The Ford Focus is no longer available as a lavishly decorated Vignale from mid-April. Techzle can report this exclusively. The Focus news is not finished with that, as there are also changes for the 1.0 Ecoboost and 1.5 Ecoboost petrol engines.
The current Focus, presented in 2018, was the first-generation Focus that was introduced to the Vignale version. The Vignale flavor is considered the most luxurious variant of the Focus, but the Vignale party appears to be short-lived. In April, Ford put a line through the Focus Vignale in the Netherlands. According to the Dutch importer, only 2 percent of the Focus customers in our country opted for the extra richly executed Vignale version. Ford has something new in store on Vignale level. According to Ford, “[…] By the way, Vignale will not disappear, “but it will” get a different interpretation in the future, also with the Focus. “Ford currently supplies the Focus Vignale in combination with the 125 hp mild-hybrid 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid (manual gearbox) and with the 150 hp strong 1.5 Ecoboost (automatic).
The trim level Vignale is a version based on the Titanium X that also brings a lot of goodies to the Focus. For example, the Focus Vignale, available as a Hatchback and as a Wagon, is fitted with 20-spoke 17-inch light alloy and has a special grille. The bumpers at the front and rear also differ from those of the less fortunate variants. More Vignale indulgence comes in the form of LED headlamps, extra chrome around the doors, Windsor Ebony leather upholstery with fine stitching, mood lighting and a head-up display.
Cylinder shutdown
The Ford Focus engine list includes a wide range of engines, including the aforementioned 125 hp 1.0 Hybrid, a machine that also has a 155 hp mild hybrid brother. Ford also supplies 120 and 150 hp 1.5 and 2.0 EcoBlue diesel engines and 100 hp, 125 hp and 150 hp regular petrol engines without electrical assistance. The 100 hp and 125 hp 1.0 Ecoboost are, like the 150 hp 1.5 Ecoboost, equipped with cylinder deactivation, but not for long. The 1.0s and 1.5 Ecoboost will remain available in the Focus, but from now on without cylinder deactivation. According to the Dutch importer, this has to do with streamlining the range. In addition, these machines with cylinder deactivation in the WLTP method turned out to yield less CO2 reduction than previously during the NEDC measurement methods.
Currently, the mild-hybrid 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid engines in the Focus are only available with a manual six-speed gearbox. The Ford Fiesta and Puma also recently got 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid machines in combination with an automatic transmission. Techzle expects that in the long term also in the Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid engines can be combined with an automatic transmission.