Ford Focus ECOnetic

By Ben Barry

Motoring Issues

28 August 2007 04:52

Car manufacturers will be tripping over themselves to look leaner and greener at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Today Ford throws its hat into the ring with the Focus ECOnetic.

Usually when a car manufacturer announces lowered suspension and an aerodynamics kit for its medium-sized hatchback, it goes hand-in-hand with extra power and a GTi badge. Not so Ford, which is all set to reveal the Focus ECOnetic – the first in a line of environmentally focused diesels – at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Fitted with a 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine, the Focus will produce a respectable 108bhp and, promises Ford, deliver 65.7mpg while emitting just 115g/km CO2. That’s a big improvement on the current 1.6-litre diesel (58.9mpg and 127g/km) and means the new car will be Congestion Charge-exempt should Ken Livingstone’s latest proposals get the go-ahead.

As well as the lowered stance and aerodynamic aids, the Focus ECOnetic also employs 195/65 R15 tyres to produce a drag coefficient of 0.31 – down from the standard car’s 0.324. The full technical specification will be confirmed at Frankfurt.

By Ben Barry