'05 Ford Focus

[JVal14]

My vehicle conundrum that has had me banging my head against the wall for the past 6 months was recently nipped in the bud when I was given a Ford Focus for a company car. While I was planning on buying a stripped down Cobalt for my daily commute, I told my employer that a Focus was more than adequate since it's reliability has improved in the last few years.
The car is a ZX4 ST sedan that's quite well equipped with a CD changer, power windows and locks, cruise control, a 5-spd. manual, and remote entry.

EXTERIOR
While I much prefer the syling of the hatchbacks to the sedans, the 4-dr. Focuses (Focii?) look far better on the outside than those before the redesign. As far as compact sedans go, I'd say it's one of the better looking ones, retaining an interesting look while not offending. This particular car came in dark graphite grey, giving it a mature look. A small spoiler adds to the sportiness without looking silly.

INTERIOR
The interior, IMO, right up there with the Honda Civic and Mazda3, which I believe are the class leaders when it comes to overall interior quality. As a relatively large person who's used to driving a Camaro or some type of truck, it was hard to get used to. Luckily the seat has height adjustment and the steering wheel is telescoping, and I'm pretty comfy now. The seats are firm and can get a bit uncomfortable after a couple hours of driving, but are satisfactory. This model came with red trim on cloth the seats and leather items, and it adds some fun without being gaudy. The dash is simple, but well executed with a quality look. Essentially my only problem with the interior is the center console. The arm rest is exactly level with the shift knob, meaning I'm constantly contorting my arm to shift and not bump my elbow; that gets mighty annoying after a while. Also, the sun visors look and feel cheap, but that's a nit-pick.

PERFORMANCE
The Focus offers a great compromise between handling and comfort. The steering in particular is very responsive and communicative. It's not as quick and agile as it's Mazda cousin, but it's also more compliant, though not so much as the Cobalt. It's also a bit noisier than the Cobalt, although the Focus' engine is not so buzzy at high revs. In terms of acceleration, I'd say it's about as quick as the base 5-spd. Cobalt coupe that I drove, although you have to wind it higher. The tranny is fun to stir, and clicks accurately. I think the low end torque is lacking a bit, even for a 4-cyl., but it pulls stronger as you tach up. Mileage is a bit disappointing so far, but it's improving as it gets broken in. My latest is 25 mpg with about 95% highway. This includes a hard cranking A/C, LA traffic, and often times a full trunk.

As for reliability, the stereo died just before I hit 300 miles (d*mn Fords). The problem was very minor, but still annoying.

All in all, the car is pretty entertaining. It's no Cobalt SS or WRX, but it's cheap fun, and practical to boot.

[Strapping.Young.Lad]

weird about the stereo?