2022 Ford Focus gets mid-life update

Hot on the heels of the revised Fiesta last month, Ford has revealed a facelift for the current generation of Focus, giving it styling, technology and powertrain upgrades to keep pace with rivals. Expected to go straight into the top 10 best sellers list, the revised Focus will cost from £22,465 and has a restructured trim line-up, encompassing Trend, Titanium, Titanium Vignale, Active, Active Vignale, ST-Line and ST-Line Vignale. First deliveries are expected in February 2022.

One subtle, but distinctive, design change is the decision to move the Ford roundel from the bonnet lip into the middle of the grille. There’s also new LED headlights, which incorporate the fog lights to give the lower bumper a cleaner look. A new set of tinted light clusters are the biggest change at the rear, with a dark central section and new ‘loop light’ graphic on higher trim levels.

Each specification level has a unique look to reflect its personality and create greater differentiation, according to the manufacturing giant. Titanium trims are fitted with a grille featuring horizontal bars and a gloss chrome surround, while the sporty ST-Line gets a differently proportioned trapezoidal upper grille with a black honeycomb design, flanked by large air vents and a deeper lower grille. ST-Line also gets side skirts, a rear diffuser and a subtle spoiler. Active versions receive an off-road makeover, with increased ground clearance, skid-plate bumpers, SUV-style black wheel arches and side skirts, and a grille with vertical bars.

The big news inside is the arrival of Ford’s latest SYNC 4 infotainment setup, with a large 13.2-inch centrally placed touchscreen, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. When fitted, this incorporates adjustment of the climate control, for a cleaner dashboard aesthetic. The new software includes advanced speech recognition, over-the-air updates, live traffic and FordPass, allowing the owner to connect to their vehicle remotely.

Ford has improved the boot area of the Focus Estate, trimming it in a new carpet with short fibres to make it easier to clean, adding a side net and LED illumination. The boot floor can also hinge, creating a vertical divider to keep items securely in place. There’s also a removable ‘wet zone’, which has been designed to make it easier to carry wet sports equipment or an umbrella, that can also be taken out to drain and clean. Its overall volume with the seats folded has been boosted slightly to 1,653 litres.

The engine range starts with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit with 99bhp or 123bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox, which returns 47.1mpg and emits 121g/km of CO2. The only diesel engine offered is Ford’s 1.5- litre EcoBlue powerplant, with 118bhp and vital statistics of 56.5mpg and 120g/km. It’s also worth noting it’s exclusively fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission in the UK, though other European markets still retain the manual gearbox. Also gone are the 2.0-litre EcoBlue editions, including the sporty flagship ST model.

Ford’s 48-volt mild-hybrid setup is also carried over, badged 1.0-litre EcoBoost Hybrid and offering 123bhp or 153bhp with identical fuel-efficiency figures of 51.4mpg and 116g/km. It can be fitted with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed Powershift automatic gearbox for the first time, which sees figures slide slightly to 47.9mpg and 119g/km.

Safety advances include an enhanced blind-spot warning system, which not only scans adjacent lanes up to 28 metres behind the Focus, but can also be programmed to account for a trailer, with the driver tapping in its length before a journey. There’s also a new Intersection Assist function, using both the forwardfacing camera and radar sensors to monitor oncoming traffic in parallel lanes, and is active at up to 18mph, with or without road markings and at night. Local Hazard Information can warn of dangerous incidents, even around blind corners, and Rear Occupant Alert will remind owners to check the rear seats before leaving the vehicle if the back doors were opened at the start of a journey.

The latest Focus range will be available to order shortly, with the first examples arriving in showrooms early in the new year.