What Is It?
2005 Ford Focus
What's Special About It?
For 2005, Ford has revamped the Focus lineup inside and out. The interior and exterior design has been updated with the front-end treatment borrowing cues from Ford's new flagship, the Five Hundred. Overall, the Focus' exterior has a rounder look and loses the sharp creased look that it helped to introduce in 2000. The softer exterior treatment works in favor of the Focus giving it a slightly more substantial appearance. The interior design is cleaned up as well with the sharp intersecting lines giving way to a simpler more traditional form. The simpler design also makes way for some extra storage areas in and under the dash.
The model mix has also been revised and now includes the three-door ZX3 hatchback, ZX4 sedan, ZX5 five-door hatchback and ZXW wagon. An all-new powertrain lineup offers more power along with greater efficiency. A new 2.0-liter engine rated to produce 136 horsepower replaces the meager base motor as well as the previously available 130-hp engine. In select states, a new ultralow emissions engine will serve as the base motor and qualify the Focus as a PZEV, or Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. Those looking for performance in their Focus might be disappointed with the fact that the SVT Focus will be dropped from the '05 lineup, but a new ZX4 ST has been added in an attempt to fill the gap at least partially. It gets a 150-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder along with 16-inch wheels and suspension components borrowed directly from the old SVT. All models benefit from the addition of larger brakes, revised springs and shocks and new wheel designs.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The Focus has always been a terrific car that offered both fun and function. A series of recalls plagued its original introduction, but Ford is hoping to move past its checkered history with this latest round of updates. We can't help but lament the passing of the sensational SVT Focus, but the Focus still gets credit for being a fun-to-drive car even in lesser forms. — Brian Moody
2005 Ford Focus
What's Special About It?
For 2005, Ford has revamped the Focus lineup inside and out. The interior and exterior design has been updated with the front-end treatment borrowing cues from Ford's new flagship, the Five Hundred. Overall, the Focus' exterior has a rounder look and loses the sharp creased look that it helped to introduce in 2000. The softer exterior treatment works in favor of the Focus giving it a slightly more substantial appearance. The interior design is cleaned up as well with the sharp intersecting lines giving way to a simpler more traditional form. The simpler design also makes way for some extra storage areas in and under the dash.
The model mix has also been revised and now includes the three-door ZX3 hatchback, ZX4 sedan, ZX5 five-door hatchback and ZXW wagon. An all-new powertrain lineup offers more power along with greater efficiency. A new 2.0-liter engine rated to produce 136 horsepower replaces the meager base motor as well as the previously available 130-hp engine. In select states, a new ultralow emissions engine will serve as the base motor and qualify the Focus as a PZEV, or Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. Those looking for performance in their Focus might be disappointed with the fact that the SVT Focus will be dropped from the '05 lineup, but a new ZX4 ST has been added in an attempt to fill the gap at least partially. It gets a 150-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder along with 16-inch wheels and suspension components borrowed directly from the old SVT. All models benefit from the addition of larger brakes, revised springs and shocks and new wheel designs.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The Focus has always been a terrific car that offered both fun and function. A series of recalls plagued its original introduction, but Ford is hoping to move past its checkered history with this latest round of updates. We can't help but lament the passing of the sensational SVT Focus, but the Focus still gets credit for being a fun-to-drive car even in lesser forms. — Brian Moody
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