By Mike Torpey on 2018-09-06 - Driving Force news editor and responsible for organising our daily output. He was staff motoring editor of the Liverpool Echo for 20 years.
Ford's Focus on
growing families
THERE'S nothing quite like growing at an even faster rate than your favourite customers.
But that's precisely what Ford has done - with expanding families firmly in mind.
Ford's research reveals that the average school-child grows at a rate of six centimetres a year.
And at their peak rate, kids can grow a whopping 16 centimetres in one year - with growth spurts of up to half a centimetre in a single night!
That means some students will be hopping into the family car to return to school some two centimetres taller than when they started their summer break.
In fact one scientific study showed students grow even faster than normal during their summer holidays, because they're less stressed.
Now Ford is heralding extra space in its Focus family car for growing youngsters as they head back to school this autumn, with rear knee-room that's improved by five centimetres compared with the outgoing model.
Passengers in the rear also get an additional six centimetres of shoulder room, and a flatter floor beneath the centre seat makes it more comfortable to sit in - helping reduce squabbles over who goes in the middle.
Ford Focus chief programme engineer Glen Goold said: "We didn't settle for just making the rear of our all-new Focus more spacious - we also wanted it to feel more open and roomy for passengers big and small.
"The side windows now stretch further rearwards so that passengers have an unrestricted view out, and the available panorama roof floods the interior with light for an airy feel."
Ford says that the all-new Focus delivers more space and advanced driving technologies for mid-size family car customers than ever before.
And it introduces features that can help drivers make light work of stop-start traffic, see more clearly when driving in the dark, park simply by holding down a button and avoid accidents.
New FordPass Connect onboard technology even turns the vehicle into a mobile WiFi hotspot with connectivity for up to 10 devices.
The high-spec Focus Titanium, sporty Focus ST-Line and upscale Focus Vignale five-door and wagon models are available to order now, with the all-new Focus Active crossover models arriving later this year.
THE once mighty Ford Focus is on the war path and fighting to win back...
FLASHY new models come and go but that stalwart of the family car scene, the...
THE Ford Focus ST is one of the best hot hatches that money can buy and is a...
Choose from one or more of the options to find the car for you.
Based on your search find the dealership
nearest to you.