2022 Ford Focus spy photos reveal large Tesla-style portrait touchscreen

Ford’s staple small car looks set to gain a new jumbo-sized infotainment screen, shared with its maker’s latest electric vehicles sold overseas.

The facelifted 2022 Ford Focus small car appears set for a major technology upgrade, with new spy photos pointing to the fitment of a supersized infotainment touchscreen inspired by Tesla.

Two updated Focus prototypes were snapped testing by our spy photography partners overnight, a high-spec ‘standard’ Focus and the high-performance ST – but it’s the regular model that’s of most interest, as visible through the front-left side window is a large new freestanding infotainment screen that protrudes from the dashboard.

While the perspective of the image makes it difficult to confirm, it appears the Focus will be the latest Ford model to gain the brand’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system housed within a Tesla-like portrait touchscreen, as employed by the latest Mustang Mach-E electric SUV and F-150 Lightning electric pick-up offered in the US (pictured in the gallery below).

  • Above: 2022 Ford Focus prototype.
  • Above: 2021 Ford Edge (Endura) touchscreen.
  • Above: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E touchscreen.
  • Above: Current Ford Focus interior.

Whether the Focus will feature the full-size 15.5-inch screen seen in the Mach-E, or the smaller (but still portrait-oriented) 12-inch unit in the updated Edge (or Endura) SUV in the US, isn’t clear, though either way expect wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, satellite navigation and digital radio on flagship grades, along with over-the-air updates.

Images of ‘base’ 2022 Focus prototypes on steel wheels show the existing 8.0-inch screen used in the current model – suggesting the supersized 12- or 15.5-inch display will be exclusive to flagship variants in Australia and elsewhere, including the ST.

Aside from the new screen, spy photos reveal the facelifted Focus will benefit from mild exterior changes, with slimmer LED headlights, new LED tail-light signatures, and a new front bumper with a larger upper grille and tweaked lower intakes.

Similar changes are bound for the flagship ST, along with a new ‘Mean Green’ exterior colour debuted on the Puma ST hot SUV, and Pirelli P Zero tyres (replacing Michelins) for the hot hatchback’s 19-inch grey alloy wheels.

Under the bonnet, it’s expected the updated Focus will carry over its predecessor’s engine range with no changes, meaning a 134kW/240Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol three-cylinder in ‘standard’ ST-Line and Active variants in Australia, and a 206kW/420Nm 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder in the ST locally.

An eight-speed automatic transmission should carry over in regular models, with six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic options to continue in the ST.

Ford of Europe has committed to offering a plug-in hybrid or all-electric version of every vehicle it sells by mid-2026, a deadline that conveniently follows after the expected end of the current-generation Focus’s life cycle – suggesting a hybrid or electric option isn’t in the plan for the small car.

However, the availability of 2.5-litre hybrid and plug-in hybrid options on the larger Escape mid-size SUV – which rides on the same ‘C2’ platform as the Focus – could open the door for similar powertrains under the skin of the updated Focus.

Given the light camouflage worn by the prototypes, the 2022 Ford Focus and 2022 Ford Focus ST will likely be unveiled in full within the next six months. Australian launch timing is yet to be confirmed, though a local launch by the end of 2022 is likely.

It remains to be seen whether Australia will continue to receive standard 1.5-litre ST-Line and Active variants of the Focus, or whether it will go ST-only Down Under – as per the latest-generation Fiesta city car – in light of slow sales.

A total of 611 examples of the Focus were recorded as sold from January to July 2021, placing it well behind sales titans including the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Kia Cerato, and a few hundred units behind the similarly-priced Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Scala.

The post 2022 Ford Focus spy photos reveal large Tesla-style portrait touchscreen appeared first on Drive.

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