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"         The facelift and equipment changes on the 2005 Focus are good and bad news for fans of Ford&amp;#039;s entry-level model. Good news for base car buyers, who end up with a car that has a more upscale feel to both the interior and exterior and a stronger engine. Bad news for enthusiasts, who will see the 170-bhp SVT Focus 3-door disappear. In its place is a new ST model, which gives away nearly 20 bhp and gains two extra doors.   The demise of the SVT model is due to a change in engines and assembly plants. The 2.0-liter Zetec will soon be history, replaced by the new 2.0- and 2.3-liter 4-cylinder Duratec powerplants developed by Mazda. All hatchbacks were built in Hermosillo, Mexico, and that facility is being cleared out to make way for Ford&amp;#039;s new variant of the Mazda6 sedan.   So the demise of the Zetec engine and the additional complexity of adding an SVT model at the Wayne, Michigan, factory spelled curtains for the sporty hatchback. Ford will still produce the car as 3- and 5-door hatchbacks, a 4-door sedan and a wagon.   The use of the Duratec engines means more muscle for entry-level Focus models, which will now boast 136 bhp and 132 lb.-ft. of torque, up from the base SPI 2.0-liter&amp;#039;s 110 bhp and the Zetec&amp;#039;s 130 bhp. The optional 2.3-liter Duratec, which is standard in the ST, makes 151 bhp and 154 lb.-ft. of torque.   The Focus ST is a handsome sedan. The facelift offers a slightly larger grille with a mesh texture, bigger headlamps and recontoured fenders with crisper character lines running through the front fascia, all of which give the car a more muscular look.   Of particular interest is the upgraded interior, which has a new dash and is fitted with higher-quality plastics and graining. The instruments have an aluminum satin-finish surround. There are also aluminum accents on the shifter and pedals.   And the thicker steering wheel is highlighted with red stitching. Although not as aggressively bolstered as the SVT Focus seats, the ST model&amp;#039;s front buckets have the additional support you&amp;#039;d expect in a sportier model.   The Focus ST takes advantage of some SVT suspension components such as struts and shocks and 21-mm front and 20-mm rear anti-roll bars to give the car a tauter ride. In addition to upgrading the brakes to 4-wheel discs (lesser models still have rear drums), the ST rides on 16-in. wheels shod with Pirelli P205/50R-16 tires.   The only transmission available on the Focus ST is a 5-speed manual (instead of the 6-speed of the SVT model). It has relatively short throws and is precise, although the clutch take-up is a bit light and takes a few starts to get into the proper sync. The steering is nicely weighted, has great on-center feel and a crisp response at turn-in. Ford&amp;#039;s independent suspension, with its rear control-blade multilink setup, remains one of the best in class. The car is nimble, exhibits little in the way of body lean and yet has enough give for a comfortable ride.   The 2.3-liter engine spools up quickly and delivers good torque at relatively low rpm, yet the car doesn&amp;#039;t have the same snap as the more powerful and higher-strung SVT model. In everyday driving, the ST comes across as competent. You just have to dig a little harder to find its fun-to-drive side.   It&amp;#039;s a shame that Ford has walked away from the hot hatch market for the time being. The Focus ST doesn&amp;#039;t quite fill the SVT&amp;#039;s shoes, but priced at $18,345, it&amp;#039;s an affordable and user-friendly package. In Ford&amp;#039;s estimation, maybe we all have to grow up sometime. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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