Ask the Car People.SM


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 32 of 133

#302 of 1316 Re: handling + ride comfort [creakid1] by backy

Apr 17, 2011 (2:29 pm)

Replying to: creakid1 (Apr 17, 2011 1:42 pm)
Of course, the Elantra & Focus had something in common. People in this country generally have been ranking them at the bottom of the food chain -- the inferior compacts below the Civic & Jetta.
 
Well, that's half right. Not a bad percentage for a hitter in baseball. The Focus hasn't been ranked up high for several years, as Ford let the US model languish while the Europeans got the Good Stuff. But the Elantra has been well regarded for many years, e.g. #2 in C/D compact face-off of 2002 models, 1/2 point behind Protege, and in recent years CR's top-rated small car. Which is where the 2011 Elantra sits now. But CR hasn't reported on the 2012 Focus yet, so stay tuned...

#303 of 1316 Re: handling + ride comfort [m6user] by creakid1

Apr 17, 2011 (3:08 pm)

Replying to: m6user (Apr 17, 2011 2:00 pm)
I just don't remember many US auto writers raving about the Focus in ride quality, steering feel or amenities until this 2012 model which is what this discussion is supposed to be about.
 
Car&Driver immediately gave it "10 Best" award since the beginning. Since this is really a German car, it had (a matured, very well developed non-intrusive) optional stability control (Advance Trak) in this country since 2001. That's ahead of all competitors!
 
Consumer Reports gave the 2006 Focus SES sedan high marks in steering feel, ride comfort & handling (including accident-avoidance maneuver) as if no body else does them better! Even the early Focus SVT hatch trumped just about everything else on the road w/ very high overall score, beating the Mini Cooper in both ride & handling.
 
The old Focus only charged just over $100 for the optional heated front seats. The tilt-&-telescopic steering column had optional remote for the in-dash 6-disk changer stereo w/ MP3 player, subwoofer & Sony speakers.
 
The new Focus may be quieter, but its extra bulk of un-compact width combining w/ shrunkened rear leg room worse than even many tiny cars is quite laughable, though.

#304 of 1316 (most) auto journal mags are a marketing joke by samm43

Apr 17, 2011 (3:10 pm)

And hanging off most of them (but especially CR) instead of your own seat-of-the-pants test is amusing, but generally not much more help than that. I have seen them contradict themselves often depending on what the flavor of the week/month/season was that year (or whether enough green was slipped under the table upon contract signing when the host cars are picked up).
 
And I sure don't support any believe that just because CR has no advertisements, that their reporting reputation is neither consistent or squeaky clean. I have seen their reporting off and on for at least 4 decades. Their FOR (frequency of repair) charts seem to have the most merit and usefulness to a car-shopper. Through my own knowledge I have seen trends that they reported similar findings. But when I see them do a "Not Recommended", I will decide that for myself, thank you very much. I have seen too many of those with vehicles that lost that recommendation over silly things that were never actually substantiated beyond their slanted tests.
 
Above comments, are my opinion but have a pretty good feeling they will not be met with much concurrence among a group who hold auto mags in high regard.
 
Whenever I read about noise-levels (and if they elaborate on wind versus road, engine, at certain speeds and pavement surfaces, all the better) ride and steering feel (which is a tough one due to varying tactility preferences, that you basically have to build upon due to a certain writer's style that you can relate their previous reporting on that you were able to relate to on personal experience and then see that pattern) then I am always interested and look for a trend among all the reporting.
 
I am very interested to check out the Focus when I get a chance. Hopefully the base, or near base trim still has enough niceties that it could be a contender for my next car. I was interested to read that it has higher profile tires than the equivalent trimmed Elantra. It may be a small item to some but is one of importance to my comparisons. I still long for the return of the custom optioned car order. I'll take heated leather seats (and wheel), no power but same adjustability, wind up windows, keyless entry, cruise, high-end audio, no sunroof, a stick, no auto headlights, dimming rearview mirrrors, climate controls, 15 or 16" rims, and I don't want to read that trailer towing (even a 1000lb light duty trailer) is "Not Recommended" and if so, then tell why so I can make my own deductions of whether I am risking my warranty, because no doubt they will use that as an escape clause on a claim no matter whether it was the culprit or not. This recent heads-up came to light when reading the fine-print on the 'Eco' Cruze.
 
I really like the styling of the Focus from any angle I have seen it so far. Has that wonderful steering feel been accomplished without electric assist? If so, I am even more onboard with that.
 
Sam

#305 of 1316 Re: (most) auto journal mags are a marketing joke [samm43] by creakid1

Apr 17, 2011 (3:50 pm)

Replying to: samm43 (Apr 17, 2011 3:10 pm)
And hanging off most of them (but especially CR) instead of your own seat-of-the-pants test is amusing, but generally not much more help than that. I have seen them contradict themselves often depending on what the flavor of the week/month/season was that year (or whether enough green was slipped under the table upon contract signing when the host cars are picked up).
 
Even after taking the bribe, they can still give you the hint if you read b/t the lines. When they were bribed to shut up, then they can't reveal what's wrong w/ the product, but can still compliment the other products instead. When any negative comment were revealed, they are likely to be telling the truth & that's where one should pay much attention to. Using these info to remind you is especially useful when test driving the car yourself.
 
I was interested to read that it has higher profile tires than the equivalent trimmed Elantra.
 
I really prefer the set up on the Rabbit -- 205/55-16, & decided to apply this formula whether it's an '07 Focus or '99 BMW E36.
 
Has that wonderful steering feel been accomplished without electric assist?
 
The new Focus is switching to pure electric assist, therefore not as much feel as before. But even the pure-electric-assist steering in the RX-8 is very confident inspiring despite not providing the very detailed stuff the way my '90 Protege DOHC does.

#306 of 1316 Re: handling + ride comfort [backy] by creakid1

Apr 17, 2011 (4:01 pm)

Replying to: backy (Apr 17, 2011 2:29 pm)
But the Elantra has been well regarded for many years, e.g. #2 in C/D compact face-off of 2002 models, 1/2 point behind Protege, and in recent years CR's top-rated small car. Which is where the 2011 Elantra sits now.
 
I was aware of how the redesigned '01 Civic w/ front struts got ranked behind the Elantra by CR. That's why I also collected an '00 Civic. Having these Double Wishbones all around is amazing -- even w/ only 185/65-14 T-rated Michellin Hydro Edge tires & std suspension, the car holds the road really well & drifts very evenly w/ no surprises. Only the slow-ratio light steering w/ no feel ruins the fun.

#307 of 1316 Re: (most) auto journal mags are a marketing joke [samm43] by m6user

Apr 17, 2011 (5:04 pm)

Replying to: samm43 (Apr 17, 2011 3:10 pm)
(or whether enough green was slipped under the table upon contract signing when the host cars are picked up).
 
Any proof to offer? It amuses when people do this and accuse the auto mags of fraud. I agree they might not be the best and sometimes make mistakes but to accuse them of outright fraud? I've never seen anyone bring any proof that this goes on other than that the mags may contradict themsleves sometimes which may even be because two different writers may have differing opinions. IMO it's just childish to keep perpetuating these accusations unless they can backed up. There has never been any study or expose that major advertisers in auto mags make payoffs of any kind or that any of the mags is directly influenced by advertising dollars. Many of these mags have been in business for decades and not one disgruntled employee has ever came out with "the dirt". Strange isn't it.
 
Same with CR, they may not be the best in the auto testing arena but not being "clean" is quite an accusation. Being inconsistent or even wrong is totally different than "accepting bribes under the table". Those kind of accusations are just sickening to me and really don't belong in an adult discussion.

#308 of 1316 Afraid to criticize by creakid1

Apr 17, 2011 (8:54 pm)

I've noticed how some car magazines are afraid to criticize things like ride comfort or steering feel. If you test drive the Mazda3 after reading some car magazines, most likely you will be shocked by the ride, which feels like the tires are made of concrete. A lot of times we hear how precise Audi A4's steering is, but that's only 1/2 the story. Drive the car yourself & you'll find out how lacking the feel is, unless you're coming from a Toyota.
 
When I test drove the Focus, the steering feel was great if I was driving my Corolla on the way to the Ford dealer, but not when arrived in my Protege.
 
When the E46 BMW first came out, the base model w/ 15" rims was ranked a close 2nd place behind the A4 by Car&Driver. They never criticized Audi's lack of steering feel, but did compliment BMW's steering feel.

#309 of 1316 Re: handling + ride comfort [m6user] by creakid1

Apr 17, 2011 (11:10 pm)

Replying to: m6user (Apr 17, 2011 2:00 pm)
Believe me, if the older Focus was the best thing since sliced bread it would have had a lot larger following as it was huge in the rental car world and had plenty of exposure.
 
Rental models are the cheaper SE, which does not have SES's rear sway bar w/ softer springs. This means the SE is worse than the SES in both ride & handling. Besides, early Focus' w/o Japanese designed engine are so problematic that people are staying away for rest of their life.
 
& after my expensive experimentations w/ different combination of parts, I've found out that the best "ride/handling compromise"suspension tuning for this car should be the '06/07 ST model w/ aftermarket Monroe Spectrum shocks. The '05 ST rides too hard.

#310 of 1316 honda CR-V by placido08

Apr 18, 2011 (12:55 am)

i like the style of honda cr-v, i want to buy it.
i like good quality car like BUICK, i think the Japanese car is not as good as America car.
link title

#311 of 1316 Re: Afraid to criticize [creakid1] by backy

Apr 18, 2011 (6:24 am)

Replying to: creakid1 (Apr 17, 2011 8:54 pm)
If you test drive the Mazda3 after reading some car magazines, most likely you will be shocked by the ride, which feels like the tires are made of concrete.
 
Yes, I think it's funny how some cars get a "free pass" in reviews in some areas as long as the car handles well. For example, a mag like C/D might say the Mazda3 has a "firm" ride, then they go on and on about how other cars without as crisp of handling "crash over bumps" or "are made of jello", both of which are hyperbolic statements if I've ever seen them. But then, they are honest about their bias towards handling in favor of everything else.
 
I favor cars with a nice blend of handling and compliant ride. I thought the old Focus was quite good there, especially in the early years before the refreshes, so I look forward to driving the new one. But handling is not #1 for me as it is for some mags and some buyers. I want safe, predictable handling, and the crisper the handling (if not at the sake of a comfortable ride) is great--but not all-important. So the Focus, for me, has to measure up in other areas, including driving position, ergonomics, fuel economy, crash safety, quality/fit-finish, back seat room, NVH, powertrain smoothness, and of course price. If the Focus is a great small car but I can't get one nicely optioned (all the power accessories at minimum) for well under $20k, I'll look elsewhere, including mid-sized sedans and the slightly used market (e.g. Rabbit/Golf).

Messages Page 32 of 133

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement