Ford Focus Review (Entry Hatches Pt. 2) -- Everyday Driver

The guys continue their comparison of non-turbo, luke-warm hatches in search of driving fun. The Ford Focus is featured here, with the standard Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza available in other parts. Can you buy new, affordable, and still fun?

See part 1, the Subaru Impreza, here:

See Part 3, The Mazda3 and wrap-ups, here:

And look for lots more from us on Thursdays!

[ianbuick]

I have a 2012 focus 5speed se sport sedan. My wife has a almost identical 2014 with an automatic. Im glad I opted for the stick we have had 4 four focuses 1 from each generation. They are by far the most fun I have ever had in a commuter vehicle. My drive home from work is full of windy roads..the focus never ceases to put a smile on my face.

[iandavis]

I had a fully loaded 2012 Titanium sedan with a manual transmission, and a few minor mods (Steeda Tri-ax short shifter, K&N typhoon CAI, Cooper Zeon RS3-A tires, Xtreme Stop drilled and slotted rotors and Xtreme Stop ceramic pads, Ford DOT 4 brake fluid, Royal Purple engine oil, LED fog lights, etc). It was a very fun car to daily, it wasn't what everyone else had, and the ride and handling was fantastic for stock springs and struts.

The manual is the ONLY way you should buy/drive a MK3 Focus, regardless of trim level. The ones that were huge mechanical turds, were the automatic equipped ones. Sadly in Canada, the take rate for manuals is super low, and my local dealership told me a Titanium Sedan with a manual transmission is actually the rarest version of these cars (fewer of them sold than the ST and RS). Lots of people do ST swaps to the Sedans all the time, and they are really cool.

I ended up trading my sedan on a 2014 ST, which I still have, and drive daily, year-round.

You guys were correct that the Focus is a LOT more engaging to drive than other vehicles in the same class, and it comes as no surprise you enjoyed it more than the Subie, and likely would like it better than a Corolla too...

[darndarndarn]

I bought the focus titanium version and it is awesome, great review guys, very accurate!

[karlnegado]

I recently got a 2011 reg. 1.6L Zetec. It’s my everyday driver to work and I really enjoy how responsive the steering is. It’s like track day everyday 😂

[vernonprice]

Good impressions - but you can get a Fiesta ST for $21, 400 which is actually slightly lower than the as-tested price of this Focus. As a driving enthusiast if I had about $21k to spend on a small, relatively economical Ford with a manual transmission, it would probably be the Fiesta ST. In Molten Orange.

[dshall]

Liked it before watching it, these guys are that good...

[NTXT]

Engaging twisty curves to an ideal point of squealing and chirping tires, is fun. I took a normally aspirated 2L 4 banger, 5 sp SE base 2012 hatch, through Deal's Gap Tail of the Dragon, a few weeks before Spring. 1 month old brakes, 6 mos old Firestone sport-touring tires. Copilot within 20 lbs my weight. So 290 lb payload evenly distributed + 1/2 tank of gas, and perfectly functioning hand brake. Mobile 1 oil+ filter, + heavy duty ratio of Motorkote.

FUN. Lateral squeal, often while always in control. Cool dry moist conditions. Open end K&N filter in stock airbox. Subtle growl, slightly better throttle response. So the only mod: the air filter that draws in from it's end as well as it's sides. ECU learned to optimize given more air, in both Sport driving mode, and cruise-for smooth mode. You'd have to pay me to drive a 2012 and newer Focus anything with the automatic transmission, and I'd rather catch up on sleep/ I'm too busy, thanks though.
But a Focus anything with 5 or 6 speed+clutch pedal- who needs sleep. It's 10p on a Monday is perfect.

[gwwayner]

Recently got my new 2014 Focus SE hatchback with 5-speed manual and Sport package for a very reasonable price. It's flawless; don't have a single complaint or issue. Wonderful to drive; very responsive steering, firm but not rough suspension, light smooth clutch and slick shifting, 160 hp is lots, upscale interior, nice thoughtful touches throughout, and best of all it looks like an American car; the Mazda 3 is a good car but looks too Japanese IMO. People are missing out on fun driving by not considering the fine shifting manual transmission which is also 1000 bucks cheaper than the auto. Best of all any bugs are ironed out by the 3rd model year. Time to drive my 1998 Ford Contour v-6 (with manual transmission) to the junk yard; still looks and works great after 300, 000 kms but not worth the repairs to pass inspection.  

[LieutenantJimDangle]

You guys should have included the MK6 Golf I feel, even though it's being replaced, I still think it is as good if not better than the Focus and Impreza.

[Snake-mssj]

I've had a 2012 Focus SE Hatchback for 3 years now this October. During my 1st year of owner ship, the electric steering was pulling too hard in corners. They replaced some bolts or such and after that, haven't had any problems. Zip. Nada. Just routine maintenance such as oil changes and new tires. Just had it inspected a few days ago with 47, 209 miles on the odo. Passed with the ORIGINAL brakes and rotors. I've had no problems with the DCT. No noise or shudder. No creaks or interior trim noises. And I drive my cars hard at times. So far one of, if not the most reliable car I've owned in the past 30 years. Get 33-34 mpg mixed driving. 39 mpg hwy on road trips. Just been a fantastic car overall.Dont know how they got a 0-60 mph of 8.7 secs. It is more like 7.6 secs for the DCT, 7.3 secs for the manual. Sure the rear seat legroom is a joke, but I'm single so I don't have people in the back seats but rarely. Who says only the Japanese can build reliable cars?

[vincento]

I own a 2012 Focus SE hatch with sport pkg, winter pkg, convenience pkg, moonroof.  As a daily driver this car has been great.  I average 34.6MPG per the computer.  I admit it took me a while on how to use the DCT.  you have to learn when to shift at the right rpm.  Once you have this down, the car is fun to drive when you want to drive a little hard.  This car is no ST. Just a daily driver.

[echtogammut]

I just drove a rental Focus SE 2400 miles in a week. That transmission is horrible, possibly the worst I have every driven. The description of a newbie driver trying to shift into first is apt. Once it gets into 3rd it isn't bad, except it won't downshift, so the car feels like it has no power.

The driver's seat was great for something that can't be reclined (height adjustment, but you can't move the backrest). The first day of my trip, I travelled 900 miles in one day. Despite the distance the seats were great and I felt no back fatigue.

That first day I went over 3 mountain passes, changed the chains 2 times and drove through a pass that I found out they closed due to conditions, but I somehow got in before they shut down the road. The car had really bad summer/all season tires, but the non-invasive traction control and great steering feedback made it easy to drive on ice. On the flip side the bright LCD screens were fatiguing on the eyes and were distracting while driving in a light blizzard. They really need a dimmer or the ability to change the color. Also the flashing traction control light is distracting while you are trying to concentrate.

The headlights were awful, but as this was a rental it could have been they were misaligned or just needed to be replaced. That all said, I came away really liking the hatch and would definitely consider buying a manual or ST version.

[Kaijiro____]

Got a 2013/14 Focus Trend and in an automatic with DCT transmission. The problem I have with the car is when the car accelerates sometimes, there is this engine lag which "revs" on a slight delay. Similar to what they are talking from a manual. Other problem is the indicator, it turns off way too quick

[djmay]

200
Dart
focus
Which do you think is best?

[lordzevallos]

DCT in e46 m3???? Those had SMG. The single clutch auto manual. DCT was in the E90's.

[MrRhaegar]

When this first launched in North America i thought the design was sharp and edgy, now it's starting to show it's age. The Mazda 3 looks another league above this and the Impreza based on looks alone. 

[ak]

Ooo the e46 m3 had a SMG (single clutch) not a DCT

[TurfSurf]

The interior reminded me of those cheap desktop stereos from the 80s and 90s.  Can Ford come up with something cleaner and more modern?

[agoogleuser]

The Mazda is the best to drive, but not the best to own everyday because of the way Mazda packages their options. So you almost have to go with the Mazda 3 Grand Touring and it gets expensive. On top of that, Mazda doesn't typically offer any rebates on their cards. Ford does, and you have more options. I got my Focus SE with the SE appearance package, and the winter package with the leather seats and a manual transmission for around $18K. It's a lot of fun to drive. Maybe not quite as fun as the Mazda, but considering I'm perfectly happy with my Focus and spent around $7K less than the Mazda I was looking at, I'm not bothered.

[baddriversofsouthtexas]

I have a 2012 Titanium every option but its an automatic and though its growing on me now, I've only had the car for about a month, I feel their auto transmission was a dud. It's horrendous for a newer car. And Ford was so quick to tell me everything was normal, I guess they had a lot of complaints about it but when I went to talk to the service dept. which is also awful but its a Ford so oh well, she had a stack of papers that listed all the strange noises I would hear in the car already printed up. Other than that and the hard seats the car is fantastic.