The Ford Focus is being readied for a mid-life facelift to ensure it remains competitive against newer rivals including the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and BMW 1 Series.
A lightly camouflaged prototype has been spotted testing on public roads, previewing the design changes that will take the Focus into 2022.
The most obvious change will be a new-look front end that bucks the industry trend with a smaller grille than that of the current car. The headlights have been slimmed down for a more aggressive look, and bulkier camouflage around the lower half suggests we'll see new foglights and air intake designs as well.
A similar treatment will apply to the rear end, where the current car's brake light clusters will make way for slimmer, more heavily angled units, while the boot lid recess looks to have been raised slightly to bring the numberplate more in line with the rear windscreen.
Red brake calipers and performance-style alloy wheels give this test mule away as an ST-Line car, but the full-fat ST - which sports an exhaust outlet on each side - will benefit from the same tweaks, but probably slightly later given the cars' staggered launches in 2018 and 2019.
No details have emerged yet in terms of tweaks to the Focus's powertrains, but the engine line-up was recently revamped to include a new 1.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol option in two states of tune. That is expected to be carried over along with the sole non-electrified petrol option.
The Focus, unlike its Fiesta sibling, remains available with a choice of EcoBlue diesel powertrains: a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and a larger 2.0-litre unit. The Fiesta supermini recently became petrol-only in the UK, with Ford citing "very, very low" diesel sales, but the relative ongoing popularity of the fuel in the larger family hatchback segment suggests diesel could be retained in at least one form for the updated Focus.
The interior is likely to see only subtle tweaks, given that the current car shares the bulk of its cabin design with the Focus's newer Puma and Kuga stablemates, but enhanced connectivity and driver aids could be ushered in. It is not yet known whether the Focus will benefit from Ford's new strategic partnership with Google, which will see all models use Android-based infotainment systems from 2023 onwards.
