Where many competitors in the compact class, or small family car (European) class, used the less expensive non-independent twist beam suspension,
Control Blade offered enhanced
elasto-kinematic performance, i.e., strong body control, sharp and accurate steering regardless of the car's attitude, and an absorbent and quiet ride over bumps.
Unlike conventional multi-link suspension,
Control Blade features a wide, simple, uniform thickness, pressed steel trailing arm with hub carrier – taking the place of two longitudinal locating rods, eliminating an expensive cast knuckle, and offering the same level of body control – with a lower center of gravity, reduced road noise, and at lower production cost. The long rear lateral arm controls toe, a pair of shorter front lateral arms, vertically above each other, control the camber, and the
Control Blade reacts to brake and traction loads.
In testing the suspension in 2000,
Motor Trend writer Jack Keebler noted "The Focus' average speed of 62.6 mph through our slalom makes it faster around the cones than a $62,000 Jaguar XJ8L and a $300,000 Bentley Continental. The impression is of having plenty of wheel travel for gobbling the larger stuff and big-car, full-frame isolation when encountering expansion joints and smaller road imperfections."
[9]
Following the 1998 introduction of
Control Blade suspension and popularization by the Focus, other manufacturers (e.g., Volkswagen with the
Golf V) began offering multi-link design rear suspensions in the compact class, or small family car (European) class.
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