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Hatchbacks Ford Focus Ford Focus Sedan
1997 messages, Last post on Aug 02, 2009 at 5:57 PM
You are in the Ford Focus Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: scape2 (Aug 04, 2008 5:08 pm) Why don't you guys swap the cars for a few minutes & show the Civic owner how "limo-like" a compact Focus SE glides over bumps, although it is the Focus SES's suspension that has a more balanced set up w/ less body roll. & I doubt the Civic's steering feel can match the '07 Focus' European-design system. With powerplant developed by Mazda, there's no doubt that your Focus will last long enough to see his high-resale Civic worth "only" $2000. Even if your Focus will worth almost nothing by then, he will still never get his $2600 back 
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| Yeah and don't forget that you WON"T have to pay for a timing belt anytime either. | |
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Replying to: jacksoncat (Dec 01, 2007 5:06 pm) |
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has been a great car. Very overlooked on purpose in my opinion by the media. Civic has an image advantage over the Focus. When people are educated and actually drive a Focus they can see they get a great little car for a very fair price. They don't have to pay the extra $$ for image. Took my daughters Focus on a 300mile trip and at speeds of 70mph we averaged 38MPG! with the AC on at that! 
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"Have the dealer install a rear shim kit. I went through 3 sets of tires by 45000, had the kit installed no more trouble. Currently have 73500 mi on car with the tires I put on at 45000 with lots of life left on the tires. Good Luck. Worked for me. " Greetings. What kind of Focus do you have? |
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So one of my front coil springs snapped a few weeks ago and I had both replaced under Ford extended warranty program for these. THEN, next day, Rear LH coil spring snaps. Has anyone had this problem; assume Ford will not cover since their letter pretty specific to front. Just seems like quite the coincidence? |
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Will two car seats fit well in the backseat of the ZX4? Currently I am driving a Chevy Malibu, so Im a bit concerned about transitioning from mid-sized to compact. Thanks
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Replying to: andersonnc (Oct 27, 2008 7:23 pm) I'm pretty sure a rear facing infant seat won't work well in the ZX4, I know it didn't work for us with a Neon unless we pushed my wife's seat too far forward for comfort and made it max upright (I couldn't drive with the seat behind me or in the middle). We traded in the Neon on the much roomier, in the back seat, PT Cruiser, and later a Dodge Caliber and Nissan Versa also worked, but now that both kids are in forward facing seats, I got a Focus and it works fine too. The Focus definitely doesn't have a much "behind front seat" room as the Caliber, PT Cruiser, and Versa, but those three are the exceptions to the "not much rear seat room in small cars" rule. All the small cars are ok for kids up to 10 or 11, but adults aren't very happy back there, at least American size adults. |
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http://www.freep.com/article/20081123/BUSINESS01/811230406/1014/BUSINESS01 For much of the year, the Ford Focus compact car, which averages 27 miles per gallon and comes with optional cutting-edge Sync telecommunications and entertainment technology, climbed the sales charts. So far this year, the vehicle built in Wayne is up 20.5%. |
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Sometimes a lot of small changes can accumulate to make what drives like a whole new vehicle. I have owned 5-6 (I'm too lazy to rummage through my folders to count) Focii since 2000, and the 2009 is definitely the best yet. Some reviewers complain about Ford's decision not to use the same "platform" for this car in both Europe and the US, but I think Ford's decision to focus on incremental improvements instead of introducing a completely new design with "bugs" was a wise one. They have squashed all the bugs from that first year while making year after year of subtle and not so subtle changes. First, the quiet, ride, and handling are what you'd expect from Honda, if they built this car, which is a little larger than the Civic but a lot smaller than the Accord. It is an order of magnitude quieter than the 2009 Cobalt I bought two months ago (and that is a quiet car, in absolute terms) and a LOT quieter than either the 2008 Honda Fit or 2008 Nissan Versa that were my trades. The engine isn't as strong as in the Cobalt, but it is VERY smooth (part of the NVH - noise vibration harshness upgrades) and rev's very willingly. Driven at lighter throttles, it is actually more pleasant to drive than the slightly gruffer Cobalt. At almost full throttles, the Cobalt really moves out, the Focus is strong but not as dramatic. Handling and ride are MUCH better than on the Cobalt - which in turn was MUCH better than the Fit or Versa. In a nut shell, I'd say the Focus handles like a driver's car, rides like a riders car. The Cobalt is more of a riders car, but very competent when pushed. The Focus feels 1 size larger than the Cobalt. I know on paper many measurements are similar, but the Focus feels closer to midsize (except for rear seat legroom, which is sacrificed in trade for an enormous trunk). The Cobalt feels closer to compact. The Versa had the most spacious feeling cabin, and both the Versa and Fit had much more usable rear seat space for adults. The Versa "floated" like a French car (bobbled a bit) but gripped the road well. The Fit handled like a go-kart, but felt vulnerably tiny. For enthusiasts, I highly recommend the Focus or Fit - both drive well. The Focus is more comfortable and much quieter than the Fit. The Fit has "mini-station wagon" abilities. Overall I'm happier to be in the Focus that the Fit, which felt a little squirrely and was a little too noisy for very long interstate drives (I did drive it from SF to LA once). If I had my latest round of purchases to do over...I wouldn't change my choices. I think the Cobalt is a better choice for an automatic - the extra horsepower in the Cobalt makes up for the slush box. For a stick shift I'm glad I went to the Focus instead of buying another Cobalt - yes the Cobalt with a stick shift would have been an acceleration monster, but I like the better steering feel from the conventional hydraulic power steering on the Focus, and the better handling feel from the fully independent rear suspension. BTW, for enthusiasts, the Focus coupe has 3 extra horsepower (possibly with increased noise due to a less restrictive muffler setup), 1" or 2" larger wheels and wider tires, and a slightly stiffer suspension. Of course you lose the practicality of four doors. If you want slightly better handling in the 4 door than I am getting in the SE edition, if you pop the luxo bucks and get the SES you get a rear sway bar - although Ford has tuned the '09 without a rear sway bar to handle as well as my old ZX3's with a rear sway bar. Also Steeda offers a rear sway bar kit with all the parts you need to mount it for a nominal $160 or so. |
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