2012 Ford Focus lights fire under competition

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Updated: December 27, 2011 12:29PM

If you are like me, the small car segment always has meant “small car price.” However, what is implied and what is delivered can be two different things; the new Ford Focus manages to deliver the goods.

While the new Focus comes to market as a distinctly different-looking vehicle, in my opinion it manages to raise the bar on exterior styling enough to put it at the forefront of the small car segment.

This new exterior style is a modern mix of strategic creases and flowing lines that generate an overall feeling of an upscale sedan with a slight sporty attitude.

My tester featured the $1,490 Titanium premium package upgrade, which offered a rear parking aid sensor, rain-sensitive wipers and a six-way power driver seat. Add the $595 18-inch alloy rims and $395 red candy metallic paint, and you have yourself one sharp-looking vehicle.

In my experience reviewing cars for more than 15 years, the small car segment never has been one that garnered positive comments regarding a vehicle’s exterior looks. The Ford Focus surprised me with just how many people were genuinely interested enough to ask me what it was.

Offered as a five-door hatchback or four-door sedan, the 2012 Focus has been immensely improved in every facet over the previous model.

Slide into the cabin of the Focus and you will be enveloped by a stylish and functional interior.

The SYNC with MyFord Touch – which replaces many of the traditional buttons, knobs, and gauges with colorful LCD screens and five-way buttons – is the star of the show inside the Focus. The system may be personalized to display relevant information using a button, voice command or touch-screen taps.

The Focus hatchbacks can be had in SE, SEL or Titanium. The Focus sedans are offered in four trim levels: S, SE, SEL and Titanium. Pricing starts at $16,270 for the sedan and $18,065 for the hatchback. The premium Titanium trim level is new and should appeal to those thinking about stepping down from a larger vehicle without giving up luxurious amenities.

Inside the Focus cabin you will find a quiet space with plenty of head and legroom, though rear seat legroom can become scarce when front seats are placed in the most rearward position. Cabin materials are high quality. My tester had the winter package ($470) with heated seats and heated mirrors, essential for Chicago winters. These are features often not offered on this level car.

Powering all Focus models is a technologically advanced 2.0-liter direct-injection DOHC four-cylinder engine with twin independent variable camshafts. The technology employed by this 160-horsepower engine is designed to enhance performance and improve fuel efficiency.

A five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission is available. The higher-end SEL and Titanium models come only with the automatic. My Focus tester managed an impressive 27/37 mpg city/highway.

The new engine and transmission combo makes the 2012 Focus a sporty and fun car to drive. Some of the innovative technologies featured in the Focus include active grille shutters that block airflow through the cooling system when not required to improve aerodynamics, and fuel efficiency, and torque vectoring control that enhances handling when cornering.

Adding to the allure of the Focus are unique features such as active park assist, HD radio, rearview camera, push-button starting and SYNC with traffic, directions and information.

For me the small car segment used to mean a small price, but this Focus managed to land at $26,640 — not my idea of a small car price. However, the Focus redefines the segment expectations and, while it may now include a new high-water mark in price, Focus delivers in every area you might expect, and then some.