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The market for coupes and wagons is really small and Ford has better things to invest in right now. Maybe down the road.
Watched MotorWeek yesterday and they did a segment on plug-in electric powered cars which was very entertaining and informative. Think a city is the best place for those types of vehicles as there would be more charging station sites available for a quick charge up. Maybe it's time quite hasn't come yet for the American suburbs. But looks very promising for the future though.
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
The C-Max has more things in common with the new Jetta -- besides the "door armrest too low for the driver's elbow", there's the "lack of high chair for rear passengers", unlike the new or old Focus (or the upcoming Volvo V40, which is still based on the C-1 platform).
The ST, whether it's the new 2012 or my 2007, has "high rear chair" (except the left corner tapers down somewhat due to bad U.S. workmanship), higher than the Golf's, which is still higher than the new Jetta's.
This is so annoying. In order to get high chair for the rear, you don't get stretch-out leg room? Or vice versa. At least the old Focus seems to achieve both quite OK.
By the way, the C-Max hybrid uses CVT tranny.
I'm not certain my wife would accept that solution
I think right now she's thinking she should have bought anything else...Honda, Toyota, VW...
1) The software
2) Leaky seals
If you're having trouble and haven't taken it in yet, definitely take it in ASAP to get the software all updated to the latest. Many have reported a vast improvemet, though mine which was behaving almsot perfect before the latest software update actually behaved a little worse after the update
There are growing reports of leaky seals which are allowing fluid to get on the dry clutches, causing the shuddering etc. If your software's all up do date, try to force your dealer to investigate the clutch seals.
I like mine whaaahoo!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
But those of you who drive stick might be disappointed w/ Mazda3's abnormal clutch wear.
The C30 is probably not so reliable either.
Only the (soon to be discontinued) 5-cyl version of the Golf comes w/ the reliable made-in-Japan automatic transmission (read not DSG), while the manual has uncomfortably deep clutch travel.
& only the convertible version of the new Beetle comes w/ both the multi-links & the reliable 5-cyl engine.
As far as looking for a reliable trouble-free car, recent Consumer Reports statistics shows that the 5-cyl Jetta/Golf wagon imported from Mexico surpassed even the Prius V wagon imported from Japan!
If a driver hit the gas and then back off the accelerator, only to hit the gas again, it tends to confuse the transmission. Since it's a dual-shift, it's got the second gear somewhat preset to engage... thinking that the driver needs power. But if the gas pedal is released, it then releases the preset upshift gear and resets it to a lower gear. Only to then have to release that one and reset to the higher gear all over again.
I'd suggest that for any acceleration, to try and step on the gas and not back off on the acceleration.
It should help greatly. (fingers crossed, though)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/12/19/the-worlds-most-popular-cars-- a-new-champ/
#2 is no surprise... except it's one of the worst cars in this class IMO: Corolla.
#3 is the Jetta. Then #4 was a surprise to me... Elantra.
Then Fiesta, Golf, etc. Have to go all the way to #7 to find the only mid-sized car in the group: Camry (more proof in addition to Corolla that lots of people buy on reputation).
The numbers are world-wide, reflecting the popularity of small cars in Europe and AP.
By calling every model riding on the same platform a Corolla...
http://www.broadspeed.com/new_cars/Toyota/Corolla_Verso
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/C1A971414B4C6B28CA257A60001C77- - - - 5F
The Corolla even came in both RWD & FWD platforms the same time:
http://www.modifiedplanet.com/category/toyota-trueno/
http://images03.olx.lk/ui/20/26/70/1334544860_354102670_1-Pictures-of--Toyota-Sp- - - - rinter-For-sale-Call-0777279393.jpg
VW doesn't do that:
http://www.mundoautomotor.com.mx/web/2008/11-volkswagen-bora-2009/
So if you combine the sales of both the Golf & the Jetta (Bora, etc.), then who's the best seller?
Just an observation :shades:
Something tells me in a couple of years its all we probably can get.
Its the final nail in the coffin for torque convertors.
The dual clutch will only get better with time.
how do you spell dart?
Economies of scale could come into play; maybe allotting a higher level of equipment...but I had a Maserati GranTurismo power by me the other day it didn't seem lacking due to limited sales :shades:
A Big Mac isn't my favorite either
Focus is getting some bad press because of the sport shift transmissions. People in the U.S. don't know how they work and its newer technology for Americans. I love mine! Took me a bit to understand how it works but if works great. I am averaging 33.7MPG between city and Hwy in my 2012 Focus SE hatch automatic. I get complements all the time on this car.
Dec 31, 2012 (5:11 pm)
is the most boring car in this class. I just can't see why anyone would want to buy one with all the great small cars out today. Hell, even Kia and Hyundai are better in their drive trains!
You FINALLY said something I can agree with, congrats!
Today, the new Focus w/ problematic auto tranny still has the comfortably high chairs, but no longer got rear leg room, which owners of the new Corolla w/ roomy high chairs can laugh at.
The fun-to-drive hatchback Golf 2.5 automatic is reliable like the Corolla, but the rear seating is uncomfortably low (although not as bad as the C-Max) despite good leg room. Fortunately there's the Golf/Jetta wagon 2.5 w/ a comfy supportive rear chair while excels in reliability surpassing even the Prius V wagon (See Consumer Reports)!
Has anyone else had a problem with the metal piping at the bottom of the side windows?
This is the same Focus that has sold in Europe?
The domestic-built new Focus had so much quality problems:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUXNNe1C9i0
Ford had to ship the whole entire dashboard from Europe for a while!
Low-quality Focus should be bashed. That's why I had to wait about half a decade since the mk1 Focus was introduced in the U.S. before I bought one. & back then, Focus' auto tranny was a Mazda unit imported from Japan.
Besides, what percent of Euro drivers drive stick?
No doubt, the Focus is less boring-to-drive than the Accord, which has been Car & Driver's 10 best more often than anything else on earth. "C&D's Ten Best" are not based on reliability anyway.
If you have only driven the Focus lately, go back to the ST170 (SVT in America) & see for yourself. Consumer Reports rated the Focus SVT more fun-to-drive than the Mini Cooper while offering more comfort! Which other cars can do that?
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For new models that are currently available, our Predicted Reliability rating is based on the model's recent history, provided the model hasn't been significantly redesigned for the current model year. Online, Predicted Reliability is presented in the new car model overview pages in the Ratings Report Card, and Ratings & Specs and in the Vehicle Overall Ratings comparison. It is also incorporated into the Reliability History charts as the New Car Prediction.
We also present Predicted Reliability in more detail in our graphs. In this presentation, bar graphs show the percentage difference between each model's overall reliability and the average reliability of all models. We group models by vehicle type (for example, family cars or minivans), for ease of comparing models that are direct-market competitors.
Our statisticians also do in-depth analyses of the reliability data to provide information to consumers about trends in automotive reliability, reliability of newly introduced models, and other important issues. These analyses are presented in the April issue of Consumer Reports, at ConsumerReports.org, and in newsstand auto publications throughout the year.
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To summarize: If the vehicle had transmission problems last year and this year there are no changes they'll predict that it will have problems. If there is no historical data it usually doesn't show anything.
BTW the Euro Focus gets a different version of the powershift DCT - it has a wet clutch vs. a dry clutch and is smoother.
They've recently had Ford high in their rankings, I'm assuming if these problems go away they'll re-evaluate and position them higher.
That is of course if you care about that sort of thing; the two Focuses I've driven (manual and auto) were fine (for the test drive anyway). I'm not totally sold on how they collect data and how it relates to reliability anyway.
Their reliability ratings are based on consumer surveys. So if consumers complain that MyFord touch is slow or locks up, BOOM - CR hits Ford with poor reliability despite the fact that Ford is continuously releasing software updates which greatly improve the tech.
And then another issue - take the Focus with its DCT transmission. The '12 Focus gets excellent reliability ratings in everything except "Transmission - minor" where it gets a poor. Why? Could be because many of its subscribers are complaining about the DCT behavior (jerky low speed operation, roll back on hills, etc.) without taking into account that that's pretty normal DCT behavior and the consumer just doesn't realize it. And then they give the car an overall poor reliability rating because it scored poor in only 1 of numerous reliability categories. Pretty unfair.
Bottom line - don't trust Consumer Reports! It rewards cars with relatively little technical innovation and that are boring to drive (lookin' at you Camry!)