The original Focus was agile and fun to drive, but the freshening for 2008 has taken away from that, with handling that is less crisp than before. The seating position is high and commanding, controls are clear and logically placed, and cabin access is easy. The ride is firm yet supple but the car is still noisy. Interior quality is lackluster. The hatchback and a roomy wagon have been dropped, but a coupe version is new. The IIHS frontal-offset-crash result is good. Head-protection air bags are standard, but rear head restraints and optional electronic stability control arrive for 2009. The optional Sync system allows voice control for various radio electronics.