 2003, Ford released a newly designed Focus WRC, named Focus RS WRC 03, for competition during the second part of the season. The car, with most parts redesigned from the ground up, featured a lighter body shell and a new aerodynamically enhanced front bumper and wing. Markko Märtin drove the car to two world rally victories. The 2004 and 2005 Focus WRCs were evolutions based on the RS WRC 03. The Focus RS WRC 04 won three events with Märtin at the wheel. By 2005, the car was no longer very competitive and Ford had a winless season.

From the last rally of the 2005 season, Ford campaigned a brand new model, the Focus RS WRC 06, following the launch of the new road-going version of the car. The engine chosen for this Focus was a Duratec motor developed by the French engine specialist Pipo Moteur. The car took twelve world rally wins, starting with the 2006 season opener Monte Carlo Rally in the hands of Marcus Grönholm.

The Focus RS WRC 07 is based on the 2006 model, and according to Ford's technical director Christian Loriaux "the changes on the new car are mainly to save weight and to improve efficiency, driveability and performance at the bottom end of the range." The car debuted very successfully at the 2007 Rally Finland as Ford's Finns Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen finished in first and second. It later made history at the 2008 Swedish Rally when Jari-Matti Latvala used the car to become youngest-ever driver to win a world rally.

The 2012 Ford Focus ST

Ford has releases details for the new Focus ST concept, which will debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show

The Focus ST will be on top of the model range, and alongside it in Paris, Ford will be showing off sedan, wagon, and hatchback versions. But it's the ST that's getting the most attention from the press gathering this year for the Paris Expo. And it's likely because of the 247 horsepower hidden underneath its bespoilered body and its bespoked wheels, and a coat of "Tangerine Scream" paint.

Power is provided by a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine which has been outfitted with a redesigned intake and a recalibrated ECU. Thanks to these modifications, the mill produces 250 PS (184 kW / 247 hp) and 360 Nm (265 lb-ft) of torque.

Inside and out there’s plenty to talk about thank to a an aggressive aero kit with large lower air intakes, a massive central intake, race-inspired rear diffuser and 19-inch wheels that all add to the Focus’s already attractive package. And with an already high-grade interior on the new global Focus, the ST model gets Recaro seats up front, plus plenty of detailed stitching on the interior, as well as a unique steering wheel.

Source: Ford