Pros :
- Smooth power delivery.
- Roomy interior.
- Large amount of trunk space.
- Subtle performance cues.
- Great handling.
Cons :
- Quick, but Neon SRT-4 is quicker.
- Looks a little like a minivan.
- A little more body roll than a sports car should have.
- Subtle performance cues.
- Questionable reliability, given the large number of Focus recalls.
Interior :
Press Coverage :
Ford now offers its uniquely-styled Focus ZX5 five-door hatchback in SVT trim, one year after the successful launch of the three-door SVT Focus. This five-door Ford Focus shares the SVT-specific front bumper, rear high-mount spoiler, interior trim, wheels, brakes, suspension tuning and the highly tuned ZETEC 2.0L engine. The five-door and three-door are built on the exact same chassis, so dimensions are the same for both cars. The addition of two more doors only adds 60 lbs, but an extra ton of practicality. A six-speed Getrag manual transmission is standard, with no automatic available. Options include traction control, MP3 player, heated seats, heated mirrors, alarm system and an expensive AdvanceTrac system that can detect if the car is about to skid and selectively apply brakes to each wheel individually, in order to make the car more stable.
ModernRacer.com
Like many things that pass for art, the Ford Focus is subtle. The superhero costume is for sophisticates: fog lights, a black-mesh screen in a chunkier bumper fascia, a winglet on the hatch, and metal-flake-painted alloy wheels.
Equally polished is the suspension tune. A cushion of compliance absorbs frost joints, pavement cuts, and Botts dots. A beefy structure keeps the pedals, seats, and steering column from jiggling in sympathy, and tire noise is all but absent. Yet when pressed into apex-dusting duty, the chassis doesn’t shirk. Friction-free front struts and tautly bushed rear links stem the understeer and plant the rear end. When the sideways drifting starts, the motion is deliberate and controllable. The thick steering wheel is a tight, telegraphic link with the front wheels. Pick the pebble you want to fling from the white line, and the Focus will point you there. The piper gets paid for the supple ride with some extra body roll and light bobbing across teeter-totter surfaces. A fast-changing camber on a snaking road does more to unsettle the driver than the suspension, but perception is the difference between high-speed fun and a high-speed frown.
The 2.0-liter whirls to its 7100-rpm redline quickly and with remarkably little vibration. It has to; there’s precious little power anywhere else on the rev band. The Ford Focus SVT spent many two-lane miles stuck in third gear, where poking the throttle out of a corner is best translated into forward thrust. South of 6000 rpm the engine does little more than issue a satisfied purr when prodded. During gearchanges, the engine hovers at high revs, falling too slowly for fast shifts to be smooth. Are emissions-control elves at work?
The Focus was able to accept three people, their luggage, and two big boxes of test gear. The split back seat is among the best in the group, and it folds down—once headrests are plucked—to form a small sea container. No other car here better utilizes the space between its bumpers.
The polished aluminum pedals look authentic but proved too slippery under wet shoes. More than a few corners got overcooked in a frantic chorus of squeaking soles. Gearchanging with the six-speed was more padded, less mechanically satisfying than the Mazda’s five-speed stub. The engine sometimes produced a harmonic buzz in the shifter.
Caranddriver.com
With its asymmetrical design, the interior looks both informal and rich at the same time. Control knobs all have distinctive shapes for easy identification. Rotary controls are rubberized for pleasing soft-touch operation. The steering wheel is leather-covered and satisfying to touch. Even the plastics used on the dash and door panels have a finger-friendly soft-touch feel. Our only quibble is that the inside door releases don't feel as substantial as they should.
The SVT Focus offers thrilling acceleration in the mid-speed ranges. It'll rocket out of an on-ramp. The SVT engine develops 170 hp and 145 lbs.-ft. of torque. It's an extensively modified version of the Zetec. SVT used high-compression pistons (10.2:1 vs. Zetec's 9.6:1). Breathing is improved through a high-flow aluminum cylinder head with bigger intake ports, stiffer valves, and variable cams. A dual-stage intake manifold improves low-speed torque. SVT's 4-into-2-into-1 headers and a big exhaust pipe reduce backpressure.
The SVT Focus is easy to shift and goes quickly through the gears. The standard six-speed manual transaxle was developed by the German manufacturer Getrag. It uses clever design to deliver the performance advantages of a close-ratio six-speed in a remarkably compact and lightweight package.
Handling is tauter, yet the SVT Focus rides very nicely on bumpy roads around town. Around corners it feels well controlled yet compliant, allowing it to handle bumpy corners better, a result of stiffer springs, solid stabilizer bars (larger in front), and retuned shock absorbers with softened impact harshness and improved roll damping.
The SVT's impressive braking capabilities are the result of larger vented front brakes and solid rear discs. The wheels are fitted with Continental 215/45R17 ContiSportContact tires that provide a high level of grip and directional stability, making the braking system remarkably effective. This combination really adds to the overall performance of the Ford Focus SVT.
Nctd.com
History:
1998-2000 Ford Contour SVT
2,544 cc / 200 hp / 169 lb-ft / 3129 lbs / 0-60 mph 7.4 sec.
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