OUT OF SYNC? Ford's biggest problem could be getting potential Focus buyers to look.(News)

Forgive our lack of anticipation for Ford's new Focus. The 2008 Focus is, after all, the once-beloved original warmed over a second time, nearly a decade after its introduction, while Europe enjoys a new-generation Focus closely related to the Mazda 3. In North America, the reskinned 2008 reduces model configurations by 50 percent. There's no hatchback, five-door or wagon, just a sedan and a new two-door coupe.

The torquey 2.3-liter engine upgrade? It's gone. There just weren't enough takers, according to Ford, so U.S. buyers get only the familiar 2.0-liter Duratec four.

This Duratec generates about 3 percent more horsepower and torque than the 2007 version, thanks to a cleaner intake path and less back pressure through the tailpipe, for peaks of 140 hp and 136 lb-ft (the PZEV variant for California and the Northeast delivers 132 hp and 133 lb-ft). There are other substantive improvements beyond the racy (or not) exterior design, including significant investment in improving NVH control. The glass is thicker. There's denser foam insulation in strategic locations and more fluffy cotton batting throughout. Seals have been reworked, and the 2008 model's drag coefficient has dropped from 0.33 to 0.32.

The brakes have aluminum calipers in front, and the sedan's curb weight actually has fallen by 13 pounds (to 2623), despite more safety equipment, including curtain-style airbags. With the standard five-speed manual, the Focus delivers a respectable EPA 24 mpg city and 35 mpg highway.

The 2008 Focus is the launchpad for Ford's new Sync driver-electronics interface (see sidebar), so the interior has been thoroughly revised. It improves on the last Focus refacing in 2005, if not on the original. The expanses of plastic are pretty hard and shiny, but the silver-metallic trim upgrade looks better, and programmable ambient LED lighting, introduced in the Mustang, might get someone's attention. Aesthetically, it's not bad (the center stack is intended to resemble a home AV system), and from the functional perspective, it's good. Ford's corporate Ice Blue backlighting is lucid and crisp, and we found no reason to dislike the seats after a medium-length drive. For the price, accommodations are better than serviceable.

Our biggest surprise came at the wheel, and maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. For its time, the original Focus was an excellent Euro-developed subcompact, and in the dynamic sense, the 2008 remains a good one. It's not as ...