2009 Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet

By David Yochum

Source: www.automobilemag.com

Arriving at a high-school prom, it's hard to miss the popular girls - stunning in their ruby dresses, hair twirled high enough to expose delectable silver hoops.

Now, imagine bringing the other prom date - outfitted in the same jeans and Abercrombie tee she wore last Tuesday.But no worries, Jenny did throw on the latest shade from Maybelline.

Like that embarrassing prom partner, the restyled North American Ford Focus (with Sync) is the date you reluctantly hold hands with, while across the dance floor, Ford Europe gets the goods - aFocus RS high-performance model and now an all-new Focus Coupe-Cabriolet.

It just doesn't seem fair.

Debuting at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet parades Pininfarina design, a new front end, and, of course, a retractable hardtop. Inside the Italian-flavored body, Ford says the Coupe-Cabriolet makes use of high quality finishes, hard-wearing materials, and a new "binocular"-style instrument cluster.

Power for the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet will come from a choice of three engines: a base 100-hp, 1.6-liter Duratec engine; a peppy 2.0-liter with 145 hp; and a 2.0-liter TDCi diesel good for 136 hp.

As with other European Focus models, the Coupe-Cabriolet can be ordered with options such as keyless start and entry, a navigation system, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. A "sport" pack offers buyers an upgraded suspension, special 17-inch alloy wheels, and tinted headlamp housings, while a "Titanium" option package gives buyers leather seats.

Hopefully, European Focus buyers will tell their North American counterparts what a great prom experience is like.

Please, no bragging.

NEXT Car - the AWESOME European Ford Mondeo:

2008 Ford Mondeo

By Stuart Fowle

What Ford is Doing Right in Europe, Lesson 12: The Mondeo Sedan, Hatchback, and Wagon.

While Ford's big move--oh sorry, Bold Move--earlier this year in America was reverting back from the Five Hundred to the Taurus name for it's volume sedan, Ford of Europe is doing truly exciting things. We've all lusted over the Euro Focus for years, and have accepted that we may never get a compact car quite that nice. But now we don't want the Fusion, either. The Mondeo--which goes on sale this summer as a sedan, five-door hatchback, or wagon--is as gorgeous as it gets in the mid-size segment. Its interior is great, too, and features seven air bags, soft ambient lighting, keyless go, and a useful information screen centralized in the gauge cluster. Stability control and capless refueling are standard, and hill launch assist, adaptive cruise control, and eighteen-inch wheels are among the many appealing options.

Engines for the new Mondeo range from a small, efficient 1.8-liter diesel to a five cylinder gas unit rated at 200 horsepower. All engines will be available with the choice of a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The driving experience should be similar to that of the award-winning S-Max from which it borrows much of its architecture, but the Mondeo also benefits from a lower center of gravity. It's painful seeing such appealing products coming from Ford overseas, when the company is facing such strife here at home. There is hope though--the Mondeo is one of a number of products that Ford is considering for future U.S. sale. It seems to be working for Saturn, and from the looks of the Mondeo, it could work for Ford, too.