Roomy

There isn't enough room here to put all of the weaknesses. I just learned a hard lesson..don't buy ford

Would never purchase another, I am extreamly disappointed at how it handles on ice and snow..It is so loud to drive you can't go for long trips without going out of your mind. Brakes need to be replaced often. Headlines falling down, and the seatbealts in the back seat didn't work, took car to the dealership and had to fight with them to replace them.

Good looking Drives smooth on good-weather roads

Horrible snow/ice/rain car Have had brakes replaced 4 times in 29,000 miles Original tires were useless in snow Frequent minor electrical and body problems that aren't under warranty (light bulbs, door frames, etc.)

I have a Focus wagon that is horrible on winter roads. In Central New York, that is a big problem. The car floats all over the road, and I always fishtail on turns. I feel like it's only a matter of time until I get in an accident. I can't wait until the lease is over.

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None- my first and last focus

Looks - Space - Gas Mileage

constant clicking and grinding noise when turning. A sqwelling noise comes from the engine if you hit a mud puddle. Rough ride in general - not air tight you can't hear anyone beside Mr. Wind. The overwhelming number of recalls that deal with the loss of control of the car due to an Oops we did'nt take our time in making a product safe for our consumers!?! And to top it off the length of time to get those little glitches fixed well... lets just say bring more than a bagged lunch-2-3 days that if they don't use your ordered parts for someone else.

This is my 2nd and last Ford I will ever purchase. The first 2 recalls worried me some but I have just recieved my 8th recall. This is crazy! You would think after the big tire mess that Ford would finally fiqure out that quality & Quantity have entirely two different meanings.

Looks Superficial design features

Lack of corporate pride Milage marginal Mechanical parts marginal Overall cost including maintenance

Wish I had read these reviews before I bought the Focus. Problems with Brakes (28,000 miles) and fuel pump (28,000). Only good thing is that I purchased the extended warranty. I bet they will try to wiggle out of that. Spend a little more and get a Toyotta.

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Toyotta, Honda

Lots of room, decent ride, comfortable front seats, good sound system.

Extremely poor handling on winter roads, feels like the rear of the car is all over the raod on ice, have studded winter tires and still hasn't corrected the problem. Brakes need replacing often. Original tires on the car were horrible, hyrdoplaned on wet roads.

I bought this Focus Wagon new and am having problems with the way it handles on winter road, espically with any ice at all. Want to hear from other who are having this problem. Contacted Ford and thye have had a few complaints but won't do anything until they get alot of complaints.

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Escort wagon Escort cars

Handling, standard features, decent power, quiet cabin.

Front seats a little uncomfortable. Fixed with aftermarket lumbar-padded seat covers.

Excellent vehicle for the money. Got this at the end of the '02 model year on closeout. Surprised at how many features I got for the cash: 6-CD player, DOHC 16V engine, alloy wheels, cruise, pwr windows and locks, etc. Refined vehicle that handles better than my old 96 Accord EX Coupe. Some clunkiness in the automatic transmission, to be expected for a car this cheap-drove a Dodge Neon rental the other day while on business-drivetrain much worse than the Focus. Very happy thus far.

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Rented Dodge Neon the other day- horrible compared to the Focus! Like night and day.

Handling & ride, solid feel, good ergonomics, well-equipped. Short of a mini-van or S/W, this is the load-friendliest car going. Fun car to drive through the twisties - the harder you push, the better it gets. Gas mileage is great, especially for a car that's this roomy (~600kms/tank @ 120kms/hr). Aftermarket stuff (eg. tires, roof rack) is readily available, 6-disk CD player sounds great and the car doesn't get stuck in the snow (with winter tires...).

The OEM tires (205/50-16) are underwhelming - replacing them with dedicated summer & winter tires makes a huge difference. Engine/tranny: sometimes, I miss my SE-R....

I wanted a car that would be economical, fun, comfortable and flexible, and that's exactly what I got! The ZX-5 is a great design: a wide-opening hatch that swallows bikes, TVs, lumber or dogs with room to spare, usable room that 4 adults can get into and sit in without cramping, compliant ride with great reflexes. It could use a bit more motor, especially when loaded, but this is a trade-off I can live with. After 41000kms, the brakes still have lots of pad left, it's always started in all kinds of weather, and it's never quit. However, the sunroof motor broke (and was quickly replaced - excellent dealer support, fixed in a day w/no-charge loaner). Aside from that, it still sounds/feels as solid as the day I drove off the lot (no rumbles/squeaks/rattles/recalls). Regular maintenance (oil, filters, rotations...) is a necessity on the Focus, more than on other cars I've owned. I looked at a bunch of 4-door hatchbacks: VW Golf (too $$), Mazda Protege (too small), Vibe/Matrix (I've never "enjoyed" driving a Toyota), Hyundai Elantra (too "old"); for overall value/bang-for-the-buck, this was the best choice available and I've not regretted it for a moment. It's not luxurious, and it's not a road burner - it's a really well balanced car at a reasonable price.

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'95 Nissan SE-R, '89 Civic Si, '82 Dodge Rampage, '76 Chevette

The car wears out tires in the rear starting between 5,000 and 6,000 miles ford and dealer as paid for tires. I going thru the program to have car replaced or bought back will see what happens

Good car except for that the rear tires have been replaced 4 times and it as only 51,000 miles

Handling Sportiness, fun-to-drive Shifter 6-speed Transmission Stereo

Seats too high Muffler too quiet Folding rear seat a pain Clutch too light Reliability??? It's a Focus

I test drove the WRX wagon and a GTI 1.8T (see my reviews). First a little bit about what kind of driver I am. I was looking for a car that drives like a Porsche 911, with room for my bike in the back and reliability for under $25K. I'm not big on big HP or torque (170 HP and 160 ft# of torque is plenty for me for a car this size). My interests lie in hanhdling and feel (stiff suspension, steering you can feel, an engine you can hear and a clutch and gearbox that feels tight). I looked into but didn't test drive the Acura RSX, the Mini Cooper S, and a BMW 323. The SVT Focus is a great car for the money. It doens't have great power but enough for me. It has a nice amount of torque throughout the power band. It's really enjoyable to drive. It's not as race car-like as I wanted but it feels very European(the Focus was originally sold only in Europe). It's what I had expected/hoped the GTI would feel like. It feels more like a rally car than a race car. I do have a couple of complaints; the seats are way too high for my liking, giving a sedan-like feel. Also, I can't hear the exhaust. This can be improved for $500. The best things about it are the shifter, the suspension and the stereo. Good handling and a good heavy (German) feel. Suspension is stiff but not stiff enough for me. Steering has a good feel. Seats pretty sporty and supportive. Folding down the rear seats is a pain. You have to fold up the seat portion before you can fold down the seat-back. Unfortunately, I have the driver's seat all the way back (I'm 6' tall)and it won't work unless I move my seat up 4" or so. So when I'm carrying my bike on the back, it means I'm driving in an awkward position. Interior noise is a bit much. Clutch is way too light. I'm not crazy about the looks but I've seen worse (Civic Si). Interior is surprisingly good for a Ford. Overall it's a good car for the money and much sportier than the Civic Si, the Matrix XRS and most other cars in it's price range. It is a way better car that the GTI. If this car was built by VW it would cost $25K. I had signed up to buy the WRX but backed off because they're financing rates were too high. I backed off and bought the SVT. It's just as enjoyable to drive for $8K less. The only thing I miss is the AWD. I'm concerned about reliability but I got the extended warranty (6 yrs total for an extra $800). This car has a lot of fancy, expensive, mechanical stuff in it which is what makes it such a great buy. I'm guessing that also makes it expensive to repair once the warranty runs out.

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Test drove WRX and GTI (1.8T) Previously drove an Eagle Talon TSI and a 1981 Porsche 924 Turbo.

The car is stylish, rides nice, stereo is more than adequte and is safe(air bags and advanced rear restraint for the car seat)

The small stuff 1) replaced the plastic around the gear shifter twice 2)head gasket leaked, I told the service writer this and she wrote "the customer assumes" on the paperwork well I have worked on many cars and think I know what I am doing. 3)wiper motor recalled all this within the first 6 months 4) the brakes where so hard that they ate the front rotors at 30,000 miles 5) 84 month battery replaced after 40=/- months and 40,000 miles and Ford will not prorate it. 6) the back passenger window motor bound up and broke wife called the shop and they said bring it in so saturday came and I go in and am told I do not have an appointment and would need to call on Monday mean while i have a window that will not roll up. The next Saturday I go back and told it would take 2-3 hours to fix 3 hours in and I am called and told they orderd the wrong part so on Tuesday my wife took it in and the comped us a rental car so the job could be completed during the day. I will never buy another Ford Product again and if I find a good Ford out there I will never use Geweke Ford again there service is the worst I have seen.

Bought my wife a new car through Ford because my work had specail pricing with Ford and we have had good results at work with our Ford trucks. We both liked the looks of the car and felt that a new car we be hassle free verious are old Toyota Camary. Boy where we wrong. The Ford dealer was slow to fix our problems, lost several appointments and general treated me like a moron. Ford Motor Company corporate headquarters was no better I would call in and explain my problem and I would get the I'll make note of it or thats handled by so and so department and then would be transferred to another person and so on.