In the automotive world, lower/no emissions and greater fuel economy are the name of the game right now, therefore plug-ins and BEV’s are undoubtedly on the charge. However, what if a full EV isn’t your thing but yet you still want less environmental/wallet impact, decent performance and advanced technology? Well the answer may lie in the new ‘electrified’ MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) Ford Focus.
The original Ford Focus was launched a little before the turn of the century and positioned itself as the successor to the Escort or Laser. It was (and still is) a practical family compact hatch that hit the mark in terms of space and usability.
Anyway, having clocked over two decades and four generations, the latest generation Focus has now joined ‘Ford’s commitment to offering an electrified version of every passenger vehicle it brings to market’ with the launch of the MHEV Active and ST-Line here in NZ. (Oh and for those high-performance junkies out there, don’t panic, the 2.3L EcoBoost Focus ST completes the Focus trio).
My review car was the MHEV ST-Line and outwardly, it is the same as the ‘outgoing’ 1.5L model we reviewed a couple of years ago. It still sits on the C2 platform with its bigger wheelbase making it more spacious than previous generations and still comes with a very modern and sleek design. Also, despite the interior getting a bit of a shake up in terms of redaction (meaning it’s more minimalistic), it now has a bigger infotainment touch screen (13-inch) and a full 12.3-inch TFT/LCD colour instrument cluster and the transmission selector dial being replaced with a stick, it’s still spacious and refined inside. However, it’s what lies under the MHEV’s bonnet where things have significantly changed.
Now a 1L, 3 cylinder Ti-VTC Ecoboost engine doesn’t sound like much, especially when at times it will shut down to just two cylinders, but when combined with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, it produces 114kW of power (twice the power density of a 2L from a decade ago), 190Nm of torque, emits gases at 117g/km AND sips fuel at an advertised rate of just 4.8L/100km (+45% improvement on the aforementioned 2L) – although I would assume not all at the same time.
Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘advertised rates are never the same as real world driving’ and even with a brand as trustworthy as Ford, you’d be right – but it was bloody close. As a test, I reset the fuel economy screen just after collection in Wiri, travelled 24km North up the motorway and hit 5L/100km efficiency (actually it was 4.9L/100km but the picture had sunstrike).
What’s more, upon collection, this new frugal Focus boasted 757km range availability from its 52 litre tank – that’s a distance of Auckland to Wellington plus 100km to sightsee, all for $156 (if you can find 95 RON for $3/litre).
Unfortunately I didn’t drive to Wellington and back while the new MHEV Focus was in my possession but I did travel the length and breadth of greater Auckland with the family entow and my trips included all manner of roads, both the previously mentioned SH1 and some fun treks around Clevedon – the Focus does have Rally credentials after all. While there was evidently lots to see and do outside the cabin, it would appear that plenty was going on under the bonnet too.
For the more technically minded reading this, Ford has replaced the EcoBoost engine’s alternator with a belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG), which not only handles the quick (able to restart the engine in just 350 milliseconds) start/stop feature for the traffic lights, but it also enables recovery of the energy normally lost during braking and coasting to charge a 48-volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack that now sits beneath the front passenger seat.
This BISG also acts as a motor, integrating with the engine and using the stored energy to provide additional torque assistance during driving and acceleration. So not only does Sport mode adjust the characteristics of the throttle pedal, steering and electronic stability control, but it also exploits the additional electric boost from the BISG torque supplementation giving it more zip.
As if that wasn’t enough, the BISG has enabled Ford engineers to lower the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine’s compression ratio and add a larger (low-lag) turbocharger for more power – turning this ‘Mild’ Focus into something rather Spicy.
Simply put, it’s fine toodling around town but when pushed, something I did frequently, the MHEV Focus is an absolute delight to drive. The engine’s ‘off kilter’ note makes it sound bigger than it is, but the way it now picks up speed would make the older model hang its head in shame, it’s really quite thrilling. In all honesty I didn’t check on the 0-100km/h numbers but it’s fast and nimble enough not to care.
Should you wish to conserve energy (both yours and the Focus) you can head into Eco mode and feather the accelerator. The new Focus EcoBoost MHEV features fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology that automatically switches off one of the cylinders when not needed, such as when coasting, turning the 3 cylinder to two (basically motorbike size). This disengaging/re-engaging the cylinder happens so fast (14 milliseconds), you don’t notice it.
It may not have a fresh face but the 2022 Focus MHEV has a fresh new Focus, improvement. The power is better and more efficient, emissions are lower (down to 117g from 148g) and the technology has been taken to another level with a digital cluster, SYNC 4 controlling the apps and Ford pass connectivity. The adaptive cruise control has traffic jam stop & go capability, it has automated parking assistance and all seeing blind spot and cross traffic alerts, the list goes on and on. It’s everything the old Focus was, and then some.
