Handling Good power for an econocar.

Noisy 5 speed manual tranny

First of all, I can''t believe how many negative comments there are on this car. I''ve had mine for almost 2 years and I still love my car. It''s not perfect, but I love it. I love the way it handles and the way the engine sounds at higher RPM. I''ve not had a single problem with my car. Only a few recalls but that is expected of brand new nameplates. My car has almost 24,000 miles and still drives like new. I love it and plan to keep it for the long haul. You people that buy Japanese and German sicken me. This car does not have that much torque when compared to the Japanese and German, but it''s better at producing it, having a much flatter torque than any of its competitors. That''s something you learn to appreciate if you have a 5 speed manual and drive in bumper to bumper traffic. Overall, I love my car. I''ve driven the others, the Civics, the saturns, the jettas and I love my car better than any of them.

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Nice engine with lots of options for performance!

Wind Shield Wiper Motor, Periodic squeaky brakes.

Well, It has 130 ftlbs of Torque, more than any of the cars in it''s class can say. The car has plenty of get up! I have driven plenty of fast cars and trucks and I believe this car deserves a little credit. Good for Ford coming out with a serious twin cam design. The car has 10k on it and does more than what I need it too...being a commuter Oh and by the way, the new Jetta''s and Cavaliers have the same engine smell through the interior car vents! It''s not just Ford!

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Geo, Cavalier, Integra, CRX

This vehicle is a joy to drive. In my opinion it is the best buy for the money in its class. Rides and handles like a car costing thousands more and has an expensive Bavarian appeal.

Extremely poor reliability. In shop 18 days the first year. Because of this car, I failed to arrive on time in my office to treat patients, for the first time in 25 years. This is the only front wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned that wears out rear tires faster then the front tires. I have had so many problems with this Focus that I will never buy another Ford product. I won''t bore you with the details but do yourself a favor and steer clear of this automobile. If the new CEO of Ford wants to turn the company around that bears his name, he should start by correcting the nagging problems this vehicle has before owner word of mouth turns away savy buyers.

I am 53 years old and have always driven at least 35,000 miles a year. I am a car enthusiast and have owned everything from a Audi 5000 to a Subaru Legacy. I avoided owning an American brand automobile for 25 years but decided to purchase a Ford Focus after reading glowing reviews about this vehicle in all the major car publications. These reviews were absolutely on the money and the Focus is state of the art in its market sector. The design, handling, space utilization, and ride all amazed me and until this car began to fall apart after approximately 15,000 miles I thought Detroit had surpassed the Europeans and Japanese.

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Good power with Zetec engine Good handling Good gas milelage shifts very smoothly Quiet ride except for the growl of the engine. Very affordable sport compact with a huge aftermarket.

Very Very expensive to fix front end after a collision. Complete crap for front brake rotors.

I have driven this car for a little over a year now and I would have to say that it has been everything I expected and more. I think it gets excellent gas milelage and has good power. I did add a K&N air filter. I love the way it shifts and handles. I have a miata too and I was really surprized by its handling. I haved had alot of the problems I have read about, but I am very displeased with the brakes. I think everyone that has bought this car found out the hard way that the brakes are crap. I am going to replace the rotors with some high quality aftermarket ones that won''t warp. besides the brakes I would have to say that this car has been a great value for what I paid for it. I really like the way it goes though the snow and I am pleased that the tires it comes with are very high quality goodyears. The tires are the same as the ones that come standard on the eclispe gst.

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You''re all full of hooyey. This is one of the best domestic cars on the road. The only reason you''re picking it apart is because you obviously have no experience with anything else

looks

not enough power,no 5 year 100,000 mile when we purchased, fake wood grain, no electric seats

My wife and I purchased the focus zts for the safety and room for my newborn daughter, also it was highly spoken by c&d, motortrend etc... At 800 mile it does the unthinkable to me and family it left us stranded on the free-way because the alternator goes out. Now I have to resort to calling a friend to get us home as our car is being towed away,that is one helpless feeling. Just resently the engine light comes on ,so I take to the dealership to get fixed so that it doesn''t happen again. Come to find out that the oxygen sensor is defective,which has me thinking if will we in that situation again. Also what is wrong with the trunk lid it takes at least three tries to close properly. Another thing is I would to sit my car with the a/c on with out that anoying safety belt buzzer going off, while I wait for my wife. I guess it goes with the territory you don''t know the product until you live with everyday. For a product that was so highly spoken of I wish I had a little bit of better warning next time I purchase I will look into the imports or even a Chevy. I was looking to by a Mustang in the future now I''m not to sure if I can trust the integity of ford''s vehicle''s.

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roomy

car malfunctions,poor resale value,

My car will be one year old next month. This has been the worst experience I have ever been through..Problems after problems. Ford can''t find a problem w/ my car. My Focus jerks when I drive it, it stalls/hesitates. It has rolled backwards when I go to accelerate from a stop sign(my car is an automatic). It has not went into reverse when it is supposed to. I filed a complaint and sent certified papers to the Dealership and to Ford Motor. An engineer had my car for a week and couldn''t find a problem w/ it. Ford Motor gave me a $3k owner appreciation certificate to trade my car in, but they will only give me $6k for my car and I still owe $14 on it. I had to raise my voice to get them to give me $8. The salesmen there at this particular dealership are horrible. I would not recommend anyone to go there. I have a 2year old daugher and I would hate to see that car act up on the interstate and me get rear ended by a semi. I actually can say that I do not trust driving that car w/ my daughter in there. I can''t even take my car to have "another trained professional" look at it to find the problem b/c its still under factory warranty, and ford says "there is no problem, its all normal."

Handling Styling Value Interior Room and Utility

1) Perceived value will likely hurt resell value as opposed to Honda, but for $5k less, I can live with it. 2) So popular you will see many others just like yours. Individuality will cost you the price of a set of custom alloys and window tint :-)e

Having read some reviews that discuss numerous recall problems, I am happy to report that my Focus has had none of the problems mentioned. I drive a lot (18,000 miles in seven months) and have found the car to be an absolute blast, with a few minor shortcomings. Power is good with the 2.0 liter Zetec, but do not expect to win many drag races. I would have liked the Cosworth 2.0 liter in the newer SVT Focus, but it was not available when I needed the car. Like most small-displacement 4s, it lacks power down in the low end and makes up for it above 4000 rpm. It is the exact same engine that has powered the Mazda 323 and 626 for years, which means it should be reliable for quite a while. Shifting has been very smooth with no notchiness. The only thing I have noticed mechanically is a slight squeak from the brakes on cold mornings, which disappears almost immediately. Gas mileage is OK; I get about 35 on the highway and in the mid to high 20s around town. Handling is the car''s greatest strength. You will find yourself going out of the way to find twisty roads to take advantage of the ridiculous amount of grip the ZX3 offers. Mine came with the upgraded 16" wheels and tires, which perform very well but are a tad bland looking, in my humble opinion. The ride is surprisingly good for a car that sticks this well, although it is a little choppy on longer freeway trips at speed. The hatchback styling is great. My previous cars were a Subaru Hatchback, Mazda 323 hatchback, and Dodge Neon. While the Neon had a tad more leg room, the Focus feels like a bigger car inside. The steering wheel seat are both height adjustable. I am 6''4" and fit extremely well. The ability to put the seat down and carry anything smaller than a projection TV is a nice feature, too. I think this is the best-looking small car on the market. The best part of this package, though, is the price ($3000 less than a comparable Nissan, $5000 less than a comparable Civic, at least in the area I live in). For under 13 grand it has CD, cruise control, power windows and locks, remote locking, alarm, and far more style than others in its class.

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interior space, steering precision, fun to drive, rev happy Zetec engine, value, economy

quality control, cold engine idle and rattle, annoying shift light

Overall I feel the Focus is a good design, it was purchased as a commute vehicle and it meets my needs in that regard. However I have observed the following quirks: 1) Rattling noise at idle when cold that goes away after the engine is fully warmed up or the clutch is engaged. 2) Squeaky driver''s side window when cold and wet outside. 3) Idle speed surges and then dips when rolling up to a stop in neutral while the engine is still warming up. Depressing the clutch pedal seems to prevent this. I have also experienced one major quality issue. The passenger side rear door was not manufactured properly resulting in a 2" x 5" hole in the inside edge of the door above the top hinge. The top of this hole is actually tearing into the door window frame area near the seal contact area. It appears that the inner sheetmetal panel was not stamped correctly before the door sections were welded together. I didn''t notice this defect for three months but I find it a little disturbing that the factory quality control dept. could let this get through. The service rep at the dealer was very surprised and ordered a new door immediately. The above issues aside, I am happy with the car for the price paid and options included. It is fun to drive and economical as a commute vehicle. My combined gas mileage with the Zetec/5spd combination has been 27mpg with about a 65/35% city/highway driving mix.

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none

Handling/Economy

Power

I took my time breaking the car in, but I thing it was worth it. It runs great, gets excellent milage and is and all around fun car to drive. No problems so far. I can''t wait to take it to an autocross. I also have a Miata, which has many modifications. I''m anxious to compare the two.

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