Thinking about getting a Focus

[silvertoy]

So, I've had my Fiesta for almost 14 months now and I've certainly enjoyed it, however, in that time, I've had some significant life changes, such as child #3. The third requires 2 car seats in the back and one cramped 9 year old who is not getting any smaller.

Mind you, I have a Minivan and a 4 door Jeep Wrangler, the Minivan performs major road trip duties and the Jeep shuttles us around on those super hot days with the top down and get's me there when the Snow is 3' deep.

I use this vehicle to take the kids to school/daycare in the morning and then take a spirited back road drive to my work. I also use it to shuttle the family all over town for errands and such since I would rather get 30mpg around town than 13 with my Van.

I picked the fiesta for 3 main reasons.
1. I stongly liked the handling/steering (was coming from a MINI cooper S)
2. I liked the fuel economy.
3. It was available in Manual, which is all I will drive.

SO, the Focus fixes my slight space problem, has the Fuel Economy, is available in Manual ( I will get the SE) but I do not know about the handling.

I've test driven the Focus 3 times now, all with powershift because no-one will stock a manual, but the C&D article about the Manual transmission being the bees-knees leads me to believe I won't have a problem with that.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test


But the real problem is that I just couldn't get a good feel for how they compare in such a short period, I don't know if it was just because I had the dealer there or what, but I'm torn.

Does anyone have any good subjective data on how the two of them perform, even data like skidpad, slalom, braking, etc....

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[wmussatto]

Warning, Car and Driver has a hidden agenda, "Save the Manual" is one of their pet projects. I'm not sure they are exactly unbiased. Also, with the Powershift the advantages of a manual with a small engine go away. Not to say that driving a manual is not fun, but you are loosing a gear, unless the Focus has a 6 speed manual now.

"I'll only will drive a manual" sounds like my wife, before she got the Prius which was the only car that didn't have a headrest which hurt our necks.

[eRic]

save the manuals is not a hidden agenda. it's out in the open! I bought the "save the manuals" t-shirt, decal and the button to display in my cube at work. loosing a gear? yes the manual is a 5-speed instead of the 6-speed automatic. the manual is more fun since you can actually control when it changes gears. the powershift will occasionally ignore your command when you click the rocker switch on the lever. it reminds me of HAL. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that"

[Captainmorbid]

2012 Ford Focus SE 5-Door, an AW Drivers Log Car Review - AutoWeek

No hard numbers yet...

[Bertt]

If you're looking for something more roomy (and a bit more expensive) than a Fiesta, you should test drive a Mazda3. The available 6spd manual is pretty awesome. But, the fuel economy is not quite up to par with what Ford is putting out right now.

[silvertoy]

I've driven the mazda previously as well, but I still prefer the Fords styling and mileage. I can't get over the mazdas grin. Plus I didn't think the handling was that great except on the speed3 which really racks up the price and fuel consumption. For now, my question is about the focus, but I do appreciate your thoughts.

Yeah, don't bother trying to convince me on the auto. I'm a die hard supporter of save the manuals as well. I've tried all of the gadgets on the powershift and it still doesn't allow me the control and precision I want. Not to mention it's as sluggish as any standard auto for no reason whatsoever. The numbers I've seen on the focus 0-60 tell a sad tale for the powershift. Powershift auto 8.7 vs. 5 speed manual 7.3. 5 speed vs 6 speed loses importance with the more available power you have, and is really overated unless the top gear isn't tall enough and your rpms are high at highway speeds.

I've seen the following data on the focus se with manual and sport package and 17" wheel and tire package from C&D

skidpad - .88 g
0-60 - 7.3 s

[silvertoy]

Originally Posted by Captainmorbid

2012 Ford Focus SE 5-Door, an AW Drivers Log Car Review - AutoWeek

No hard numbers yet...

Thank you very much for this link, very good information indeed!

[Captainmorbid]

Originally Posted by silvertoy

Thank you very much for this link, very good information indeed!

That was the only non-powershift review I found! I guess Ford is supplying the titanium only for the auto rags!

[Audrey]

It sounds like you're trying to have us convince you of something you've already decided on. The Focus sounds like it'd be a pretty good car for you as long as you can get a model order with manual trans+other features you want.

[3Mach1]

I think what is hampering the performance of the powershifts is electronic nannies to save money on warranty repairs. This is nothing new for any manufacturer. I have been in debates with those who like to think of the power shift as a manual. Its not. It controls you and you cant control it. This is the day and age we live in now.

Im onboard to with save the sticks. Simple, cheap, reliable, and way more fun imo. The programming on the autos is also going to err on the side of fuel economy more times than not. That will get aggravating when you dont have a V8 to pull you through with raw torque.

This is just my opinion and Im no way bashing powershifts.

For what ever reason there does not seem to be much if any difference in performance on the Fiesta between the two trans but I have noticed the same thing as you on the Focus. I have no explanation for that.