Description
Ford introduced the second generation of the Focus lineup at the 2004 Paris Motor Show in three body versions: hatchback with three and five doors and station wagon.
After six years on the market and millions of units sold, the Focus could be considered a successful story for Ford Motor Company. However, when the automaker introduced the second iteration of this nameplate, it didn’t make it to the U.S. market anymore, confirming that European customers were more focused on compact-sized vehicles, especially hatchbacks. Furthermore, the station wagon version proved to be very well received, and that made the automaker decide to launch the 2005 Ford Focus Wagon at the same time as its hatchback siblings. The new generation carried over some of the underpinnings from its predecessor, and the New Edge design was less polarizing than that of the 1998 model year.
Ford kept the triangular-shaped headlights design theme as on the previous generation of the Focus, but its designers made them wider and covered with clear lenses. The upper grille was taller and sported the brand’s badge in the middle. At the same time, the wrapped-around plastic bumper featured a broad air intake in the apron flanked by angular-shaped scoops that housed the available round fog lamps.
The automaker kept the flared wheel arches theme as on the previous generation of the car. However, these visual enhancements were less aggressive and were limited to the fenders, not overlapping on the front or rear doors. Unlike the 1998 model year, the 2005 Ford Focus Wagon sported rectangular turn signal lamps on the front fenders instead of triangular ones. To make the car look more dynamic, the automaker’s design team created a slightly sloped-down roof for the vehicle. Like most other station wagons on the market, it ended with a lift-up tailgate at the back. The thin vertical taillights flanked it. In addition, the upper side of the bumper was cut deeper, leading to a lower loading height.
The cabin of the 2005 Ford Focus Wagon was the safest in the European compact-sized segment since the vehicle gained best-in-class scores in the Euro NCAP crash-test results. Fronting the driver was a rounded instrument cluster that replaced the elliptic, elongated one from the previous version and had a new layout. The large dials of the speedometer and the tachometer flanked an LCD, while the fuel level and engine temperature gauges were placed on the upper side of the panel. Atop the center stack, the automaker placed two rectangular vents, followed downward by the audio system and the dials for the HVAC. Ford listened to its customers and installed better seats with higher bolstered areas for the front passengers. At the back, the split-folding bench seat provided more legroom and headroom than on the previous version. Customers could expand the trunk space from 482 liters (17 cu-ft.) to 1,525 liters (53.9 cu-ft.).
Under the hood, the automaker installed a choice of turbodiesel and gasoline inline-four engines ranging between 80 PS (79 hp) and 145 PS (143 hp). The 2005 Ford Focus Wagon was also available with a highly fuel-efficient 1.6-liter common-rail turbodiesel that provided a combined fuel consumption of just 4.7 l/100 km (50 MPG), which made it a darling for those looking for an affordable vehicle able to run over 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single tank of fuel.
