2005 Ford Focus

Focus enters 2006 with a series of changes to better suit individual customers needs, including a new Street Appearance Package, several new colors and content upgrades across the model range.

Ford Focus is available as a three-door ZX3 hatchback, five-door ZX5 hatchback, ZX4 sedan and ZXW wagon in S, SE, and SES trims. Sedan models are also available in the performance ST version.

Focus has made Car and Driver’s 10 Best list five years in a row, has been listed as a Consumer Guide Best Buy four years in a row and earned four-time All-Star status from Automobile magazine.

Design and Equipment

New for 2006 is an available Street Appearance Package on ZX4, and, later in the model year, ZX3 and ZX5 as well. The package is designed to give Focus a custom “tuner” look. It includes a unique body-color fascia with fog lamps and lower air deflector, body-color rear bumper trim with black diffuser insert, body-color spoiler and bright exhaust tip.

Exterior changes for 2006 include three new paint colors and sporty 15-inch alloy wheels as a standalone option for S and SE models.

All Focus models have a front-end treatment that echoes cues from Ford’s new flagship sedan, the Ford Five Hundred. A prominent grille with a chrome-ringed diamond pattern and clear-lens headlamps make for an expressive face. Fog lamps are standard on SES and ST models.

The Focus interior is clean and modern-looking, highly functional and built of high-quality materials. The instrument panel is symmetrical; the driver and front passenger areas are divided by two rectangular climate control registers, the hazard switch and a shallow center stack for the audio and climate control systems.

Storage areas include a storage drawer for six compact discs, located by the driver’s left knee, and an open storage space located just below the climate control dials.

A standard floor console houses the shifter, two cup holders, parking brake lever and optional features, including the traction control system. An overhead console with sunglasses holder and space for a garage door opener is optional. Front doors include molded-in beverage holders.

Powertrain and Chassis

Focus benefits from the Ford’s “Revolution Under the Hood”, a massive undertaking that began about five years ago to improve powertrain performance, refinement, fuel economy and emissions.

Three engine choices begin with the 136-horsepower, 2.0-liter Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam, inline four-cylinder. Powering the sporty Focus ZX4 ST is the 151-horsepower 2.3-liter Duratec 23 DOHC I-4. This engine is derived from the Duratec 20 family, with larger displacement and performance-tuned exhaust.

In California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine, a super-clean Duratec 20E qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. The 20E version of Focus is cleaner than some hybrid-electric vehicles.

The Duratec 20 and 20E are available with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. Focus ZX4 ST offers a 5-speed manual.

Safety and Security

Focus occupant-sensing technology will turn the front passenger seat air bag on or off after determining whether the seat is occupied by an adult or a child. Ford continues to recommend that children under 12 ride in the back seat secured by a safety belt or child safety seat. Anti-lock brakes are optional on S, SE and SES and standard on the ST.

Side-impact air bags are optional on all series.

Major Features and Options

S includes: Five-speed manual transmission, 15-inch wheels and all-season tires, rear-window wiper and washer on ZX3, ZX5 and ZXW, AM/FM stereo with CD/MP3 player and speed-sensitive volume control.

SE adds: Power windows, locks and keyless entry, power mirrors, variable-speed wipers, air conditioning, and front center arm rest.

SES adds: 16-inch, five-spoke (ZX3, ZX4, ZX5) or multi-spoke (ZXW) alloy wheels, fog lamps, body-color decklid or liftgate handles, body-color side moldings, enhanced suspension with rear stabilizer bar, automatic speed control, overhead console, tilt/telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel and tachometer.

ZX4 ST adds: 2.3-liter Duratec 23 engine, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, unique 16-inch aluminum machined alloy wheels, ST performance-tuned suspension, chrome-tipped exhaust, body-color door handles, ground effects front and rear fascia, satin alloy grille, power-heated exterior mirrors, gauges with silver appliqué, sport bucket seats and door trim with black- and-red fabric inserts or optional preferred suede, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob with contrasting stitching.

Options include side-impact air bags, automatic transmission, power moonroof, traction control, perimeter alarm, six-disc AM/FM stereo with CD changer and audio controls on the steering column and leather seating surfaces.