Ford Focus - Design Review
CDN is not impressed by the new Focus
Oct 20, 2004 – Car design, as everything, is relative. How we read a car’s design is relative to the world that surrounds it - specifically other cars and in particular those of the same type, its siblings and predecessor. Seeing the new Ford Focus in the flesh at Paris it is these reactions and specifically those relative to its predecessor that first strike.
The new car’s exterior theme progresses the fastback profile of the original (and so bucks the norm of upright tailgates in this class) but otherwise erodes all elements of its predecessor’s design distinction.
The DLO that previously whipped back dynamically from the A-pillar now crawls rearwards through a slack upper arc and a kink in the waist line before reaching a narrow body colour C-pillar where once a powerful slash of rear lamp sprung the side graphic off the rear. Wheel arches that were scribed by bold and unique semi-circular feature lines are now generic, and the crisp ‘new edge’ defining feature line that connected side and rear has now lost its edge and peters out to allow for new vertical feature lines that delineate the car’s corners to visually reduce lengthier overhangs in profile - but also narrow the car.
Climb inside and it’s a similar story. Although the original Focus interior was never as well received as the exterior – one senior Ford designer newly incumbent after the car’s launch commented that it looked as though a hand grenade had gone off under the IP – it was striking and unique.
The new Focus interior is generically mainstream with little beyond its oval air vents to distinguish it from any other Golf-influenced conservative mainstream C-class interior. But with this new found conservatism has come a level of execution and material quality on a par with the best of the class. From the clean typeface of the instrument dials to the resolution of the soft and strong upper IP form to the integrated layout of the centre console controls, it is clear that greater consideration has gone into its conception than did its predecessor and this has genuinely lent the car a ‘premium’ quality that the more distinctive Renault Megane and CitroënC4 interiors don’t quite manage.
And although it lacks the usefully innovative features of these French cars, the Focus is a lot more capacious due to its significantly greater size – at 4342mm long and 1840mm wide it is over 100mm longer than the Megane or Golf and over 60mm wider. It is also a massive 150mm longer and wider than its predecessor and exactly 30mm wider than the Mondeo!
The other notable comparison with its larger sibling is the Focus’s Down-Road-Graphic which is almost identical to the Mondeo’s, as it is also to the C-Max whose platform it shares. Relative to these other Fords the Focus’s exterior seems no more modern and does not much progress any existing, or introduce any new, elements to Ford’s lexicon of design. But, like the interior, its conservative design theme has been very well executed with surfaces and lines carefully resolved to give an overall impression of well considered design and thus a sense of greater quality than its siblings, most competitors and certainly its predecessor.
When considering the new Focus design in isolation its positive attributes of being a comfortable, well resolved design with mainstream appeal can be recognised. But it is impossible and irrelevant to consider it only in isolation. Every potential customer will see it to some extent relative to its predecessor, competitors and siblings. Whilst they will see it clearly as a Ford, they won’t see it as offering anything new from the brand beyond some slight advances in perceived quality and the novelty of its recent introduction. Relative to the other cars they may have considered they will see it as offering little distinctive appeal. And relative to its successful predecessor, a design only usurped by the Megane last year as the most modernist design in its class, they will see it as unequivocally hum drum.
This is a very disappointing new design, and, critically, a relatively disappointing new Focus.
Focus production models and Vignale concept unveiled at the 2004 Paris Motor Show
Focus 3 door
Focus 3 door
Focus 3 door
Focus 5 Door
Focus Vignale concept
Oct 20, 2004 – Car design, as everything, is relative. How we read a car’s design is relative to the world that surrounds it - specifically other cars and in particular those of the same type, its siblings and predecessor. Seeing the new Ford Focus in the flesh at Paris it is these reactions and specifically those relative to its predecessor that first strike.
The new car’s exterior theme progresses the fastback profile of the original (and so bucks the norm of upright tailgates in this class) but otherwise erodes all elements of its predecessor’s design distinction.
The DLO that previously whipped back dynamically from the A-pillar now crawls rearwards through a slack upper arc and a kink in the waist line before reaching a narrow body colour C-pillar where once a powerful slash of rear lamp sprung the side graphic off the rear. Wheel arches that were scribed by bold and unique semi-circular feature lines are now generic, and the crisp ‘new edge’ defining feature line that connected side and rear has now lost its edge and peters out to allow for new vertical feature lines that delineate the car’s corners to visually reduce lengthier overhangs in profile - but also narrow the car.
Climb inside and it’s a similar story. Although the original Focus interior was never as well received as the exterior – one senior Ford designer newly incumbent after the car’s launch commented that it looked as though a hand grenade had gone off under the IP – it was striking and unique.
The new Focus interior is generically mainstream with little beyond its oval air vents to distinguish it from any other Golf-influenced conservative mainstream C-class interior. But with this new found conservatism has come a level of execution and material quality on a par with the best of the class. From the clean typeface of the instrument dials to the resolution of the soft and strong upper IP form to the integrated layout of the centre console controls, it is clear that greater consideration has gone into its conception than did its predecessor and this has genuinely lent the car a ‘premium’ quality that the more distinctive Renault Megane and CitroënC4 interiors don’t quite manage.
And although it lacks the usefully innovative features of these French cars, the Focus is a lot more capacious due to its significantly greater size – at 4342mm long and 1840mm wide it is over 100mm longer than the Megane or Golf and over 60mm wider. It is also a massive 150mm longer and wider than its predecessor and exactly 30mm wider than the Mondeo!
The other notable comparison with its larger sibling is the Focus’s Down-Road-Graphic which is almost identical to the Mondeo’s, as it is also to the C-Max whose platform it shares. Relative to these other Fords the Focus’s exterior seems no more modern and does not much progress any existing, or introduce any new, elements to Ford’s lexicon of design. But, like the interior, its conservative design theme has been very well executed with surfaces and lines carefully resolved to give an overall impression of well considered design and thus a sense of greater quality than its siblings, most competitors and certainly its predecessor.
When considering the new Focus design in isolation its positive attributes of being a comfortable, well resolved design with mainstream appeal can be recognised. But it is impossible and irrelevant to consider it only in isolation. Every potential customer will see it to some extent relative to its predecessor, competitors and siblings. Whilst they will see it clearly as a Ford, they won’t see it as offering anything new from the brand beyond some slight advances in perceived quality and the novelty of its recent introduction. Relative to the other cars they may have considered they will see it as offering little distinctive appeal. And relative to its successful predecessor, a design only usurped by the Megane last year as the most modernist design in its class, they will see it as unequivocally hum drum.
This is a very disappointing new design, and, critically, a relatively disappointing new Focus.
First-generation Ford Focus (1998-2004)
First-generation Ford Focus
2003 Ford C-Max
2000 Ford Mondeo
