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2002 Ford Focus ZX3
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| Edgy, bold and easy-to-use |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 21:59:58 |
| Rating |
 7530 ( 132 +1.75% ) | | Author | Brian Chee |
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Description:
2002 Ford ZX3
Edgy, bold and easy-to-use
Writer's Notes
New for 2002
Ford has added to the Focus family with a high-performance Focus SVT and a ZX5 sedan. Existing models get upgrades in convenience items and safety equipment, including an optional power moonroof, 6-Disc in-dash CD changer, improved cupholders and new colors. Added safety equipment includes:
Electronic crash severity sensor
Personal Safety System restraint control module
Dual-stage driver and right front passenger airbags
Dual-threshold driver and right front passenger airbags
Driver's seat position sensor
Front outboard safety belt energy management retractors
Front outboard safety belt pretensioners
Front outboard safety belt usage sensors
To take the stick out of the ZX3 is to remove some of the driving joy. And talk about joy ---- the just-released Focus SVT generates 170 horsepower.
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It is as bright as a first-grader's yellow crayon, as edgy as a teenager drinking triple-latte over the well-worn pages of a chemistry textbook. The 2002 Ford Focus ZX3 says something, to be sure. Be bold. Be refreshing. Be young. If you can't hear it, well, you may be just too darn old.
Pity for you, then, because the ZX3 is an enthusiastic car, no matter what the driver's age. It's got looks, room, and even the 130 horsepower version is fun to drive. Ford designers have injected a European heritage into the construction of the ZX3 --- perhaps a bit risky here in the land of Road Hogs, but a welcome change.
Driving and Safety
Call this little car Pierre McDougal to honor the Euros, and be sure to wave as you weave around the housewives lumbering along in their fat tanks. The ZX3 handles the road adeptly, gets off the line quickly and has enough oompapa to make passing a treat. Driving the ZX3 may not be an experience in Bigness, but it is bold and zippy. The 2.0-liter DOHC Zetec inline four-cylinder engine delivers 130 horsepower and 135 foot-pounds of torque, and is coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. A 4-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive transaxle is also available, but really --- the ZX3 was built with stick and clutch in mind. With a manual, the driving experience is peppy and smooth. The clutch is easy to manipulate, and the shifter slots into gear easily. For drivers just learning to use a manual transmission, the ZX3 is a forgiving tutor. To take the stick out of the ZX3 is to remove some of the driving joy. And talk about joy ---- the just-released Focus SVT generates 170 horsepower.
With that kind of power in a small car, safety becomes even more crucial, especially considering the drivers who will be handling a majority of the ZX3s on the road --- souped up or not. Ford has updated new safety features with the 2002 model. Included in the new features are electronic crash severity sensors, dual-stage driver and right front passenger airbags, dual-threshold driver and right front passenger airbags, driver's seat position sensor and front outboard safety belt energy management retractors. Head and chest side-impact airbags are optional. Also optional is the AdvanceTracâ„¢ vehicle system, available on all Focus models. This system uses electronic sensors and computerized control of the vehicle's brakes to help maintain handling when you are in danger of losing control. According to Ford, Specific body structure areas are designed to absorb and spread impact energy.
All necessary stuff, to be sure. And on paper it looks impressive. In the real world, however, accidents most often happen because of driver error or carelessness --- especially when young drivers are involved. So while it's important to have safety stuff that will save lives, it's critical that the car be agile enough to avoid accidents. That's not a problem for the ZX3. Part of the ZX3 joy is in the cornering---for a tall hatchback, the ZX3 handles the road like a skateboarder flying around the side of a pool. According to Ford, that's due to something called a Control Blade multi-link independent rear suspension. This Control Blade system resists braking torque and reduces rear-end lift under braking, allowing enough give to absorb road edges. Lateral control arms ensure precise, predictable steering. The ZX3 also has a MacPherson front suspension and a unibody frame, both of which help control the car's body movement during sharp maneuvers and hard corners.
Coming out of that hard corner and stomping on the brakes, the ZX3 will most likely stop without much body quaking or jerking. Braking is adequate --- a hard stop doesn't throw the car around or pull it in one direction.
The thing about the ZX3 is that it makes other people stop. And loooook. The design starts with unique cat-eye headlamps set alongside a narrowing grille.
Looks
The thing about the ZX3 is that it makes other people stop. And loooook. The design starts with unique cat-eye headlamps set alongside a narrowing grille. From there it swoops to the back, where the look is signed off with an over-sized bank of taillights. Ford designers did a good job of integrating the increased tail light section into the modern look of the design; other design highlights include thick pillars, and the amount of glass along the side of the car. The look is daring, and comes off best in bright colors --- muted earth tones on a ZX3 is like dressing a clown in brown and beige; the two just don't go together. This is a car that needs to be noticed. While it's true that some will look at the ZX3 and think it resembles an irritated beetle, they are probably the people driving around in late model Cavaliers and Pintos. Like it or not, the ZX3 is a refreshing change from the smoothed edges of most cars. There is attitude in the look, a stance and personality sadly lacking in many of today's entry cars.
Comfort and Convenience
As much as the ZX3 is fun and spirited, its sitting experience is pleasant, functional, and unspectacular. For a small car, you can really stretch out in the ZX3. There's an intriguing design going on here: the ZX3 is built up, as opposed to out, and that provides for greater interior space, more efficient cargo room and taller, more comfortable seats. Just about all aspects of the ZX3 interior benefits from the high roofline. It makes the interior of this small-car feel much more spacious than competing cars in the class. Tall seats help ride and reduce fatigue on long drives. There's more headroom so no feeling of claustrophobia, and visibility is improved. The back seat is a little pinched --- you can put a car seat in the back of the ZX3, but it's tight and retrieving the child is a back-breaker. Of course, Moms and Dads are not in the ZX3 market. The newly introduced ZX5 sedan would be a more appropriate family-hauler, and it shares much of what makes the ZX3 a worthwhile purchase. As a youth-oriented entry car, there aren't many luxury interior items inside the ZX3 --- kids under 25 normally don't need power lumbar and heated fanny boosters. Seat adjustments are manual, and the controls are easy to use and see --- in fitting with its youth styling, the theme is edgy, bold and easy-to-use.
That's the ZX3 --- edgy, bold and easy-to-use. By building up, adding taller seats and improving the vital components such as the engine and suspension, Ford has created a solid small entry-level car that should meet the needs of its core market.
--Story by Brian Chee |
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