The Focus' smooth and stable ride comes from its four-wheel independent suspension, as well as a little spike in the mix;

I found the sport-tuned suspension to be a good balance of ride comfort and handling prowess. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

the combination of the same front struts and rear shocks used on the European Focus ST170 and the 2004 Focus SVT, making the setup 50 percent stiffer than that used with the SE and SES suspensions. I found the sport-tuned suspension to be a good balance of ride comfort and handling prowess, sporty enough without the need to feel each and every the pebble on the road. Also helping the handling is a hot set of Pirelli P205/50R16 all-season radials wrapped over 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels. These accompany a solid set of 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, which performed all they were asked to do during a particularly soggy summer week flawlessly. What wasn't so hot about the Focus however, was the interior. Although the 2005 models pride themselves on a new and improved instrument panel, I was not impressed. First off, the two-tone black plastic and imitation carbon-fiber trim didn't flow that well. I was also confused as to why the placement of the cigarette lighter was directly beside the volume control of the optional 6-disc in-dash stereo system. Often when I reached to turn the tunes up or down, I ended up turning the cig lighter. I am sure Ford could have found a better place for this

Although the 2005 models pride themselves on a new and improved instrument panel, I was not impressed with the Focus interior. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

amenity instead of by the stereo. Furthermore, the lighter, which showed some pretty cheap looking metal trim at its base, looked as though it was placed in the random spot solely out of convenience to the engineers putting the center stack together. Not a plus in my books. Another negative was the fact that there was a wire peeking out of the steering column. I could literally touch and pull the black and yellow strands right out of the steering wheel. Isn't that just a tad dangerous? Bottom line, wires poking out of steering columns are unacceptable. Not only does the gap look cheap, it could potentially be dangerous.