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Ford Focus News & Reviews

   2009 Ford Focus SES Sedan Road Test Review

The Ford Focus was launched to tremendous accolades in 1999 as a 2000 model.  It was an obvious improvement over the Escort/Tracer

Stylish, fully-featured, reliable, safe and affordable, the Focus has a lot to offer the compact buyer. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

that it replaced, and it won North American Car of the Year in 2000.

Jump ahead 9 years, and the Focus is now 2 years into it's 2nd generation.  Although the popular hatchback and wagon models are gone, the Focus remains a quality small car that is built right here in North America.  Our tester was a 4-door SES model in a handsome Sangria Red colour.

The Focus lineup is somewhat convoluted, with the 2-door available in SE and SES trim level and the 4-door in a broader range of variations including S, SE, SES and SEL.  And the standard and optional features on the 2-door SE, for example, are not necessarily the same on the 4-door SE.

All versions do come standard with Ford's new-look horizontal chrome grille, however, replicated on most new Ford vehicles.  Standard on our 4-door SES are anti-lock brakes, <Read More>

   2011 Ford Taurus SHO Road Test Review

Back in 1989, Ford partnered with Yamaha (yes, the piano, electronics and motorcycle company) to develop a high-performance

The Taurus SHO is a modern American legend, although the new one is good enough to go up against premium cars in quality as much as performance. (Photo: Ford)

3.0-litre V6 engine to install in its mild-mannered Taurus sedan. The resulting car, named Taurus SHO (Super High Output) became an instant hit with enthusiasts and has become legendary as one of America's iconic performance cars.
 
For 2010, the SHO returned as one of the iterations of the revitalized Taurus lineup.  After a brief flirtation with V8 power in the late 1990s, the SHO once again returned to V6 power, this time utilizing Ford's new high-powered EcoBoost system to provide entertaining, yet economical performance. For 2011, the SHO continues forward virtually unchanged except for exterior colour options.

The 3.5-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 is hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission feeding all four wheels. Direct gasoline injection ensures more complete combustion and <Read More>

   2011 Ford Fiesta Hatchback SES Road Test Review

It might have taken three decades, but Ford is finally utilizing its global resources to give Canadians cars that better suit our needs.

Ford has made the subcompact segment cool with the introduction of the new 2011 Fiesta Hatchback. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

We can thank a downward economy and rising fuel prices for pushing the reluctant U.S. market toward smaller cars and therefore allowing a multiple-market business case for bringing these new more efficient models north of the 49th, as well as Ford CEO Alan Mulally for seeing the obvious benefits of building one extremely good car per segment for all markets. Either way, Ford has an all-new entry in the subcompact class that clearly bests the majority of rivals.

My three-decade comment refers to the original European-designed and built Fiesta that sold here from 1978 through 1980, a short lifespan in North America but a memorable car just the same. Some considered it a virtual copycat of the market-leading Volkswagen Rabbit hatchback that came before, and rightly so as it looked much the same and performed similarly, but it would be a mistake to compare the new Fiesta the same way.

It's the same as its <Read More>

   Ford MyKey lets parents block Sirius radio stations with explicit content

Ford's innovative MyKey technology is already luring in concerned parents for its ability to limit maximum speed plus keep the

You can restrict whatever Sirius radio stations you want with the latest version of MyKey. (Photo: Ford)

stereo's volume within reasonable decibel levels, and the Dearborn-based automaker is hoping that the updated system's newfound ability to censor satellite radio stations featuring questionable content will be another reason for new car buyers to consider purchasing a Ford.

"Ford wants to give parents peace of mind that their kids are following practical household rules in the car," says Graydon Reitz, director, Ford Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering. "Parents obviously like this type of feature, and many teens are okay with it when they hear parents may give them the keys more often if the car comes with a technology such as Ford's MyKey."

Don't <Read More>

   Ford intros SYNC Destinations mobile app for Apple and Android Users

With Ford's proprietary MyFord Touch infotainment system spreading across its lineup, it was only a matter of time before a remote

Ford's new SYNC Destinations mobile app adds convenience for Apple and Android smartphone users. (Photo: Ford)

app added greater accessibility from outside the car.

Available as a free download for Apple (iPhone, iPad) and Android users (a Blackberry app is on the way), SYNC Destinations lets customers that already have a SYNC TDI (Traffic, Directions and Information) system search and save info via their cloud-based SYNC Services account on Syncmyride.com before getting into their cars, and better yet, thanks to Ford's information supplier INRIX that monitors "real-time traffic information and reliable traffic forecasts," its "Predictive Traffic" capability will assess the best times to travel based on route-specific traffic information in order to streamline the drive.

"SYNC Destinations leverages the power of your smartphone to manage a user's SYNC Services account and to plan ahead, sending destination locations to your car, and knowing what's happening on the road ahead of you before you even get behind the wheel," said Dave Gersabeck, SYNC TDI product manager.

Making commutes easier, SYNC TDI users can access up to 25 Saved Points (addresses) to figure out optimal travel times before getting into their cars, while turn-by-turn instructions will guide the driver to the chosen destination.

"With <Read More>

   2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan SEL Road Test Review

Want a good, inexpensive car? Step right this way. Ford's new 2011 Fiesta is easily among the best subcompact models on the

Ford's little Fiesta raises the bar significantly in the subcompact class. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

market and at $12,999 in four-door trim it's priced close to the lowest too.

The Fiesta is a small, stylish, sporty little runabout that offers higher than average build quality and available top-tier features, not to mention superb fuel economy. While this review focuses on the sedan, it should be noted that Ford sells a four-door hatchback model too, although at its lowest level it comes more fully equipped than the base sedan and therefore is priced closer to $17k. My four-door sedan tester was almost fully equipped, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Instead, let's take a look at all you get for $12,999 plus $1,350 for freight. The base S sedan comes standard with powered mirrors in body-colour housings, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, a split-folding rear seat, floor mats, AM/FM stereo with an audio input jack, variable intermittent wipers, and a knee airbag to go along with its dual front, side-impact and side-curtain airbags. ABS-enhanced brakes are standard too, <Read More>

Shortly after the original Ford Explorer debuted in 1990 it became the darling of the industry, maintaining SUV sales leadership during most of its tenure.

Just one look and it's easy to see why Ford's new Explorer is causing such a stir. (Photo: Ford)

Now, 20 years later Explorer sales have waned dramatically due to changing buying habits, and that change sees body-on-frame truck-based SUV buyers opting for unibody SUV-style crossovers instead.

The 2011 Explorer is Ford's answer to a question nobody was really asking. Already having the midsize Ford Edge in the lineup, as well as having taken a stab at the larger segment with the Freestyle that later became the Taurus X and finally the unorthodox Flex, most people expected the Explorer to merely fade away in the same unceremonious manner as GM's Trailblazer and Envoy. Not so, however, now that Alan Mulally is at the helm. The Explorer designation, a household name, was just too valuable to give up.

The new <Read More>

   Chevy Camaro to outsell Ford Mustang!

   New iPhone app slows down music as your car speeds up

   2011 Ford Mustang GT Road Test Review

The Mustang GT takes to mountain roads with total confidence, even in the wet. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Let's be honest. The 2011 Mustang GT has as much to do with last year's Camaro SS as it does with Dearborn's product planners and engineering team. Or maybe it's just a coincidence that Chevy hit the market with its 400-plus horsepower arch-nemesis (after what seemed like eons of lead time) a mere year before Ford arrived with its 400-plus horsepower rival.

Pony car fans can only smile now that newfound competition is upping the performance of their favourite rides to levels never before imagined. Just how this muscle car renaissance has escaped a downward economy combined with an upward safety and environmental trend is difficult to surmise, but likely it has more to do with effective branding than it does anything else – although we'd like to think that there's people at the top levels of these companies that are actual gearheads.

Being that you're <Read More>