2012 Ford Focus

[BORG]

The new 2012 Focus looks absolutely stellar, I've been playing with the builds on the Ford website and I'm pretty excited to see more of it (hoping to get one in the immediate family next year to play with). However, there is one detail which really frustrates me. From what I can see, the projector headlamps are not available on the US model? I'm a huge advocate for projector style headlamps and think it's a critical safety feature to have, so I'm extremely annoyed to learn that the Focus appears not to offer something that is available globally and STANDARD on the Fusion!

 

What gives Ford?! I mean if the side-view mirror turn lamps are optional "features", why not these?

[MKII]

The new 2012 Focus looks absolutely stellar, I've been playing with the builds on the Ford website and I'm pretty excited to see more of it (hoping to get one in the immediate family next year to play with). However, there is one detail which really frustrates me. From what I can see, the projector headlamps are not available on the US model? I'm a huge advocate for projector style headlamps and think it's a critical safety feature to have, so I'm extremely annoyed to learn that the Focus appears not to offer something that is available globally and STANDARD on the Fusion!

 

What gives Ford?! I mean if the side-view mirror turn lamps are optional "features", why not these?

 

Agree Borg, Ford N.A. has made some odd decisions on the new Focus for your market. The new Focus has so much potential to draw conquest sales from higher end customers. But with some odd decisions to omit and cut corners here and there my feeling is they blew the opportunity.

 

This past year has shown that consumers are willing to pay the price for the top end features whether it is the Fiesta or Taurus. Seems obvious to me that USA customers perceptions of Ford cars has changed from being the choice based on lowest price.

 

Ford N.A. has not been brave enough to go full tilt with this new Focus IMO and that Hyundai will show them up with the very well equipped new Elantra.

[Noah Harbinger]

From what I can see, the projector headlamps are not available on the US model? I'm a huge advocate for projector style headlamps and think it's a critical safety feature to have

 

Frankly I think they're a menace. They may provide a safety advantage to an individual driver, but if everyone had projector headlights, I speculate that there would be far more crashes due to headlight blindings than they prevent from improved road visibility. I shudder to think how horrible night driving would be if every single car driving the other direction was flashing me with blinding light with every bump and dip in the road.

[BORG]

Frankly I think they're a menace. They may provide a safety advantage to an individual driver, but if everyone had projector headlights, I speculate that there would be far more crashes due to headlight blindings than they prevent from improved road visibility. I shudder to think how horrible night driving would be if every single car driving the other direction was flashing me with blinding light with every bump and dip in the road.

 

Actually it has been proven that projectors scatter far less light before hitting the target so they are less likely to blind oncoming drivers.

[Noah Harbinger]

Actually it has been proven that projectors scatter far less light before hitting the target so they are less likely to blind oncoming drivers.

 

I don't need a study to tell me which lights are blinding me on the road. Nevertheless, I'd be interested in reading it, how they define scatter, and what conditions they compare. Got a link?

 

Before reading it, I am going to predict that their assumptions are only valid on stationary vehicles.

[Moosetang]

Projectors may scatter less, but that's assuming correctly calibrated lights on two similarly-sized vehicles. As someone who drives something low to the ground, I can testify that Projectors are a massive headache at night. Between Pickups, Tall S/CUVs, and idiots with cockeyed lights, I've pulled into my garage seeing green spots in front of my eyes more than once.

 

Ford has alluded to trouble making the Projector+LED package popular around the world work affordably in the US, so I'm not going to ding them much for deciding to do without.

[silvrsvt]

Frankly I think they're a menace. They may provide a safety advantage to an individual driver, but if everyone had projector headlights, I speculate that there would be far more crashes due to headlight blindings than they prevent from improved road visibility. I shudder to think how horrible night driving would be if every single car driving the other direction was flashing me with blinding light with every bump and dip in the road.

 

People are idiots...I can't tell you how many times I get flashed with highbeams when I run my regular lights with my fog lights on my Mustang...its annoying so I give them the highbeams back showing them what they really look like.

[rmc523]

People are idiots...I can't tell you how many times I get flashed with highbeams when I run my regular lights with my fog lights on my Mustang...its annoying so I give them the highbeams back showing them what they really look like.

 

 

 

I've never had anyone flash highbeams at me.

[2b2]

...some odd decisions to omit and cut corners here and there my feeling is they blew the opportunity.

This past year has shown that consumers are willing to pay the price for the top end features...

some kinda 'sideways' comments:

- I'm not crazy about the Focus's HLs - too busy!! - & tho Not as bad some cars, still bigger than needed

- imho Ford may be holding back some plug-in upgrades (to reduce sticker shock?)

- Ford said they're going to provide a Lot more dealer/post-sale customization items

- I'm really hoping they'll use a single super-harness for all trims' electrical so gadget upgrades are a trip to dealer (or internet) away

 

- could also make very quick mini-MCEs (2 yr - every year? ) do-able

Edited December 4, 2010 by 2b2

[jasonj80]

I also found it odd that HID's with the LED DRL's were not offered on the U.S. Focus. With who the car is marketed at it would have been a popular option. 20 somethings like the them because they look cool - and seniors like them because you can see so much better at night driving with them. It is the one of the few things I think Ford missed on 2012 Focus. The others being a Heated Wheel (if you get heated seats), and powerfolding mirrors if you get the autopark system.

[blazerdude20]

Projectors may scatter less, but that's assuming correctly calibrated lights on two similarly-sized vehicles. As someone who drives something low to the ground, I can testify that Projectors are a massive headache at night. Between Pickups, Tall S/CUVs, and idiots with cockeyed lights, I've pulled into my garage seeing green spots in front of my eyes more than once.

 

Ford has alluded to trouble making the Projector+LED package popular around the world work affordably in the US, so I'm not going to ding them much for deciding to do without.

 

projectors do that to you or hids?

 

honest question since a lot of people confuse the 2

[RichardJensen]

I also found it odd that HID's with the LED DRL's were not offered on the U.S. Focus. With who the car is marketed at it would have been a popular option. 20 somethings like the them because they look cool - and seniors like them because you can see so much better at night driving with them. It is the one of the few things I think Ford missed on 2012 Focus. The others being a Heated Wheel (if you get heated seats), and powerfolding mirrors if you get the autopark system.

Pretty sure they had a form with something like, "Would you pay $800 for HIDs with LED DRLs?" and not enough people said yes.

[2b2]

Pretty sure they had a form with something like, "Would you pay $800 for HIDs with LED DRLs?" and not enough people said yes.

yeahBut yeahBut

was the question before that:

"Do you know what HID's and LED DRL's are?

(if 'NO', please skip the next question)

 

"Hey Honey, what's a H. I. D.?"

"They musta mispelled it - should be *lid*."

"I ain't gonna spend 800 bucks on a Lid no matter what LTD DRL's are..."

[Moosetang]

projectors do that to you or hids?

 

honest question since a lot of people confuse the 2

Xenon HIDs (projector or no) are actually better, their bluer light isn't so harsh (at least to me). Halogen projectors, though, are a pain. Bring on LED technology, I say.

[mrbowler92]

i live by MAS.. i see that the outside is almost done with updates...but when does production begin for sales? i know they have ran pre-production for a few weeks now....?

[Harley Lover]

The new 2012 Focus looks absolutely stellar, I've been playing with the builds on the Ford website and I'm pretty excited to see more of it (hoping to get one in the immediate family next year to play with). However, there is one detail which really frustrates me. From what I can see, the projector headlamps are not available on the US model? I'm a huge advocate for projector style headlamps and think it's a critical safety feature to have, so I'm extremely annoyed to learn that the Focus appears not to offer something that is available globally and STANDARD on the Fusion!

 

What gives Ford?! I mean if the side-view mirror turn lamps are optional "features", why not these?

Borg, I agree with you. I owned my first car with HID's in 2004 (JCW MINI), and I'll never buy another vehicle without them. They are a difference maker in night time driving.

[Maislebandit]

i live by MAS.. i see that the outside is almost done with updates...but when does production begin for sales? i know they have ran pre-production for a few weeks now....?

 

Right after the Christmas shut down.

[mrbowler92]

Right after the Christmas shut down.

When is Christmas shutdown

[Deanh]

Pretty sure they had a form with something like, "Would you pay $800 for HIDs with LED DRLs?" and not enough people said yes.

exactly, same gos for the Fiesta...other adds took priority, and even then people are bitching about MSRPS as they sit...expect aftermarket, Steeda had a bitchin set of headlamps for their SEMA Fiesta ...and they also had a line of LEDS ala AUDI..............keepng MSRPS in line is a compromise...

Edited December 5, 2010 by Deanh

[aneekr]

The new 2012 Focus looks absolutely stellar, I've been playing with the builds on the Ford website and I'm pretty excited to see more of it (hoping to get one in the immediate family next year to play with). However, there is one detail which really frustrates me. From what I can see, the projector headlamps are not available on the US model? I'm a huge advocate for projector style headlamps and think it's a critical safety feature to have, so I'm extremely annoyed to learn that the Focus appears not to offer something that is available globally and STANDARD on the Fusion!

 

What gives Ford?! I mean if the side-view mirror turn lamps are optional "features", why not these?

Projector (ellipsoidal) headlamps are not necessarily better than those using reflector (free-form) designs in terms of illumination. While projector systems are slightly more efficient, there are many elements related to the optics of both designs that determine the intensity, pattern uniformity, distance, etc, of a headlamp's output.

 

My experience with recent U.S. Ford vehicles equipped with halogen incandescent headlamps is that they provide consistently good performance regardless of whether they're based on reflector or projector optics. I do prefer the smoother cutoff at the top of the beam with most of Ford's reflector headlamp designs; if there's one thing that I don't like about most projector designs (including that in my 2010 Fusion), it's that the sharp cutoff can be somewhat disconcerting in certain conditions, such as when driving in areas with frequent elevation changes.

 

Someone accustomed to driving in the EU, where ECE regulations specify a sharp upper cutoff, would probably not find issue with that. Also, aren't the projector headlamp lenses offered on the EU Mk 3 Focus only available in conjunction with HID lighting? Maybe this factored into Ford's decision. :shrug:

[Biker16]

Borg, I agree with you. I owned my first car with HID's in 2004 (JCW MINI), and I'll never buy another vehicle without them. They are a difference maker in night time driving.

 

Halogen lights have come along way, they like most things keeps getting better and better.

 

I think you would be surprised at the performance of the headlamps on some new cars vs HIDs only 4-5 year ago.

 

they the cool factor is the primary reason people complain about the lack of HIDs on the Focus.

 

Would you remove the dual climate controls to have the HID option on the New focus?

 

trust me that the HID will be available for aftermarket install.

 

welcome to land of the 2000-2004 focus when every part available on the EU car can be had for the US model.

[blazerdude20]

Halogen lights have come along way, they like most things keeps getting better and better.

 

I think you would be surprised at the performance of the headlamps on some new cars vs HIDs only 4-5 year ago.

 

they the cool factor is the primary reason people complain about the lack of HIDs on the Focus.

 

Would you remove the dual climate controls to have the HID option on the New focus?

 

trust me that the HID will be available for aftermarket install.

 

welcome to land of the 2000-2004 focus when every part available on the EU car can be had for the US model.

 

 

no question YES!!! dual climate is worthless. i have it in my accord and really makes no difference in a sedan, everything is so close that the temps mix anyhow.

 

 

the hids are not quite an issue for me, i can buy those for about $50. the projectors are what i really want. ever try and price out a retrofit? even doing it yourself is going to cost upwards of $500.

[MKII]

exactly, same gos for the Fiesta...other adds took priority, and even then people are bitching about MSRPS as they sit...expect aftermarket, Steeda had a bitchin set of headlamps for their SEMA Fiesta ...and they also had a line of LEDS ala AUDI..............keepng MSRPS in line is a compromise...

 

But why not offered as an option. Choice is good no? On a car that has very unique features offered like Park Assist, MyFord Touch, HD radio and other high end items, one could presume the possibility of the type of customer (an MKX owner like Borg for example) this car will attract just might have the extra coin to splurge on highend headlamps. It;s not like the parts are not already in the Focus global parts bin.

Current Euro Focus comes standard with halogen-based headlamp system, with 2 additional options, Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS)automatically changes the direction of the car's halogen light beams as you turn the steering or HID Bi-Xenon headlights with automatic height adjustment. These options are available on any trim level.

Edited December 5, 2010 by MKII

[RichardJensen]

But why not offered as an option.

Because it wouldn't pay.

 

The headlights would have to be specially configured for US specs, and certain minimum orders would have to be guaranteed.

 

Trust me, if Ford could turn a profit on it, they'd be doing it.

[Deanh]

But why not offered as an option. Choice is good no? On a car that has very unique features offered like Park Assist, MyFord Touch, HD radio and other high end items, one could presume the possibility of the type of customer (an MKX owner like Borg for example) this car will attract just might have the extra coin to splurge on highend headlamps. It;s not like the parts are not already in the Focus global parts bin.

Current Euro Focus comes standard with halogen-based headlamp system, with 2 additional options, Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS)automatically changes the direction of the car's halogen light beams as you turn the steering or HID Bi-Xenon headlights with automatic height adjustment. These options are available on any trim level.

dont agree, dealer installed or aftermarket is fine for me, and its one less option on an already over the top ordering guide...slap an $800 set of lights on a vehicle as an option just lays groundwork for someone to say no...now if its avail to EVERYONE after market, thats two birds with one stone....

Edited December 6, 2010 by Deanh