Ford Focus!

MR206

MR206

Active member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
331
Location
Sydney Australia
yes its true the Ford Focus is coming to Australia by the end of the year!! another rally car coming downunder!
this is my fav car everr, and da only reason i didnt get one is coz it wasnt available here
but now it is!! :mad:
check out <a href="http://www.ford.com.au" target="_blank">www.ford.com.au</a> for more information
 
I dont know about Aussie but they are definitely coming to New Zealand. It's been all over the motoring press in the last week.
It's replacing the Laser which is built in Japan.
All I can say is:
ABOUT BLOODY TIME FORD

Izza
 
I agree Izza if i see another Laser Ill scream they have blanched the Australian landscape for far too long. Glad to see them go. I have driven a Ford Focus While I travelled thru Germany. Great car actually, not a problem except for the wipers freezing up once. I think Australians will take them up with no problems. Pity they dont do that with Renault....
 
Yep, the Focus is coming, and the Ford Aust boss is trying for the Fiesta to replace the Festiva. They will sell LOADS.

Stuey
 
Yeah, we've missed out on alot of great Euro Fords over the past 20 years. The Mk3 Escort XR3 and the 2 litre Sierra were two in particular.

Ford really botched the introduction of the Mondeo in 1995. They mucked up the marketing and the price, then fixed them too late in 1996, then just when sales were taking off the horrid restyled lower powered version was released (end of 96) and it had no chance of reaching its potential here. They finally released the V6 a coupl of months before deciding to pull the plug on Mondeos in Australia, then just after that the new model Mondeo (which is a huge improvement on the 96-2000 version) was released and they didn't bring it here. Good one Ford. What a stuff up.

Please Mr Ford, do the right thing by the Focus this time.

My parents bought the last version of the original style Mondeos in mid-1996. It goes, handles, brakes and steers beautifully, and has been completely reliable for the past 6 years and 130,000km. The original tyres were pretty noisy though (Goodyear NCTs). I wouldn't touch the 96-2000 model Mondeos though (hideous headlights, less power and torque, crappy gearshifter, etc).

The current range of engines as fitted to the Focus, Mondeo, etc are gems.

Dave
 
The big news in the European Ford world at the moment is the Mondeo ST220. It seems they've finally done the right thing and stuck a 220hp worked version of the 3 litre V6 Duratec (Taurus engine) in the Mondeo.

And then of course there's the 170hp Focus ST170 and the Ford Puma Racing. We miss out on all the good stuff.

Notice how Ford Europe change the letters for their sports models every decade or so in an effort to fool the insurance companies. In the 60's it was GT, in the 70's it was RS, in the 80's it was XR, in the 90's it was SI (they weren't too sporty), and now it's ST.

Dave
 
"and now it's ST."

Being Ford probably means there's a silent "HI" in the middle. :rolleyes: eek! :D :D

Reckon we can stretch this one out to 3 pages too?? :rolleyes: dead sleepy sleepy

Alan S
 
Ford have developed with Citroen/Peugeot the 1.4HDI diesel which is going in the new Fiesta and the Cit C3. I do wonder how much input Ford had in the job? wink Sounds like they are just buying in the engine as their previous efforts with small diesels have been to say the least a little rough around the edges......The old MK2 Fiesta 1.6D was economical, but at idle it rattled your fillings out and blured your vision eek! The 1.8D was better and turbo'ed it was almost acceptable, but never as good as an XUD in a BX. Finally with the Focus diesel they have got it right. Took a while though :rolleyes:
 
It's interesting to note that the Ford Sierra diesel, used the same 2.3 litre Pug diesel as the 504,505 and 604, etc, not to mention some of the Mahindra Jeeps (although many of them use the 2.1 litre version). My parents used to have a 504 diesel. Now there's a diesel that makes some noise!

Dave
 
Dave, I thought the XR3i was a heap of shite. The magazines certainly thought so. Never driven one, though. I hired an XR2 Fiesta and it was gruff, breathless and the handling was benign. Worst of all I couldn't even blow away a base model Cavalier. All body kits and fancy wheels.

Stuey
 
Stuey,

Depends which XR3 you're talking about. The first XR3 (carby model) and then the first XR3i were around 900kg and went quite well, then by the late 80s they got bigger and fat (without an increase in torque) and became a bit breathless.

Which year model XR2 did you drive? There were good and bad XR2 models.

By the early 1990s, both the Escort and Fiesta had fallen way behind the opposition and it wasn't until the Focus was released that they caught up in hadling and ride, etc.

When the original XR3 was released in 1980, the ride and handling was the subject of rave reviews, with it being considered the next best thing to an Alfasud. The bar was raised when the 205 was released in 82/83, and Ford didn't even attempt to meet the challenge, but instead just focused on show rather than go.

Dave
 
The XR2 I drove would have been a 1990 model as it was a new hire car, Xmas 1990. CAR magazine definitely have never raved about any Ford in the 80's and early 90's, and are quite derisory towards the XR3. But, as I say, I haven't driven one...

Stuey
 
Whilst in New Zealand, we drove a current Mondeo 2.0.

Beautiful car, really refined, handles well & rides solidly.

Australia's current Vectra would look pretty poor compared to the current Mondeo. Don't know how the new one compares.

Cheers,

Justin
 
Guys guys...

Be careful using the F word on here too much. Poor Alan will blow a foo foo valve. I can hear the pressure building now!!!!

:D :D evil tongue disappro
 
ckeller:
Guys guys...

Be careful using the F word on here too much. Poor Alan will blow a foo foo valve. I can hear the pressure building now!!!!
Click to expand...
No, no don't mind me; I've been over on aussievolvos, aussiefords, aussieminis, aussiedreams talking French cars. It can be quite an interesting subject at times, gotta be worth trying. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :p clown evil sleepy sleepy

Alan S
 
Stuey:
CAR magazine definitely have never raved about any Ford in the 80's and early 90's
Click to expand...
Yeah, well it seems that CAR magazine seem to have bad things to say about almost every car. Their 1985 reviews of the 1.6 205GTi and 205 1.9 Cheetah, are some of the few exceptions (and possibly some of the BMWs and Porsches). Their initial review of the 306 in early 1993 was very scathing (with a little bit of faint praise).

On the subject of FWD Escorts, they did suffer from poor suspension design (like all Fords of the period), but the early lightweight ones with lower power still seemed to handle alright. When they put on weight and gave them more power (Escort Turbo) it took alot of work to get them to handle at all. The front suspension located by the swaybar and the funny rear axle design were just adaquate for a moderately powered 900kg car, but no more.

The Sierra was a good basic design, with semi trailing rear end, and struts at the front. The front was located by the swaybar also, but because it was RWD and the swaybar sat behind the struts (rather than in front), this cheap design seemed to work OK (although you'd still want to replace the bushes pretty often). The Sierra Wagon that I toured Brtiain with my parents in, in 1987, was a very nice car, very similar to a 505 in handling and refinement. Apparently the pre-86 Sierras suffered from vague steering on centre (Ford tended to make sloppy splines on their steering shafts in those days, the late model Cortinas were a case in point).

As for Alan S, be thankful we're not talking about Sigmas (although Sigma pistons are very handy for bored out Pug 403 engines -about all Sigmas are good for). I've driven the predecessor to the Sigma, the mid 70's Galant, and was surprised how good it was for the period (tight steering, etc), don't know what drugs the Bitsumishi fellas were on when they designed the Sigma (sloppy steering, poor packaging, etc, etc).

One thing we have to remember when we discuss late 70's and 1980s cars in general, was that most of them were pretty shoddy in the fit and finish and durability department. There was a huge improvement in quality in the 1990s. 1980s Peugeots, Fords, and many others suffered from plastic interiors and exteriors which disintergrated in front of your eyes. In may ways the later 70s and early 80's were a real low period in car design and durability (of the body and interior that is). I guess they were learning just what that could get away with in the plastics area, and many of them pushed the envelope a bit too far.

In the 1990s they bit the bullet and realised that they had to spend a bit more money on good quality plastics.

Dave
 
"As for Alan S, be thankful we're not talking about Sigmas"

Why not! It'd be just as bloody boring to the other 760 members as some of the "cars" that have been discussed. disappro disappro sleepy sleepy sleepy tongue

Alan S
 
Alan S:
"As for Alan S, be thankful we're not talking about Sigmas"

Why not! It'd be just as bloody boring to the other 760 members as some of the "cars" that have been
Alan S
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I find the posts about 306's and 307's pretty boring, not to mention posts about big stereos, big wheels and body kits, but that's OK because nobody is forcing me to read them.

As you would expect, because this message board covers all French cars, old and new, not everybody is going to have the same tastes.

Dave
 
P.S. Focus "RS" coming out in UK later this year, Cossie coming out with the next model Focus (awd perhaps?). Sounds like they humble the astra in the handling department and i believe came second only to 306. Will be interesting.
 
As you would expect, because "this message board covers ALL FRENCH CARS, old and new," not everybody is going to have the same tastes.

That's exactly what I am talking about!!!!! It covers all FRENCH cars; not pom cars, not Yank, Not Swedish, Not German, not Korean,- F R E N C H.
A bit of discussion on other breeds occasionally we can all cop, but lately about the only thing NOT being discussed is same FRENCH cars.
If my memory serves me correctly, 306 & 307s are both French aren't they??
This is what has made aussiefrogs as successful as it has been, discussing French cars, but longwinded threads discussing anything but the reason for this boards existence is a one way trip to a disaster. Anyone can read about the more common breeds in a variety of boards and newsgroups so why come to aussiefrogs?
There's an old saying "If you don't like the message, don't shoot the pidgeon." I'm not alone in my thoughts on this issue. It's just that I'm the only one prepared to stand up & say something about it.
If we wanted to know the pros & cons about owning some other breed of car, I'm sure there's plenty of boards who could give the information required. If you want to see what I mean, go to a Holden Commodore boy racers site & ask for advice on hotting up your Pug. Bet pounds to peanuts the main suggestion would involve a gallon of petrol & a box of matches, yet so far we've tolerated this crap here. As you are a Pug enthusiast Dave, I'm somewhat bemused by your attitude & response.
I think we've all had a lot of fun on this site & it would be a pity to see the whole thing destroyed through some of this stupid out of character rot based on cars that shouldn't have been discussed in the first place. Do you get my point now? 'coz I reckon you missed it badly the first time. I don't have your hang-ups as regards age & models; I just can't see the point of the non French car discussions.

Alan S
 
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