2012 Ford Focus

cannon3 · September 2012

I checked the build list for a 2013 Focus and the sport pkg is gone!!??? What the He.. is Ford thinking?? The sport pkg with the two tone seats/nickel trim pieces inside, 16" wheels ect.. is one reason I chose the Focus. First year and Ford starts to decontent the Focus??? Not a good move Ford... LISTEN to the consumers and NOT the bean counters..

Focus is set to unseat the Corolla as #1 seller. I cannot believe people even buy the Corolla still. Its whole drive train is antiquated, styling is blah, interior is a joke.

akirby · September 2012

Did you also notice they made the manual tranny available on the Titanium? That's the opposite of decontenting.

markus5 · September 2012

This is interesting. Will this "option to delete" the dreaded automatic tranny lower the cost of the Titanium model by a thousand or more ?

creakid1 · September 2012

I almost bought a Focus w/ stability control over 10 yrs ago when it was the most high-tech compact around. Pretty soon, it was only the stupid American market that forced to shut down the AdvanceTrak (ESP) option (as well as HID headlights). & forget about these upgraded interior rest of the world were getting:

http://images.compucars.co.uk/112523/large/ford-focus-hatchback-petrol_7283687.j- - - - - pg

http://images.autoexposure.co.uk/SHD5090776/AETV53812646_4b.jpg

American consumers are too cheap to pay for these nice luxury equipments, especially on the new Focus III that lost adult-size rear leg room in the U.S. spec version.

gogogodzilla · September 2012

I have a 2012 Ford Focus with sport pack. There are NO 16" wheels on it.

There are 18" summer performance tires.

kam327 · September 2012

If you have 18" wheels you do not have the "sport" package, which comes only with the SE trim. You have the "handling" package which comes only with the Titanium trim.

kam327 · September 2012

The Sport Package on the SE is being replaced by the Appearance Package which is similar but more expensive since it forces you to get leather seats.

I wouldn't call that decontenting, but there is some decontenting going on for '13: the rain sensing wipers, universal garage door opener and 1 or 2 other things are gone.

creakid1 · September 2012

Leather slips, & that defeats the purpose of holding you in place. Having additional side bolsters to compensate will make ingress/egress inconvenient plus more wear, not to mention hotter sweatier during summer.

Anyway, I think the new Focus holds the road well enough even w/ only 16" wheels. The only equipment I like to add is ST's Recaro seats, which I sat @ the LA Autoshow & wouldn't leave

The truly sporty Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S) only come w/ cloth seats in the U.S.

tiger9112 · September 2012

the transmission on this car has a mind of its own it stays reving when you let off the gas bucks allot like a stick shift and when you drive slowly to save gas it has zero acceleration power and rolls back on hills

gogogodzilla · September 2012

It is a manual... with a computer controlled clutch.

Actually, two clutches. It's not called a dual-clutch gearbox for nothing.

So, of course it rolls back on hills. Manuals do that.

bpizzuti · September 2012

Don't let any of the clutch-pedal purists hear you call a DCT (dual clutch transmission) a manual. They call it an automatic because it doesn't have a clutch pedal.

Actually, it isn't properly a manual. Manuals are manual. It's not an automatic either. It's a DCT. They're unique, as you've pointed out.

akirby · September 2012

They are more alike internally though. A DCT uses direct mesh gears just like a manual and it has a clutch instead of a torque converter.

It would be more accurate to call it a computer controlled manual as opposed to a driver controlled manual.

ivan_99 · September 2012

So, of course it rolls back on hills. Manuals do that.

Some manuals have 'hill-hold' like the VW's...

Always one in the crowd

ivan_99 · September 2012

It would be more accurate to call it a computer controlled manual as opposed to a driver controlled manual.

An automatic manual transmission; as opposed to some automatic transmissions that you can manually control the gears

Sandman6472 · September 2012

Is it an automatic with 2 pedals or a manual with 3 pedals? If it's a 2 pedal auto tranny, something seems strange. I know the Focus with the 2 pedal auto I drove a few months ago just didn't feel right...really felt the 5 speed auto in my Civic felt smoother. And this isn't the first post I've read where someone has complained about the auto in the Focus.

What gives...and does Ford have a fix in the works? I did really like the SEL hatch that I drove with the leather...but didn't like the auto tranny.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

bpizzuti · September 2012

It's a dual-clutchless automanualatic.

Sandman6472 · September 2012

In cars for dummies terms, how many pedals are there?

The Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

ivan_99 · September 2012

2

Auto should always be 2...even if the tranny really is a manual being automatically controlled.

I love the auto/manual (is it?) debate...sort of like the "who's on first" routine

m6user · September 2012

Really should be no debate as they are both good. People should stop trying to shove either one down other people's throat. If someone wants one or the other I say just buy it and shut up.

akirby · September 2012

From a driver's perspective it's an automatic. But from a technical standpoint it's a computer controlled manual. The latter is important for understanding how it feels and how it works. There is no torque converter so the computer has to operate the clutch when you stop and go. The software is just now able to do it somewhat smoothly. The first ones in the Ferraris and other exotics were terrible. The software will continue to get better and better with each iteration. Ford has put out 2 new software releases that are supposed to make it smoother but it will never be as smooth as a torque converter. Also - the DCT that Ford used in the Focus is a dry clutch unit as opposed to a wet clutch unit which is smoother but more expensive and not as fuel efficient.

The tradeoff is fuel efficiency and faster manual shifting.

ivan_99 · September 2012

Agreed, I drove the auto and 5spd manual (the one with 3 pedals

). While I liked the 5 speed better...it wasn't a 6 speed and it gets a bit busy-feeling when going 85-90 mph (TX roads...).

I didn't have the problems with the automatic that others were feeling...but I drove a few VW DSG's and corrected one of my "faults". I had a tendency to lift the gas a bit just before the shifts occurred (old habits of driving manual...) this caused it to have a jerky feeling. After I made a conscious effort to keep the gas at a consistent rate it was all smoothed out.

cannon3 · October 2012

Well, I am going on 9,000 miles. I am averaging per the computer 35.4MPG. I cannot complain, its an automatic. Most of the time I drive it like an old man. However, the real reason I am writing this is because of how much I really like the manu-shift option on this car. I was a bit hesitant at first to try it and waited until just a few days ago to give it a whirl. One word, FUN. The car acts totally different when in the "S" mode on the automatic. You can hold the revs up pretty high to about 4K in each gear then shift with the button. The car is actually pretty quick. I am told in other forums to go to redline and the car is quicker. However I am chicken and don't want to hurt a new car. So far no complaints, great little car. Ford of Europe needs to teach Ford of America how to build great small cars..

akirby · October 2012

Just so you know - when Ford rolls a car off the assembly line they go WOT to test it. You won't hurt it.

cannon3 · October 2012

Honda losses to Ford! My mother and Father in law went car shopping. They don't care about buying American, or are they brand loyal. They shopped all the small cars from EVERY manufacturer. They chose a Ford Focus 4 door sedan SEL automatic. The reasons were numerous. They loved the interior touch, feel and quality. They felt the engine was quiet and had enough power. The car handled better than anything they drove. They traded in their 2005 Honda Civic.

creakid1 · October 2012

"Fun is a debatable point here. The new Golf certainly corners neatly and has high levels of mechanical grip, with a torque vectoring system to reduce nose-on understeer. But in terms of fun, it ranks alongside cutting your toenails. Theres no feedback to the steering wheel, so it feels inert. Lift off the throttle in a bend and the nose barely registers. Theyve even taken out the mechanical hand brakeso no fun there, either. Hackenberg promises that the R-Line models will have more spirited chassis, and that the GTI and its 190-hp diesel counterpart, the GTD, will be barnstormers...Where VW missed the mark is with its inability or unwillingness to improve the driver appeal of the standard car. Modern electronics and steering systems can do so much, yet the Golf feels stodgy compared with the Ford Focus."

Read more: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Test Drive - Popular Mechanics

gogophers1 · October 2012

Has anyone here been experiencing the infamous front-end clunk with their new/newish Focus?

backy · October 2012

I found a 2013 SE hatch with a stick (actually 2 of them) at my local dealer today, so I took one out for a test-drive as I am trying to narrow down my list of suspects for my next car. The ride and handling were as good as I remembered from my test drive last year. The stick is a pleasure to use, albeit only with 5 forward speeds.

However, I have eliminated the Focus from my shopping list, for the following reasons;

* Driver's seat wasn't comfortable: no matter how I adjusted it, it never fit me well. If I raised the seat bottom, the seat tilted forward so my thighs didn't get enough support. If I lowered the seat for good thigh support, it was too low for my taste.
* Tight rear seat: I've noticed before that the rear leg room is pretty tight, so I tried it again today. My legs brushed the seat back and there wasn't good thigh support. Not something I need to live with given there's choices (Golf, Elantra GT) with more rear leg room.
* No 6th gear: Not an issue in itself, but 5th is geared pretty short, so engine revs are pretty high, e.g. about 2700 rpm at 65 mph. That's much higher than the Mazda3i (closer to 2000 rpms @ 65), Elantra GT, and even the Golf which also has a 5-speed. Higher rpms translates to lower FE and more engine noise.
* Confusing controls: The center stack is bad enough, but even the sales rep couldn't show me how to reset and display the FE meter. We messed with it for awhile, then gave up.

So looks like it will come down to the Mazda3, Golf, or Elantra GT. The Golf has the big advantage on price as it's available as a CPO car for thousands less than a new Mazda3i hatch or Elantra GT.

P.S. No sign of a front suspension "clunk" on my test drive.

Sandman6472 · October 2012

Agree with you on the seats...very uncomfortable. Drove a SEL leather model and just felt so uncomfortable...and couldn't get the seat contorted to where it got any better. The center stack was a bit confusing also...much prefer the simplicity of the Elantra or the Jetta.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

creakid1 · October 2012

Good point. Choose from the list of cheapest cars. Only fools would bother w/ the expensive ones :P

creakid1 · October 2012

* Driver's seat wasn't comfortable: no matter how I adjusted it, it never fit me well. If I raised the seat bottom, the seat tilted forward so my thighs didn't get enough support. If I lowered the seat for good thigh support, it was too low for my taste.

That's what I hate about newer cars these days, as if you are forced to get the expensive overweight motorized seats in order to tilt the thigh angle, such as the Mazda3. (Don't I miss the manual driver seat from the Volvo S40/V50, '99-00 Civic EX, old Camry LE/SE...)

Ditto (somewhat) w/ the Golf 2.5 I just purchased. But the problem is solved after I added the wood-bead seat-center cover. The seat is lowered in order to correct the angle, then this cushion-like thick cover raised it back to the desired height. This tapered-shape cover also creates some lumbar support, & supplements the "now too low" factory lumbar hand in hand. It also seems quite OK that the lateral support is reduced, as the U.S.-spec Golf already has GTI seats to begin with.

The front seats in the '12 Focus SE non-Sport also lack decent lateral support compare to ones in the SE Sport. I wonder if all '13 Focus cloth seats no longer have that lateral support?

At the LA Autoshow, I actually fell in love w/ ST's Recaro cloth seat! & it probably has a stronger thigh angle as well.

Ford should offer these Recaro's as an option on the Focus sedan. Only those who like hard ride would really go for the ST:

"The STs suspension was very communicative, and added a lot to the sporty character and driving dynamics, whether driving in a straight line or pushing it through corners. When headed in a singular direction, the stiff suspension transmits an enormous amount of information about the road surface into the cabin. It reacts to every bump and irregularity in the road, and moves along with it. When travelling over regularly spaced expansion joints or frost heaves, the Focus ST can exhibit a little hobby-horse behavior. It doesnt make the car feel unstable or unready to react like it would in a luxury car or SUV that was porpoising due to softness in the suspension. This still felt sharp on its toes, just bouncy and rigid. It fits the STs personality, though; if you werent looking to put up with a taught ride, you could simply stick with the standard Focus, or shop elsewhere. This is meant to be communicative, and it is.

In corners, the suspension didnt feel too brittle. When throwing lateral motion into the equation, the suspension didnt get upset. The car remained stable, and very flat. It also never showed a tendency to skip like a stone across the pavement, as weve experienced in other cars with stiff suspensions (heres looking at you, Mini). It served to keep the Focus balanced, while informing the driver of what was going on between rubber and road. We felt every bit confident in this cars stability as we pushed it through turns."

& do you need all that power?

"The only drawback of the strong power delivery in the Focus ST was that it exhibited a lot of torque steer. Combined with the snappy steering, it made it a bit difficult to remain pointed dead ahead under wide-open throttle. Approaching the engines redline, we felt nervous to take our right hand off the wheel to reach over and prepare to shift."

* No 6th gear: Not an issue in itself, but 5th is geared pretty short, so engine revs are pretty high, e.g. about 2700 rpm at 65 mph. That's much higher than the Mazda3i (closer to 2000 rpms 65), Elantra GT, and even the Golf which also has a 5-speed. Higher rpms translates to lower FE and more engine noise.

The extinction of the reliable Japanese-made slushbox (as oppose to the nightmare-ish DSG) from VW actually made me collected the Golf w/ the 6-speed auto, which made this 5-cyl car leaping off the line like a V8 when 1st gear was selected in manual-shift mode. The 5-speed stick Golf can't even come close! I also doubt if those 4-cyl GTI/R 6-speed stick w/ turbo lag can achieve this

But then, this "muscle car"-like performance also translates into mpg -- alway in the low 20's combined. But then, the direct-injected diesel Golf has leaking fuel injectors!

* Confusing controls: The center stack is bad enough, but even the sales rep couldn't show me how to reset and display the FE meter. We messed with it for awhile, then gave up.

Awhile? It takes less than awhile fiddling w/ the read outs before you crash.

creakid1 · October 2012

The lateral support of the ST driver seat extends so far forward that I can use it as an elbow-rest, so I can effortlessly rest my left hand on the steering-wheel spoke & operate the turn signal stalk full time.

Due to the low height of the door armrest, the Golf VI is really bad in this area, while the new Jetta is even worse.

No matter how much I hated my folks' Chevy Caprice & Chevette. At least they have high-enough door armrest for supporting the driver's elbow. Today, I wonder why only the Volvo C30/S40/V50 is truly thoughtful in this area, while the Mazda3 w/ same C-1 platform had an annoyingly low door armrest.

Sandman6472 · October 2012

??? What point are you trying to make here??

The "Confused Sandman" :confuse: :sick: :shades:

creakid1 · October 2012

Now people are forced into cheapers cars in order to avoid the "confusing center stack".

backy · October 2012

I don't find the Golf to be all that cheap, and its controls are very clear. Ditto the Impreza... really straightforward.

The Focus is proof that even an inexpensive car can have confusing controls.

Awhile? It takes less than awhile fiddling w/ the read outs before you crash.

Best to fiddle with controls while stopped... as I did with the Focus. In contrast, the Elantra GT has intuitive controls on the steering wheel to change and adjust the readouts.

creakid1 · October 2012

I paid under $20k (befored tax) for a '12 Golf 2.5 4-dr auto w/ Convenience package. It's quite inexpensive even when comparing to the Focus. Even though the interior feels rather high in quality, the smell of the plastic under long-term exposure to sun light doesn't. My '84 Jetta does not have this smell problem.

Can you imagine what's gonna happen to the modular-platform Golf VII, which costs about 20% less to manufacture than the Golf VI?

For 2013, the Golf 2.5 w/ moonroof also includes full remote buttons on the leather steering wheel.

backy · October 2012

I paid under $20k (befored tax) for a '12 Golf 2.5 4-dr auto w/ Convenience package. It's quite inexpensive even when comparing to the Focus.

That's at least $2k more than a comparable Focus hatch, based on pricing I've done in the past year. Still a good deal though.

creakid1 · October 2012

How about the '13 Golf 2.5 w/ std rear A/C ducts. Does the Focus or the new (U.S.) Passat have it, even as an option?

You'll probably gonna say it's pointless, as there's hardly anyone gonna hop into the back seat of the new Focus anway.

m6user · October 2012

Some people seem to really want rear ducts and it is important to them. IMO, if a small car has an adequate A/C-heat system it should be adequate to cool/heat the entire interior. Rear ducts are something that is nice but certainly not needed. Went 40 years without them and nobody was that bad off in the back seat. In a large luxury vehicle it is a different story....not only expected but probably needed for the comfort a luxury buyer demands.

If a car has them fine, if not it's not big deal to me. It's certainly not something I even look for when buying a ca. But, like you say, I don't have back seat passengers all that often and when I do it is for fairly short distances.

creakid1 · October 2012

Sorry for the gripe, but my parents in the front seats of the Chevy Caprice got mad at me everytime when I asked them to turn up the A/C fan for us back-seat passengers, as that'll make them too cold :mad:

Yeah, only those very few w/ short legs would bother hopping into the new Focus' back seat.

Wait a minute. That means the roomy Golf is one-size larger than the new Focus! Boy, isn't the Golf truly inexpensive? (& not "Jetta" cheapo)

No wonder by the 2014 Mk7 model, the Golf will no longer include the multi-link rear suspension as std feature! Otherwise, it'll make the Focus look really bad :P

creakid1 · November 2012

OK, forget about the rear accomodation. Let's talk about the front-passenger comfort.

So people are going for SUV/Van in order to get those chairs that aren't "too low for my taste"?

How many thrifty (read reliable Japanese) cars out there offer seat-height (plus lumbar) adjustment for BOTH front seats, besides those RWD premium models such as the Lexus IS?

The truly inexpensive "Focus-priced" Golf 2.5 does, while beats most Toyota's for reliability (per CR).

backy · November 2012

I was talking about the driver's seat.

If you want to talk (endlessly at that) about the Golf, there's discussions for that.

jgdarling · November 2012

1st post here, but I have almost 10,000. miles on my 2012 ford focus it has been back to dealer 4 times, for grinding, shifting, sputtering, shuddering etc, had up date done, fixed another problem, but each time they make adjustment my car gets worse gas mileage, so I now get 27mpg on hwy and I still have all the same issues. We have meeting with GM at our dealer Sat. Hope they do something or i guess its time for lawyer and lemon law! They try to tel me nothing is wrong, but... when it gets me killed because it wont accelerate, or it shudders and stops at a light, then maybe they will finally really address the issue!

akirby · November 2012

Yours is obviously defective - try another dealer. Those aren't normal symptoms.

creakid1 · November 2012

OK, neither DSG nor DCT are truly fully developed. But we can still continue w/ the reliable manual transmission.

It's "the Focus vs the old Focus vs the Golf" in terms of driving pleasure, & that's what sets it apart from Hyundai's, etc.

See what AUTOCAR said: (1:57-3:20)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFpmpy2FlsU

cannon3 · November 2012

I bought a 2012 Focus SE auto hatchback for less than 20K. This car came with the sport pkg, Sync, moonroof, winter package and convenance package. I also have the auto shift, which once you learn how to use it correctly its a hoot to drive. I test drove all the competition and by far the interior of the Focus was head and shoulders above the Golf and Elantra. The only competition for the Focus is Mazda3 right now. The Mazda was the only car that even came close to interior fit/finish/materials. The Dodge Dart is the new kid on the block. I am going to test drive one this weekend. I read its interior is also of high quality/soft materials.

creakid1 · November 2012

About half a decade ago, I picked the Mk1 Focus 2.3 ST sedan, partly b/c the driver's door handle is not located annoyingly far aft like in the Mazda3 & Rabbit/GTI or even the
S40/V50/MkII Focus. Now it's the other way around:

MkIII Focus

Mazda3

Golf/GTI

By the way, you sure the upper inside door panel of the Focus SE is better finished than Golf's?

Sandman6472 · November 2012

Funny how we all have different opinions about this...I thought the Jetta/Golf had the nicer interior and the Focus and Elantra were pretty even on this score. I was very impressed with the SEL hatch I drove in that the leather seats were quite comfortable with a nice grade of leather and I loved the hatch. Didn't like the way it drove though but I'm sure it's something one could get used to. But it was a real looker though the price was way too much to pay for what one got. And not sure how the car would hold up. I've had my Civic going on almost 7 years now and I still get asked if it's a brand new model.

Plan on having the wife drive one again just to make sure that it's not on her list anymore. Her '05 Mazda3 s just went over the 113k mark so it's just a matter of time now before we'll have to finally purchase her a new sled. Am very pleased with how it has held up over the years. Also, I really like the C-Max and I would look seriously at one if the price came in at a reasonable price.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

creakid1 · November 2012

Yeah, Ford needs to provide the C-Max version of the Focus in order to compete in rear leg room...

So how competitive can the handling be w/ a higher roof like that?

Like the C-Max, the new Jetta is unreliable, w/ lots of rear leg room & available hybrid powertrain. Unlike the C-Max, its roof isn't too high for sporty handling :P

cannon3 · November 2012

Agreed, my DCT has been fine since re-flash. Go to another dealership. Sounds like the one you are bringing it to doesn't know what they are doing. You do know there is another flash that came out for this transmission right? I had mine re-programmed at about 3,000 miles and it stopped the rollback on a hill scenario and it smoothed out the lower end shifts. Plus, Americans are not used to this type of technology/transmission combination. I am a strong believer there is a learning curve in knowing how these transmissions work and behave.

hackattack6 · November 2012

OK I have had my 2012 Focus SEL for 6 months now and about 6500 miles. Overall I love this car. I am 49 years old and wanted something fun to drive. If you google Doug Hacker from Milford Ohio you will find an article that interviewed me when I was picking out a new car. I really wanted to buy a corolla S but I just could not pull the trigger. The Focus started out great. I feel really good about buying a Ford because of the history of the company and they did not take the Big 0 bailout. Shortly after the purchase the transmission and Mytouch really pushed me to the limits but after the 5000 mile mark the "fussy" transmission has settled down and to be honest the my touch still has its flaws but I know that Ford will not give up and with a few more updates I believe it will be great in the long haul. I could of bought the bullet proof Corolla but I can tell you the the Focus is a blast to drive if you can understand the fact that it is a automated manual and not a auto you will love it too. I agree with the person that said its only competitor is the Mazda 3. I have been getting 33 mpg on average and it has not been back 1 time for warranty work. If you look at the reliabilty websites it is getting bad reviews because of the My touch and the misunderstanding of the transmission. This is a really cool car and by the way I got it for $5500 under sticker which puts it in the right price range.

2012 Ford Focus

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