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2012 Ford Focus

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

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

Messages Page 120 of 132

#1190 of 1316 2013 SE hatch test drive by backy

Oct 27, 2012 (3:41 pm)

I found a 2013 SE hatch with a stick (actually 2 of them) at my local dealer today, so I took one out for a test-drive as I am trying to narrow down my list of suspects for my next car. The ride and handling were as good as I remembered from my test drive last year. The stick is a pleasure to use, albeit only with 5 forward speeds.
 
However, I have eliminated the Focus from my shopping list, for the following reasons;
 
* Driver's seat wasn't comfortable: no matter how I adjusted it, it never fit me well. If I raised the seat bottom, the seat tilted forward so my thighs didn't get enough support. If I lowered the seat for good thigh support, it was too low for my taste.
* Tight rear seat: I've noticed before that the rear leg room is pretty tight, so I tried it again today. My legs brushed the seat back and there wasn't good thigh support. Not something I need to live with given there's choices (Golf, Elantra GT) with more rear leg room.
* No 6th gear: Not an issue in itself, but 5th is geared pretty short, so engine revs are pretty high, e.g. about 2700 rpm at 65 mph. That's much higher than the Mazda3i (closer to 2000 rpms 65), Elantra GT, and even the Golf which also has a 5-speed. Higher rpms translates to lower FE and more engine noise.
* Confusing controls: The center stack is bad enough, but even the sales rep couldn't show me how to reset and display the FE meter. We messed with it for awhile, then gave up.
 
So looks like it will come down to the Mazda3, Golf, or Elantra GT. The Golf has the big advantage on price as it's available as a CPO car for thousands less than a new Mazda3i hatch or Elantra GT.
 
P.S. No sign of a front suspension "clunk" on my test drive.

#1191 of 1316 Re: 2013 SE hatch test drive [backy] by sandman_6472

Oct 27, 2012 (7:29 pm)

Replying to: backy (Oct 27, 2012 3:41 pm)
Agree with you on the seats...very uncomfortable. Drove a SEL leather model and just felt so uncomfortable...and couldn't get the seat contorted to where it got any better. The center stack was a bit confusing also...much prefer the simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta.
 
The Sandman

#1192 of 1316 simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [sandman_6472] by creakid1

Oct 27, 2012 (10:17 pm)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Oct 27, 2012 7:29 pm)
Good point. Choose from the list of cheapest cars. Only fools would bother w/ the expensive ones

#1193 of 1316 Re: 2013 SE hatch test drive [backy] by creakid1

Oct 27, 2012 (11:51 pm)

Replying to: backy (Oct 27, 2012 3:41 pm)
* Driver's seat wasn't comfortable: no matter how I adjusted it, it never fit me well. If I raised the seat bottom, the seat tilted forward so my thighs didn't get enough support. If I lowered the seat for good thigh support, it was too low for my taste.
 
That's what I hate about newer cars these days, as if you are forced to get the expensive overweight motorized seats in order to tilt the thigh angle, such as the Mazda3. (Don't I miss the manual driver seat from the Volvo S40/V50, '99-00 Civic EX, old Camry LE/SE...)
 
Ditto (somewhat) w/ the Golf 2.5 I just purchased. But the problem is solved after I added the wood-bead seat-center cover. The seat is lowered in order to correct the angle, then this cushion-like thick cover raised it back to the desired height. This tapered-shape cover also creates some lumbar support, & supplements the "now too low" factory lumbar hand in hand. It also seems quite OK that the lateral support is reduced, as the U.S.-spec Golf already has GTI seats to begin with.
 
The front seats in the '12 Focus SE non-Sport also lack decent lateral support compare to ones in the SE Sport. I wonder if all '13 Focus cloth seats no longer have that lateral support?
 
At the LA Autoshow, I actually fell in love w/ ST's Recaro cloth seat! & it probably has a stronger thigh angle as well.
 
Ford should offer these Recaro's as an option on the Focus sedan. Only those who like hard ride would really go for the ST:
 
"The ST’s suspension was very communicative, and added a lot to the sporty character and driving dynamics, whether driving in a straight line or pushing it through corners. When headed in a singular direction, the stiff suspension transmits an enormous amount of information about the road surface into the cabin. It reacts to every bump and irregularity in the road, and moves along with it. When travelling over regularly spaced expansion joints or frost heaves, the Focus ST can exhibit a little hobby-horse behavior. It doesn’t make the car feel unstable or unready to react like it would in a luxury car or SUV that was “porpoising” due to softness in the suspension. This still felt sharp on its toes, just bouncy and rigid. It fits the ST’s personality, though; if you weren’t looking to put up with a taught ride, you could simply stick with the standard Focus, or shop elsewhere. This is meant to be communicative, and it is.
  
In corners, the suspension didn’t feel too brittle. When throwing lateral motion into the equation, the suspension didn’t get upset. The car remained stable, and very flat. It also never showed a tendency to skip like a stone across the pavement, as we’ve experienced in other cars with stiff suspensions (here’s looking at you, Mini). It served to keep the Focus balanced, while informing the driver of what was going on between rubber and road. We felt every bit confident in this car’s stability as we pushed it through turns."
 
& do you need all that power?
 
"The only drawback of the strong power delivery in the Focus ST was that it exhibited a lot of torque steer. Combined with the snappy steering, it made it a bit difficult to remain pointed dead ahead under wide-open throttle. Approaching the engine’s redline, we felt nervous to take our right hand off the wheel to reach over and prepare to shift."
 
* No 6th gear: Not an issue in itself, but 5th is geared pretty short, so engine revs are pretty high, e.g. about 2700 rpm at 65 mph. That's much higher than the Mazda3i (closer to 2000 rpms 65), Elantra GT, and even the Golf which also has a 5-speed. Higher rpms translates to lower FE and more engine noise.
 
The extinction of the reliable Japanese-made slushbox (as oppose to the nightmare-ish DSG) from VW actually made me collected the Golf w/ the 6-speed auto, which made this 5-cyl car leaping off the line like a V8 when 1st gear was selected in manual-shift mode. The 5-speed stick Golf can't even come close! I also doubt if those 4-cyl GTI/R 6-speed stick w/ turbo lag can achieve this But then, this "muscle car"-like performance also translates into mpg -- alway in the low 20's combined. But then, the direct-injected diesel Golf has leaking fuel injectors!
 
* Confusing controls: The center stack is bad enough, but even the sales rep couldn't show me how to reset and display the FE meter. We messed with it for awhile, then gave up.
 
Awhile? It takes less than awhile fiddling w/ the read outs before you crash.

#1194 of 1316 What I like about Focus ST's Recaro seats by creakid1

Oct 28, 2012 (7:46 am)

The lateral support of the ST driver seat extends so far forward that I can use it as an elbow-rest, so I can effortlessly rest my left hand on the steering-wheel spoke & operate the turn signal stalk full time.
 
Due to the low height of the door armrest, the Golf VI is really bad in this area, while the new Jetta is even worse.
 
No matter how much I hated my folks' Chevy Caprice & Chevette. At least they have high-enough door armrest for supporting the driver's elbow. Today, I wonder why only the Volvo C30/S40/V50 is truly thoughtful in this area, while the Mazda3 w/ same C-1 platform had an annoyingly low door armrest.

#1195 of 1316 Re: simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [creakid1] by sandman_6472

Oct 28, 2012 (9:35 am)

Replying to: creakid1 (Oct 27, 2012 10:17 pm)
??? What point are you trying to make here??
 
The "Confused Sandman"

#1196 of 1316 Re: simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [sandman_6472] by creakid1

Oct 28, 2012 (10:04 am)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Oct 28, 2012 9:35 am)
Now people are forced into cheapers cars in order to avoid the "confusing center stack".

#1197 of 1316 Re: simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [creakid1] by backy

Oct 28, 2012 (10:31 am)

Replying to: creakid1 (Oct 28, 2012 10:04 am)
I don't find the Golf to be all that cheap, and its controls are very clear. Ditto the Impreza... really straightforward.
 
The Focus is proof that even an inexpensive car can have confusing controls.
 
Awhile? It takes less than awhile fiddling w/ the read outs before you crash.
 
Best to fiddle with controls while stopped... as I did with the Focus. In contrast, the Elantra GT has intuitive controls on the steering wheel to change and adjust the readouts.

#1198 of 1316 Re: simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [backy] by creakid1

Oct 28, 2012 (11:45 am)

Replying to: backy (Oct 28, 2012 10:31 am)
I paid under $20k (befored tax) for a '12 Golf 2.5 4-dr auto w/ Convenience package. It's quite inexpensive even when comparing to the Focus. Even though the interior feels rather high in quality, the smell of the plastic under long-term exposure to sun light doesn't. My '84 Jetta does not have this smell problem.
 
Can you imagine what's gonna happen to the modular-platform Golf VII, which costs about 20% less to manufacture than the Golf VI?
 
For 2013, the Golf 2.5 w/ moonroof also includes full remote buttons on the leather steering wheel.

#1199 of 1316 Re: simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta [creakid1] by backy

Oct 28, 2012 (1:00 pm)

Replying to: creakid1 (Oct 28, 2012 11:45 am)
I paid under $20k (befored tax) for a '12 Golf 2.5 4-dr auto w/ Convenience package. It's quite inexpensive even when comparing to the Focus.
 
That's at least $2k more than a comparable Focus hatch, based on pricing I've done in the past year. Still a good deal though.

Messages Page 120 of 132

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