Why do people love the Ford Focus so much
 

I don't get it. I rented one this past week. The car is complete garbage. While the interior is decent, the car is small. It rides almost as bad as the Z and it is noisy. Is this how 16k cars are now?

Focus ST baby. I can't wait to see how they do.

I had an svt fous. It was a cool little car, for what it was :shrug:

I'm actually in the market for a new 16k car right now. The Focus is one that I'll be looking at, along with a Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, and a host of others.

I looked at the Focus ST, too. I'm sure it's fast, but it's pretty tiny inside up front. I'm sure it's quick, but at 29k (optioned out model they had on the lot), it's pretty pricey.

I'm not sure I get your logic - or your expectations for $16k. A compact car is small? No way!

Much of the buzz surrounding the new Focus centered on the US finally getting the capable Euro platform back. Seeing as Detroit has long struggled to bring a compact car to the table with similar performance/reliability/desirability as the Japanese or Germans (sans reliability) auto journalists were justified in their excitement to get their hands on the Euro model.

Much of the hype is also based on the performance variants, namely the ST (252hp from a 2.0L I4 turbo, 0-60 in 6.2 sec).

As far as “riding almost as bad” as the Z – that’s a pretty ridiculous comment. The Z’s handling is one of the crowning achievements of Nissan’s engineers, if you ask me. Few other cars provide a similar balance between comfort and capability. On the other hand, inexpensive economy cars, especially those with a short wheelbase, are going to suffer from both a) sloppy handling and b) poor dampening. This is the worst of both worlds, in that every bump gets transmitted thru to your spine AND there's little in the way of roadholding. That the Z's suspension is stiff is at least a symptom of purpose.

I just really have to wonder – what exactly do you expect from $16k? You do realize in the realm of new cars, that’s not too far from the floor.

Really you find the ride of your Z BAD? How do you ride it BTW?

How about the Mazda Rx8 Yes?....No? for a 16K banger. My choice btw.

While I respect their performance, they are actually quite tight to sit in and not as good on gas. Plus I want something for snowy times when RWD isn't as attractive an option.

I sat inside a rental once and the car inside is small as hell. I'm only 5'10". I sat in the front passenger chair (which hardly have enough space), and even my 2.5 yrs old son with the car seat feel some tight in the back. I do like the Ford Fucsion. Rented that car a few times and pretty satisfy with it.

I agree. rented a focus a few years ago and complete garbage. Ended up having to pay for a new wheel in that car. Rented a new one this summer and while some of the new tech is okayish the engine was already having problems at only about 10k miles. JUNK

First sets of dyno runs in

COBB got 226 whp and 286 ft/lb tq

Guy at a local dyno got 233 whp and 266 ft/lb tq

Ford is sandbagging a bit on the power specs.

A coworker is picking one up in November, can't wait to see how it rides. I'm guessing Cobb will have an accessport for it ASAP.

I paid 15K for my fully loaded Nissan Cube. It rides slightly better, it is quieter and it is bigger. For all the hype the Focus is getting, I am just disappointed.

They can take Europe all they want, but it is a piece of poop no matter what country you are from.

There are way better choices out there, no way in hell would I go near a stupid Focus.

It's bad for even a sports car, it is what it is.

Exactly, I felt the same way. I can find way better options than the stupid Focus.

The only other Ford I'd own besides my own is a new Taurus SHO. The ST is impressive and I'm excited to see how it does but I don't think I could go back to my Caliber Srt4 hot hatch days.

As for the ride quality being as bad as the Z, the Z's is bad for a purpose, I can't see why a base focus needs to ride rough. Poor design choice there.

I forgot you're one of the resident Z-hating trolls. Here to rain on everyone's parade.


Wouldn't your Focus bash be more appropriate on a dedicated forum - you'd get more of that classic troll effect you're looking for here: http://www.focusfanatics.com/

I have driven many MANY cars over my 33 years of driving, you sir are wrong. I test drove cars for 2 years before buy my G then another 6 months before buying the Z I will say it once again, you sir are wrong. I drove everything from Z4 to Skys, Elises to an SL550. The best bang for your buck that I could find, which included handling, ride as well as creature features in a 2 seater was the 370z.

:iagree: 100%

Me and my wife test drove a focus se last year. great handling and superb turning radius for a FWD. I was impressed with features to cost. The trunk space was slightly subpar for a hatch, compared to a mazda 3 but handling was very similar. It could have used slightly more low end punch but acceleration was very smooth. acceleration was in the 7.5 second range to 60mph... not bad. NVH was within range of a car that caliber and fit & finish was pretty good. I think the Focus is a benchmark for the "american car" segment in compact cars. The Mazda 3 is still a little better but it's rare to get that much performance from inexpensive american cars.

I wonder how the new chevy sonic stacks up?

The Sonic competes with the Mazda 2 and Ford Fiesta. It's a sub-compact and apparently would drive the OP insane with it's smallness. :D

Yep, the Cruze competes in the segment with the Focus.

True... We test drove a Cruze. I didn't like it. seating is way too high, steering is the most artificial I've ever felt and acceleration was extremely slow. Interior fit and finish was nicer than the focus though.

I meant sonic by handling though... The sonic looks like it has potential for fun. The cruze is NO FUN.

Have you checked out a Mazda3? I drove one and thought it was nice. I haven't tested the others in this segment yet.

Yeah, Mazda 3's are extremely fun. BUT it has to be a MANUAL. There's no other way with the 3.

Not worried about that. Manual is the only option for me.

Yeah... Mazda 3 in manual is nowhere near as fast as a Z, but you'll feel like it is. :tup:

:wtf::gtfo2:

Enough with the trolling. Not only is that going to stir things up, it has nothing to do with what your thread is suppose to be about. There are plenty of things to complain about the Z but the ride quality isn't really on that list. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that stiffer springs and low profile tires will make the car more prone to a stiffer ride. You could say a 458 Italia has shytty quality too if we apply your "logic."

You're getting a lot for $16k. You can't find a Civic at that price unless it's the stripped down DX. If you're lookin for sports car handling and luxury comfort, you're not going to find it for $16k. The base Focus is commuter appliance, kind of like your POS Prius. At least with the Focus, there are some speedy variants that can be had. I want to know what car in the past has the same technology, fit, finish and performance you're comparing this to. Considering just about every car segment has grown considerably over the years, I also don't understand why the size of an economy car would even be an issue. They're all kind of small, but this segment had much smaller cars in the past. I actually decided to lease a Civic a few months back because I got a really good deal on it. It's boring to drive, the interior is okay, but it does what it's suppose to for my purpose so I think it's a great car. It's great on gas, pretty roomy unless you're fat, plenty reliable and gets me from point A to B. Complaining about it's flaws is pointless and moot.

I had a focus rental this week.

it was plenty big enough. rode nicely. was extremely quiet ( more so than i expected by far. better than some luxury cars ive been in)

and the engine had more than enough pickup.

If you live anywhere where it snows, I'd avoid Mazda...they seem to have rust problems way faster than most.

My Mazda6 lasted me for 9 years with no significant rust problems.

They say the same exact thing about Nissan's. You can prevent it if you inspect your car 3x a year.

I just checked the Ford website. The Ford Focus automatic hatch is $21K MSRP. Does that satisfy you? I just made a reference that the ride is bad on the Focus, almost Z like bad. Is that not true? The Z rides bad, but it is what it is, a sports car that handles. The Focus is not a sports car, but it rides almost as bad as one. The knock is on the Focus, not the Z fanboy. :shakes head:

Outside of the Sync, I still don't see what you get out of the stupid Focus hatch? Are you guys seeing something that I am not? $21K for a car that is smaller than a Civic, rides worse and is way noisier. Some people are in love with the car because it has an available turbo? Are you going to tell me the Lancer is the same as the EVO? My post was more about how overrated the car is, it is like the BRZ of compact cars. I am trolling about a Focus? I am not 18 and it isn't like I have never driven other cars before.

Bang for the buck yes. Ride quality? I can think of 3 cars off the top of my head that rides better without giving up much in ride quality. Corvette, RX-8, M3, 997 GT3. Guess what, I have had many cars too.

When did you buy your Z? I am a troll yet I have had it long than you? I am sorry I don't beat off every time someone praises it or cry when someone knocks it. I was purely using the Z as a reference, not as a knock.

F'ing lol post :)

I like reading the 1600's posts usually cuz the logic is always full of unexpected plot twists.

Especially the part where you accuse the guy of beating off haha.

Compliment 1600 dude, for real, funny stuff.


Tapatalk & such etc

I live in Pennsylvania which I believe this year was ranked the 3rd worst roads in America and my 370z never jarred me enough to consider taking a different car to work. The only part of the Z that made driving rough was the brutal synchro in first gear and how short the gear itself was.

All the classic hallmarks of advanced trolldom. There's no point in even refuting his warped logic. Z sucks, Focus sucks, troll wins.



Sent from my SGSII using Tapatalk 2

I looked at the ST at the DC auto show in January, I think it looked pretty good in the copper gold color and the interior was nice too. If I was in the market for that type of vehicle I would go test drive one. I never hate a car till I look it over and drive it. If you want to see hate, go check out the hate the Z gets from Audi and Porsche boards. It's extreme.

1.your view on the Z riding bad is subjective. I've been in much worse cars that don't absorb bumps well. The whole C5 generation was horrid and the C6 base is equal to the Z without magnetic ride.

2. the BRZ has been on the market 3 months. How can you make it a benchmark so soon??? At least give it 12 months of long term testing. TALK ABOUT BEING A FANBOI...:ughdance:

3. Your examples of better riding cars is:
a) Corvette a $51k car that can be had for 44k off the bat in base form but to get superior ride you need MRC and they don't discount those too much so you're looking at $51k minimum.

b)Rx 8, which is $28k extremely unreliable, has oil consumption issues, fuel starve (just like the Z) and is underpowered in the price range. It's only advantage is handling and ride quality compared to newer cars.

c) Porsche 997 GT3??? 6 figures:gtfo2:
Your elitist syndrome of "Self-Loathing Reverse Fanboyism" is rearing it's ugly head... It perplexes me how we could be from the same state??? but I'm from the city so that may make a difference... so you're inadvertently comparing the Z and focus ride quality to a GT3??? you're losing it bruh.

4. you may not be 18 but 18 year olds would have more mature come-backs than what you are spewing out right now...
And like I said before... It's the self loathing fanboy who is the first to call out fanboy. This posts 1000% proves my whole theory.

You having a Z so long and being a supposed adult should have more constructive ways of getting your point across than this sillyness you wrote.

Stop being such a hater.

The ST goes for 29k loaded... I wouldn't give up 29k for a FWD... 26k? lets make a deal.:tup: I think the SE was a pretty nice riding car. Civics have a sportier feel in ex and si form which costs the same as a focus SE. But civic styling is weak, features are outdated as well as technology. so more bang for your buck in a focus. I would love to test the ST and i hope we see the RS make it to the states. The mazdaspeed 3 and GTI are the benchmarks of fwd turbos, so the focus has some proving grounds to match. But so far it looks awesome and i have high hopes.
As far as Z hate... you don't need to go to other forums... We have enough owners here that... when their car is no longer the coolest car on the block. they need to start basing their own so it warrants the excuse of getting the next hottest craze... And unfortunately we have to suffer by reading the self loathing posts.

I don't think the RS will come here, as it will be too pricey and Americans won't pay that much for a Ford hatch. Audi has that segment with the A3. I had a good conversation about cross continent sales with the former chief lawyer for euro Ford operations about it. Nice guy long retired, but interesting to talk to. Bean counters rule, put it that way. If projected sales don't match costs forget it, that includes the changes that must be done for our gas formulas, bumper speed requirements, mirror placements, emissions regulations, noise regulations, and all kinds of things that drive up costs.....especially when it's not planned for multiple markets. The ST has got good reviews and a loaded GTI is not much cheaper. Price? Well let's see if they sell at 29k...might or might not.

True indeed... Either way, we can cheaply crank up boost to extract RS power and our aftermarket suspensions will probably be better.:tup:

I've ordered an Focus ST with the middle package (Mainly Recaro seats, upgraded Sony Stereo and MFT) and moonroof for $26440. the top package adds better headlights, upgraded recaros and interier lighting...just not worth the xtra coin to me.

My co-worker has a corvette and my last car was an RX8. Although the RX8 was lighter and balanced, the Z has a much better ride quality. It came with stiff runflats for gods sake and so does the vette. I don't know what the hell you've been smoking. The Corvette wasn't anything exciting either. Its quick, but hardly the best ride quality. You feel every pebble with that car.

I was interested in the Focus RC when I saw it at the LA Auto show last year, until I found out it was 100k. It didn't even have an interior! It was still a bargain compared to the nismo RC I guess though.