It's not that I need a new commuter necessarily but I really would like hands free and even better fuel mileage as long as it works to my benefit.

I would be trading in the manual Si for a power shift auto Focus. Honestly I was looking for something with decent performance, price, fuel economy and hands free. Plus my wife can drive the Focus. I want to teach her the manual but I don't have a lot of time right now. So I wouldnt mind trading in for the semi auto. If my payments are close and I'm fueling up less then it's worth it.

Prices are really good on the Focus SE around here and that's all I need.

Any feedback is wanted!

Side note I was also pricing the new Impreza but I submitted my price for one on a lot and I got a price even higher than advertised due to some dealer add ons. I told them they were wasting my time and I didn't want them to call me back. They didn't even try to offer another car or work with me. Is it really that easy to suck at being a car salesman? Somedays I feel like I should moonlight as a salesman at some dealerships just because the extra pay is nice and I wouldn't have to even work! The sales staff I've seen on this site obviously do what they should and so they sell cars. I can't imagine if all dealers were as good as the sales personnel we see here.
Endrant.

 

Test drove one, rides really nice, little small on the inside, overall a pretty good car. Hatchback's little pricey.

 

I've test-driven the Focus twice, have yet to find a fault to its ride/handling. Power is "good" but not "great," I'm hoping the non-ST EcoBoost model is a tad more exciting with the pedal down. Interior may be giving back some space versus more ultilitarian-looking/feeling competition but is otherwise a great place to spend your commute. Big fan of the seats, much better than they used to be.

 

Hey bud, I wouldn't wait for the non-ST ecoboost, since they haven't said anything to us about putting another motor in the Focus. The only Ecoboost in the car is the ST, and that won't be out until late this year. No other Ecoboost for that car line for the foreseeable future. If they do, I wouldn't expect it until at least 2014 model year. Maybe 2013, but I doubt it.

 

Please rent one for a few days. I drove one for 2 months and the only thing i liked was, good gas mileage and a smooth quiet (no road noise) ride. My back hurt after just 40 mile drives, but road test say the seats are great....

 

I had an 07 Focus hatch and that thing was fun to drive. It was manual with the rally suspension. I liked it.

 

I just bought a 2012 Race Red 5 door Focus SEL 2 weeks ago and I love it. Fit, finish and ride are on par with a more expensive car. Like said already power is good not great. The six speed automated manual takes a little getting used too as it has three modes. I keep it in Drive on the highway and Sport around town, then it has a "manual mode" but I find Sport is my favorite. I run it hard and I'm still getting 30 mpg.

 

 

I almost bought one as a daily driver. Gave one a test drive and liked it as an everyday car. Nice interior, nice ride, nice looks. Unfortunately, I went with a Nissan Versa.. Only because I got it dirt cheap for a new car and it's very roomy. Besides that though, yuck!

 

We have owned a 2012 Focus 5dr SE Sport 5 spd manual since they first came out. So far it was been flawless. Excellent shifter, nice power with the manual.
I really like the steering and the handling. The ride is firm, yet when we drive over the pot holed roads of metro Detroit the suspension just absorbs the road imperfections without transmitting the shock to the passenger compartment, amazes me every time.
IMO a very solid chassis and very quiet on the highway. I think the Focus suspension bodes well for the next generation Mustang.

We have the optional 17" wheels, Sterling with the Tuscan/Black leather interior. Since the window trim is black on an SE I added the black headlights and fog light bezels from the Ti.

 

I love my Focus. Had an Explorer Sport prior. This is my first "little" car and I dig it!

 

You guys have some great things to say about the Focus and I'm glad because I was really rooting for this car when Ford announced it was being made.

Unfortunately the boss said no-go. So I guess I'm keeping the Civic for now. But who knows! I'm running out of my 100k warranty as it is.

 

I'm considering this right now and I will have to give up my Mustang to do it. It just isn't smart to trade my SUV, I need to carry stuff and have something for my son to drive. Its breaking my heart but so is $500+ per month in fuel expense. The Escape is getting at best 20mpgs and as we head rapidly toward $4 a gallon regular, I just can't keep doing it.

 

My other car is a 2010 focus with 33,000 trouble-free miles. It gets about 33 mpg with the 5 speed manual. I talked my sister into buying a 2012 focus when her car died and she loves her fully loaded focus. I believe the focus is the best buy for cars in that category. It's cheap to buy, economical to run, reliable as a Timex watch, and nimble. Ford did a great job in designing and building this car, in what I think is the hardest sector of the market in which to compete. I'll buy another one when the time comes.

 

Wife said no way to getting rid of the Mustang so I may just do nothing at this point. I hate the amount of $ I'm spending on gas though.

 

Split the difference with a Focus ST? Might be worth checking out when it arrives at dealers if your expenses are still a concern.

 

IF it ever arrives at the dealerships. I remember Ford saying it was supposed to be out last Spring/Summer.

 

all of the literature that i've read said mid-2012, apparently the order banks will be opening soon (end of April or early May).

 

I test drove one recently. I thought it was pretty nice although the A/T takes some getting used to. A couple of times I thought I selected neutral because the car does not "creep" like a conventional A/T with a torque converter. I could also feel some strangeness as it went through the gears, like it was modulating the clutch or seemed "unsure" of which gear to select. Hard to find one locally without the "Ford Touched Me" system as it is something IMHO most drivers can do without. Why make what were once simple in-car controls more complicated than necessary? Just toggling through the menus using the steering wheel controls can be distracting enough.

 

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