| Ford's factory
entry into the sport-compact arena looks decidedly low-key. There's uncommon subtlety woven into the honeycomb grilles in the front and rear fascias, discreet roof spoiler, smoked-glass headlamp covers, standard foglamps, five-spoke 17-inch aluminum wheels, and three-inch chrome exhaust outlet.
Inside, the muted subtlety continues in the form of rubber-studded, aluminum-look foot pedals arrayed to ease heel-and-toe downshifting, leather and aluminum- trimmed shifter and handbrake
lever, leather and cloth front seats with added foam/wire lateral support, plus titanium-faced electroluminescent gauges. The SVT Focus is built to a higher standard overall than the other two cars in this test. It's evident in the quality of the materials and switchgear, particularly compared to the SRT-4.
The SVT Focus is rich with features. It's the only car in this group with standard cruise control, power driver-seat height adjuster, front-seat lumbar adjustment,
oil-temperature/oil-pressure gauges, tilt/telescope steering column, steering-wheel audio controls, rear-seat ventilation ducts, leather-wrapped handbrake lever, or side airbags. And it's the only one of the three to offer optional HID headlamps, traction control, heated seats, or a power sunroof. |