10th Jan 2007, 11:23
Oh, please. Ford is the company that gave us the exploding Pinto, original Mustang (same gas tank issue), the rollover fun of the Bronco II, Explorer, and the death handling of the Crown Vic.
Ford designs its cars to kill because it is cheaper to do so (just look at the court records about the Ford Explorer, where the original engineer in 1989 said the vehicle was unsafe and they didn't correct it until 2003).
Only when safety became a marketing tool did Ford feign any interest.
18th Jan 2007, 00:43
I guess this depends on the local market, here all Focus are sold with ESP, ABS, TC and 6 airbags. It all works great in the snow and on wet asphalt, plus this car is 2000 euro cheaper than the Golf (it also has more cabin and luggage space etc). If you stack up the facts objectively and leave out all the subjective "you know, the Golf got that good quality feel, jada, jada", buying a Focus over a Golf will give you a better car for less money. But some people will always have stiff upper lips, and they will go for a VW, Audi or BMW. But let them, if they want to waste money it's fine with me.
10th Feb 2007, 07:27
I'm sorry, but if you bothered to do your research, you'd find that the Euro NCAP scores for the Golf are 81% front impact and 100% side impact, while the Focus scores 100% on both front and side impacts. Check for yourself at euroncap.com.
28th Feb 2007, 22:29
VW Golf is a bit more expensive, but not necessarily better than the focus. VW are very uncomfortable cars. The seats are nothing, but flat ass benches. The car feels like it has no suspensions. The road and wind noise is loud and of course the safety rankings are not as high as the Focus'. Bottom line: Two thumbs up for Ford.
9th Mar 2007, 04:58
I own a 2005 Volkswagen 2.0 GT TDi and a 2006 Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec Climate TDCi. I have to admit that the Golf is a nice car, it looks good, feels good to drive, has the prestigious badge on the front.
BUT, my Focus holds its own in every area except interior build quality. OK, so the glove box is cheap plastic and there are a few rattles, but my Golf has its fair share of rattles too, that's what you get with any mass produced car. Furthermore, I'd say my Golf actually has more cabin noise than my Focus.
Considering the price difference between the two models, the only thing I'm lacking in my Focus compared to my Golf is climate control (which, in my view, is useless anyway) automatic wipers and automatic lights - hardly worth shelling out thousands for.
The Focus, I believe, is a far better handling car. I live in Northern Ireland and we have plenty of bends and country lanes here! The Golf often understeers and is pretty bulky up front. You can really feel the weight over the front wheels and what's more, the power is delivered in one big lump. The Focus engine is a bit more refined and smoother with a more regulated power delivery, although my Focus does have less power than my Golf - 115PS and 140PS respectively.
As someone has already said, it's all down to the badge. Have you driven a basic BMW 3 Series or Merc C Class lately? There's nothing special about them either, until you start spending big money, but then you would expect quality at that price!
My wife wanted a Golf, so we bought one. I bought the Focus for work - I drive 140 miles a day - and it's fine.
10th Jan 2007, 10:01
I too have looked at both Golf and Focus. However, the quality of the Golf is far superior (as well as better residual values). It's in the little things - Try opening the glovebox in the Golf - dampened drop and velvet lined against Focus - Cheap plastic that just falls open. Thickness in steel used, Try shutting the door hard and seeing if the exterior door skin vibrates a little - it will in the Ford. Are ALL the controls in the Ford lit at night (incl door mirrors and atmosphere lights) - I think not!!! The Ford is a well built car and has come on leaps and bounds - but has a way to go yet. Where the problems with reliability comes is with what people expect... When a VW goes wrong, customers are outraged and complain loudly. When a Ford goes wrong, customers expect it 'because it's cheaper' and therefore do not complain as much. The Golf is more expensive, but will be worth more when you sell and is also safer to boot. Do ALL model Focuses have SIX airbags, TRACTION Control and ABS as STANDARD - even on base 1.4 models. NO. How can a company that cares for safety not give these as standard. Do they really care about the customer?