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2012 Ford Focus

1316 messages,  Last post on Feb 25, 2013 at 4:53 AM

You are in the Ford Focus Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Focus, Ford, Car Buying, Future Vehicle, Coupe, Hatchback, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 111 of 132

#1100 of 1316 Re: 2012 Ford Focus SEL Hatchback [smarkway] by kam327

Feb 01, 2012 (5:19 pm)

Replying to: smarkway (Feb 01, 2012 2:47 pm)
“The acceleration is what you would expect from a computer controlled 6 speed that is programed for good miliage.”
 
Consumer Reports testing shows that the Focus has the best acceleration of any of its automatic-equipped direct mainstream competition (Cruze, Elantra, Jetta, Corolla, Civic, Mazda3), beating most by a half second or more. It also holds its own on fuel economy with 28 mpg overall, beaten slightly by the Elantra (29), Civic (30) and more significantly by the Corolla (32). But everyone seems to agree the Corolla is about as enjoyable to drive as an ice cream truck.
 
That’s actually pretty impressive that it gets the best acceleration and gets only slightly lower economy than the slower cars in the group. The Jetta for example is a half second slower and only gets 25 overall. And the Civic gets 2mpg better economy but takes a full second longer to get to 60!
Personally I readily accept a 1-2mpg hit for a car that rides and handles this good. Mine was built in December and I have no issues with the transmission.
 
I don’t have Myford Touch so I might be less enthusiastic if I had to go through all that hassle but the standard stereo system in my SEL is much much better (great LCD graphics and usability) than what I’m used to in my other Fords or what I’ve seen in the Focus’s direct competition that I’ve rented for work in the past year.

#1101 of 1316 Re: 2012 Ford Focus SEL Hatchback [smarkway] by akirby

Feb 01, 2012 (11:10 pm)

Replying to: smarkway (Feb 01, 2012 2:47 pm)
MFT is still on target for 1st Quarter - not sure where you got the 2nd or 3rd quarter estimate from.
 
Ford won't allow fleet sales to affect resale value. That only happens with fleet dumping to rental companies and that's not happening.
 
Focus sales for January were the best since 2003 and up significantly from 2011.

#1102 of 1316 2013's by tomcatt630

Feb 19, 2012 (2:17 am)

The 2013 Focus will be introduced in late summer, not spring. Sources say order cut off for the '12 is April 27th, 2012

#1103 of 1316 New Owner! by cannon3

Feb 20, 2012 (9:03 pm)

Well, I did it. I sold my 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6 and went into a 2012 Ford Focus 5 door Hatch. I bought a Focus SE with sport package, winter package, convience package and sunroof in Oxford white. Car just feels solid and handles great. I am hoping for at least 35-40MPG after about 5K miles. Only have 40miles on the car so of course not much going on. I plan on tinting windows, adding splash guards. I may put a sunroof wind guard on, I don't know yet. New car! Yahoo! Support America folks! Support American products and services!

#1104 of 1316 Press request by KarenS HOST

Mar 06, 2012 (11:42 am)

A reporter is looking to hear from a driver of a Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Chevy Cruze or Chevy Sonic who previously drove a compact from a Japanese automaker, such as the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. If you currently drive a Focus, Fiesta, Cruze or Sonic, and are willing to share your story with a reporter, please email PRedmunds.com no later than the end of business Tuesday, March 6, 2012 with your daytime contact information.

#1105 of 1316 slightly empty-feeling electric power steering by creakid1

Mar 08, 2012 (4:57 pm)

EVO's opinion:
"As with the petrol version, the TDCI Zetec S suffers from slightly empty-feeling electric power steering. You get used to it over time, but it still takes the edge off the driving experience."
 
But then, does the Focus have to worry these days?
 
The king of steering feel -- Mazda3 -- is also ruined in the Skyactiv form...
Winding Road's opinion:
"To be fair, I’ve driven some great EHPAS systems, and in general prefer them over full electric units. For some reason it just hasn’t worked for me in the Mazda. It’s a fast steering rack to be sure, but in becoming so quick to turn, it’s sacrificed any real heft from the rack. Feedback is also hurt, as I just couldn’t get a great idea of what’s going on through the wheel. To be fair, suspension feedback is still quite good, but I’ve always appreciated Mazda’s ability to instill its steering systems with a very rich communicative experience.
 
Pros
  
Skyactiv powertrain is a huge win for the 3, with better power and econ
Communicative suspension makes for confident driving
Very little body roll and good stiffness (without harshness) from the suspension
  
Cons
  
Super-light steering is distracting
Automatic transmission isn’t the best choice for enthusiast drivers
Competition from the Focus is stiff indeed"

#1106 of 1316 Flat-folding rear seat... NOT by backy

Mar 10, 2012 (6:14 pm)

I was told by a Ford sales rep awhile back that the hatch has a flat-folding rear seat--vs. the not-at-all-flat folding rear seat in the sedan. Great, I thought. Until I checked out a Focus hatch at my local auto show today. Nowhere near "flat", in fact it sticks up much more than on most other compact hatches. So that moves the Focus SE way down my shopping list for my next car, since it doesn't have any major advantages over the Mazda3i Touring, and several disadvantages.

#1107 of 1316 Re: Flat-folding rear seat... NOT [backy] by tim156

Mar 10, 2012 (8:24 pm)

Replying to: backy (Mar 10, 2012 6:14 pm)
Were the rear seat bottoms pulled up? If the seat bottoms are in place the seat back will not be close to flat. Stick your hand between the back of the seat bottom and the bottom of the seat back and pull up on the seat. The seat will pull forward and sit vertically behind the front seat back, then remove the headrests and lay the seat back down. I took my headrests out and leave them out to improve visibility and I fold the seat down often. A lot of salesman still don't know how to do this and it's very sad.

#1108 of 1316 Re: Flat-folding rear seat... NOT [tim156] by backy

Mar 10, 2012 (9:32 pm)

Replying to: tim156 (Mar 10, 2012 8:24 pm)
Thanks, someone else mentioned this on another discussion. I did look for some way to lift the seat bottom, because my Elantra GT has this feature as does my 2010 Sentra. But those cars' back seat works differently than the Focus'; on those cars, you pull up on the FRONT of the seat bottom to unlatch it, then swing it forward. So I looked on the bottom front edge of the rear seat for some way to pull it out, and finding nothing, I gave up. (Also I couldn't see any Ford representative around to ask about it.)
 
I prefer a seat that folds flat in one operation, ala the Impreza or Mazda3, but at least the Focus' seat DOES fold flat.

#1109 of 1316 Re: Flat-folding rear seat... NOT [tim156] by markus5

Mar 10, 2012 (9:35 pm)

Replying to: tim156 (Mar 10, 2012 8:24 pm)
The sedan also has this split flip up seat bottom feature, but it is only found on the SEL and higher trim level models. All Hatchbacks have this feature, perhaps partially accounting for the higher price on the hatchback.

Messages Page 111 of 132

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