The 2018 Ford Focus is likely to be one of the UK’s best-selling vehicles when it goes on sale later this year – combining the reputation and practicality of the previous model and a fresh design and technology.
But one feature is more relevant to the UK than most, as the Focus now comes with pothole detection system, which aims to reduce damage from going through them as well as keep maintenance bills down.
So how does this new system work and how will it help you keep your new Focus in top condition?
Potholes are a menace on British roads as they can cripple cars and give drivers severely large repair bills from the damage they cause. Ford’s new pothole detection technology means that the 2018 Focus can protect itself from high level impacts with rough road surfaces and combines adaptive suspension and sensors to ensure the vehicle stays in a good condition.
As the video below explains, the system does require the car to go into a pothole before activating, but when you drive through it, the car’s suspension reacts by limiting how far the wheel drops.
That means when the front wheel comes out the other side, damage is nullified completely and both the wheel and suspension remains in tip-top shape. What the system also does is transmit a signal to the rear suspension so that it knows what is coming and can set itself up accordingly to ensure the ride is unaffected and no damage is caused to the car. All of this happens in a split second.
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Developed on a specially-built road that combines all the elements of poor surfaces, such as potholes and bumps, the system is part of the optional Continuously Controlled Damper technology that checks the status of the vehicle’s suspension, body, steering and braking so that the car’s ride is as smooth as possible.
Guy Mathot, Ford Focus vehicle dynamics supervisor, said: “Our engineers are always searching for the roughest roads to really test our suspension to the limit, but more and more we're noticing that the rough roads are finding us.
“Potholes are a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon, but with our advanced suspension technology for all-new Focus, we've been able to reduce their impact.”
The 2018 Ford Focus is on sale now, with deliveries to start in September, where models can come with the new system to help protect your car from high maintenance bills and uncomfortable rides.
