We recently reported that Ford Philippines has registered the Focus trademark. If the American carmaker brings back its compact model to the country, we guess it would be sourced from China.
In light of these developments, we’ve now gone ahead and started comparing Ford’s sedan with its would-be competitors. We’re starting with this size comparo, where we’ll be pitting the sporty high-spec Focus ST-Line sedan against the MG GT Sport. It’s Ford vs MG—the compact sedan edition.
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The Focus measures 4,672mm long, 1,824mm wide, and 1,460mm tall, this makes it 3mm shorter, 18mm narrower, and 20mm lower than the GT. The compact Ford rides on a long 2,705mm wheelbase, 25mm more between the axles than its MG counterpart. The Focus has a 1,572mm front track and a 1,548mm rear track, this makes it 13mm greater up front and 15mm less at the rear.
While the compact Ford sedan might have slightly smaller exterior dimensions than the MG, its massive 511-liter trunk volume is 110 liters greater than the GT’s. Part of the compact Ford’s cargo-carrying advantage might be due to its more squarish trunk design. The Focus ST-Line rides on big 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 235/40 R18 tires with a diameter of 25.4 inches, this is 0.1 inch less than the diameter of the GT Sport’s 215/50 R17 rubber.
Here’s a quick refresher on these two compact sedans: Last year, Ford launched what it calls the “all-new” Focus in China, but it’s more of a major refresh and yes, it’s still related to its European Mk4 sibling. In China, it’s offered in two body styles—a four-door sedan, and a five-door hatchback. All Focus variants get a 1.5-liter EcoBoost mill which puts out 174hp and 243Nm of torque, 270Nm in ‘Overboost’ mode.
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The new MG GT is the second-gen version of SAIC’s sporty compact sedan. The Sport variant is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged unit which produces 159hp and 250Nm of torque. MG also offers an Alpha variant with a naturally aspirated 112hp 1.5-liter engine.
Both compact sedans feature the typical transverse engine, front-wheel-drive layout. While both have independent MacPherson strut suspension up front, the Focus gets an independent multi-link setup at the rear. The MG GT makes do with a rear torsion beam rear suspension. Both sporty sedans come standard with disc brakes on all corners. In China, the Focus ST-Line Sedan is priced between the Trend and Titanium variants of the previous-gen Territory. The MG GT Sport meanwhile is currently priced locally at P1,193,888.
If Ford Philippines decides to bring in the new Focus, would you consider it over the MG GT? Let us know in the comments.
