dmpaul

Regarding the Focus Active, I thought that was the plan. Import from China until North America production can come on line. I know that trade issues caused that plan to be scrapped, but it seems like it was given up very quickly. I still think Ford needs an affordable sedan or (preferably) hatchback. Not everyone wants to spend money on an all wheel drive CUV.

I agree, and the Fiesta is a fun car to drive, especially the ST. But Ford has not handled the Powershift issues in the best manner. There are three major problems with the original Powershift: the transmission seal, the clutch material, and the TCM. All three have been redesigned or updated. I had all three replaced on mine on three different occasions. Once my 2011 Fiesta was in for a new clutch, why not replace the seal and the TCM right then. The TCM failure left me stranded and I had to tow the car to dealer. That could have been avoided. I know it costs more money initially, but all three were eventually replaced, so I don't see any savings for Ford. And all people see are multiple transmission repairs. And these are not one day repairs, so the car is lost for week. I give credit to Ford for developing new technologies. I can understand flaws in the original design, but acknowledging and fixing problems buys a lot of good will. Speaking of DCT, I notice Honda is now putting them in several of their motorcycles. I don't know if it's wet or dry.

Ford isn't the only one using dry clutch. Hyundai also uses dry clutch DCT and has received lots of complaints, primarily the car failing to move due to excessive heat generated, typically in slow moving traffic. Creeping in slow traffic is not a good thing to do with a dry clutch. I personally am on my second Fiesta. I gave the old one to my son. The first one had the clutch replaced at about 96k, the seal at 116k and the TCM at 126k, both paid for by Ford, but otherwise the car has been great. My biggest beef is that they just didn't replace everything after first issue. It really amplifies the problem. I got a killer deal on the second Fiesta but I was concerned about reliability, so before I bought the second one I did some research. After the mid-cycle refresh the transmission repair rate appears to have dropped to where it is comparable with conventional automatics. The transmission in my new Fiesta is very good and never seems to get confused at low speeds like my first one occasionally did (interestingly, the new TCM in my old Fiesta also improved shifting). Bottom line, I think Ford has improved the transmission and it's very good now, but the bad reputation will be hard to shake.

I have two Fiestas with powershift transmission, a 2011 and a 2017. I had the transmission seal replaced and new clutch pack in the 2011 last December at 116k miles. I bought the 2017 in February, mainly because I got a great deal. Before buying and after learning the 100,000 mile extended warranty no longer applied, I did some research. It is true that after the mid-cycle refresh the warranty return rates were much better, so I would at least avoid pre refresh models. This is the case for the Fiesta, I assume the same would hold true for Focus. I don't know the extent of the changes after the refresh, but the new Fiesta tranny seems much improved. It is quieter, and has never gotten confused, especially during low speed driving maneuvers (I often kept the old one in L while in parking lots or stop and go traffic). That said, a DCT does have a different feel to it. I personally like it, especially after driving some rubber band CVT equipped cars. Others may disagree. Also, I agree with fuzzymoomoo, check the service records. My worst experience with this transmission is the fact the service department has a hard time repairing these. It took two visits to and several weeks to get my 2011 right, and they charged me for a motor mount that probably was not faulty. My 2 cents for what it's worth.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet. The integrated trailer brake control.