It's a mystery why they believe small car buyers (anywhere) will respond to the inconvenience and dubious "sportiness" of this coupe over a truly sporty and user-friendly 5-door hatchback... such as the original ZX5. (I don't recall the ZX2 of the late 1990s and early 2000s being particularly popular...)

The sedan will undoubtedly be more popular than the coupe.

Improved ride and handling
The drive route selected for the launch was an effective one: a combination of freeway driving that took us outside the Seattle city limits and secondary roads that wound through the suburbs and deeper into the countryside.

The first thing you notice about the new Focus driving experience is that the ride and handling are actually decent for a small car. While the steering is light, the little car tracks well and is particularly effective at absorbing imperfections in the road surface.

For the new model, the suspension system has been completely revised with different spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars and bushings. The Focus continues with MacPherson struts up front and an independent multi-link set-up in the back.

The front stabilizer bar has been increased in size and the Ford engineers designed unique suspension tuning packages depending on whether the Focus rides on the standard 15-inch wheels or 16-inch numbers. The new chassis is also slightly stiffer courtesy of a sturdier cross-car beam located under the dashboard.

Net-net: a very competent handler.

Design revisions: under and over the hood
The other positive aspect of the Focus that becomes immediately apparent is how quiet it is for a small car. The word is that engineers devoted serious wind-tunnel time to improving the drag coefficient of the car which, in turn, has decreased wind noise.

Further details have helped reduce noise in the cabin: a new acoustic windshield, thicker side glass, new foam material for the dashboard, new sound-deadening material in the door panels and new sealing for the side mirrors. All in all, it was time well spent - the Focus is one quiet ride.

Of course, the other benefit of wind-tunnel work is a more slippery car. The drag coefficient has dropped from 0.33 for the previous generation to 0.32 for the new Focus.

Aerodynamics plays a big role in fuel economy.