First Drive Review
Nothing turns heads like a sexy convertible wearing Pininfarina badges on its flanks. The Italian design firm is world famous for creating pulse-quickening exotic cars such as the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano and Maserati GranTurismo. However, the Pininfarina-badged droptop we recently took for a spin proudly wears a blue oval in the center of its grille. The Ford Focus coupe-cabriolet is designed and built by Pininfarina at its factory in Turin, Italy, at a rate of roughly 20,000 per year.
It might not have a prancing horse or trident on its hood, but the Focus is hardly a shrinking violet when it comes to drawing attention. As we drove through posh Parisian neighborhoods—where any other Ford would be considered so déclassé—the coupe-cabriolet got plenty of admiring glances.
Interesting Design
The front end is filled with four large grilles, a pair of fog lights, and just the right amount of chrome to be tasteful but not tarty. A bold crease flows up from the headlights and hood before working its way to the C-pillar and over the trunk. Aggressive wheel-arch blisters add visual muscle without making the car look steroidal.
Our only serious issue is with the large rear overhang, made necessary by the two-piece retractable hardtop. However, we were determined to put that top to use, even if cold autumn weather meant we had to crank up the heated seats and wear goofy woolen caps. With a simple push of a button, the top slides into the trunk in a magic act that takes less than 30 seconds—quick enough to impress people at a red light.
Once the top is lowered, there is a hint of cowl shake when the Ford encounters a serious bump in the road. But generally speaking, the coupe-cabriolet feels remarkably solid and wind noise is minimal. Luggage space does suffer in convertible form, as it shrinks from a cavernous 19 cubic feet to nine, which is still handy. The rear seat might as well be factored into available luggage room, since it's pretty cramped for anything but occasional use. Still, it's more than acceptable for kids or for adults on short cross-town treks.
The rest of the interior feels well put together, and the switchgear has a quality feel. The leather seats in our Titanium-spec tester were comfortable, the headroom is ample front and rear, and the cooled glove box, automatic headlights, and rain-sensing wipers are convenient.
A Comfortable Convertible
In town, the coupe-cabriolet's suspension does a fine job of blending comfort and stability. Yet on narrow European streets, the 177.5-inch-long coupe-cabriolet can feel fairly large. That rear overhang is an especially big pain in the, well, rear, especially when parallel parking. But firm steering allows you to place the Ford with confidence, and it matches up nicely with the short-throw six-speed manual transmission and easy-to-modulate clutch pedal. Purposefully overstepping the grip of the 205/50R-17 tires on one of Paris's innumerable traffic circles—empty during an early-morning drive—resulted in easy-to-control understeer. The front end slides wide, but the 3550-pound Ford recovers nicely as soon as you let off the gas. A raft of safety features are standard, including ABS, stability control, traction control, and front and side airbags. Should you really screw things up, rear roll bars pop up within 0.1 second once the car's electronics detect an imminent rollover.
