Review and photos by
Chris Chase, CanadianDriver.com

The Ford Focus was something of a sensation when it first went on sale here in 1999. Bred in Europe, it was an instant hit for its edgy styling and sharp handling. The same enthusiasts who were so keen on the original were disappointed when a second-generation Focus was launched in Europe in 2004 , but never made it here.

2008 Ford Focus

We wouldn’t get a redesigned Focus until 2008, and even then, the car that arrived was a mostly a cosmetic update, with a revised suspension tuning but using the same platform and powertrains as the car it replaced. Perhaps the worst slap in the face, at least for those who had come to appreciate the Focus for its comprehensive availability of body styles, was the discontinuation of the hatchback and station wagon variants. For 2008, the Focus was offered as a sedan and in a new coupe bodystyle. Blame that decision, as our Buyer’s Guide entry for the 2008 Focus so succinctly puts it, on “the traditional U.S. buyer’s horror of liftgates.” Note that the coupe was discontinued after 2010. (more…)