Ace of - 2017 Ford Focus SE Hatch

With fresh news showing up yesterday of Ford shifting production of the Focus to China, it seemed an opportune time to revisit the Blue Oval’s offering in the compact segment. Last time around, we *ahem* focused on the sedan version and found it lacking.

Today, we’ll take a look at the five-door hatch which, in base trim, is better equipped with more features.

Right off the bat, the five-door hatch trumps the four-door sedan by opening its bid with an SE trim, rather than the poverty-spec S. A 2.0-liter inline-four is under the hood, making 160 horsepower if you spin it to a lofty 6500 rpm. Annoyingly, the six-speed Powershift automatic is the sole transmission available in this configuration, which usually would’ve been enough to scupper this whole Ace of Base post if it weren’t late at night with a looming deadline.

Putting on my accountant’s cap for a second, the take rate on three-pedal SE hatches was probably dismal anyway. I need to take that accountant’s cap off now; it hurts my head. at least on small cars.

The rest of the car shows well for a base model. Airbags will protrude from the dash, side, roof, and towards the driver’s knees if the situation goes awry, while Ford’s AdvanceTrac and stability control attempt to keep things shiny side up in the first place. These are mundane considerations for most but critical for the target audience of new or young drivers who sometimes have a propensity for crashing into stationary objects or attempting to occupy the same corner of the space/time continuum as another vehicle. The standard backup camera will help, too.

Satellite radio is included here, something which cannot be said for some of its rivals at this price point. Heck, even some megabucks BMWs and Mercs don’t have SiriusXM as standard equipment. Buttons for cruise control and audio functions take up residence on the steering wheel on this SE, whose column adjusts for reach and rake. A brace of USB ports keep devices charged and rear heat vents keep the squad comfortable. It’s worth noting that the Ford Escort LX Hatch my parents bought in 1989 had none of these features even though, adjusted for inflation, its price was within shouting distance of this 2017 Focus, which stickers at $19,765. Progress is alright.

Styling will always be subjective, but this author does prefer the more angular front end found on Foci prior to the most recent refresh. A wide array of colors are available gratis, save for the tasty Blue Candy and Ruby Red which add $395 to the bottom line. You know my choice is the obnoxious Race Red shown above. A natty rear spoiler juts out over the hatch like a spoilt child’s bottom lip.

At a price of nearly twenty grand, the base hatchback Focus certainly makes a better case for itself than its base sedan brother. Head much further up the Focus Hatch food chain and it’s just as well to pop for an ST.

Will buyers be accepting of a small Ford whose VIN starts with ‘L’? We shouldn’t have to wait long for an answer once they start arriving on these shores.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones that have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selections.

The model above is shown with American options and is priced in Freedom Dollars absent of destination and incentives (which are not insignificant on a lease for this particular car as of this writing). Naturally, your dealer may sell for less.