Handling, pickup, room, cargo capacity, comfort.

Road noise.

This car has great pickup and handling at a great price. It is more European than American in nature and people who ike Jetta's should check out this value. I have had no mechanical problems with the car at all!

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Better than the civic!

I like the interior very much. It's compact which is a great part. It has a very unique look to it and it drives smoothly.

The brakes squeaks like crazy...they sounds like a bus. The engine accelerates when I let up off the gas. The inside of my car smells like gas when I full it up, even after I make sure my windows are and and no gas has spilled on me. The ignition gets locked and stays locked, even now as I write my ignition is locked. My wrist and fingers are sore from trying to get the car started. The engine makes rattling noises.

I was sold a faulty car and I do believe it is grounds for a lemon law and or for a lawyer to take it to trial. My experiences were bad from the first day I drove this product off the lot. I was told that because it's a new car it will act that way for awhile but not fo long.

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It does't compare, I feel I have been riped off when I consider how much I have to pay for the car and what others have to pay. I believe strongly that I deserve better respect from FORD as a customer. I've been treated unfairly by employees at two different Ford companies because your car is given me problems. I want to be given a fair chance at receiving a good car for my hard earned money.

1)comfortable ride
2)great handling
3)comfortable seats
4)nice factory wheels, no Walmart hubcaps like Civic
5)good ergonomics, CD, climate controls
6)trunk space is good for a HB

1)initial quality, but what else it new with the big 3.
2)rear seat latch recall, seat will come out if folded down to far, and not latch back,noticed first day, dealer did not acknowledge problem, said they fixed it.
3)A-pillar plastic replaced, then passenger seat belt would not retract
4)Engine had to be adjusted to keep from pulling to right when new.
5)cupholders in cramped position
6)keyless is too noisy
7)no armrest
8)engine hesitates when cold, dealer did not fix
9)seats are comfortable, but attrack hair and lint like a frigin' magnet
10)sheet metal below rear window is rippled.
11)should have got tilt wheel, although seat height helps some.

Overall, this car is a good value for the money. If you can make it through the pains that come with initial quality problems (as with all GM, Ford, and Chrysler products), you may wind up with a pretty reliable car with good gas mileage and power combination. It rides and handles better than the 01 Civic EX (Civic has hard seats and cushy suspension, ZX3 just the opposite). These 2 cars are my only new car considerations in the compact class. Stay away from everything else!

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Honda 93'Civic, 99'Accord, Ford has more comfort, but worse initial quality.

(1) Great seats and stereo.
(2) Handles the road at all speeds.
(3) Lots of room in trunk.
(4) Great moonroof! With the AC problems (smell) it's nice to be able to open up the roof and air things out!
(5) Big windows and great wipers!

(1) When it rains, water "pours" into my car filling the passenger side footwell. Carpet gets wet. Membrane under carpet gets moldy. Took car back and they are trying to fix, but no one seems to care about the fact that a new car shouldn't have these kinds of problems.
(2) AC ... smells like a "fish market" when the AC comes on! Ick! I even pointed out that there were "rust" marks on the air ducts, but again no one cared. Wow ... what a dealership / salesman I got!

The "jury" is still out on this one! Like I shared, no one should have a brand new car with less than 500 miles on it and discover that every rain day there will be water / swimming pool in their car. I wonder how long this car will last with the RUST?
Great car for the highway and for the city.
Drives super!

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Drove a TRACKER for 8 years and loved it. The FOCUS handles the road much better than the TRACKER, but there's just something great about having that top off on a sunshine / blue sky day!

I like the pep of the Ztec engine. It's not a corvette or a viper, so I'm happy with the speed for price. Like the look. Gas milage is good. Stereo ROCKS! Lots of room, especailly the back seat. It corners incredibly well! Sunroof and back spoiler are a bonus.

The up-front seats are a bit 'uncozy'. Can never seem to get it adjusted just right. Folding the back seat down can be a bit of a challenge. There are a lot of recalls. But, it's a brand new model. Doesn't alarm me. Price for parts and extras. Also, the 'national back order' issue.

The dealership was great. The salesman we knew from a previous purchase. Feel happy with the price for all the extras. Looked at the Mercury Cougar and the Dodge Avenger for several months before purchase. Couldn't beat the look and space for price. The other two vehicles have no back seat space at all. I bought my focus December 1999. So, I've had time to get tired of it and I'm not yet.

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'98 Ford Escort, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla. It's up there. I enjoy it more that previosly owned cars.

Great performance, Good gas mileage, not great, but good. Very roomy for a car that is considered a compact. Great styling.

5-Speed sometimes won't go into gear.

The only problem I had was a stuck seatbelt that was fixed by the dealer shortly after I bought the car. I give five stars because I din't know where you can get a car this fun to drive with all of the features it has for such a low price. Ford has really uped the ante in the compact car wars. I give the Focus round one in this fight!

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I have owned a Hatchback Honda and have test drove the new Hondas. The Focus has a better ride, more performance and rates right up there with build quality.

Comfortable, roomy (for a small car)

I have had the car into the dealer FIVE TIMES for sqeeling rear brakes and they still squeel! The steering wheel shakes when the brakes are applied at 68-73 miles per hour. The car has had a problem with surging at steady speeds since new; the dealer says there is nothing wrong. I only average 22.5 MPG, should be better. Needs another 20 horsepower just to qualify as SLOW (I have the Zetec engine). Too many recalls! The rear hatch struts are getting weaker and weaker.

I would not recommend this car to ANYONE! I drive about 40,000 miles per year and have done so for the last 24 years; I have never been so disapointed in a car in my life. I would rather be driving my old Saturn with 189K miles on it. I bought this car because of all the great reviews in all the car magazines, boy were they wrong. I feel terrible because I recommended the Focus to a friend after I drove it for the first few weeks, now he is starting to expierince many of the same problems I have had. I will probably trade this car in soon even though I will take it in the shorts financially. I would rather loose a couple thousand dollars than continue to put up with the frustration of driving this car.

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Last car was a 95 Saturn, which was in for repairs 3 times in the 189,000 miles I drove it, The Focus has been in 3 times as much in the 1st 20,000 miles!

My car is a European version of the Ford Focus, in the U.S. it's on the market as a ZTS. The engine is a 90HP 1.8 Turbo-diesel, with a fuel consumption of 1 liter per 16 kilometers (38 miles per gallon).
It's loaded with extras: 2 airbags / boardcomputer / arm rest / luxury interior / airco / heated rear view mirrors / 15" alloy wheels etc / adjustable steering wheel etc..
For a diesel, it's also quite fast (184 km/h or 115 mph), and has a good acceleration. The seats are very good. Stick shift is very smooth.

Should have been on the market earlier :-)

I would recommend this car to everyone.

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Cars in this price-class

the look,the driver seat adj.,the radio is good,the trunk is big enough,rides smoothly,lots of interior space

BRAKES SQUEALING,ROUGH IDLE THEN STALLING AT RANDOM TIMES,LOTS OF RECALLS,haven't payed any attention to the gas mileage UNTIL NOW,TRANY SLIPPING AT RANDOM TIMES,BACK SEAT MAKING KNOCKING NOISE SEAT IS NOT LATCH DOWN HOPEFULLY FORD WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, NO UNDER THE HOOD LIGHT,THE REAR UP TO HIGH,CAN HEAR WIND HOWLING WHEN THE SUN ROOF WAS PUT IN,

the consumer can be the judge of this vehicle

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none

1)Fresh design
2)Handles well
3)Great dash layout with easy access to CD player, heater etc...
4)For a small car it's very roomy
5)rear seat folds forward to open up large storage area for duffel bags

1)EXTREMELY disapointed in the gas mileage. I too feel like a victim of false advertising. I'm glad I found this site cause I thought I was the only one who had this problem. I average about 22-23 mpg. I drive about 60 miles a day and was looking forward to an efficient car.

2)Yes the recalls are for our own safety and I'm glad they are doing something about it but it makes me wonder.... I feel less confident about my purchase. I also know that the first year they have to work the bugs out but this car has been in Europe for several years, why weren't they worked out then.

3)Brake dust seems to be excessive. Put up with squeaking brakes for the first 8,000 miles or so. Seems to be better now at 18,500 miles.

After all of the negative things I would have to recommend this car to anyone looking for a compact, well designed car.... BUT, don't expect the sticker gas mileage (unless the 2001 model has been improved). Hopefully the 2001's are recall free for everyone cause 3 recalls moves into the territory of poor construction and engineering.

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Can only compare it to my old 1985 Dodge Aries. Great college car and sadly it got better gas mileage than my brand new Focus.