Our Top 5 Ford Focus gadgets
At last car gadgets aren’t just for those lucky enough to have a new S Class. It’s the S Class that is traditionally the place where every new car related technology is spawn. However, times are changing and we can now see high-tech gadgetry found in more everyday cars like the Ford Focus.
In fact, we believe the Ford Focus has pushed the boundaries somewhat. We’ve put together a list of what we think are the five best gadgets you can now find with the Ford Focus.
1. It parks itself!
The only car I knew that could drive itself was the famous Pontiac Trans Am see in the adventure TV series Knight Rider. Even though Glen A Larson’s vision of self driving cars was thought provoking at the time, it seems that this ideology wasn’t too far away. In fact, roll forward thirty years and your Ford Focus can actually park itself! Switch a small button, drive up to a space and it’ll do the rest using its sensors to size up the space. If it thinks it can get in then it’ll do it there and then – excellent!
2. Protect your doors.
They say that the best ideas are always simple ones. This couldn’t be more said for the Focus’s rubber door edge protector. So, how does it work? Let’s say you’re in a tight parking bay and there’s another car jammed right beside you. When you open the door a padded rubber door edge protector pops out. At just 60mm it acts as a cushion between the door’s edge and any other object that might be in the way. How did manufacturers not think of this before!
3. Lane departure warning
The Focus has a clever camera which scans the road ahead as you’re driving. It pays particular attention to the white lines in the road and can therefore detect if you happen to drift over to another lane. If the system finds that you have done this then your steering wheel will vibrate or even readdress the steering completely to bring you back into your lane. Now this is a serious bit of kit and it does cost. In fact it’s part of the Focus’s £1,050 Driver Assistance Pack so it’s not cheap and doesn’t come as standard. However, we feel it’s well worth adding if you have the budget.
4. Road sign recognition.
Ford like to call this gadget their “Traffic Sign Recognition System”. It’s basically a system which uses a forward facing camera that’s mounted just behind the rear-view mirror. The camera will actually look for oncoming road signs and then display them to you on a colour screen inside the car. For example, if your currently travelling 30mph in a 20mph zone then the camera could spot a 20mph sign and alert you about it. We think this is one of the most invaluable features as even the most experienced drivers can miss important signs.
5. Torque vectoring
Ok, what on earth is “torque”, what is “vectoring” and what do both of them mean when you put the words together? Good question! Ok, torque vectoring systems are used to divide the power between the two driven wheels to help maximise traction and therefore increase performance. The Focus can manipulate the output to each wheel through a set of electronically controlled gears. What this does is allow more power to be sent to the outside wheel and therefore help rotate the vehicle through a bends or corners. What this results in is a far superior driving experience.
There you have it, our five top Ford Focus gadgets. There’s considerable more gadgets loaded into the Ford Focus including Low Speed Safety System which helps you to avoid crashing in town and Driver Alert which tells you whether you should stop for a break! However, our top 5 picks are the ones we feel really stand out and will make your overall driving experience a much better one. Click here to check out our range of Ford Focus cars.
