Ford has made it even easier for car buyers to own its award winning mid-size family hatchback, the Focus. According to the automaker, owning a Focus will only cost you RM668/month or you can forgo this deal for a RM15,000 cash rebate, the choice is yours.

This is an exceptionally good deal based on the numbers but we would advice our readers to speak with a Ford repesentive to know the full terms and conditions of this repayment scheme before committing to anything.

That said, the Focus is one of the best vehicles that the US based automaker sells in our market. It’s the third generation car of the Focus family and is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine.

Thanks to forced induction technology, a smaller engine is now able to offer similar output to a much larger displacement one. As such, though the car only has a 1.5-litre engine compared to the 2.0-litre one in its predecessor, power is relatively similar.

It’s exceptionally smart too – the automated louvers behind the front grille open and close to minimize drag of up to 6% enabling the car to save more fuel. The car does this automatically when it detects the vehicle’s speed is sufficiently high and that the engine is receiving adequate air for cooling purposes.

Then, there’s a slew of safety tech such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert feature. This system warns drivers of obstacles (vehicles) that are in their blind spots and also alerts them when it detects a vehicle approaching from either left or right side of the car, up to a range of 40 metres.

But the Focus’ best party trick, is its ability to park on its own, with minimal human intervention. Through the use if the Enhanced Active Park Assist system, the car is able to parallel or perpendicular park perfectly, with the driver only having to change gears, brake and accelerate when necessary.

In addition to that, the car can also drive itself out of parking spaces through the use of the Park-Out Assist feature. This takes the stress out of having to carefully maneuver out of tight parking spaces on congested streets. Sounds like magic, but in actual fact, the car relies on various ultrasound sensors that act as its eyes, to help it navigate in and out of spaces.

Enhanced Active City Stop system, allows the Focus to apply the brakes as and when needed at speeds of up to 50Km/h when it senses an impending collision. It cuts engine power and engages the brakes to prevent avoidable fender benders or reduce their severity.

Finally, there’s Enhanced Transitional Stability, which is a Godsend for those who constantly drive during heavy downpours. This system, monitors the car’s movements and intervenes when necessary to prevent the driver from loosing control and sending the vehicle into a spin.

Going one step further, with the Ford MyKey, owners can set limits on the abilities of the Focus when the supplementary key is in the hands of a different driver. This key can be programmed to enable or disable certain features in the vehicle. For example, if a less experienced person is about to drive, the owner can programme the key, allowing for additional features. These could include, reducing the maximum speed of the car, prompting low-fuel alerts earlier and limiting entertainment (SYNC 3) functionality until seat belts are fastened.

Other features of the Focus include the following:

• Keyless entry Push-button Start
• Six airbags
• Dual-zone climate control
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Power-assisted Steering (EPAS)
• Torque Vectoring Control
• Hill Launch Assist
• Six-speed SelectShift with paddle shifters

The Ford Focus can be ordered in six different body colours that include Frozen White, Panther Black, Ingot Silver, Candy Red, Magnetic and Winning Blue. The Focus Trend is priced at RM118,888, the Focus Sport+ is RM139,888 while the sedan version, the Focus Titanium+, comes with a price of RM139,888.

For more information about this or other Ford models, visit the automaker’s local website or your nearest authorized dealer.