The North American 2005 Ford Focus 2-liter engine belongs to Ford's Duratec engine family, and as of 2011, was manufactured in Chihuahua, Mexico. The Ford Motor Company sold the 2005 Focus cars equipped with the 2-liter Duratec HE in Europe, although a slightly detuned version was available in North America. The 2006 and later 2-liter Focus cars available in North America had greater horsepower.
Ford introduced the all-aluminum four-cylinder Duratec HE engines in 2001. The Duratec HE debuted in the European 2001 Ford Mondeo, and the 2-liter Duratec 20 first appeared in the North American 2003 Ford Focus models. According to the Ford Motor Company, engineers designed the Duratec to improve overall fuel economy, reduce engine noise and have a life expectancy of at least 10 years.
The 2-liter Duratec 20 four-cylinder engine powering the North American version of the 2005 Ford Focus featured a 3.44-inch bore and a 3.27-inch stroke. Its compression ratio was 10-to-1. European models equipped with the 2-liter Duratec HE engines, which were manufactured in Spain, featured a 10.8-to-1 compression ratio. A multi-point fuel injection system delivered fuel from a 14-gallon tank to the engine. The engine for the North American market developed 136 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 132 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm. The European 2-liter Duratec HE developed 145 horsepower.
The North American version of the 2005 Focus equipped with the 2-liter Duratec 20 and five-speed manual transmission earned 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg in highway driving, giving it a combined fuel consumption rate of 26 mpg. The Focus could reach 328 miles on a full tank. The same vehicle and engine equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission earned 22 mpg in urban driving and 29 mpg on the open road for a combined fuel consumption rate of 25 mpg. It could cover 315 miles on a full tank of gas.
The 2-liter European Duratec HE and the North American Duratec 20 featured an aluminum block and silicon aluminum alloy cylinder head and with four valves per cylinder. The Duratec's cylinders were equipped with an integrated duct for recirculation of the exhaust gas to improve fuel efficiency. Ford designed the aluminum cylinder block with a deep skirt and included a "structural" aluminum oil pan for greater strength. Ford replaced the conventional timing belt with a timing chain for increased durability. The builder coated the pistons to reduce hydrocarbon emissions and anodized the ring grooves to reduce friction. The 2-liter engine was also equipped with a plastic intake manifold that had a tendency to fail in early versions, but structural issues were resolved by the time the 2005 Focus hit the market. The higher compression ratio for the European models accommodated premium fuel requirements.
