http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/30/2...iew-road-test/

 

The new Focus looks great in black. I'm not a huge fan of the front end, but in black it blends in well and looks fantastic. Not sure I could get over the appearance of the interior though. I'd rather put up with a car that is ugly on the outside and easy to live with on the inside, as the inside of the car is where I spend all my time. I just can't get past that center stack, and in two-tone colors like the one in the review, it looks even worse.

 

I rather like the interior, especially with the white highlights.

 

$27,000 is too much even for a Focus ST ... in my opinion.

 

I fully agree. The Focus SE I priced out when the configurator first was released came in at around $20k MSRP and probably a little under $19k at X-Plan pricing, optioned the way I'd want it (upgraded suspension, manual tranny, and not a lot more). I wouldn't be willing to pay too much more for a Focus than that.

 

That is really a nice car. Ford is doing a great job (not on the price ).

 

Are you going to post how expensive you think the Focus is in every thread this year?!

Here is an "S" Focus on ebay.com, for ~$18K . . . just for you!
http://www.ecarlist.com/showroom/2838/photos/1208453#05

 

Still too much.
Not that long ago, after all rebates, I could pick up a brand new Focus for ~$12,000. I miss those days ... Cars are getting expensive these days.
Heck, I paid only $15,000 for my brand new 2008 Fusion. And now even a base Focus hatchback is $3,000 more?
I'm a Ford guy, but I'll rather spend $18,000 on a Hyundai Elantra (with bunch of optional equipment) than on a base model Focus or add another $1,000 and buy a new Kia Optima.

 

seems to me like the focus has been "upgraded" (features and size wise) and the fiesta has taken it's spot as the affordable entry level small car.

 

The cars you mention there are pretty nice cars, but the Optima stands out to me, at least. Inside Line tested the 2011 Kia Optima SX turbo and the average fuel economy they observed was 20.3 mpg! The best they were able to achieve was 21.3 mpg and the worst they got was 18.8! I'm sorry, this is absolutely abysmal -- my 412+ horsepower 2011 Mustang 5.0L averages almost 24 mpg, according to my own calculations! The pathetic fuel economy alone would scratch the Optima, although a nice car, off my list!

http://www.insideline.com/kia/optima...-sx-turbo.html

 

Not many people buy a turbo 274 hp car because they care about fuel economy. There is always Optima hybrid for them.
I'm sure fuel economy will go up after car is being driven for a little bit, but even 21 mpg is nothing to be ashamed of for a 274 hp car. My 2.3L 160 hp Fusion is averaging 25-26 mpg.

 

Maybe you're right or maybe you're making excuses for it. Who knows. Again, though, my 412+ horsepower 5.0L V-8 manages better than the abysmal fuel economy of the 274-horsepower Optima (which is undoubtedly a heavier car, but I digress). I'm interested in seeing what kind of mileage the upcoming Ecoboost-powered Focus ST can muster.

On a side note, I'm seeing almost 40 mpg in my 2010 335d, a car that will smoke just about anything off-the-line. I sure wish there would be more modern diesel offerings here in the States.

 

That was the plan all along once Alan Mulally decided to bring the European Fiesta & Focus stateside.

Keep in mind that a 2012 Focus S Sedan has decent standard equipment and starts around $16K. I suspect that few Titanium models will be sold, but they are very impressive.

I drove our first '12 Focus today for about 10 miles. SE Sedan Automatic. Very nice ride, quiet, and very good handling. Decent acceleration for an "econobox." Much improved over the '11 Focus it replaces!

 

I think the new Focus needs to be looked at as, not an economy car, but rather, as a small car, and there is a difference (which often seems lost to many/most Americans). As mentioned, the Fiesta is slotting in as the price leader -- though hardly a hair shirt econobox by any means -- car while the Focus, while basically maintaining its size, is slotting up as a more premium small car for those who don't necessarily want a bigger car but do appreciate a fine car. In that light, perhaps the new Focus should be judged less by the pound per dollar (quantitatively) but rather how good of a car for the dollar (qualitatively), a more discerning judgement but perhaps the better one to apply.

While the American buying public may take a bit to reconfigure their thinking -- "they're asking how much money for a car of X and Y dimensions" -- the good initial sales figures for both the Fiesta and Focus indicate that perhaps enough American buyers do "get it" when it comes to quality small cars.

 

saw the focus in person... i'm in love!

 

You bring up a good point and why B-segement (I think thats it) high content cars like the Focus Titanium have a hard time making it in the US. Folks here generally associate A and B segment cars as being cheap econoboxes (the Cadillac Cimmaron sure didn't help!) and when they start approaching the price of well equipped C+ segment cars (entry Mustang GT) people just disregard them.

 

True. When Fiesta came out last year, Ford said that people don't buy small cars because they're cheap and not well done. But if somebody would offer a well done small car, customers would be willing to pay a premium price for it.

Well, Fiesta is still the slowest seller for Ford. And I'm afraid Focus will be disappointment for Ford too. Especially because it's not "all American" last the current Focus. Many people complain about current USA Focus, but it's actually much better seller than Mk. 1 Euro Focus sold in the USA in the past.

 

Fiesta is still a new thing to Americans, advertising can only do so much and it's personal experience plus word-of-mouth that take you to the next level. Fiesta may not have become the instant Model-T of its generation, but it's far from a dissappointment. Higher-spec Fiestas are still selling at a higher percentage of total model sales, and over sales are definitely going in the right direction.

 

It's not just a problem with a Fiesta, it's with all small cars.

I think Honda Fit has established the name and reputation here in the USA by now. Honda sold only ~67,000 Fits last year and never sold more than ~79,000 in a year.

 

i don't think it's the cars that are the problem.