[Bimmer-Bob]

No, I didn't get rid of the 1er. But I did replace my wife's aging Scion with one of these:

[Bimmer-Bob]

And believe it or not, it's pretty great! Build quality is very good and it's really a blast to drive, honestly I think it handles better than the Audi A3 (non-Quattro) that I rented on vacation a year or two back. The stock sport suspension is probably even better dialed in than the 1er's sorry stock sport suspension, to be perfectly honest. Roll is very, very minimal and there is not a big sacrifice in comfort because the 17" tires still have plenty of sidewall. And, best of all, it is composed at speed - no pogo! The wheelbase is about the same as the 1er, but the track is wider by a fair margin. Obviously, power isn't great (160 HP) but efficiency is good. If anyone is in need of an economical yet fun commuter car, or even a small family car, I think you can do much worse. I paid ~$19K and I'm very happy with it.

[Black Flagged]

congrats, the ford focus is a good value for a dependable commuter car. Have fun with it and enjoy driving it till the wheels fall off of that little work horse...

[ba83]

The ST is supposed to be out this year for 24k , 250hp-270 tq . now that would be fun

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by ba83

The ST is supposed to be out this year for 24k , 250hp-270 tq . now that would be fun

Yeah, I thought about it but a 25% price increase wasn't too appealing. And I probably would've wanted to option it with the Recaros and HID's, so the price would've been closer to $30k - a 50% difference!

Definitely the ST would've been cool. But I doubt my wife is missing the HP too much.

[Section147]

Gorgeous car, Bob. A female pal bought the exact same thing - color, wheels & all - and she loves it. Now my wife is thinking
about replacing her Mazda 3 GT hatch with the ST beast. A friend of ours that works for Ford says the signature color on that
model is going to be called "Tangerine Scream". I think there's a Ford in our garage's future!

[Greenkirby21]

love the car color and rim combo! looks great

[Grayson]

Ford is the only American car manufacturer with their heads in the game right now.

[audimotion]

^ I agree. Ford's keeps up with current trends and it shows in there new offerings. Their build quality is pretty decent these days...and the Sych systems work well.

Looks like a good purchase. Enjoy.

[bimmer74]

Ford finally brought the Focus that the rest of the world enjoys. I haven't driven one but from what I've read, it is supposed to be a very good car.

Did you get the manual or the dual clutch auto? I heard the dual-clutch used to be a bit jerky but a recent re-flash was supposed to fix that. Wonder how it compares to VW's DSG.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by bimmer74

Ford finally brought the Focus that the rest of the world enjoys. I haven't driven one but from what I've read, it is supposed to be a very good car.

Did you get the manual or the dual clutch auto? I heard the dual-clutch used to be a bit jerky but a recent re-flash was supposed to fix that. Wonder how it compares to VW's DSG.

We got the 5MT. As long as they make 'em, I'm gonna buy 'em.

I've heard a lot of complaints about the DCT, but Ford has put out several TSB's to address them and I think the growing pains are mostly over with. From what I understand, Ford's decision to go with the DCT was more about efficiency than performance, and the tranny's shift logic is programmed accordingly. Also, paddle shifters aren't offered, even with the sport/handling packages (although that likely has more to do with the fact that the wheel is cluttered enough with paddle-like controls for cruise control and SYNC/phone control). Anyway, I don't know anything about the GTI's DCT, except that it has a good reputation and the guys on the Focus boards wish their DCT was more like that.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I half expected to get flamed for posting a Focus, but I guess it's gotten pretty good press. We've gotten a lot of compliments on it from neighbors and strangers in just a couple of days, but a lot of that might have to do with the fact that it's yellow. Anyway, it really is a hoot to drive - I'm having much more fun in it than I feel I have any right to. I really think the ST is going to be the real deal.

[tkruger206]

Very nice ride Bob!


My wife and I just moved back to the U.S. from Australia, we had the previous Focus, 2010 XR5. It was a 5 Cyl 2.5L Turbo 6MT. Volvo made the engine...it was so sweet!





I was stoked to see that Allen Mulally was bringing the proper Focus to the U.S. with his "One Ford" program. Now if we can only convince him to ditch the FWD Taurus and replace it with the RWD Ford Falcon XR8 or XR6 Turbo models from Australia.





Sadly my wife chose the 2011 GTI over waiting for the new Focus RT. It's pretty close race, both cars are sweet. The GTI feels smoother for everyday driving and I thought the RT was rev-ier (aka more fun), but I drive the 135 so...


I read that the guy who was in charge of the RT project came from BMW or Merc or somewhere else. He was explaining the politics of Ford and how nothing has really changed in making smart decisions. For example he mentioned when he wanted to put a top end steering wheel on the RT, one with nice leather and top grain, he was told no go. Reason was it's a main line Ford badge so the internal Ford BS red tape said no premium leather or wheel allowed, just a blanket rule. So he worked the system, as you do in big companies with stupid blanket policys. He decided on a perforated leather wheel and there was no rule about perforated leather grain.

I forget where i read that but I thought it was funny.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by tkruger206

Very nice ride Bob!
My wife and I just moved back to the U.S. from Australia, we had the previous Focus, 2010 XR5. It was a 5 Cyl 2.5L Turbo 6MT. Volvo made the engine...it was so sweet!

Nice Focus! I don't understand why Ford never brought the second generation here.

I fully agree about them bringing the RWD sedan platform from AUS for a US vehicle. It's a shame really, because I hear it's a damn fine one. They would have my business for a large family sedan if they would build one that was RWD (as long as I'm dreaming, make it an MT, too). Poor man's M5, lol.

[Diver]

Ford definitely has its act together.

135i-PPK/Focus stats:

Overall length: nearly the same
Weight: BMW is 500 pounds heavier
Horsepower: BMW has twice as much
Price: Ford costs less than half as much

This means there are two very different ways to fill the same size parking space

[Terraforce1]

Sweet ride for the wife Great lil' car, very reliable and cheap to run and maintain!

[snowmants]

I rent a lot of cars when traveling for business. I always try to get the focus hatch as it is probably the best all around rental within reason and it drives really well. They did a good job with the torque vectoring system. They also always have aux iPod inputs and USB charging slots.
It also always shocks me when it only costs $35 to fill up!