Faults:

Needed front end alignment at 23250km. Dealership covered the cost.

General Comments:

I am very impressed with the car's handling. The traction control kicked on once while going around a corner, but I was going very fast.

The engine definitely has a lot more torque than the 2.0. It shows on the highway.

Faults:

The clutch pedal return spring broke after owning it for a week. It's a $2.50 spring, but Ford requires the dealers to buy the entire clutch pedal assembly because there is no Ford part number for the spring. It did not matter to me since the repair was under warranty. If it was not under warranty it would have cost $180. That's quite a bit for a spring. Also I had to wait 2 days for the assembly to be delivered to the dealership. I can't believe this part was not more available.

General Comments:

I first time I drove the ZX5 was on the Autobahn in Germany. Its was no race car, but, it handled like it had rails. I liked its small size and utility. The seats were very comfortable. When I got back to the states there were none on the road. The following year they became available in the states. In Europe they were everywhere I can't understand why there aren't more here in the U.S.

One day my wife said go out and buy the car you really want so I picked the ZX5. It brings back memories of driving in Europe. It's a great car.

Faults:

When you buy a 1 year old car, you have to find out why the original owner got rid of it. In this case, I suspect it was an air leak in the windshield which whistled above 40 MPH. I was going to take it back and get it fixed, but I had a tube of old caulk and filled up the crack. Problem solved.

I have read that fit and finish has been a problem with these; my paint is OK, but the hood and trunk don't fit well, not that I really care. The trunk is badly adjusted and needs a lot of force to lift the lid off the latch.

General Comments:

I rented a diesel one in Belgium and a gas one in England, and drove to Boston in one here (600 miles) so I knew what I was in for. It's pretty good for a small car. I like the height. While I "only" get 32 MPG in city/road driving (my stick shift Neon got 40) the SUV drivers around me are envious.

Power is adequate, but it's no rocket.

Faults:

I love the car overall, but the optional leather seats are cracking and the car isn't even a year old yet!

The front seats look old already because of this cracking.

In fact, when the car was less than a month old, the driver's side seat started cracking so I took it back. The dealer has offered some horrible service so far, replacing only the panel that was cracking with another piece of leather that doesn't match the grain nor the color of the rest of the leather in the car!

And, the "Ford" logos fell off the wheels. The dealer replaced those over the course of about 3-4 months because apparently they were on backorder.

General Comments:

The car runs great and has been very reliable to date, but this car was supposed to be the best Focus you can currently buy. The quality of of the upholstery leaves MUCH to be desired. While the logos coming off were an annoyance, that didn't bother me as much because they fixed it!

I've been to the dealer and they've given me a really hard time about fixing these seats so I'm thinking about just buying new leather upholstery in the aftermarket and cutting my losses. Very disappointing. And I might add this car has been very well maintained and cared for, and always parked in a garage. It isn't even a full year old yet!!

The engine and transmission are great and the car handles extremely well. Overall, I love the car, but I just can't cope with the upholstery problem.