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Comments
The one thing that still surprises me when I drive my daughter's car is the lack of engine braking when you're in reverse and let off the gas. It basically freewheels until you hit the brakes. Not a problem, just unexpected.
I don't know about that, if that was it all companies that offer touch screens would be hammered. Ford's just seems to still have some teething issues. I thought the headline last year read something like "Ford drops to 2nd to last place due primarily to MyFord Touch issues." Another recent comparo judged BMW's iDrive 1st and MyFord Touch last or close to it. And remember when everyone hated iDrive.....
"I don't hear any new Focus owners complaining about the tranny in the new vehicles whereas before it was very common. That tells me the problem is at least 95% fixed."
Uhhhhh, go to another popular focus forum, in which I'm an active member, and you'll see plenty of fresh complaints (shuddering, grinding, etc.) My own Focus has been good overall but has had periods of bad DCT behavior. Finally had the clutches replaced in November, resulting performance was a little better, took it out one morning and drove it real hard, and voila it's back to good behavior. I suspect it's the software and in particular the "adaptive learning" that's the culprit. The software is close but still needs a little work (same with MFT). Your estimate of 95% may be a bit optimistic, but certainly most DCTs appear to work fine.
So, bottom line -- the VW Tiguan & other VW's w/ the 5-cyl got away with a Toyota slushbox, just like how the previous Focus was equipped w/ Mazda's slushbox.
At least my Golf 5-cyl 6-sp slushbox, when using manual mode, can leap off the line even more abruptly than its 5-sp manual version, not to mention the smaller-displacement turbo-lag GTI :P
Careful though. Just a year earlier that same Focus placed first against several of the same cars. Kind of puts Automobile's objectivity and consistency into question.
They point out that the Focus was easily the most expensive car in the comparo. That is one true fact about Ford, the price of all models has crept up between 1-2K over the past 2-3 years.
In the July '11 comparo I referenced above the Focus had the lowest as tested price of the 6 cars tested.
The Focus does seem to be a little more expensive than some of the competition, though it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison these days. And in my case I got such a huge discount (~%20) on my Focus that hands down I got way more value than I would've gotten with any other car in the segment. Of course I'm sure my experience violates Ford's pricing strategy..
I would choose the Focus even among the current five (and always wonder whether the Mazda would have been a slightly better choice) but I am a Ford guy. The Improved Focus was new and revolutionary in 2011 but that was then. The competition has caught up for sure and it is a race again.
I believe driving the Focus's DCT like an old man is detrimental to it in the long run. It wants to be driven aggressively for optimal performance. The couple times I have had a shudder and sloppy shifting develop over the past 11k miles, I've taken it out to a country road, done 5 full throttle 0-60 accelerations in a row and then driven real aggressively for a while, and the shudder goes away for good.
Yes officer...I needed to clear the carbs... :shades:
it worked for many others as well
I will say the hatch is definitely a looker and I did like the SEL trim, except for the seat fabric. And if they address the seats and the tranny, I would definitely buy one for my next ride though I would really want one with power seats if they made such an animal. I'm really not a Ford guy...the one we had was pure garbage and the Lincoln's were nothing to write home about. But, if they made the above changes to the Focus, I would buy one in a heartbeat!
Also drove a Ford Edge...very unimpressive but more on that later. Hopefully will try the Fuzion next time. I am looking forward to that!
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)
Maybe the car you tested did not have the latest tranny software. It's possible.
Am hoping to drive the new Escape at my job soon, as it is spectacular looking really...prefer it now to the Mazda equivalent...job well done Ford!
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)
Cause its cool as all now. Either you love a dual clutch or you hate the dual clutch. there is no middle ground, Sorry about the back injury .That aint no joke.best wishes. I dont know what you can do..........whatever makes your back feel good is all that matters. right? Regardles which year make or model.
maniac4
To be fair there are still complaints of grinding and shuddering, even with the '13s. My Dec '11 built car (i.e. NOT an "early build") has had shuddering and a clutch failure, but now at 12,000 miles is operating acceptably.
But the complaints do seem to be getting to a smaller and smaller percentage of cars sold. Some owners approaching 50,000 miles on the car have reported perfect operation. And one guy with over 100k on a '12 already reports while the DCT has been a little funky, there have been no mechanical failures.
Yep, apparently they use it in a delivery service. So pretty much constantly on the road.
Yes, some cars have had seals that allowed gear or engine fluid to get on the dry clutches and affect operation. And my car had an improperly disengaging clutch that required replacement. These mechanical issues appear to be few and far between and Ford appears to be fixing them.
Funny about the Focus seats, I test drove a SE with the standard cloth seats and thought they were terrible but my SE with the upgraded sports pkg. seats are some of the most comfortable I've ever had.
Yep the Sport Package on the SE included upgraded bolstering similar to the higher trim levels. The Sport Package is gone for '13 but I think the Appearance Package includes the upgraded bolstering. But they only come in leather. I don't think you can get cloth seats with the upgraded bolstering in '13.
I think it's more of a 'either you love a clutch or you hate a clutch'. IE: the feel of a 'manual' clutch in the shifts... or the feel of an 'automatic' torque converter in the shifts.
With so many never feeling the shifting action of any sort of manual, it stands to reason that they'd find it 'wrong'.
Any updates since Nov?
IF Ford wants to get the attention and hoopla from choosing to offer the (so-called) perks of MyTouch, then they also have to own it (it; as in.. its reputation) if it does not perform properly in the hands of those who sprung the extra bucks to get it.
The same can be said for DCT. It is Ford's responsibility (as is any mfr) to ensure a purchaser is INFORMED of potential operational differences over what they might have been accustomed to in the past.
I know you are a Ford guy and indicate a lot of fairness in your posts, but I still say let 'em (Ford) reap what they sow..
If they want the attention from new and improved and are rolling out new product as fast as Steve Jobs was, then they also have to endure a bit of bad press when they find they didn't actually get right, and when you have the number of issues (recalls etc) for some serious issues, as they are stacking up lately, then maybe it's a good lesson to them that a little slower and surer wins the race. The older I get, like anyone else, the more vehicles we have owned over the years, and I for one am getting damn tired of being their unpaid tester of premature product releases. We are their guinea pigs essentially. And ironically...not only are we not paid to do this...we pay them!!
And apparently, according to build dates and issues still being reported, can we still attribute all these issues to driver difference learning curves of the DCT? I think your 95% number is a little optimistic.
I liked it when I drove one with the 2.5 a year ago. But it is an expensive tranny/car to own maintenance-wise. It seemed to be a magnetic fiend for needing to go back to the dealer for the requisite maintenance schedule dealer stamps. And gosh, they aren't cheap. I really liked the car and still haven't replaced or added to the fleet yet, but that maintenance schedule really put me off..
Well...I shouldn't say put me off yet, but has caused me some reservations.
And does the Focus and Fiesta use the same DCT or are they different but identical design? i.e. Is the Fiesta DCT also dry clutch?
They don't seem to be working out all that well in general, possibly because they're being sold as automatic variants, which they aren't. If they were sold as quasi-manual transmissions, which they are, the low-speed roughness might be a little more expected and acceptable. And if they'd program the things to shift faster. And not upshift in manual mode.
Dodge's DCT isn't all that well accepted either, nor is the one Hyundai is using in the Veloster.
I liked it when I drove one with the 2.5 a year ago. But it is an expensive tranny/car to own maintenance-wise. It seemed to be a magnetic fiend for needing to go back to the dealer for the requisite maintenance schedule dealer stamps. And gosh, they aren't cheap. I really liked the car and still haven't replaced or added to the fleet yet, but that maintenance schedule really put me off..
Well...I shouldn't say put me off yet, but has caused me some reservations.
VW 2.5 5-cyl non-turbo (& even the GTI 4-cyl turbo engine in the Tiguan) uses the Aisin Japanese 6-sp auto tranny. Of course, the programming was requested by VW & not Toyota. Despite being a slush box, the lock-up mode is often. & when this big-displacement 5-cyl kicks off in manual mode through the low 1st gear off the line, it leaps forward way ahead of the traffic every time the light turns green :shades: & all I needed to do is using the "manual mode" for the first second, then shift back into "auto mode" for rest of the low-rpm torquy acceleration! So I did not regret for not having the 5-sp manual, which has an annoying long-reach clutch travel!
Only we lucky North Americans get to have this naturally aspirated version of the semi-"Lamborghini Gallardo 10-cyl engine", which uses timing chain (which saves timing-belt related $ for the owner).
Further more, unlike the DSG double-clutcher, this auto tranny requires zero factory maintenance!
The only thing costly, if at all, is the consumption of regular (& not premium) fuel in city driving.
We are talking about a low-price car that provides near limo-like cushy ride w/o a numb steering!
FYI, the wagon version (Golf in Canada; Jetta in U.S.) imported from Mexico is based on the "costier to build" Mk5, so therefore even more reliable. & I like the wagon's rear-seat comfort way better!
It does seem to be working for fuel mileage. Consider the Focus has over 10hp more than the Corolla, Elantra, Civic, etc. and that it gets to 60mph a second quicker or so than them (from several sources), but still gets within 1-2 mpg average of those slower cars.
You will always hear anecdotal stories from every type of car owner on the planet about whatever particular horror story they are having. The same is true with the Focus. I have read about stalling, missing gears..., but so far I have had none of that. I may eat my words if mine craps out or I get a recall notice from Ford at some point, but right now loving it.
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 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)
joe
One of the things I learned was that, for the best response, you need to treat the clutch as a clutch (ie: a manual). So for heavy traffic, you can't simply pull your foot off the brake and immediately slam onto the gas.
Instead, give it the time you'd normally take if you had to press a clutch and move the stick into first... and then press the gas.
Do that, and you'll not experience the herky-jerky start many have complained about in regards to the DCT.
(I mean, if you tried driving a stick like that, you'd get a herky-jerky start as well.)
totally flush with the body of the car. I am however a perfectionist and most people would probably not notice or even care. Other than that the car is solid, no squeaks, rattles or wind noise. I have not had any problems with my transmission. I took it in at about 2,000 miles and it was "re programmed". The car is fun to drive. Took me a bit to figure out how to really use the auto shift (sport mode) in this car. Once you really know how to use it this car will move pretty well and does have some scoot. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably go dark silver or red for color. White is hard to keep clean. I am washing my car once a week on average, weather permitting of course.
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)
Does anyone else have this problem with their 2012 Focus?
Disarming the system
You can disarm the system by any of the following actions:
• Unlock the doors by pressing the control on your remote entry
transmitter.
• Turn the ignition on or start the vehicle.
• If using a key in the driver’s door to unlock the vehicle, a chime will
sound when you open the door and you will have 12 seconds to
disarm the alarm system using any of the actions above, otherwise the
alarm will trigger.
Pressing the power door unlock control within the 11 second prearmed
mode will return the vehicle to a disarmed state.
Don
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)