January 25, 2004 - For Ford, 2005, the year the company claimed it would get back to selling honest-to-gawd cars, started in the spring of 2004 with the launch of the 2005 Focus lineup. Because of new Ford Five Hundreds, Freestyles, and Mustangs popping up in Ford showrooms, it’s easy to overlook the refreshed Focus.

Since the Focus was launched in North America as a 2000 model, in-the-know car zealots have consistently turned to it for cheap thrills. Ride and handling that belied its price, modern design and a roomy cabin were all Focus attributes in a price class where such expectations were admittedly low. A certain model that had “SVT” on its flanks certainly pushed the right buttons with enthusiasts too.

Originally, the only caveat to Focus ownership was a recall list in its first two years that would have early Focus owners racking up more miles riding in their dealer’s courtesy shuttles than on the cars they had just purchased. Today, to Ford’s credit, the Focus ranks as a top pick with various consumer mags and folks who research such things. Folks like JD Power & Associates who rank the Focus well above the industry average in its Initial Quality Survey—equal to the illustrious Honda Civic.

These improvements in quality are small consolations for car zealots who are looking for a 2005 SVT Focus. Don’t bother. The SVT hot hatch is gone, supplanted with the less powerful ZX4 ST sedan. It’s the only 2005 Focus that receives the Mazda-derived 150 horsepower 2.3 litre dual overhead cam straight-four engine. And the ST package is only available on the four-door sedan, not exactly a sports compact enthusiast’s choice. It also doesn’t receive the carefully crafted suspension pieces that the 2002-2004 SVT Focus benefited so much from, and well … it’s just not an SVT!



To simplify the 2005 model lineup, every Ford Focus gets a "ZX" nameplate. The usual suspects (except the SVT!) are here: three-door hatchback ZX3 ($17,555); four-door sedan ZX4 ($16,795), five-door hatch ZX5 ($21,755) and the wagon ZXW ($19,565).

At $26,145 our test Focus ZXW (with its SES level of trim plus automatic transmission, moonroof, perimeter alarm, and 6-disc in-dash MP3 player as options), is approaching Volkswagen Jetta GLS money ($27,320, base with auto). Beyond the demise of the SVT (Get over it! – Ed.), you will find the most noticeable changes to the Focus are on the inside.

Gone are the cheap and ill-fitting plastic swooshes and ellipses from the original model. They have been replaced with a dash and instrument layout that is close to said Jetta in quality and execution. It’s not as dramatic as the previous Focus, but it is certainly better put together using higher quality plastics. Our car being an SES came with a two-tone interior scheme with the lower portions of the instrument panel and door trim panels finished in a lighter shade.

Ergonomically, there’s little to fault with the Focus. Because of the tall body, you sit fairly upright and the steering wheel/pedals/shifter relationship is good. The one down side is that I could not find a sweet spot with the front seats. Your body shape however may. Also challenging the Jetta was our ZXW SES’s luxury accoutrements.

Heated leather seats, one-touch power windows, and a thick, leather-clad steering wheel with proper thumb indents, and redundant audio and cruise controls, are all unique in this price class. A similarly equipped Jetta would be thousands more.



Ford would love it if you saw the Focus’s new face as a smaller rendition of the more prestigious Ford Five Hundred. Ford calls the Focus’s new exterior more "upscale and aspirational." You might notice the larger headlamps with reshaped clear lenses, a larger grille with a new crosshatch pattern ringed in chrome, and a new fascia that incorporates a wide lower air intake and new round fog lamps. Then again, you might not.

Two-tone interiors are nice, but the reason we loved the previous Focus—even the non-SVT models—was the way they rode and drove. In that regard, Ford hasn’t messed with success. The rack-and-pinion steering and a four-wheel independent suspension that uses MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link "Control Blade" design are still here. Our ZXW SES came with 16-inch alloy wheels and all wagons are fitted with 21 millimetre front and a 20 millimetre rear stabilizer bars. The rear stabilizer bar also allows lower rear spring rates to be used, for better ride quality.

Understeer is ultimately what you get when driving the Focus ZXW like you stole it. However, the steering has tons of feel, and there’s enough feedback from the chassis to communicate the attitude of the car’s behaviour. It’s not a MINI Cooper, but the rear of the car can be coaxed into thinking its part of the fun. Compared to the more wooden and woolly Jetta, ride and handling is where the Focus shines.

Especially over our rutted and bombed out roads. The Focus’s ability to ride with the road, as opposed to attempting to pound it into submission, is what makes it unique in this class. As before, the Focus approaches the level of ride and handling that BMW’s are pined for. A Jetta wagon may have better interior build quality and status, but going down the road, the Focus wins.

Because our wagon was not an ST packaged sedan, like every other 2005 Focus, it came with the new 136 horsepower, 2.0 litre DOHC, straight-four that supercedes the old 110 horsepower, 2.0 litre single overhead cam and the optional 130 horsepower engines. This engine betters the Jetta GLS’s 115 horsepower 2.0 litre four by 21, but its raucous manner fills the cabin easily with unwanted noise. When equipped with slushboxes, both the Focus and Jetta acceleration abilities are non-threatening to anyone with neck problems.



The 2005 Ford Focus wagon presents a compelling value equation.

If hauling is a priority, consider that the Focus still has more cargo room than such pricey compact wagons as Audi’s A4 Avant 1.8T Front Track ($36,435), BMW’s 325i Touring ($41,400), or even Volvo’s V50 2.4i ($31,495).

Nonetheless, if you are comparing within its own price class, and fun-to-drive is a priority, the 2005 Focus wagon is difficult to ignore.

If you forsake the options that our ZXW SES model came with (such as the automatic), the Focus is still well equipped, and thousands less than a less powerful, lesser equipped Jetta wagon. And regardless of its somewhat thrashy mill, and questionable seat comfort, the 2005 Ford Focus ZXW SES easily beats out the similarly priced Toyota Matrix XR ($21,185)/Pontiac Vibe ($19,850) twins or Chevrolet Optra LS wagon ($18,650) as the compact wagon for those who love to drive.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, straight-six.com

2005 Ford Focus ZXW SES