New look Ford Focus Estate unveiled at Geneva Motor Show

by Chris Jefferies
This week’s Geneva Motor Show (6-13 March) brings plenty of glitz and glamour to a series of car launches, but arguably none are quite as important as the new Ford Focus.
The American carmaker claims that Focus is the most popular car model in the world, and with a choice between hatchback and estate there’s something to interest caravanners as well in the new version.
Over the past few years, Ford has been overhauling the look of its cars, starting with the new-look Mondeo and Fiesta, and now it’s the Focus’s turn.
The result is a more purposeful nose-end, narrowed headlights, a slightly bulging bonnet and a hexagonal grille that reminds us of some of the newer Aston Martins. All in all, it’s a very attractive look.
Looks aside, and Ford is claiming that this is “the most advanced Focus ever”, due to its myriad of technological wizardry.
The Sync 2 connectivity system includes a voice-activated sat nav, which has a degree of artificial intelligence. For example, just saying ‘I’m hungry’ will bring up a list of local restaurants.
We’d love to see if it could be programmed to respond to caravan-related demands, like ‘Find my nearest campsite’ as well.
Safe and sound
It’s not just lazy boys that benefit, as Ford has been honing its safety technology to make it easier for you to park.
The new Perpendicular Parking system allows you to reverse into a bay without using your hands. It sounds scary at first, but a set of ultrasonic sensors are on hand to make sure that you can’t have a ding.
Even the headlights are clever, in that they react to the road conditions to give you a better view at night. When cruising along the motorway, they narrow to give you better view ahead and when on B-roads they widen to help you spot cyclists and pedestrians.
And if you are generous enough to lend your car to your kids, you can make sure that they don’t terrorise the neighbourhood, thanks to MyKey.
This personalisable key system allows you to set a maximum speed limit and a maximum stereo volume for when the young ones are on the road.
Ford is also claiming 19 per cent fuel efficiency improvements, so it will be cheaper to run, although the sale price hasn’t been confirmed yet.
What can it tow?
As is always the case with new car releases, the exact weight is pretty much the last thing to surface, so answering that question is tricky.
However, we do know that Ford will continue the 2.0-litre diesel estate version, which had a kerbweight of 1,485kg in its previous incarnation.
Based on an 85% match, this means you’ll be safe towing a two-berth couple’s caravan of up to 1,260kg.
The new Ford Focus arrives in dealerships in June and based on the new looks and smart technology, it will surely be flooding the UK’s roads this summer.