2012 Ford Focus
The Focus has been in Ford’s line-up
for a while and is now in its third generation. I have heard lots of hype about
this latest version and decided that it will be the first car for
TheCarHandbook. I went into the dealership for the ‘dealership experience’ to determine
for myself how great the Ford Focus really is.
Styling
The Ford Focus exterior isn’t impressive to me. I am not a
fan of the big upper lip look in the front or the way lower grille swops up to
the smaller main grille. But the interior is a different story. I found it to
be very functional and comfortable, except for the stubbiness of the armrest. I
happen to sit very close to the wheel so I couldn’t rest my arm on the armrest
because it wasn’t long enough. But this may not be an issue for most people.
The view from the Focus was expansive and I like the little mirrors inside of
the side mirrors. It does take a little adapting to but it is very handy when
you do.
Trims
The Ford Focus comes in two forms a
Sedan and Hatchback. The Sedan comes in four different trims the S, SE, SEL,
and Titanium. The Hatchback comes in three different trims, the SE, SEL, and
Titanium. The S trim is really just a
basic car, it is the true bottom you don’t really have any options and none of
the basics that I think are essential so I would definitely move up a trim if
you have the extra cash to do so. The SE and SEL are the trims that make the Focus.
These trims keep the price relatively low and have lots of options and add-ons.
If you really love the Focus and have lots of money to basically blow, then the
top of the line Titanium is your trim.
Power-Train
Ford has put their new 2.0L direct
injection I-4 engine in the Ford Focus. It gets 160 horsepower and 146
pound-feet of torque. Its zero to 60 time is about 8.7 seconds and 60 to zero
in about 110 feet.
Technology
Fords technology is good, very good.
I love the MyFordTouch system; it has a great map and color. The response is
pretty good and you can readily see the screen from the driver’s seat. I do
wish that there was a cancel button for the voice command. There were plenty of
times were I pushed to tell it something but was interrupted by the sales man.
I could see it as a problem when the kids are in the car. You want to tell it
to find a gas station just to be interrupted by the kids in the back telling
you about their day and it will keep telling you that “that option is not
available.” The only way I found to cancel was to push the media button. There
may be a way to shut it up so I suggest you ask your salesman on how to cancel
the voice control. Other than that the system to me is just about flawless.
Easy to use and I think a dream to work with.
Driving Aspects
Getting into the Ford Focus is without
struggle; quite nice. The top of the line Titanium that I tested was fully
loaded with leather and automatic seats, very comfortable. I found the right
seating position rather quickly and all the buttons on the center stack were
readable and in good reach. The steering is very firm and kind of have a sporty
feel to it, but the pedals seem to be a little plush. This was a little
surprising because the steering was sporty but after about 2-5 minutes behind
the wheel I got use to it. I also found it a little hard to pass the few cars
that I wanted pass. Not saying that the car doesn’t have power; it just takes too
much of the pedal to get that power.
Purchasing
If the Ford Focus is the car that
you want buy there are a few packages and trims that I must recommend. First I
would either go with the SE or the SEL. The Titanium is very nice but I don’t
feel like it is worth the starting $21,805 MSRP. With the SE model I would definitely
go with the MyFord & SYNC Package, this gets you MyFord Driver Connect
Technology, SYNC elements with USB port rear powerpoint and 6 speaker audio
system. If you are into the sporty looking cars the Sport Package is also a
package I would go for - it will give you 16” alloy wheels (which is better
that the painted wheels), rear disc brakes, SelectShift (if you have an
automatic), A piano black grille (which I guess is darker than the regular
black grille), a rear spoiler, metallic interior trim finish, and
leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Winter Package on all trims is a must if
you have the extra $570, it comes with all-weather floor mats, heated front
seats, and heated exterior mirrors with side marker lamps. Even if you don’t have the cash you should
definitely try to find it for the moonroof, and if you are road challenged then
the Navigation is good value for the $795 cost. They have a respectable list of
options available on the Ford website and I would definitely give that a look
before you actually go into the dealership.
Thanks for taking time out to read this review and I hope that this information was helpful. Please feel free to leave comments and I will respond.
