Ford developing something big for Focus?

[neptunevibeawd]

I have been reading the stories how american car companies are developing upgrades to their econo cars to compete with cars like the WRX, civics, VW's, etc. On September 12th, autoweek online showed a picture of a ford focus with a HUGE hood bulge. Ford would not give any information on it except that it was under SVT development and testing. Autoweek thought one possibility is that it could be a production version of the L.A. carshow Focus Cosworth shown in 1999. The Cosworth Focus had 4-wheel drive and 300 hp.....If Ford is testing this and Dodge is bringing out the SRT-4 neon, then maybe GM (i.e. through the Pontiac Vibe) will move to bring out performance products that will dramatically increase performance but still be covered under warranty. Let's cross our fingers......

[d_m_kolb]

If so it wont happen until the 2004 model year. This year will stay the 2003 so maybe come Aug or Sept of next year but so far I haven't heard anything like that.

[Frosty]

From: http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/021108-2.htm Kiplinger's Personal Finance says Ford Focus ZX3 is best in class In Kiplinger's proprietary scoring system, 65 percent of all possible points are earned for performance and value criteria, which include: Power Fuel efficiency Front and rear legroom Headroom Cargo space Price Resale value Safety accounts for 20 percent of a vehicle's score, based on injury-claims data collected by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the availability of features such as side-impact airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction control - all of which are available on Focus. Frosty notes: Apparently quality control and # of recalls is not a factor in their rankings. I met a Ford Engineer at a SCCA Pro Rally who cautioned me about buying a Focus based on "many quality issues".

[Frosty]

http://www.kiplinger.com/spending/car/index.html is their website.The article at CanadianDriver says they compared to the Civic type machines. I considered a Focus Wagon before the Vibe came out. My wife hates the look of them and I worry about the quality. The package is fine though, it would have done the job. A ZX5 SVT would be cool but it is much smaller than the Vibe. And it is still a Ford Focus

[rodzombie]

It could be a good thing if Ford brings that car into production. If GM wants to compete then they have no choice but to give more attention to the models they have within that market,...... the Vibe . I keep waiting to see what they are going to do with the current J-Body platform. (Cavalier and Sunfire) They got a killer little engine now with enormous potential. All they need now is an updated platform to go with it.

[neptunevibeawd]

I saw that my original post was brought back up, the car in the original post has now been identified as the 2004 Ford SVT Focus. They are switching to a Mazda engine, output will be at 225HP, and the car is designed to compete with the Neon SRT. Not bad car, too bad was not the 300 hp AWD bruiser that they were wishing for..............

[old man winter]

The Ford Focus is a reliability disaster, I don’t care if you drop a 428 Cobra Jet in it. Ford is trying to play catch up by dropping a Japanese engine in a dated platform to compete with a Dodge. This is a market sector dominated by Japanese carmakers. None of the North American manufactures have come up with anything original to compete. The SRT is Neon with a tuned up motor, the Vibe is not a GM product.Time for Detroit to wake up and make innovative designs, not play catch up.

[rodzombie]

I agree with you on that one OMW. I will say though, that there new Echotech 2.2 engine in the current J-Bodys is an awsome start toward competing with Jap manufacturers. All they need to do now is put it a fresh new design. I wish my Vibe had a new 2.2 in it. Hmmmm! I wander if it would fit ???????