Geneva preview: Ford Focus CC

Newswheel staff :: 24 February 2006 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Ford, Ford Focus, Europe & UK

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Everyone's gone coupe-cabriolet crazy

And so the list grows. To the Peugeot 307 CC, Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet, Vauxhall Astra TwinTop and VW Eos please add the new Ford Focus CC.

Like the 307, Megane and Astra, the Focus CC is a dead ringer for its hatchback progenitor from the A-pillar forward. And therefore not quite as elegant as the Vignale concept of 2004, upon which the new car is based.

Vignale begat Focus CC…and lost something along the way

We also recommend you point your peepers at the CC’s rump. Apparently, it’s so plump Ford’s PR monkeys chose to flatter it with these high-angle images rather than expose its true enormity with some street level or panning action shots…

As for tech specs, Ford reckons this is the stiffest folding hard top car in its class. And that should make it the driver’s choice compared with the rather slack-at-the-tiller land yachts with which it will compete. We’re less crazy, however, about the engine line up. It’s a mix of petrol and diesel four pots, topping out with either a 2.0-litre 143bhp gas guzzler or 134bhp oil burner, again in 2.0-litre trim. Granted, this car is not built to blaze the Nurburgring. But surely a naturally aspirated version of the Volvo-sourced five pot from the Focus ST would make for a much classier all-round drive?

With that in mind, the VW Eos with its all-proprietary body panels and 3.2 V6 engine option remains the weapon of choice in this sector. Albeit for a price: at an expected 17,000 earth pounds, the entry-level Focus CC will be £2,000 cheaper than the Eos.