Official 2008 Ford Focus Pics and Information!

[gobstopper]

Originally Posted by CheckMyVitals

you forgetting what the current Focus looks like?

No, I'm not forgetting. That looks like ass too, but less assy than this 2008 model.

[Primaris]

Well I'm glad I bought my Focus when Ford still had a clue how to build cars.
The new one has a Fusion grill, (why? the Taurus out sells the Fusion and the Fusion is not hot enough to be worthy of copying), mustang creased doors, and it looks like a Saturn. Blah. Ford needs to sell off the car business. What they make now is offensive to a car lover like me. Ford concentrate on building trucks, you will improve the entire car market by doing so!

[CWCZX3]

meh

[bbychvz]

no 2.3L head lights the rest of the car the interior did i mention no 2.3L thats sucks they should have just keep the 2nd gen focus till 2010, with the option of getting a 2.3L in the h/b...if i had too i would rock the coupe but the 1st mod would have to be redesigned head lights, the rest is bareable.
but since its still a 2.0 Duratec wouldn't the current mods still work
woundn't it just be a question of space/room?


-Bobby

[CrUziN4L]

from enitial looks...i like...tho the rear is undistinctive.

i'll read thru the posts and what not to put some serious thought into it later.

Amazing guys...225posts and it was only posted this morning i love u guys. Forget the "allstar" thread or "im going to start banning people" thread for being champions on posts....this one takes the cake!


-chris

[netdragoon]

Yay...an Ion/Civic.

Negatives:

No hatch.
No 2.3L.
Looks like an Ion/Civic..not a Focus.

Okays:
Interior is kinda neat..120mph speedo?

Pluses:
Any stock I had in competitors will go up.

[BRZX3R]

Lon Zaback should be fired. The entire team that worked on the car should all be removed.

Also, looking at the speedometer, it suffers from the same problem our Escape has. The needle is fat and too short, and the graduations between the numbers are too small. I like the bigger gauges of the 00-04 cars better. The large tach and speedo are great for quick glances. The new Mustang also has too small of gauges, or perhaps my eyes suck.

[CheckMyVitals]

of note guys... couple things after reading some more posts on here have popped up in my head (and gobstopper... we get it... you don't like the car)

as mentioned earlier, the Focus is too new, and not publicly loved enough to get any 'nostalgic' styling. And though the general public won't be looking at the car and instantly thinking 'Focus', that doesn't matter. The only badge they need to know is 'Ford' and the sales will work themselves out from there... they know where to go if they like it.

To further the point, look at the Civic
http://www.kpbj.com/images/automotiv..._Hybrid_LG.jpg



there's hardly a similarity btw these cars, yet the public has learned to call it a 'Civic' and it's selling fantastic. I also hated this styling when it first came out, but love it now, and it's all due to it's extremely edgy styling (which has lost it's edge with popularity)

Honestly... from what I've read so far, and looking at the pics I think I can make a pretty fair assumption that to like this car... you have to like Nissans. I personally love Nissans

This lack of 2.3 is killing me though. I will DEFINITELY have to test drive it (if no 2.3L talk comes up in the next year) to see if I can deal with the 2.0. Yes, I'm coming from the 2.0 SPI, but that 2.3L was an instant 'yes' for me. why there's no 2.3L ST coupe... I'll never know


EDIT: Max embeded image resolution is 800x600

[CrUziN4L]

people...get OVER not having the 2.3 intially

..no one knows, it could just be the initial release and introduced mid-year. Jesus

-chris

[bbychvz]

i'd take a smart for two over this



Bobby

[Peloton25]

The first non-media shot of the sedan I have seen - I'm really liking it.



>8^)
ER

[CrUziN4L]

Originally Posted by bbychvz

i'd take a smart for two over this



Bobby

he said, smart for two

[bbychvz]

Originally Posted by CrUziN4L

he said, smart for two

what! ..........
.........well thats whats its called in the other thread
i'll take the ***** Smart car two seater thingy with 4 wheels
ummmk



Bobby

[BUR_ZX3]

Originally Posted by Peloton25

The first non-media shot of the sedan I have seen - I'm really liking it.



>8^)
ER

I still can't get beyond the side trim in front of the door. That just looks way out of place and wrong.

[ccubedzx3]

Originally Posted by FocusSportVP

Another great pic:





I've already got some ideas about what I'd like to do to this mother.

If Focussport sold a dynamite kit for this thing, I would be all over it....one stick of dynamite would do...along with a detonator...that would be the best thing for this car...blow it up, and start over...

What I am so disapointed about is the fact this doesn't follow any cues from the previous version of the focus...nothing is a step up from what is current, it is completely different.

If Ford called this Ford Freshcort, I might like it better since it resembles a ZX2 or Escort more so than the current foci that exists....I cannot explain enough how I hate the new Focus.....Blah!!

[orionlion82]

Originally Posted by Peloton25

The first non-media shot of the sedan I have seen - I'm really liking it.



>8^)
ER

GAH! look at the uneven gap above the left front foglight!

i am pretty sure somebody is gonna get chewed for letting the public see that... wait... this is ford. nevermind my focus does the very same things. yep, its still a ford focus...

[SilverSVT]

I think I've finally come to the conculution that people who visit internet message boards are never happy with ANYTHING and if they are they are called fanboys.

That being said, I'm pretty impressed with Ford and what they did with the C170 platform and how different it looks from the outgoing model. I personally like the way it looks and I'm hoping it looks even better in person. Plus the good/bad thing is that it will only be around in this form for about 4 years or so before we get the C2...which people will still bitch about

[jrssvt]

Originally Posted by focaljet-1

You've three different thought there.

Do you mean the Civic, Sentra, Corolla in Europe or the U.S.? Because in the U.S. I agree that the new Rabbit fits the price point, etc. But I think people either buy VWs or they don't. Otherwise all the Focus MkII whiners would just go buy a GTI. It's really just as good as the ST, maybe better. I think there are only one or two MkV GTI owners here on FJ.

It comes down to this, the enthusiasts WANT the MkII. Unfortunately the enthusiasts are such a small percentage of the actual market for cars like the Civic, Sentra, et. al.

And, the ST's availability in Mexico has been discussed dozens of times. What don't people GET about it? Ford can import the ST to Mexico AS IS, meaning NO (costly) changes to the car. If you can expand your market with out needing to pour more money into a car why wouldn't you?

Why is the ST not available in Canada? For the same reason it's not available in the U.S. ...it would be cost prohibitive to retool the car to meet crash testing and certify the emissions.

This is VERY costly. And, no before someone says, the ST's engine is already certified in the U.S. (in the Volvo S40/V50)... it doesn't matter. Each make and MODEL require a complete testing and certification.

There are other factors I'm sure that led to the decision to NOT bring the car to the U.S. but these are very real reasons.

The other thing would be price the cost of the focus st would be Around same price as a Mustang GT. as much as we would love to have this car here ford seem's to thing other wise. sometimes we just have to take what ford throw at us. with a smile

[Spatakula]

i am sorry. i am totally not feeling it at all. i guess it will have to grow on me.

-spatakula

[secondechomatt]

holy crap. 10 pages later.

I like it. I like it alot. I still see "focus", but much more clean and modern. The interior is amazing! Definately the best aspect of this car. I'll work on a chop tomarrow, but the only things that I was thinking was the grille treatment, black out the headlights and tails, drop and wheels, as I don't like any of the standard options. In fact, the middle ones look like old passat bbs wheels!

and IMHO, its hard to be nostalgic in creating a new version of a car whose lineage isn't even 10 years old yet.

[sixt5cuda]

Originally Posted by Angelus897

I'm kinda bummed that this thing doesn't even resemble a focus (but I can understand going for a new market/crowd deal). The interior is definately a plus over the 05-07 models (though the 00-04 is still the best). Also WTF? No ABS standard and rear drums? Ford wake up, we live in the 21st century. Every car should come STANDARD with power windows, power locks, ABS, and rear discs. Oh and yea, what's up with no 2.3? I wish they would have at least put in the 2.0 Duratec VVTi (that makes ~144hp).

PS: I actually like the sedan look much more than the coupe (Honkeytonk Monkey is right, it looks too much like a previous gen Accent coupe).

EDIT: Uhh, the 05-07 models were called Mk 1.5, what about this? 1.6? lol

My Focus is without power locks or power windows. And I specifically ordered the car that way. The window and door lock systems of my car will never have an electrical fault.

ABS? Got it, didn't pay extra for it, hardly ever use it.

Rear discs? Good in emergency and high-performance situations, not that much better for everyday use, compared to drums.

[STANG302]

Wheres the 2.3L option?

[sicko]

design elements are just all over the place. looks like 5 different teams of designers threw their **** at a wall and this is what stuck.

I see potential but it would take a lot of work to make it look decent. I know they have some decent designers at Ford, I wonder what they are working on.