2012 Ford Focus SE 2.0

Summary:

Fun little fuel saver

Faults:

Bad alternator at 998 miles. Driving down the highway, lost the radio, then the lights, then the power steering, then the gauges, then the engine died. The dealer paid to tow it, paid for rental car (an awful Hyundai), but took 3 weeks to get it done because they hadn't released the new alternators to parts stores, or even the dealerships yet.

General Comments:

I love this little car. Race red hatchback, SE, manual trans with Sport Package (for 4 wheel disk brakes).

Other than the above fault, and the fact that the Continental tires put on it from the factory needed to be replaced at 25,000 miles, the car has been perfect.

Great handling, responsive steering, and nice light clutch and relatively short throw make throwing the car around corners a blast. Horsepower is sufficient, but it is rather low on torque. It's not going to win any races, but it's fun to drive.

I bought the car for the better fuel mileage and am very happy with it, mixed driving (2 lane 55mph, city, and highway 70mph) I average between 35-38 MPG per tank. Long highway miles in the absence of mountains achieves 39.

One complaint would be that it needs a 6th gear. It's around 3000 RPM at 70mph, which explains why the auto has better highway fuel economy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th September, 2013

2012 Ford Focus Titanium

Summary:

A great economy car with lots of extras!

Faults:

Minor glitches with MyFord Touch/SYNC system.

General Comments:

Otherwise the car is fabulous!

Comfortable seats.

Good acceleration, steering and braking.

Great gas mileage (about 30 MPG combined city/highway).

Sound system is amazing.

Easy to use controls.

Sport gear.

Styling is very cute and sporty.

Plenty of room for 4 people.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th December, 2012

2012 Ford Focus SE 2.0

Summary:

I would buy this car again, just not a manual transmission

Faults:

Nothing has broken on this car to date.

General Comments:

Overall the 2012 Focus is a beautiful car. It has a sleek design, comfortable interior, and great fuel economy. I thoroughly enjoy the Sync system, and usually listen to my iPhone.

The main issue I have with the Focus is related to the manual transmission. The car is all drive-by-wire, and this causes a lengthy delay between pushing the gas pedal and the engine starting to accelerate. If the clutch is released at the same time as the gas pedal is depressed, the car will stall. If I press the gas and wait a second before releasing the clutch, it won't stall, but then there is another delay between letting up the clutch and pressing the gas to accelerate. This causes a rough start.

Another issue with the Focus, is that the car does not drop the RPM immediately when the clutch is depressed. It will slowly decrease the RPM until it realizes the driver is not changing gears. This wastes a lot of gas in the city, where the car hardly ever reaches 5th gear.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 24th July, 2012

29th Aug 2012, 13:43

I will be sad if this is what car manufacturers are doing with the new manual transmissions.

I am a bit of a car enthusiast, and even with a daily driver car, I love to drive manual, because the interaction with the car and control of the driving experience makes it more fun to drive. It also lets you save the life of your brakes by downshifting when coming to a stop.

All my cars have been manual, but I've noticed the newer cars are becoming more manufactured to isolate the driver from the driving experience.

I noticed this in the new Mazdas. There is no steering feel at all, and you cannot get any feedback through the steering wheel. I think this is because of new electronic steering components.

These changes are making cars boring to drive, and perpetuating the idea that cars are appliances, but I still see them as something that should be enjoyed, especially if you pay a lot of money for a car.

In reply to 29th Aug 2012, 13:43

29th Dec 2012, 11:31

Downshifting to save the life of your brakes? Seriously? Price a clutch and then price brake pads.

In reply to 29th Dec 2012, 11:31

5th Feb 2013, 22:27

A single engagement and release of the clutch, and allowing the engine to slow you down, is less wear than riding the brake pedal to slow you down.

4th Mar 2013, 00:46

I just bought a 2013 Focus SE Hatchback with the 2.0 engine and manual trans. I haven't noticed the things you mention. I'm very happy with the transmission and clutch feel, although the Dodge Dart I test-drove had an even better (lighter and smoother) clutch (though I didn't get the Dart, because I am tall and didn't fit as well in it).