2012 Ford Focus SEL

[regfootball]

Got a real brief drive in a 12 Focus. Hadn't drove one yet.

Wowzers, nice!

Quick notes:

HIGHS:

Sweet cabin. Nice plastics and design. Comfy seats. Great dash.

Zippy, thought the dual clutch auto was alright!

MyFord Touch has lots of features........

Sweet handling, nice ride

Feels premium

"Intimate"

LOWS:

MyFord Touch I can see, can be super buggy and a pain.

Way too many buttons all around.

Buzzy engine.....should be smoother

Back seat looked tight, not as tight as I thought though

(too) "intimate" for some

Ford is putting money the hood of these now.....sweet little cars! I thought I would like a Cruze.....but.........

Can't wait to see how the Fusion turns out.

SUMMARY:

Ford did a bangup job! A-

[G. David Felt]

Sweet update, did you get any pictures?

[regfootball]

nope

[pow]

I'm loving mine (Oxford White SE Sport manual) so far... apart from the fact that Ford quadrupled incentives (from $500 to $2000) the month after I bought it. There goes my resale value.

Will write a review and post pics one of these days!

[regfootball]

i like manuals but unlike the VW's I have driven, the dual clutch on the Focus seemed alright. short drive, yeah....

every VW dual clutch i drove sucked.

if i got a focus i would likely get the automatic......5 speed manual on the focus.....it could really use 6 i think.....

should drive one first though...lol

[daves87rs]

I'm loving mine (Oxford White SE Sport manual) so far... apart from the fact that Ford quadrupled incentives (from $500 to $2000) the month after I bought it. There goes my resale value.

Will write a review and post pics one of these days!

Sedan or hatch?

[pow]

I'm loving mine (Oxford White SE Sport manual) so far... apart from the fact that Ford quadrupled incentives (from $500 to $2000) the month after I bought it. There goes my resale value.

Will write a review and post pics one of these days!

Sedan or hatch?

Managed to take a few pics today...

[ocnblu]

Nice photoset, Empowah.

[daves87rs]

Nice! I really like the hatches...

[regfootball]

I just took out a 12 Focus hatch manual with winter package, moonroof, and convenience pack.....also had aftermarket rims..... my first drive in a manual.

Quick impression. I am still impressed with the handling. There was a little heaviness in the steering though, probably from the aftermarket. Front end felt heavy. You can tell though, the car feels solid and euro.

I had to sit lower than normal, for me, just so i could feel like i had enough headroom. The roof is low on this car. Lots of dashboard intrusion.

Shifter was alright, but really with only five gears does not work for me. Knob is nice, and throws are ok, if a bit long. Clutch was a bit heavy and lacking feel to me.

Engine is a bit rough to me, and not overly powerful. In fact, it's kind of like driving my Cobalt....with more sound insulation it.

Interior feels less claustrophobic with the moonroof. What seems busy at first become alright once you get used to the level of detail....it becomes attractive. Clever bins....the little one by the driver leg and the ones on each side of the rear bench...the location of where the rear seat belts come out. All nice.

Driver's leg gets intruded upon though....not liking that. Seat heater switches are sort of a far reach back under the armrest. Mirror glass with sep. blind sport portion is sort of useful and interesting but is a bit busy and confusing at first.

Trunk is a lot larger than I envisioned.....trimmings are ok. Not luxury.

Hood latch detail on the hood is sort of cool.

Base radio button and display is cheap, even if it is stylish.

This car looks cool, but i think is bit too euro or egglike for a lot of the US population. the world car quality that makes it a nice car is also a little bit different than some US buyers are used to.

My nits are it needs a 6 speed manual, and the clutch and powertrain refinement need some work. Cruze feels more lively and upbeat. But this is not bad. the interior finish is fine for the price, and has lots of interesting detail.

When this car gets a decent powertrain, maybe like a 1.8 turbo, it would be a hoot. I should try one with the sport pack to see if it feels better......too bad i had to drive this one with aftermarket tires and wheels......doesn't match the suspension tune on the car.

[PurdueGuy]

I drove a manual hatch a little while back. I'd have to put an aftermarket intake on it or something - not enough noise from the engine to hear when to shift if the radio's on at all. Overall it was a nice car, and would make a good commuter, but I didn't find it exciting, even with the manual trans.

[pow]

I don't have the moonroof and have a good six inches of headroom at 5'11". I'd say definitely don't get the moonroof if headroom is a concern, though I haven't tried it out myself. My seat's all the way down to the floor, though I like sitting low.

The base radio interface comes from the Fiesta and I agree, the SYNC/MyFord (not MyFordTouch) is a must.

After 6,000 miles, a few comments:

- Yeah, six gears would be nice; the revs are low on the highway, but ratios could be closer, especially from 1-2 and 2-3.

- Throws are crisp and precise, but I wish they weren't as "two step" (the level of resistance changes going into neutral and then into the next gear). Shorter throws might help with that.

- Car tracks superbly, in part because of the EPS tuning. The steering really tightens up on center at speed. But at lower speed, changing radii turns, the resistance feels a bit unnecessary, and I'd rather see that resistance replaced with more steering feel.

- Clutch among the best I've tried.

- You can tell the engine is DI; not really a concern because all DI engines sound like this. But 2.0 liters is quite large for a 4-cylinder, and you can occasionally feel the vibrations at idle. NVH is not as refined as VW/Audi 2.0T or the i-VTEC in the old 2.0 Civic Si, but it does make a nice, albeit muted, growl at low-to-medium RPM / heavy throttle situations.

- Ergonomics and utility works for me. Was able to fit two medium sized bikes (wheels still on) with the seats down, and all the controls make a lot of sense once you learn them. Everything is within an easy reach.

- Occasional buzzes from interior pieces when the car is cold and while going over certain surfaces. Not cool.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. While not perfect, I like it more than anything else in its class. The world car qualities (without the made-in-Germany pricetag) was what made me interested in the car. I like the whole Ford global DNA to its design, perceived qualities, overall feel, and driving dynamics: quieter, more substantial, and more composed than a typical Japanese car (Mazda3, Civic, Impreza), while being more tactile and lively than, say, a Cruze.

Looking forward to driving the ST when it comes out, and offering a 1.6 EcoBoost with six-speed manual in the US makes a lot of sense down the road.

Edited April 28, 2012 by pow

[regfootball]

I drove a manual hatch a little while back. I'd have to put an aftermarket intake on it or something - not enough noise from the engine to hear when to shift if the radio's on at all. Overall it was a nice car, and would make a good commuter, but I didn't find it exciting, even with the manual trans.

yeah, you touched on it. 'nice car', but something a bit amiss. to me it needs an engine and some powertrain refinement to go with the obviously capable chassis.

i would have to go cruze here, the 6 sp manual is awesome in the cruze, the turbo four has a personality and zing and running quality to it that seems to impress me. the focus back seat has an edge for me but overall the interior of the cruze seems a bit more appealing.

focus is a good car, but right now the contest is like 51-49 in favor of cruze to me. Why do people buy corollas and civics now?

[riviera74]

People buy Corollas and Civics now just like they have for the last 40 years for the same reasons: habits and perception. It certainly sounds like this is not the POS the '81 Escort was. Ford will need to get more aggressive in getting more compact buyers to get into the Focus.

Edited April 29, 2012 by riviera74