2012 Focus Wagon coming to the US

[NAC]

The other day I was about to start another of my quarterly “Where the f*** are the wagons in the USA?” rant thread. But it looks like I don’t need to. According to Ford Inside News, the Ford Focus Wagon will be coming to the US. If the sell it with the manual, I’ll most likely get one. Ideal scenario - Chevy makes a Cruze wagon, and/or Hyundai makes an Elantra wagon, and I’ll have a selection to choose from. Sporty handling, close to 40 mpg highway, and as much space as most SUVs. Americans may continue to follow the herd and buy SUVs, but I’ll be very happy if I can get a wagon.

I really hope this source is correct. Link:
http://www.fordinsidenews.com/forum...Exclusive-Ford-Focus-Wagon-to-America-in-2012

 

[DesiPower]

nice!! looks almost like a crossover!

moar links
http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/2012/

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/focus/2012/?sub=hatchback

edmunds calls it "Hatchback"

no fraggin launch date... same as c-max... all we can do is wait... frag u ford

 

[Zargon]

no date on this or the *RS verison we are supposed to get..

 

[Nightrainsrt4]

All the pics in the second post look like the regular Focus hatch. You can tell the difference by comparing it to the pic in the first link. The very rear side window is elongated on the wagon, and it has a steeper rear window compared to the hatch. The hatch has a far more acute angle than the wagon.

Without really looking though, or seeing the rear, I'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference if I just drove past one.

 

[sdifox]

anyone else having problem with the edmund link being displayed all screwed up?

 

[NAC]

Agreed - the hatch and wagon look pretty similar. The links DesiPower provided only show screen shots of the hatchback. This link starts with pictures of the wagon, and also has some pictures of the hatchback later on:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q1/2011_2012_ford_focus_wagon-auto_shows/gallery

The hatchback is 171" long. Figure that the wagon is about 180". The wagon should have over 30 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, compared to the hatchback's 23. That extra space is all useable (below the window), and although it sounds like a little I think it makes a big difference to a family. Especially since it is almost "free" - the extra length doesn't affect handling or fuel economy much.

Most likely the rear seat location is the same for both - so both the hatch and the wagon have the same rear seat space, only the cargo area is bigger.

 

[Kelvrick]

I think the hatch looks good. The caranddriver link makes the wagon makes it look TOO much like a cross-over, or a venza type minivan bastardization. Maybe it is just the angle.

Personally, I try to stay away from first year productions though, so next year should be a good year if the elantra touring gets the redesign this year as well.

Right now, the Mazda 3 still seems to be the leader, at least for me.

 

[HAL9000]

Isn't that just an Estate version of the Focus...?

 

[Throckmorton]

Isn't that just an Estate version of the Focus...?

Yes. We call them wagons in America, and they are pretty rare, so it's a big deal that they decided to bring it over.

 

[Arkaign]

Isn't that just an Estate version of the Focus...?

Yes, over here they are referred to as 'Station Wagons', and frankly both terms sound kind of ridiculous when you think about the naming. But, they are even more practical than hatches when done right. This might end up being a good vehicle for my parents in a few years when the prices on used ones are modest. Hopefully it is a moderate enough hit to stick around.

As for the RS, I don't really see the market over here supporting it, though they could make a few just to have it as the 'halo' Focus. They aren't that fast, and with the ST model already likely to be in the mid to high $20s, it won't even be a very good value in the face of stiff competition from superior competitors, such as the WRX, and on pure performance terms, Ford's own Mustang.

 

[NAC]

Yes, I believe wagon = estate. They don't sell well here in the US, so many manufacturers don't sell them even if they sell them outside of the US. Hence my excitement.

IMO, the look is exactly what I want - the hatch, but with more space behind the rear door. It doesn't look jacked up or otherwise modified from the hatch. Based on the pics, I wouldn't be surprised if the hatch and wagon share the same back doors.

The Mazda 3 is 177" long, and I believe has a roomier back seat - but it only has 17 cubic feet of cargo space. That is a deal killer for me. The Focus Hatch has 23 cubic feet of cargo space, and so I'm sure the wagon has at least 30 - almost double the Mazda.

 

[Throckmorton]

As for the RS, I don't really see the market over here supporting it, though they could make a few just to have it as the 'halo' Focus. They aren't that fast, and with the ST model already likely to be in the mid to high $20s, it won't even be a very good value in the face of stiff competition from superior competitors, such as the WRX, and on pure performance terms, Ford's own Mustang.

Those hot hatches are only worthwhile for Europeans who have to pay exorbitant taxes for big engines. They aren't more efficient than musclecars like the Mustang, they're FWD, and they make you look like a ricer!

 

[Zargon]

the hot focus is AWD throck(atleast some of them are and they claimed to be bringing an AWD one over)

HP wise its a small displacement turbo so it should be easy to coax some more out of unless its netuered with a dinky maxd out turbo ala the og WRX in the US.

the WRX starts at ~26K, has less HP(265 v 305)

26K for the V6 premium(lets be honest, the RS will be kitted out inside so a base stang wont compare that well) or 30K for a GT. The stang is bigger, rwd and similar power unless you add the V8

if they priced it in the mid 20's there is a market, but the closer to 30 they get it starts to infringe mustang gt territory


without AWD its a waste of time of course.

 

[Arkaign]

the hot focus is AWD throck(atleast some of them are and they claimed to be bringing an AWD one over)

HP wise its a small displacement turbo so it should be easy to coax some more out of unless its netuered with a dinky maxd out turbo ala the og WRX in the US.

the WRX starts at ~26K, has less HP(265 v 305)

26K for the V6 premium(lets be honest, the RS will be kitted out inside so a base stang wont compare that well) or 30K for a GT. The stang is bigger, rwd and similar power unless you add the V8

if they priced it in the mid 20's there is a market, but the closer to 30 they get it starts to infringe mustang gt territory


without AWD its a waste of time of course.

All of the Foci are FWD, aside from some one-offs. The Euro Focus RS is madly expensive, and at ~300hp, only a moderate match to the V6 Mustang, which outperforms it 0-60, 1/4 mile, top speed, skidpad, and slalom (mag benchmarks, posted in another thread a test of the 2010 RS).

The 225hp ST will be around $25-$26k for not even fully loaded ones (probably without Nav at that price), that leaves the RS model with much more expensive differential, brakes, larger turbo, various body panel differences, etc, probably costing at minimum $31k+. In the UK (apples to oranges, but still), the thing is north of £30,000, and the upcoming Focus RS Clubsport is £35,000+. Neither are AWD, just FWD with a trick differential, a la the old Prelude SH (spins inside and outside front wheels at different speeds to reduce understeer). In the end it's just not very impressive or sorted out. Watch the TG:UK from a couple of weeks back, the hugely expensive RS500 (not the run-of-the-mill RS mind you) loses to an STI, and looks a mess going around the track, popping onto three wheels at many times. Clearly at the very limit and perhaps a shade over FF drivability.

EDIT : For a sense of how $$$ those things are over there, 30k british pounds is $48360 at the moment. The UK Ford Fiesta for contrast starts at 9995 british pounds, or ~$16,000.

 

[Zargon]

yeah that would price it well out if its market.

I was under the impression that ford claims the RS we would get would be AWD.

the quaife is an exremely nice LSD but obviously I'd rather have all wheel drive...

 

[Arkaign]

yeah that would price it well out if its market.

I was under the impression that ford claims the RS we would get would be AWD.

the quaife is an exremely nice LSD but obviously I'd rather have all wheel drive...

I haven't seen any credible reports of Focus getting AWD as of yet. The first place you'd see it is in the high-end Euro models, and it's only come up in rumors now and again going back many years (as far back as the MK1 to C1 switchover in '04!). It can definitely be done on the C1 chassis, as said there have been one-offs done for a while. The most recent example was that AWD Volvo C30 on TG that was an engineering sample not for production. C30 is basically a Focus ST to start with, but that one was totally remade.

Yeah the Focus diff is probably the best on the market for the RS/RS500/etc, but all the tricks in the world can't hide the deficiencies of FWD as a performance platform. AWD would be a total game-changer, but the expense is too great at this time I guess. In the end I would take a car with a little less power, but better dynamics in the form of AWD. As it so happens, the WRX is this, and of course the WRX is easy to mod to around the 300hp range with stock turbo anyway. The prime difference being that you can lay into the power sooner rather than later out of turns, and getting off the line isn't a total experience of feathering it out. Doubling the surface area of your available power traction and putting it on all four corners has some perks

Ford still doesn't have official pricing on the 225hp ST, but $25-$26k seems likely to start, which doesn't leave any room for anything that makes any sense unless it's AWD. I don't think people over here could stomach paying $30k+ for a FF turbo, no matter how nice it is. Well equipped it would probably easily hit mid-$30ks, and even then the folks in the UK would be jealous at how cheap that is compared to what they pay.

Crazily enough, the old Focus ST170's (our Focus SVT) with some light power mods are still track kings over there, easily besting the current-gen ST/RS models due to the 500-700lb weight difference.

 

[HAL9000]

Yes. We call them wagons in America, and they are pretty rare, so it's a big deal that they decided to bring it over.

Wow bizzare, they are common as muck over here.

Yes, over here they are referred to as 'Station Wagons', and frankly both terms sound kind of ridiculous when you think about the naming. But, they are even more practical than hatches when done right. This might end up being a good vehicle for my parents in a few years when the prices on used ones are modest. Hopefully it is a moderate enough hit to stick around.

As for the RS, I don't really see the market over here supporting it, though they could make a few just to have it as the 'halo' Focus. They aren't that fast, and with the ST model already likely to be in the mid to high $20s, it won't even be a very good value in the face of stiff competition from superior competitors, such as the WRX, and on pure performance terms, Ford's own Mustang.

Strange, I think that the RS is pretty damn quick 345BHP. 2.5 Turbo... 0-60 5.9s. Cheap. Pretty good.

 

[Mermaidman]

I was just daydreaming about what wagon I would buy besides the Cadillac. Definitely would consider the Focus wagon when I'm ready to sell my Aurora.

 

[jaydee]

This was posted a month ago. I'm a member at the FIN site, and honestly don't believe this. Ford plays very close to the chest, not much gets leaked out and this member isn't credible IMO because he has never "broke" any exclusive news before. He has no details other than "it's coming", no dates, no quotes from "his source", nothing. I'm quite convinced that this guy is just guessing that it's coming and is waiting to take all sorts of credit if it does come, and if it doesn't say "it was coming and they cancelled it at the last moment".

Another thing, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me in Ford's lineup, with the new C-Max (PHEV and traditional hybrid included) and next-gen Escape all serving similar market segments riding on the same platform as the Focus.

 

[Demo24]

nice!! looks almost like a crossover!

moar links
http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/2012/

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/focus/2012/?sub=hatchback

edmunds calls it "Hatchback"

no fraggin launch date... same as c-max... all we can do is wait... frag u ford

That's because you linked to the hatchback version, which is not the wagon. We get the sedan and hatch, it is still unconfirmed if we will get the wagon. This is merely a rumor and largely started because they had all 3 on display at the NY auto show in Jan, however that could have been simply for foreign press to view them all.

Again, Ford hasn't said this is coming and I see it unlikely at the moment. Perhaps if the Focus sells well it may get greenlighted then.

 

[ShawnD1]

Um so what is the difference between a station wagon and a hatchback? Is there a real difference?

On this side of the pond, poor people own something about this size:

Not-poor people this size:

A little more expensive still:

 

[kornphlake]

A hatch back is a sedan with the rear window is pushed back a bit and made to open with what would be the trunk, typically the cargo area is accessible from inside the cabin by reaching over the rear seat, a wagon is like a hatch but with the cargo area extended, typically the rear window is closer to vertical than in a hatch. In the 80s it was much more obvious but few vehicles were sold as a hatch back. In the 90's more hatch backs appeared, but the wagon turned into the SUV and was all but forgotten untill recently.

sedan:

hatch:

wagon:

 

[Arkaign]

Strange, I think that the RS is pretty damn quick 345BHP. 2.5 Turbo... 0-60 5.9s. Cheap. Pretty good.

The 345HP model is the RS500, not the regular RS, which is 300hp. The sad thing is that the RS500 really isn't much faster in a straight line than an RS (RS500 can manage 5.6 rather than 5.9 for the RS) due to obvious traction issues, other than some advantages once on a roll. Only 500 RS500s were produced, and they're long since sold, leaving the already expensive RS as the only option.

The Mustang V6 manages 0-60 in 5.1 and tosses out a mind-boggling .96g on the skidpad, ridiculous for the price that it occupies (equal or a tiny bit less than the 225hp Focus ST when it comes here).

For hatch/compact performance lovers, the WRX just makes more sense, as extra power pays off much quicker. For example, the '11 WRX STI makes only 305hp, less than that RS500, but manages a 0-60 time of almost a second better, and even it is only $33.9k.

 

[HAL9000]

The 345HP model is the RS500, not the regular RS, which is 300hp. The sad thing is that the RS500 really isn't much faster in a straight line than an RS (RS500 can manage 5.6 rather than 5.9 for the RS) due to obvious traction issues, other than some advantages once on a roll. Only 500 RS500s were produced, and they're long since sold, leaving the already expensive RS as the only option.

The Mustang V6 manages 0-60 in 5.1 and tosses out a mind-boggling .96g on the skidpad, ridiculous for the price that it occupies (equal or a tiny bit less than the 225hp Focus ST when it comes here).

For hatch/compact performance lovers, the WRX just makes more sense, as extra power pays off much quicker. For example, the '11 WRX STI makes only 305hp, less than that RS500, but manages a 0-60 time of almost a second better, and even it is only $33.9k.

Yeah but handling wise the focus would destroy the mustang even with FWD. Still 300bhp is alot!

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah but handling wise the focus would destroy the mustang even with FWD. Still 300bhp is alot!

I would agree with you handily were we talking about the outgoing 2010 and previous models, but the new ones have to be seen to be believed. The 2011 GT and V6 are monstrously good handlers. The GT puts down track times neck and neck with the current M3, and that's been proven on track after track. The V6 has even better skidpad and slalom numbers than the GT, due to the same suspension (track pack, optional on V6, standard on GT) combining with lower weight.

So, putting 2 and 2 together, the Focus would not destroy the current mustang in handling, and unless the Focus is magically better than the M3 (impossible, given the tests I've seen), it's almost certainly less capable than the current V6 Mustang.