Ford's new hatch: Getting LA in Focus

David Linklaterflew to the City of Angels to drive Ford's new small car. Photo / Supplied

I went all the way to Los Angeles to drive the new third-generation Ford Focus - at speeds of up to 40km/h.

So I cannot really tell you what the Blue Oval's latest small car will feel like on bumpy back roads when it arrives here in the second half of the year.

I'll blame LA's legendary gridlock.

I cannot blame Ford, which may have chosen to launch the car in one of the busiest cities in the world but also suggested a route that took us out of the Big Smoke and on to some properly twisty territory.

My Kiwi drive partner, our Ford-supplied photographer and me decided to eschew that to seek out some top LA spots for photographic purposes and personal amusement.

Our plan: spend the morning playing tourist, then cut through the city and rejoin the route proper for the afternoon.

What we hadn't counted on was the traffic. It did not deter us from our mission: we ate in fine style at Randy's Donuts, were chased off the boardwalk at Venice Beach (not for cars, apparently) and got lost just off Sunset Strip, ending up in Beverly Hills.

Perfect time to soak up the ambience of the city and this new car.

What's special about the new Focus? Style and quality. The first you can see for yourself; the second you start to appreciate when you're stuck behind the wheel for hours on end.

The cabin picks up many of the cues of the smaller Fiesta: cockpit-inspired architecture and a cellphone-like centre console. It's a bit fussy, but the quality of build and materials is stunning.

Star attraction is the MyFordTouch system, a voice-activated wonderland of audio, navigation and climate-control functions that operates through a high-res, eight-inch touch screen.

Don't get too excited, though: full functionality may be not be available until 2012, after the system has been fine-tuned for the Kiwi accent.

Our car sported the new 2-litre direct-injection petrol engine, with 119kW/198Nm (up 12kW/13Nm on the current mill).

Ford New Zealand is still curiously tight-lipped about local specification, but this will surely be the power plant of choice, supplemented by a diesel (there are 1.6 and 2-litre options available).

It's a good engine - a bit peaky perhaps, with maximum torque not on tap until 4450rpm - and works well with the dual-clutch Powershift six-speed transmission.

The robotised manual delivers on performance and economy, and is very smooth in constant-throttle motoring. There's a hint of shudder during low-speed take-off and it can get confused if you push it hard but, unlike the Fiesta, at least there's a manual-hold mode - albeit an awkward push-button one, mounted on the side of the gear lever. There's also a conventional five-speed manual, but don't expect that to figure in New Zealand.

Even at these speeds, I can tell that the steering/chassis does not have the incisiveness and aggression of the old car, but that's not the point.

Focus has deliberately moved away from that sports-hatch feel to something more, shall we say, premium: rigid body structure, fluid handling, cosseting ride.

Focus is the second model to be developed under the One Ford programme (Fiesta was the first), where the same basic car serves a plethora of markets.

This Focus will be sold in 120 countries, with only minor regional differences in chassis tuning.

For the first time, New Zealand will also get a Focus sedan - more conservative than the hatchback but hardly dull, with crisp Mondeo-inspired looks.

And yes, there will be a hot version to replace the fabulous XR5: but say goodbye to the distinctive Volvo-supplied five-pot engine in favour of a 2-litre turbo four.

Early afternoon, after a cruise through Santa Monica, we head for the hills to really give the Focus a workout. Or not.

After 45 minutes on the same stretch of semi-urban road, then a disastrous missed turn, we simply headed back to the hotel.

That wasn't the original idea. But we've achieved plenty - we have the shots, we've seen the sights and, under such duress, the Focus leaves an impression of latent talent and refinement.

Fast driving? Plenty of time for that.