Test Drive: Ford Focus SES will leave a smile on your face
— -- OK, so you're Ford Motor, with this new model selling just about as planned — no mean feat in today's economy — and you decide: Hey, let's spend money jazzing it up just a year after launch.
That's their story about the 2009 Focus coupe, and Ford gives every indication of sticking to it.
It's either amazing corporate agility in responding to consumers, or an admission Ford didn't get it right the first time. "Customers were asking for sportier," says Sam De La Garza, Focus marketing manager.
And you can see why. The 2008 Focus coupe was really just a two-door sedan. Nice enough car. Not a sporty persona at all.
So the '09 two-door got a new schnoz and rump Ford hopes gives it a "Euro" look. The real deal, though, is the SES version, rather than the base SE.
In addition to the nose-and-keister tweaks, the SES also got a roof-mounted spoiler which, one time in a million, actually improves the looks instead of detracting. It also got bigger wheels and tires and a slightly stiffer suspension.
Manual-transmission models have a revised exhaust system that delivers an attractive, husky whisper and three more horsepower (143 hp vs. 140). The automatic version gets no additional ponies, but has a final-drive gear ratio that's acceleration-oriented. It's supposed to make it quicker off the mark — at no sacrifice in fuel economy, Ford says — so it might feel more powerful.
Only the SES manual was tested. And tested. And tested. Ford's motor pool guys had to ask around to find the car and the keys to get it back. And if we'd have recognized their number on Caller ID a tick sooner, they'd still be looking for it.
Weeks later, the just-so feel of the manual shift gear knob still makes the palm itch. The tight, snappy feel of the gearshift moving among the gears remains a pleasant muscle memory. The soft, green illumination inside the car and well-executed controls leave a pleasant reminder that lower price needn't mean low-class.
If you have the clear space to drive it like you stole it, the Focus SES coupe will be your fast friend, and you will be its buddy for life.
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