2008 Focus SECOND in Consumer Reports Comparo

[pcsario]

- regardless this does not change the fact that publications trying to cater to consumers, and not 500hp-is-too-little RWD-for-life enthusiasts rank the Focus above such overhyped entries as Sentra, Mazda3 and others.

1)

How the hell are the Mazda3 or VW Rabbit overrated for their pricepoints?

 

This isn't about the Mazdaspeed or the EVO, just the regular versions of those cars. What about better brakes? Exterior design? Well rounded overall package? Hardly any Fast&Furious logic in that.

 

2)

The same group you keep saying "will favor the FuckUs", is the same group that usually bought a Cavalier over it.

 

Using the "well it's for mom & pop" logic, then --financially speaking-- it's an even bigger mess, since the old, old, OLD Focus would've sufficed "just fine". No need to invest in new sheetmetal and interior since it's aimed at ex-Cavalier lovers.

 

"Those people don't care about that anyway", right? Ditto with a reworked Ecosport over the Verve.

 

Funny how you switch your stance between them.

 

You can't root for mediocrity in one case, and say "good thing Ford took the other route" on another.

Edited October 4, 2007 by pcsario

[pcsario]

CR usually judges a vehicle on how well it does what it's designed to do. Is it designed to be a performance oriented sports compact? Is it designed to be an economical people mover with adequate room for people and luggage? Is it designed to be a very low priced entry level compact sedan? Is it designed for leading in class in economy? In order to understand how they judged it, you probably first need to figure out the purpose of the car.

They set these standards for judging cars here, not me.

 

Case in point:

Deserved hate or not, random example, people here ROASTED the Sentra when it was released.

 

By their own logic with the FuckUs, other than handling, it should be a respected entry here as well.

 

- Roomy

- Comfortable

- Excellent fuel economy

- Can be bought for cheap

- Best-in-class sound deadening

- Interior appointments with good materials

- Comfortable for mom & pop "who don't care about Fast&Furious handling or performance"

etc...

 

Now watch them DESTROY that car again with a bunch of hypocritical comments, and call us a buch of "haters" because we can't be as objective as they are. Will the double standards ever end? :rolleyes:

Edited October 4, 2007 by pcsario

[sonofford]

consumer reports last month magazine tested the lancer, sentra, the hyundia entry in the compact and said none of them live up to the focus and civic, which are the class leaders. btw the 2007 focus is the one that placed 2nd 1 pt behind the civic. Unless there is a new report out, as far as I know consumer reports hasn't tested the 08 yet.

 

This is correct. The November CR road tests are about luxury cars (Volvo S80, BMW 5 series, MB E-class, etc.). The October issue featured small cars, but did not test the Focus. Since CR buys its cars from dealers just like the general public, it won't have a test of the 08 MY Focus for some time.

[silvrsvt]

I guess the 08 Focus is PC's new whipping boy in addition to the Fusion :P

[jonas1022]

The Mazda3 is a better car all things considered. I've driven both.

 

There's a lot of wind/ground noise in the Civic, it has inferior brakes, quality has been so-so, etc.

 

You missed the point.

Let's not forget that the new Civic is fast becoming the "Poster Child" for recalls of foriegn cars. Making VW a little green with envy for all the attention it isn't getting along the way. Does CR mention that? I think maybe once for eight (?) recall notifications. Not your fathers Civic.

[LincolnFan]

Meh, I think I mentioned it a hundred times. Biased on what I have seen of the C1 Focus (read: Daily driver) and the 08 American Focus, I'd pick the 08AM-Focus anyday over my Focus, my Focus doesn't have a bold exterior look, nor a sporty/something-for-people-under-30 interior, and the saving the best for the last, the lackluster 1.6 DOHC with the 4-speed auto, would it have hurt them if they put a 5-speed there? It would have DEFINITELY helped keeping the RPM under 3K @ 120KM/h.

 

Would you really trade the C170 Focus for a bland Focus because it's dash has a -very- soft plastic? Personally, not in a million year, but I had no choice.

[Michael Reynolds]

The Mazda3 is a better car all things considered. I've driven both.

 

There's a lot of wind/ground noise in the Civic, it has inferior brakes, quality has been so-so, etc.

 

You missed the point.

 

Well why didn't you say that to begin with?

[MKII]

Meh, I think I mentioned it a hundred times. Biased on what I have seen of the C1 Focus (read: Daily driver) and the 08 American Focus, I'd pick the 08AM-Focus anyday over my Focus, my Focus doesn't have a bold exterior look, nor a sporty/something-for-people-under-30 interior, and the saving the best for the last, the lackluster 1.6 DOHC with the 4-speed auto, would it have hurt them if they put a 5-speed there? It would have DEFINITELY helped keeping the RPM under 3K @ 120KM/h.

 

Would you really trade the C170 Focus for a bland Focus because it's dash has a -very- soft plastic? Personally, not in a million year, but I had no choice.

 

I think someone in the U.S.A. should ship Lincoln Fan one of these 2008 just so he can come to his senses. :happy feet:

[suv_guy_19]

I think someone in the U.S.A. should ship Lincoln Fan one of these 2008 just so he can come to his senses. :happy feet:

 

 

Yes, your opinion will force him to change his mind. I think someone already slipped you something.

[LincolnFan]

I think someone in the U.S.A. should ship Lincoln Fan one of these 2008 just so he can come to his senses. :happy feet:

 

No problemo, I will even ship my Focus back, oh yea make sure the Focus is a coupe with an Auto, Sync would be nice too.

[jon_the_limey]

Meh, I think I mentioned it a hundred times. Biased on what I have seen of the C1 Focus (read: Daily driver) and the 08 American Focus, I'd pick the 08AM-Focus anyday over my Focus, my Focus doesn't have a bold exterior look, nor a sporty/something-for-people-under-30 interior, and the saving the best for the last, the lackluster 1.6 DOHC with the 4-speed auto, would it have hurt them if they put a 5-speed there? It would have DEFINITELY helped keeping the RPM under 3K @ 120KM/h.

 

Would you really trade the C170 Focus for a bland Focus because it's dash has a -very- soft plastic? Personally, not in a million year, but I had no choice.

 

Bloody hell, so your one of the half dozen that actually has an auto 1.6!!!

 

Actually that 1.6 Sigma engine is a little belter of an engine, in the right chassis of course, the Ti-VCT engine makes 12.5Bar BMEP on standard pump fuel. It's also very lightweight but still robust, low reciprocating masses & low inertia bucket-type valvetrain with good flowing ports make it very tunable, and best of all it's cheap. No wonder Caterham went over to it for their 7's.

 

Sort of back on topic, I owned a C170 diesel Focus and it was an excellent tool. But having driven a couple of variants of the C1 (ST and the 1.8 diesel) it does everything the C170 does but with better ride quality, more refinement and more space. It's not a huge jump by any stretch, but more than enough to stay competitive in the European market where C-car is king.

[LincolnFan]

Bloody hell, so your one of the half dozen that actually has an auto 1.6!!!

 

It's not my fault, that's the only engine they offer around here. This is why I fucking hate Ford of Europe, they give us the trash that doesn't sell around there.

 

Did you say space? I have never been into a lot of small cars, but the C1 Focus is FREAKING TIGHT.. I came out of a Caprice... A LWB version of the Vauxhall VX8 if you will.

[Admiral]

Oh boy, more '08 Focus debate. Yay, let's jump to conclusions!! Let me tell you something, I was in Seattle for the car's launch. I've driven it 100 plus miles on all kinds of roads and it IS good, very good. The steering is more precise and better weighted than the 2000-2007 models, of which, by the way, I own and drive a 2002 daily. The ride is smooth, yet the handling hasn't been corrupted, not one iota. The interior is, and this is no exaggeration, Lexus-like in its quietness. The seats are an all-new design and they are long-haul comfortable. You could easily drive 1,000 miles in a day without issue. Fit and finish is excellent, materials are good (actually the plastic has an almost a wood grain to it). The car has SYNC. Need I say more? Plus, it looks better than the God-awful Civic, not that that makes it attractive, but still. All is not bad, the sky is not falling. I bet it'll be a hit.

[range]

Oh boy, more '08 Focus debate. Yay, let's jump to conclusions!! Let me tell you something, I was in Seattle for the car's launch. I've driven it 100 plus miles on all kinds of roads and it IS good, very good. The steering is more precise and better weighted than the 2000-2007 models, of which, by the way, I own and drive a 2002 daily. The ride is smooth, yet the handling hasn't been corrupted, not one iota. The interior is, and this is no exaggeration, Lexus-like in its quietness. The seats are an all-new design and they are long-haul comfortable. You could easily drive 1,000 miles in a day without issue. Fit and finish is excellent, materials are good (actually the plastic has an almost a wood grain to it). The car has SYNC. Need I say more? Plus, it looks better than the God-awful Civic, not that that makes it attractive, but still. All is not bad, the sky is not falling. I bet it'll be a hit.

 

AutoWeek echos your positive comments:

 

"Our biggest surprise came at the wheel, and maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising. For its time, the original Focus was an excellent Euro-developed subcompact, and in the dynamic sense, the 2008 remains a good one. It’s not as inspiring as the original, but it’s better in several respects."

 

 

"Our appreciation is enhanced by the NVH improvements. This Focus is one of the quietest, smoothest small cars we’ve driven in some time—certainly more so than competitors (by price) such as the Scion xD, the Dodge Caliber, the ’07 Toyota Corolla and the Honda Fit—and the improvement spills over into other aspects of its performance. "

[Pioneer]

Scion xD, Honda Fit

 

The Focus is now competing with "B" cars?

[range]

The Focus is now competing with "B" cars?

 

 

 

as the author says....."than competitors (by price)"

[Pioneer]

as the author says....."than competitors (by price)"

 

 

Ko.

[range]

Focus S Coupe $14,075

Fit 5-Spd MT $13,950

 

And of course the larger, 140hp Focus gets BETTER highway mileage than the 109 hp Fit, 35mpg for Focus vs 34mpg for Fit.

Edited October 5, 2007 by range

[FordBuyer]

Way to contradict yourself. The comparo is laughable and worthless, but had the C1 Focus been available and included it would have been the No. 1 pick?

 

If the test is that worthless then why does it matter where the C1 would have placed, or how many points it earned?

 

The only thing that matters is sales. If the new Focus sells well and better than old, that is all that matters assuming incentives are reasonable. The new Focus is better in every way than old, so it should sell better. So if it does, it is successful, if it doesn't, it is not.

[630land]

If C1 Focus was here, it would have been watered down anyway, to keep costs down. And the critics would have called it the 'mini Five Hundred' with its boring looks. Also, the hatchbacks would still not have sold well.

 

Shoulda woulda coulda all day, reality is now, and the '08 is getting good reviews from unbiased soruces [CR, AutoWeek]

[the_spaniard]

Regardless of what people think of CR, any positive press for Ford is good news.

 

It's pretty good news that a major review rag put a Ford product second behind what they consider the market segment leader - particularly when it's a refresh.

[ShockFX]

Regardless of what people think of CR, any positive press for Ford is good news.

 

It's pretty good news that a major review rag put a Ford product second behind what they consider the market segment leader - particularly when it's a refresh.

 

In the CR report, it's actually the 2007 Focus. So it's an even better thing for Ford IMO.

[FordBuyer]

I drive a 2002 Taurus SES Sport, and if I were interested in replacing it today, I would give serious consideration to the 2008 Focus. I had been leaning to the new Taurus, but with persistently high oil prices even after summer driving season, and the improvement of compact cars, the Focus looks better all the time. Great gas mileage, superior trunk space, comfortable interior and seats, quiet ride, great handling, and value priced. My only suggestion would be put some fricking head restraints in the back seats. Other than that, the 2008 Focus is very worthy of consideration and great temptation for someone who doesn't want to pay a lot for a nice car. It certainly is on my list when I replace my present Ford.

[P71_CrownVic]

I got a word that the November Issue of CR tested small cars .. and 2008 Ford Focus pleased SECOND mere ONE POINT behind the Civic, beating the Mazda3 ..

 

I always knew not to trust CR.

[LincolnFan]

In the CR report, it's actually the 2007 Focus. So it's an even better thing for Ford IMO.

 

Wait, that Focus with the horrid interior is one point behind the Civic?! Well, I guess 08Focus already won then.