The facelifted third-generation Ford Focus was officially introduced in Malaysia yesterday, and having covered the car’s specifications and trim in detail in our comprehensive launch report, it’s time to look at the performance aspects of the refreshed C346 Focus from a local perspective.
To recap, three variant forms are on sale in Malaysia, the MCA (mid-cycle-action) Focus range now made up of two five-door hatchbacks (the entry-level Trend, essentially a mid-line unit, and the Sport+) and a sedan (the Titanium+). The Trend rolls in at RM118,888, while the Sport+ and the Titanium+ sedan go for RM139,888,
As is the case with the rest of the APA region, the new Mk3 gets a new drivetrain and powertrain combo, in this case a turbocharged 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine and a six-speed torque converter automatic, which replaces the 2.0 litre normally-aspirated Duratec mill and six-speed DPS6 PowerShift dry dual-clutch transmission that equipped the pre-facelift.
Following the launch, there was a drive session with the Focus, which Gerard will offer his musings on. He’s no stranger to the facelift, having also driven it previously (we were both at the Asia-Pac regional drive for the car that took place in Adelaide last year, though he was then working with another publication).
Separate from that was a run with both the Series 15 Sport+ and Series 40 Titanium+ to grab the photo sets for both as seen in the launch report. While not extensive, the back-to-back sampling of the duo offered many points of note – some of these were not observable on the Australian drive (mainly related to performance), but the more pertinent element was the insight gleaned on the different characters of both body-styles.
We’ll explore the Sport+ hatch first. Much to like with regards to overall balance and poise, as a series of mechanical changes in areas
