But it wasn't until I took a Focus ZX3 for a run in Mont Tremblant's countryside that I really understood the car's

It wasn't until I took a Focus ZX3 for a run in Mont Tremblant's countryside that I really understood the car's real world potential. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

potential. The roads that make up the town's surrounding area are windy enough to test any car's mettle, but more than just bends and undulations they're as rough as Peruvian cattle trails, with more crater-like potholes, ski-jumping frost heaves and mismatched, patchwork pavement improvement projects than anywhere else in Canada. Where the track's ultra-smooth surface made the Focus's suspension seem a bit on the soft side, the road's rugged terrain made me grateful for reasonable suspension travel. Vertical suspension travel, which translated into regular English means the ability of a suspension system to move up and down in relation to road surface irregularities, hopefully isolating the vehicle's occupants from what would otherwise be a bone-jarring experience, is absolutely necessary for keeping a car's tires

The car felt ultra-tight, rather unusual for this bargain-basement class. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

glued to the road. If a suspension is too rigid, when it meets a bump or dip the tires will break traction, and the car will relinquish some control. The Focus maintained an amazing amount of traction when pushed hard on roadways that can only be described as punishing. I noticed a slight buzzing rattle coming from somewhere near the glovebox, but considering the terrain being covered it was a fault I could accept. The course included a short stint on a smooth freeway too, as well as some lower speed bits in the old town of Mont Tremblant, and no such annoyance was heard. Also, there was no such noise heard on the smoother surfaces I enjoyed the day prior, or on the track. Actually, the car felt ultra-tight, rather unusual for this bargain-basement class.