OK... I'll ask

[Focusing]

OK...,

I drove a (loaded) Fusion Hybrid a few months ago and I was very impressed.

I have to tell ya, I've been in a 2006 Prius for 5 years, and I'm getting tired of it.

The Fusion was a breath of fresh air into the "Hybrid Thing".

 

But now...

I'm thinking of going back to a more conventional means of transport.

And I'm looking at the Focus.

Also there are money-savings to be had over the Fusion.

 

Now the question...

Are there any 2012 Focus owners that also own a 2010 thru 2012 Fusion Hybrid?

Anyone that has test-driven the Fusion Hybrid right in-line with a Focus Titanium (A-B'd the two).

I'm interested in your findings.

 

Boiling it down...

How does the Fusion Hybrid compare to the Focus Titanium?

[rfruth]

Never driven the Focus but as you must know they are different animals - if you want a more conventional means of transport the Focus @ 22.8 K wins hands down but if tailpipe emissions (not idling when stopped) regenerative braking etc mean anything the Fusion hybrid wins - the hybrid will probably have better resale value so total cost of ownership will be less (5 years @ 15 thousand miles per)

[mysticbluebmw]

Never driven the Focus but as you must know they are different animals - if you want a more conventional means of transport the Focus @ 22.8 K wins hands down but if tailpipe emissions (not idling when stopped) regenerative braking etc mean anything the Fusion hybrid wins - the hybrid will probably have better resale value so total cost of ownership will be less (5 years @ 15 thousand miles per)

Edmund's 'True Cost to Own' is:

 

Optionless 2011 Fusion Hybrid (note: 2012 will be higher): $40,854

Optionless 2012 Focus Titanium: $35,145

 

so, the total cost over 5 years of ownership, the Focus will be significantly less.

[rfruth]

Edmunds TCO is a good rule of thumb but it only provides a rough average, it doesn't take into account driving conditions, climate, driving style, how well the owner takes care of it & who does the maintenance.

Edited July 14, 2011 by rfruth

[mysticbluebmw]

Sorry, I didn't realize you did all that. I thought you may have only based your assumption on the Fusion being a hybrid, since that's all you listed. Again, my apologies, since that was obviously quite a bit of research you must have did. Edmund's must use different conditions for every car in their database. I would have thought each car would have been evaluated under like condition therefore, while not giving the TRUE cost for you to own, it would allow a direct comparison to determine differences in cost of ownership, especially when significant as was in this case. Thank you for setting me straight.

[transitman]

I'd be concerned about the deprecation on a FFH, unless, as the batteries get older the value decreases, I don't know. It just seems you would have to keep a FFH longer to get the value out of the car.

[ClutchTime]

Focusing, you may want to ask or wait for GaryG to chime in. I think I read somewhere that he got his kid a new Focus and I know he's big into the "hybrid thing". I've only driven an Escape hybrid for short jaunts at work since it's one of the company vehicles and it's completely trashed so I cant give any opinion on it.

[ackbar]

I traded my 2010 FFH for a 2012 Focus Titanium Hatchback. I posted some of my comparisons in this thread: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/46098-im-really-trying but here are more of my thoughts:

 

Driving - The biggest reason I traded it for the Focus was to get something more nimble and fun to drive. The FFH is a great car, no doubt, but like all hybrids it's heavier and so it doesn't handle as well as the Focus. I find that the Focus is more responsive both in acceleration and in braking, but most noticeably the handling around corners and lane changing is more precise. It feels more firmly planted on the road and is just a lot of fun to drive. On the other hand, the FFH felt like it had more low-end torque, probably due to the addition of the electric motor, and of course you can drive at low speeds as well as stop at a traffic light while using no gas at all. Over highways and on long-distance, the FFH is smoother and more serene, and is great for road trips, but the Focus is not bad here either. In the city, I much prefer driving the Focus.

 

Appearances - This is purely subjective, but I think the Focus is just more attractive than the Fusion. The Fusion looks nice from certain angles, but the side profile and front overhang never looked great to me. My biggest gripe is with the large chrome grille, which acts as a bug catcher and needs regular cleaning to look good. Some people have painted theirs, but I really hope Ford moves away from using large chrome grilles. I'm still getting used to the rear lights on my Focus Hatchback, but overall think the Focus looks great, both inside and out. The inside looks and feels phenomenal for a car in this class. Little touches, like hiding the fuel door on the hatchback show attention to design detail. I think the designers stepped up their game on this car.

 

Utility - The Fusion Hybrid is roomier on the inside for passengers, but the Focus has more utility since the rear seats fold flat and the hatch opening is large. I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my hatchback. Note that the FFH rear seats do not fold down and the trunk is reduced by the battery. So, it's roomy for passengers, but it can't carry large items as can the Focus Hatchback or even the Focus sedan with folded rear seats. One utility advantage to the FFH - it includes a standard power outlet behind the rear console to charge a cell phone, laptop, etc. The FFH center console also has a dual lid (top lid for change, mints, etc. and larger bottom area) whereas the Focus has just one bottom area. As you might expect, there isn't as much storage space in the front of the Focus since it's a smaller car.

 

Fuel Economy - When I bought the FFH, it was primarily for fuel economy. I averaged about 38 MPG overall over several years, although my highest ever was 80 MPG driving in town at night. On the Focus, I'm averaging about 32 MPG. That said, I'm only at about 2000 miles and have driven primarily in the city. On the freeway, I have gotten over 40 MPG, and I hope to see better results as I break in the engine, especially when the weather cools down. If I can get about 35 MPG average, I figure it's close enough.

 

Infotainment - The FFH has the smartgauge which I miss. Being a hybrid, it displays much more detail regarding fuel economy, and with the Nav screen there are some really cool display screens. But My Ford Touch on the Focus is a newer generation system over the SYNC/Nav system in the current FFH. There are some reliability problems with MFT though, which should get ironed out in the next update. The MFT display seems to be higher-resolution, and there are advancements in some areas (like seeing cover art when playing from an MP3 player or playing video from an iPod). Eventually, MFT should also be able to run apps like Pandora, which is already on the Fiesta. As far as sound quality, I think the FFH with the 12 speakers system sounded a little better, but the Focus 10 speaker system is still pretty good for a factory system.

 

So I hope that helps...both are great cars, but if I had to summarize, I'd say the Focus is definitely more of a compact and fun driver's car whereas the FFH is more of an efficient people hauler.

[rfruth]

Great review ! Without going into details (unless you want) how was resale value of the FFH - how many miles when sold, price of gas at the time, still in good shape, extended warranty, did the dealership want the FFH or was it more cause you were getting something else ?

Edited July 15, 2011 by rfruth

[Focusing]

Hey all.

Thanks for the thoughts & info.

 

And ackbar,

Whew...

Thanks for that comparo.

Great analysis. Just what I need to think about.

One quick question, then I'm heading over to that thread.

 

I guess you'd say the Focus is a little quicker from a stop?

Yeah, the Fusion does have that torque.

But if there was 1 or 2 people in the car?

 

Thanks again.

Edited July 16, 2011 by Focusing

[ackbar]

Great review ! Without going into details (unless you want) how was resale value of the FFH - how many miles when sold, price of gas at the time, still in good shape, extended warranty, did the dealership want the FFH or was it more cause you were getting something else ?

 

My 2010 was in good shape, with about 35K miles. I was rear-ended at a stop sign once, but only the bumper was affected and it was repaired and not noticeable. I got an OK deal for trade-in, but I went that route because in Texas you don't pay sales tax on the trade-in value when buying a new vehicle. The dealer turned around and listed it for $28K after detailing it, and I believe they sold it in a week, if that gives you any idea. They seemed pretty happy to have a FFH to be able to sell.

[ackbar]

Hey all.

Thanks for the thoughts & info.

 

And ackbar,

Whew...

Thanks for that comparo.

Great analysis. Just what I need to think about.

One quick question, then I'm heading over to that thread.

 

I guess you'd say the Focus is a little quicker from a stop?

Yeah, the Fusion does have that torque.

But if there was 1 or 2 people in the car?

 

Thanks again.

 

I'd say the Focus is a little quicker from a stop. Sometimes on the FFH there's a slight delay between when you hit the gas peddle and when the gas engine kicks in -- this is just part of the start-stop technology in a hybrid. In the Focus (the U.S. version at least), the engine is always running, so it's a more immediate response, but of course the downside is you're using fuel even when stopped at a traffic light. In the FFH, the ICE will shut off when stopped at a light or when driving at low speeds (once the engine is warmed up).

[Chibana]

According to Car & Driver, the FFH does 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds. They got 7.6 seconds for the Focus Titanium, and 7.3 seconds for the manual equipped Focus SE. Other reviews have gotten a bit slower times for the Titanium, but I've read two C&D reviews with 7.6 seconds 0-60 for the Titanium. PowerShift-equipped Focuses that aren't Titaniums would likely be a bit lighter, and a bit quicker, maybe dropping that down to 7.5 or 7.4 seconds. At least with one driver, it's likely the Focus will dust off a FFH, especially as speeds increase and the higher-RPM power of the Focus engine can get a chance to run. Hybrids aren't exactly known for performance.... And in steering and handling, the Focus thoroughly trounces the Fusion, likely even the Fusion Sport, based on what I remember reading about the Fusion Sport.

[Focusing]

Chibana, on 18 July 2011 - 12:53 PM, said:

According to Car & Driver, the FFH does 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds. They got 7.6 seconds for the Focus Titanium, and 7.3 seconds for the manual equipped Focus SE. Other reviews have gotten a bit slower times for the Titanium, but I've read two C&D reviews with 7.6 seconds 0-60 for the Titanium. PowerShift-equipped Focuses that aren't Titaniums would likely be a bit lighter, and a bit quicker, maybe dropping that down to 7.5 or 7.4 seconds. At least with one driver, it's likely the Focus will dust off a FFH, especially as speeds increase and the higher-RPM power of the Focus engine can get a chance to run. Hybrids aren't exactly known for performance.... And in steering and handling, the Focus thoroughly trounces the Fusion, likely even the Fusion Sport, based on what I remember reading about the Fusion Sport.

 

 

Yeah, I know all too well the performance of a Hybrid, but that FFH was impressive, ...coming out of my Prius.

Thanks for the above stats. I'm sure the Focus Ti will feel like a rocket-ship compared to my car.

And I don't mean to slam the Prius, at all. It is a GREAT car. It hasn't cost me a penny for any repairs. I've done what little maintenance there is, myself. For me, it's proven itself to be a totally reliable vehicle. But now with fuel economy improving on some of the new cars, I was starting to look elsewhere. (and for me, 5 years in the same car is a bit of a record. so that says a lot about the Prius!)

I DO wish the Ti was available with a 6 speed stick. I'm reading some things about the tranny that has me worried.

So, at this point, I've got to get out there and find a Ti for a test ride

...and I think I've found one.

[Focusing]

I forgot to ask...

Do we have a list of U.S. magazines that have done full reviews (not just "first impressions") of the 2012 Focus?

Preferably the Ti Hatch. But any review is helpful.