Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Euro, Paris Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Ford

Ford’s new Focus RS has made its second European debut and we’ve managed to snag some live shots of the new car on the stand. Covered in Ultra Green paint as it is, we could hardly miss it. The new hue is meant to be “a modern interpretation of the 1970’s Ford Le Mans Green.” In that case, perhaps it should be called Grabber Green? Powered by a turbocharged Duratec 2.5L five-cylinder producing about 300 horsepower and 325 ft-lbs of torque, the new Focus RS is the fastest European Ford ever produced and can hit 60 mph in under six seconds. Front-wheel drive was chosen in lieu of all-wheel as the Blue Oval’s ‘RevoKnuckle’ front suspension system along with the Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential is said to remove all traces of torque steer. Expect to see the new Focus RS in European dealerships sometime in 2009.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford, ROUSH, UK

Click above for high-res gallery of the Mountune Ford Focus ST

After driving the hot Focus ST at Ford’s Lommel Proving Grounds, we returned with a big smile on our faces… and an eager anticipation for the upcoming Focus RS. British customers are also anxiously awaiting the even hotter hatch, and Ford’s Team RS knows it. That’s why they’ve teamed up with ROUSH’s British subsidiary Mountune again to offer a dealer-installed package to pump up the existing ST, JUST like the one they rolled out earlier this year for the smaller Fiesta ST, and also while the orders roll in for the full-fat Focus RS.

The package includes a bigger intercooler, high-flow air filter and recalibrated ECU, all good for an additional 34 hp to boost output from 225 PS (222 hp) to 260 PS (256 hp). The extra power promises to drop the 0-60 sprint down to a scant 5.9 seconds and on to 100 in just 14.1 seconds. The best part for British enthusiasts is that the £1,120 package can be installed to any new or used Focus ST at a range of dealerships across the Isles. Ford and Mountune promise an accompanying suspension package in the near future and further mods for additional Ford models before the year’s through. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ain’t No Mountune High Enough: dealer-installed performance kit for Ford Focus ST

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Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford, First Drive

Save the hot hatch for last. That’s what we kept telling ourselves as we wandered the Belgian countryside looking for Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground. As it turns out, the facility, located next to an air force base - restricted airspace, you know - is so secret, our hosts at Ford could hardly find it. So we had a little extra time to repeat the mantra: save the hot hatch for last.

On our way to Italy to drive the new Fiesta, we took a detour to Lommel to sample some of Ford’s European C-segment offerings. A variety of vehicles, including one with the new dual-clutch gearbox, a Kuga crossover and the fire-breathing Focus ST, would be on hand for us to drive around the track. But we knew that if we gave into temptation and drove the ST first, the rest would seem sluggish by comparison, even though the vehicles aren’t comparable. So did we resist the urge, or give into the little demon that’s always whispering in our ears to go faster? Follow the jump and we just might tell you.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec)

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Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford, UK

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the 2009 Ford Focus RS

The fastest piece of machinery ever devised by Ford of Europe, the highly anticipated Focus RS, just had its first public showing in London and is about to be officially unveiled in Paris next month. But with delivery expected to begin sometime next year, Ford dealers in the United Kingdom alone have already taken over 1,000 orders for the new hot hatch. Color options haven’t even been officially announced yet - with only Electric Green, Electric Blue and Frozen White confirmed so far - but most customers have already specified their color choices.

We’ll be on hand next month to bring you live shots of the new Focus Rallye Sport, so stay tuned. In the meantime, we’ve got a review of the Focus ST coming your way, plus a hi-res gallery of the Focus RS below and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Now That’s Fast: UK Ford dealers take 1000 orders for Focus RS

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Japan is a developed country with a powerful economy and is the world’s second largest gasoline consumer after the United States. Till date country is entirely dependent on the crude oil imports. The main reason behind this is high prices for local…

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Filed under: Ford

Late last night, Ford released a slew of pictures of the new 2008 Ford Focus. With our new gallery feature, I can’t resist putting them up for you all. Like I mentioned when I first posted on the Focus, some people don’t like the look of the Focus, but it’s growing on me. I think it looks kind of like a Lego car, and Legos are great. Not terribly aerodynamic or known for making great cars, but this design somehow fits the Focus, and it’ll be interesting to see how the public accepts it when it’s finally available this fall.

Click on the image above to see enter our high-resolution (1,280 pixel wide) image gallery of the Focus. The 36 images are downloadable for your personal use.

Related:

• Detroit Auto Show: Redesigned 2008 Ford Focus shows how Ford will attack small car market

[Source: Ford]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Economy, Safety, Ford

Reminding us once again that there’s more than meets the eye when shopping for a vehicle are recent impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that measure how much it costs to fix a vehicle after after a low-speed accident. Sure, we’re all interested in safety and styling, but we should also be concerned with how much these low-speed impacts will cost to repair. The winner of the testing was the Ford Focus, which scored light damage all the way around. The IIHS heaped praise on Ford for designing a bumper that can truly take a bump — a novel idea.

Amazingly, some small cars like the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius and VW Rabbit cost up to a third of the car’s worth to fix from damage resulting from a minor impact. That’s a big problem for any car, but especially so for those sold on the merits of economy. To prove that it’s not too difficult for auto manufacturers to design a better bumper, the IIHS made a few simple changes to a Prius that didn’t affect the looks of the car. After retesting, it made it through the impact tests with a fraction of the damage. For the complete rundown on the testing procedures and results, click past the break.

[Source: IIHS]

Continue reading IIHS praises Ford Focus for cheap crash repairs

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