MOTOR RIVALS

Ford Focus retains its title as world’s best-selling vehicle, according to Ford analysis of the just-released full-year Polk new vehicle registration data from IHS Automotive. The redesigned Ford Focus offers a bolder exterior design, a more intuitive and upscale interior, a host of technologies uncommon for a compact car and the additional powertrain option of Ford’s award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine with a new six-speed manual transmission in the U.S.-spec Focus. While U.S. EPA fuel economy ratings are not yet available, Ford expects the 1.0-liter EcoBoost Focus to raise the bar in fuel efficiency among non-hybrid compact vehicles.

Also, Ford’s popular MyKey® feature will be standard on all trim levels. An all-new heated steering wheel will be available as well as 10 different wheels as factory options.
In addition to a host of styling and technology advances, the new Focus will offer the efficient, fun-to-drive 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine with a six-speed manual transmission. Automotive journalists globally named it International Engine of the Year for 2012 and 2013.

The smallest engine in Ford’s growing EcoBoost family – already available in Fiesta - will come standard in Focus with an Auto Start-Stop feature that automatically shuts down the engine at stops and instantly turns it back on at takeoff.

EcoBoost technology combines smaller-displacement engines with turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing and proprietary Ford software to bring customers outstanding performance and fuel economy. Ford EcoBoost engines can deliver significantly better fuel economy than larger-displacement gasoline engines.

A package of sensors brings a new level of convenience for compact car customers by adding driver-assist technologies, including a rear view camera, available Blind Spot Information System and a lane-keeping system.

Standard on Focus for the first time, the rearview camera will appear on either a 4.2-inch screen or the 8-inch screen that comes with MyFord Touch®-equipped cars.

BLIS® uses two advanced multiple-beam radar modules, the same used with cross-traffic alert, which are packaged in both rear quarter panels. The radar identifies when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone and illuminates an indicator light on the corresponding sideview mirror, providing a warning that a vehicle is approaching.

Should a Focus driver start to drift out of the current lane without a turn signal activated, the lane-keeping system provides a warning through a series of steering wheel vibrations that mimic a rumble strip. If the unintended lane departure is not corrected by the driver, the aid function of the system actively applies steering to help the driver direct the car back toward the center of the current lane.

These include a new shock absorber valve design providing improved interior quietness, and a change to the rear suspension to give drivers a more connected feel to the road. The electric power-assisted steering has been retuned to make the driver feel even more connected to the road.

Focus drivers will have access to powerful new capabilities thanks to a host of functions developers can integrate as they modify their apps to communicate with enhanced SYNC® AppLink™. Android and iOS smartphone users can download more than 60 AppLink-enabled apps from the Apple App Store and Android market.

The seventh-generation Golf goes on sale in dealerships this August, celebrating 40 years since Volkswagen’s iconic hatchback debuted in the United States. The 2015 Golf will be available with two or four doors and with two powertrains: the EA888 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection four-cylinder TSI® engine mated to a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission; and the new EA288 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injection four-cylinder TDI® Clean Diesel, fitted with a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission. This is the first time the entire Golf lineup will feature powerful and efficient turbocharged engines. The Golf TSI gains up to 6 mpg (or 20 percent) on manufacturer estimated highway fuel economy compared to the 2.5-liter model it replaces.

This new-generation Golf has grown in size yet dropped in weight by up to 79 pounds (depending on model), despite a plethora of new and upscale features. The new generation introduces Volkswagen’s versatile MQB (modular transverse matrix) vehicle platform to the U.S. market—a significant step in standardizing, simplifying, and improving the design and creation of products across the entire Volkswagen Group portfolio. The MQB architecture allows for a more cab-backward design, which gives the new Golf a more upscale appearance while retaining classic design cues from the Mk 1 and Mk 4 Golf models.

The new Golf is better equipped than its predecessor, no matter the trim level. The limited-availability entry Golf Launch Edition two-door with manual transmission starts at $17,995 (plus $820 destination and handling) and adds the following over the outgoing Golf 2.5L: a turbocharged and direct-injection four cylinder as the base engine, along with a standard 5.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth® connectivity, a Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod® integration, and SiriusXM® Satellite Radio. The Automatic Post-Collision Braking System (APCBS) is standard on all Golf models, while available new comfort and convenience features include the Fender® Premium Audio System and Climatronic® automatic air conditioning. Fans of Volkswagen’s TDI Clean Diesel engines will be thrilled that the price of the base TDI model has been reduced by more than the $3,000 compared with the previous-generation Golf TDI model.

At launch, Volkswagen will also offer the Golf Sport model. About 650 of these SE four-door models will be built, equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission. Offered in either Pure White or Platinum Gray, the Sport model is visually enhanced with a striking bodykit that includes a front lip spoiler, side skirts, a rear valence, a larger rear spoiler, and chrome exhaust tips. Pricing starts at $26,930, plus $820 destination and handling.