Topic: Day-By-Day Review: 2015 Ford Focus Sedan; Day 1

[tpl]

If you are one to cruise well above the posted limit, look elsewhere because you need a lot of road to move this car past 120 km/h.

This is a 2.0 not the 1.0?   weird.

Ford doesn’t make it obvious to consumers that this automatic transmission really is a dual-clutch and not a typical “slushbox” they are used to.

For the most part it doesn’t matter, but you will notice that the car tends to not creep without application of throttle, and if you are moving along bristly and brake and turn briskly as well the transmission can and will get confused and hunt for the right gear, even in sport mode.

Sounds as if they haven't fixed the software yet.  No creep and gear change confusion. My 2008 GTI DSG managed both of those things in the 1st gen DSG.   Is the Ford still a dry clutch system?


For both complaints I wonder if 6th is just too high for the torque curve of that 2.0.

[whaddaiknow]

Those 18-inch wheels on the Focus they look great, but do they certainly are a compromise when it comes to turning radius. Here I am driving a compact car that is shorter than the competition and in order to get myself in a parking spot I have to make more forward and reverse adjustments than I do in a full sized truck.

I am amazed at the turning radius in my large-ish sedan. Despite its size, standard 18" wheels and AWD, MB turns on a dime. So it sure can be done when you put enough engineering effort in it.

[tortoise]

And what are you talking about, oversteer?!  It's a FWD car.  No chance the back end slips out before the front without handbrake input.

A well set up FWD car will happily oversteer if you lift in a corner or apply a little brake.  I'm not talking a Fast & Furious drift but both of my Mazda's were happy to rotate the car with the back end. 

You've been driving a Corolla too long.

[wing]

Yes it runs out of breath, the transmission is a different sentence and has nothing to do with the acceleration.

Yes the car oversteers, you are incorrect that front wheel drive cars can't oversteer....

[Ontariodriver]

I'd be happy just with the S trim in Manual. It has Air. you don't have pay a 1-2 grand for that. it's $18,464 on the road. Colors are crap to choose from and I'd prefer the Hatch. But the basic focus it's not bad car.....Avoid the cars with a push button start. My Sister ST got stolen so easy. It may be a nice feature....Forget it IMO....

How do you know that's why it was stolen?

Push button cars are easy to steal it's quiet well know. These were professional. They even block the GPS tracker. When the police try to find it. the signal was blocked.

 

[mlin32]

A well set up FWD car will happily oversteer if you lift in a corner or apply a little brake.  I'm not talking a Fast & Furious drift but both of my Mazda's were happy to rotate the car with the back end. 

You've been driving a Corolla too long.

Agreed. The extent depends on the suspension setup and of course driver input, but even my Mazda3 BM will do this, enough to trigger DSC intervention. Personally not much my preference- I prefer a stable, planted feel, hence a VW Golf.

The Ford still uses a dry-clutch as far as I know, I think only the programming was revised (for the umpteenth time). I don't like the "creep" found in automatics and have no issues with the DCT in the late Ford models.

[Blueprint]

Ditto the turning circle. My Titanium hatch tester had the 18's, and required truck-like manoeuvres. However, the SE rental sedan with the 16" alloys was fine in parking lots. I would go with the stock 17" alloys with the Titanium, although 500$ is a cheap upgrade for the 18's.

Car did not feel out of breath at all over 80 mph, although passing at those speeds (and above...was following a 911's lead) requires a bit of room. 120-140 km/h are no issue, unless your yardstick is an IS-F 

[Patrick_D1]

Yes it runs out of breath, the transmission is a different sentence and has nothing to do with the acceleration.

Yes the car oversteers, you are incorrect that front wheel drive cars can't oversteer....

x2. Oversteer isn't just about power to the rear axle. It can also be induced by weight transfer. The ease with which one can do this is based on the chassis, suspension setup, and weight balance.

[SaskSpecV]

Ditto the turning circle. My Titanium hatch tester had the 18's, and required truck-like manoeuvres. However, the SE rental sedan with the 16" alloys was fine in parking lots. I would go with the stock 17" alloys with the Titanium, although 500$ is a cheap upgrade for the 18's.

Agreed about the turning circle - a real pet peeve of mine is a small car with a boat-like turning radius.  The SpecV was like that - about 40' diameter IIRC.  Though the car handled great (for a cheap sport compact) in terms of grip and lack of body roll, it had very poor manoeuvrability at low speed (heavy steering and big turning radius).

I appreciate Ford's customization approach though - being able to choose from 16s, 17s, 18s relatively inexpensively.  More MNFRs should do this.

[ArticSteve]

Push button cars are easy to steal it's quiet well know. These were professional. They even block the GPS tracker. When the police try to find it. the signal was blocked.


I have nothing but push button start cars 

Does that mean I've got to keep my snakes in the car as a deterrent.  They won't like that! 

[Serniter]

Push button cars are easy to steal it's quiet well know. These were professional. They even block the GPS tracker. When the police try to find it. the signal was blocked.


I have nothing but push button start cars 

Does that mean I've got to keep my snakes in the car as a deterrent.  They won't like that!

Reminds me of a clip from Gone in 60 Seconds 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNmC_7-4EU

[EV-Light]

Ford is getting rid of the dual clutch in the next iteration of the Focus. I am wondering if they will install a 9-speed or a CVT.


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[Ontariodriver]

Push button cars are easy to steal it's quiet well know. These were professional. They even block the GPS tracker. When the police try to find it. the signal was blocked.


I have nothing but push button start cars 

Does that mean I've got to keep my snakes in the car as a deterrent.  They won't like that!

Yep it's up to you.....My sister and brother in law lost they pride and joy and wish they had.....

http://www.driving.co.uk/news/no-car-is-safe-how-hi-tech-thieves-are-defeating-sophisticated-security-systems/

[EV-Light]

^^ this isn't any different than the device that pops doors open by using an electromagnetic field. I'm all for push to start butyons


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[Factger]

Wing I wonder how the changes of this new model compares to the old one you drove way back? I wish you did had the 1.0l ecoboost with a stick.

I agree with blueprints comments but I still cannot comment on the dct . For a car with a manual transmission it is a good car. I think you have to have the manual appreciate the 2.0l engine. My brother replaced his caliper with a bases focus s with a manual and they (him,wife and his son) just love it.

The 17" inch rims on my focus do not impede  manoeuvrability but they are very heavy rims for 17inchers. They must of made to take pothole abuse and therefore have less warranty issues.

The steering wheel has changed quite of bit. Cut down on the switches/buttons. Notice hardly any chrome on this one compared to the previous model. It was flaking off and started cutting drivers hands on the previous model. I really like the steering in my car even though I do not use the right circular touch pad at all.

[mixmanmash]

And what are you talking about, oversteer?!  It's a FWD car.  No chance the back end slips out before the front without handbrake input.

A well set up FWD car will happily oversteer if you lift in a corner or apply a little brake.  I'm not talking a Fast & Furious drift but both of my Mazda's were happy to rotate the car with the back end. 

You've been driving a Corolla too long.

Yup.  My Protege with Racing Beat Springs and a larger rear sway bar exhibited strong lift off throttle oversteer.  I actually went back to a stock rear sway bar and found the lift off throttle oversteer to be more progressive.  It was perfect for auto-x and short road courses with tight turns.  I'd just slightly lift off the throttle and the car would start rotating.  Just when the car is pointed right where I want it, I would get back on the throttle.  Loads of fun.

[Noto]

The fuel economy is a wash to me between the Corolla and this Focus, though the trunk is a notable feature.  I found the same thing about the Focus every time - it's a decent size, but the opening is quite small.  The Corolla's is much larger and more accessible, despite the crunchy arms.

[pi314]

In practice, I've found that the fuel economy between my 2013 Focus and my dad's 2011 Corolla to be quite different, particularly in the highway, and especially in the winter.

The lifetime average of the Focus is around 8.0 l/100 km, mostly city, and 7.3 l/100 km for the Corolla. Of course the Corolla has nearly 80000 km on it now, and the focus 20 000. Both are 5 speed manuals.

Hatch vs Sedan though.

[Noto]

In practice, I've found that the fuel economy between my 2013 Focus and my dad's 2011 Corolla to be quite different, particularly in the highway, and especially in the winter.

The lifetime average of the Focus is around 8.0 l/100 km, mostly city, and 7.3 l/100 km for the Corolla. Of course the Corolla has nearly 80000 km on it now, and the focus 20 000. Both are 5 speed manuals.

Hatch vs Sedan though.

I don't keep a lifetime average, but Lady Noto's old roommate's 2012 Focus SE sedan is averaging 6.1L/100km (pure highway), which is about what I get in the Corolla to Ithaca.  In the City, the Corolla hovers in the low 8s in the summer and mid-9s in the winter.  Suffice it to say that these are all reasonably efficient and fuel economy is fine.

Beyond that, the merits of the car - large turning radius?  No thank you.  Fixed with smaller wheels?  Easy, and cheaper for tire time. 

Small trunk opening?  How much do you haul?  Is the hatch better for you?

All reasonable questions.  The focus is a great car and is flexible with how it can be ordered.

[nlm]

"The trunk opening is fairly small, we couldn’t fit our cooler in it and it is not very deep — even with the cooler on its side it barely fit."

One of these statements can't be true. How big was the cooler (like in litres?). Any pics of the cooler in the trunk to show some real-world trunk sizing?