Ford Focus Active 2019 pricing and specs confirmed

The first ever Ford Focus Active will arrive in showrooms in 2019, giving the blue oval brand a competitor to the Subaru XV in the form of a compact higher-riding hatchback.

The Focus Active will be offered as a sole variant in the 2019 Focus range, slotting in the middle of the range priced at $29,990, plus on-road costs.

There are black wheelarch extensions, and the back set a pair of chrome tailpipes. Standard are 17-inch wheels and halogen headlights, but the Focus Active can be optioned with an appearance pack comprising tinted rear glass, 18-inch alloys and LED headlights with auto high-beam. It costs $1800.

The cabin includes a model-specific trim finish with new materials used, including soft material finishes for the knee pads to stop you getting bruised if things get a bit rough. Other inclusions consist of Active scuff plates and blue stitching on the seats, steering wheel, dashboard and doors. The wheel and shift-knob are leather-trimmed, plus and there are paddle shifters, and dual-zone climate control.

There’s an 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with Ford’s 'Sync 3' interface, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, and built-in sat nav. Wireless phone charging (Qi standard) is fitted, too.

Like the rest of the regular Focus range, it’s powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 134kW of power and 240Nm of torque, and it makes use of an eight-speed automatic transmission. And yes, it’s front-wheel drive - so it’s a competitor to the XV in appearance only.

Fuel consumption is rated at 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres, and the Focus has engine stop/start as standard.

The Focus Active gains a pair of additional drive modes - Slippery (for increased traction on snow and ice) and Trail (for sand and powdery dirt). Other drive modes include Normal, Eco and Sport.

Safety equipment includes auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning, plus there’s a reversing camera fitted as standard. While the Active has not been crash tested, Euro NCAP gave the standard Focus the maximum five-star rating earlier in 2018.

There is an optional safety pack available for the Active model, which consists of adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rear auto braking. That pack adds $1250.

As with the rest of the Ford model range, the Focus is sold with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan and is backed by a lifelong capped-price serving plan.

CarsGuide will be attending the launch of the 2019 Ford Focus hatchback range in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for our review and more information.

Ford Focus 2019 list pricing (plus on-road costs):

Trend, hatch 1.5L auto	$25.990
ST-Line, hatch 1.5L auto	$28,990
Active, hatch 1.5L auto	$29,990
ST-Line, wagon 1.5L auto	$30,990
Titanium, hatch 1.5L auto	$34,490

Would you buy a high-riding hatch? Tell us what you think in the comments below.