Bells and whistles: 2015 Ford Focus crammed with tech

While Ford's been busy learning that email is a thing, the motoring behemoth hasn't forgotten to give one of its most popular models a facelift.

Ford's new Focus made its Asia-Pacific debut in Melbourne this week, and its launch in 2015 will see the Australian debut of Ford's EcoBoost technology.

EcoBoost is designed to increase economy and see an approximate 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, but it has remained absent from Ford's range in Australia, despite being around since 2012.

You talkin' to me?

The new Focus will change that, and will also boast the next generation of Ford's SYNC voice control system, imaginatively named SYNC2.

This system gives the driver voice control of audio, navigation, mobile phones, and in-car temperature, although a slight turn of the temperature dial seems like an easier option to us than all of that button-holdin', voice-commandin' malarky. Still, SYNC2's new eight-inch colour touch screen is a nice addition.

The new Focus also ups the ante with an upgrade to its hands-free parking tech on higher series models. The new tech adds a pair of sensors to the rear of the car enabling perpendicular parking in addition to the regular parallel offering.

Judgement Day

If we're not careful, parking will become a lost skill left to the machines, and anyone who's seen a Terminator film will know where that road leads us.

Ford is also refreshing its MyKey technology for the 2015 Focus. The next generation of road users will be horrified to learn their Focus-purchasing parents can program a key that restricts top speed, reduces the maximum volume of the audio system, and can disable the system altogether when seat belts are not being worn.

And kids probably will want to drive it. There's no denying the visual appeal of the new Focus, with its Aston Martin-esque grill adding to its sporty flair.