2005 Ford Focus ZX5 gas 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

No mo' MoPars for me!

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th July, 2006

13th Mar 2008, 13:57

Mopar means Dodge not Ford.

14th Mar 2008, 12:10

I think he meant that compared to his former Dodge Neon, he likes the Focus better.

2005 Ford Focus ZX4 ST 2.3L Duratec from North America

Summary:

Love the car, hate the upholstery

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.

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

Review Date: 4th June, 2006

22nd Jul 2006, 22:26

After dealing with the Ford dealership for several months, I decided to get rid of this car and bought a Japanese replacement.

I was a loyal Ford customer (my third straight Ford), but after writing letters to the Dearborn Headquarters and patiently returning the car about 4-5 times and working with the dealer, the car was NEVER fixed correctly. All I got from Ford HQ Customer Service was a 5 minute phone call and a bunch of lip service.

Each time it came back there were different types of leather in the car. One time they even shoehorned Chevrolet upholstery into the Ford seats! Ridiculous!

I waited about 2 months for the supposedly "all new" upholstery to come in. The last time I took it in the seat cushions - yes - the seat cushions were sticking out of the seats near the bottom. That was the final straw. What is so bad about all this is I only asked Ford to repair their faulty seats properly. That's it. All this and the car wasn't even a year old.