Focus pumps up the fun, volume

Spiffy Ford SVT has pep and style to spare

BY LAWRENCE ULRICH
DETROIT FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

After falling out of favor in the last decade, hot hatches are back.

Fun, practical and affordable, the hot hatchback class spawned by the Volkswagen GTI in 1983 was felled by changing times and tastes.

But with young whippersnappers dropping huge dollars in the aftermarket to personalize and pump up mostly Japanese compacts, automakers want a piece of the action. They're popping out new hatchlings, including a healthier GTI and the Honda Civic Si, both of which we recently tested.

But the Ford SVT Focus is the performance king of this newly competitive court -- at least until England's eagerly awaited Mini Cooper S arrives.

SVT, as any self-respecting Mustang fan will tell you, stands for Special Vehicle Team. Under the tutelage of chief engineer John Coletti, SVT is Ford's in-house performance group, known for breathing life and fire into limited-production Mustangs and F-150 pickups.

This lean organization of car crazies has steadily developed its talent for transforming basic Ford chassis, engines and suspensions into something special. Now, with SVT getting its first opportunity to start from a truly modern, sophisticated chassis -- that of the Focus -- the results are no less than stunning.

With its 2.0-liter Zetec engine bumped to 170 horsepower, 40 more than the base ZX3 hatchback, the SVT Focus is faster and stronger than the everyday Focus.

But more than straightaway speed, the true test of a hot hatch is the size of your smile when you're winging around curves, waltzing the shifter and whomping the brakes.

So how does the SVT do? Put it this way:

I'm still grinning as I write this.

Darting from corner to corner along country two-laners west of Ann Arbor, the Focus impresses with the slick integration of its many parts into a performance whole. This is no backyard tuner car that fakes true performance with merely heavy-handed power, oversize tires and flashy bodywork.

Instead, the SVT engineers have crafted their most complete, sophisticated package yet. This is a genuine performance car, not a half-baked project. And with a base price of $17,995, including destination and delivery, the value is evident.

A strong base
Again, it all starts with the solid chassis. From that blank slate, the SVT artists sketched in front springs that are 10 percent stiffer than stock, with rear springs 20 percent stiffer. Shock absorbers are retuned, and the front anti-roll bar is 1 mm thicker. Rack-and-pinion steering boost has been retuned to send more feel to your fingertips.

Continental ContiSport Contact tires, in 17-inch, 215/45R size, provide a fat footprint and the optimal tread shape to explore the car's handling limits. In tandem with the near-magical suspension tuning, the tires give the Focus more unbreakable grip than even I imagined. This little sweetie is more fun to toss than a Rawlings, with the dexterous steering and confident chassis feel of a more expensive car. Considering the firm suspension, the ride is amazingly supple.

One caution: These Continental ContiSports are hard-core performance tires, not the all-season variety. That means they're 100-percent allergic to ice and snow, unless you're into yanking the handbrake, rally-style, to pivot around turns. Two choices here, no fudging: Invest in snow tires or all-season rubber for winter driving, or keep it in the garage.

To add 40 horsepower without boosting displacement or falling back on supercharging, SVT bumped engine compression from 9.6:1 to 10.1:1 via cast-aluminum pistons and forged-steel connecting rods. Larger intake valves boost fuel flow. The SVT also gets variable timing on the intake cam, stiffer intake and exhaust valve springs, a dual-stage intake manifold and tuned tubular intake headers with a single, freer-flowing catalyst.

With higher compression and improved breathing on both intake and exhaust sides, power grows to the aforementioned 170 horsepower, with torque reaching 145 foot-pounds. Redline is a robust 7,200 r.p.m., up from 6,750 in standard Focus models. The enlarged exhaust also sings a nice throaty tune but not so loud to be obnoxious inside.

A few engine kinks
Now, Ford's Zetec engine has never been a world beater, and the upgraded version is perhaps the mildest of disappointments. On paper, the engine seemed to promise better than a 0-60 m.p.h. run in the high 7-second range. In contrast, the VW GTI, with just 10 more horsepower (but a big torque advantage via turbocharging) can smash the 7-second barrier to 60 m.p.h.

Despite the extensive changes, the Zetec motor still resists revving quickly. Still, the extra ponies are there if you're willing to whip them, taking full advantage of the 7,200-r.p.m. redline to wring the engine out. Fat and spoiled by horsepower, it's easy for us auto scribes to forget that running in the sevens is darned respectable for any budget hatchback.

I'd much rather drive a fun, balanced hatchback with just-right power than a bulked-up beast like the Nissan Sentra Spec V, with a crude ride and so much mind-of-its-own torque steer, you'd swear Linda Blair was below the hood.

The Focus' class-winning extends to its shifter, brakes and clutch. Notably, the 6-speed manual transaxle comes from the respected German manufacturer Getrag. The shifter feels good, with short throws and firm engagement. The rear transaxle also features twin output shafts to save space, and the design allows higher final-drive ratios in third gear, fourth gear and reverse. The SVT Focus is also the first North American Ford with a dual-mass flywheel for improved shift feel, reduced power train vibration and less transmission wear.

Front brakes feature rotors big enough to platter the holiday turkey, 11.8 inches in diameter. ABS discs at all four wheels haul the Focus to a standstill in distances that rival Porsches and Corvettes.

Lookin' good
Outside, the SVT Focus incorporates front and rear fascias, round fog lamps, black honeycombed material on the grillwork and rear valance, rocker panel moldings and a tidy roof spoiler.

While the changes look racy, they're also blessedly subdued. Outside the chunky 5-spoke wheels that recall the Mustang Cobra R, there's little a casual observer -- or un-casual police officer -- will instantly notice about the SVT version. Ford engineers say that's just how they wanted it, and I agree. Keeping the SVT stealthy is just the ticket to surprise folks who assume the cute little Ford on their tail is no threat.

The interior gets black leather seats with added bolstering and either red or blue contrasting inserts. There's a leather-wrapped steering wheel, parking brake and shift knob, metallic covers on the driver pedals, and other sundry trim. Oil temperature and pressure gauges speak to the performance orientation, as does the electroluminescent gauge cluster with dark numerals over titanium-colored faces.

Now, the Focus' interior isn't as lovingly rendered or as loaded as the VW GTI's, but it's still quite attractive. I wasn't thrilled by the display's color at night, sort of a mildew-green.

One more grumble: Especially when it was cold, our test car had a few squeaks from the passenger seat and a rattle in the roof area. With a stiffer suspension and lower-profile tires, the SVT version is surely more prone to loosening up as it ages. Ford needs to ensure the Focus' body construction is up to snuff.

Options? Only three.

First, an ear-tickling 290-watt, six-CD in-dash audio system. It's worth every penny of the $675 tariff, despite its subwoofer that eats a bit of cargo space. Second, a sunroof. Finally, a winter package that adds traction control, heated seats and an engine-block heater. The AdvanceTrac stability control system, available on other Focus models, isn't offered on the go-fast SVT model that could most benefit from an electronic guardian angel.

Add and carry the numbers, and our SVT Focus tallied $19,660. That's significantly less than the VW GTI we recently tested. Again, the Focus can't match the VW's interior craftsmanship and amenities. Nor is it as fast as the turbo-crazed VW.

But the Focus' sure-footed handling runs rings around the VW, and its 6-speed is much slicker than the VW's rubbery unit. It's cooler and bolder-looking than the VW or Civic Si and more fun to drive than either.

That makes the Ford a much friskier date for a weekend fling around your favorite curves. And its value could close the deal for people whose budget tops out around $20,000.

About the only thing that diminishes the grin is that there will be only 7,500 SVT Focuses to go around. As with the Mini Cooper, it's not falling for marketing hype to suggest that if you want an SVT Focus right away, take this advice:

Get in line.

Contact LAWRENCE ULRICH at 313-222-5394 or ulrich@freepress.com

March 15, 2002
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