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The Ford Focus was a head-turner when it was first introduced in 2000. Its styling at the time was fresh and innovative. While Ford designers describe its new look as more refined and grown-up, it continues with the same general theme of sweeping arcs and crisp creases that we've grown accustomed to. It takes a sharp eye to distinguish the subtle changes from the old one to the new one, however.

Designers say they styled the front to have hints of the Ford Five Hundred, the company's upcoming flagship sedan. Its hood and fenders fall away less sharply than the original to make the car look more substantial and to create a better sight line of the edge of the car for easier parking.

The most noticeable change is the larger grille with the diamond pattern ringed in chrome. Other new details include reshaped headlamps with clear lenses and a new fascia that incorporates a wide lower air intake, and new round fog lamps. The sedan has new taillamps and rear bumper fascia. All Ford Focus models have a hood made of harder steel and fascias made of thicker plastics to ward off dents and dings.

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Designers made more changes on the inside than the outside. The Ford Focus retains its roomy interior space for its compact size and high roofline for headroom.

The previous dash consisted of a collection of arcs, a theme that reinforced the exterior design, and an instrument panel covered by an asymmetrically curved and sharply creased bezel. Those shapes are mostly gone in exchange for a more traditional look. The instrument panel was re-styled to be less cluttered. The instrument panel is symmetrical with the driver and passenger areas divided by two rectangular climate control registers, the hazard switch and a shallow center stack for the audio and climate controls.

Four interior colors are offered for the interior. A monochrome charcoal is offered on the ZX4 ST, ZX3, and ZX5. All models but the Ford Focus ZX4 ST also come with a two-tone flint interior. The ZX4 and ZX3 can be ordered with a two-tone pebble interior.

On two-tone models, the lower portions of the instrument panel and door trim panels are finished in a lighter shade for a more open feeling. Cloth and leather upholstery are offered. The ZX4 ST has unique woven fabrics or suede seating surfaces surrounded with leather trim.

A standard floor console houses the shifter, two cupholders, the parking brake, and controls for options such as traction control. An overhead console includes a sunglasses holder and a space for a garage door opener. More storage is provided in the front doors, which also have a molded-in holder for cups and bottles.