The new Ford Focus debuted today

[JohnHKart]

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/detroit-2010-next-gen-ford-focus/


Looks great and I'm excited about what Ford is doing. I'm just not that thrilled with the front end grill. I saw a new Fiesta on the road yesterday- one of the tester cars and didn't like the front end either. Still think they are great products though. I still think I'm going to get a TDI Golf, as I have mentioned drove it for a week last July. When I get sick of expensive repairs, Ill probably trade it in for a new Focus in a few years. The Ford Escort Wagon is at 15,000 miles since engine rebuild last April. It's not going to leave the stable.




JH

[Ankf00]

the first truly global car they've put together. one platform, and 4-5 global marketing campaigns at most

[oddlycalm]

Looks great and I'm excited about what Ford is doing. I'm just not that thrilled with the front end grill.
Yep, good looking sled. :thumbup: The current industry trend for front ends is unfortunate and the Focus fairs better than most. I'm hoping what's underneath has also avoided any glaring misteps or excessive weight.

oc

[Ankf00]

the fascia is the same globally too

[opinionated ow]

Yep, good looking sled. :thumbup: The current industry trend for front ends is unfortunate and the Focus fairs better than most. I'm hoping what's underneath has also avoided any glaring misteps or excessive weight.

oc

It was designed by the Europeans who've been designing the best Fords for the last decade so I think you can breathe easy on that one. Another great example of Ford's "Kinetic" design language.

[Gnam]

Is it really that narrow? Looks like a transit van.

[Boatdesigner]

Too bad we won't get the three door version.:(

[Sean Malone]

Mini-Venza from the side. :)

[Indy]

Looks good. When will get them?

[Michaelhatesfans]

Yep, good looking sled. :thumbup: The current industry trend for front ends is unfortunate and the Focus fairs better than most. I'm hoping what's underneath has also avoided any glaring misteps or excessive weight.

oc

Reminded me of the Volvo SUV with an Audi grill. I like the look, nonetheless. It's a nice step away from the retro-mobiles that Detroit has such a hard on for right now.

[chop456]

Looks great. Put a TDCi in it and I'm in. C-Max too, for that matter.

[JohnHKart]

Looks good. When will get them?


I read today it's early 2011 but I could swear that Ford said earlier they get here fall of 2010.

[extramundane]

I read today it's early 2011 but I could swear that Ford said earlier they get here fall of 2010.

Early 2011. Production doesn't start 'til late this year.

[chop456]

Go figure. :rolleyes:


If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor known widely for lumbering gas hogs.

Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_37/b4099060491065.htm

[nrc]

Now they just need to get over hanging a trunk on the back of everything and bring over the three door versions.

A three door Fiesta would have a pretty good shot at bringing us back into the Ford family. Even more so if they come through with the turbo version. Make mine yellow.

I much prefer the frown of the Ford edge styling to the silly grin of the recent Mazdas.

[nrc]

There's hope. Me like: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q1/2011_ford_fiesta_ecoboost-spied

http://images.nitrobahn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2011_ford_fiesta_ecoboost_spied_3_cd_gallery.jpg

[chop456]

Nice. :thumbup:

[Methanolandbrats]

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/detroit-2010-next-gen-ford-focus/


Looks great and I'm excited about what Ford is doing. I'm just not that thrilled with the front end grill. I saw a new Fiesta on the road yesterday- one of the tester cars and didn't like the front end either. Still think they are great products though. I still think I'm going to get a TDI Golf, as I have mentioned drove it for a week last July. When I get sick of expensive repairs, Ill probably trade it in for a new Focus in a few years. The Ford Escort Wagon is at 15,000 miles since engine rebuild last April. It's not going to leave the stable.




JHIf you get the Golf TDI you won't have expensive repairs and you will never buy another gas powered car. :)

[dando]

There's hope. Me like: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q1/2011_ford_fiesta_ecoboost-spied

http://images.nitrobahn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2011_ford_fiesta_ecoboost_spied_3_cd_gallery.jpg

I can't get a car seat/booster seat in that thing. :(

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

I can't get a car seat/booster seat in that thing. :(

-KevinI think you are a little old for a booster seat. :p

[dando]

I think you are a little old for a booster seat. :p

Dude, to drive one of those things, I'd hafta be like Bubba Smith in Police Academy and rip out the driver's seat. :D

-Kevin

[Methanolandbrats]

The interior of that thing is hideous. It's way too busy.:yuck:

[dando]

The interior of that thing is hideous. It's way too busy.:yuck:

I'm guessing it's not targeted @ the old fart demo. :gomer: :p

IMO, I've seen worse, and this isn't that bad (sucks less)...@ least it doesn't have a useless iDrive thingamajig. :saywhat:

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

But what is the cup holder count? :gomer:

[dando]

But what is the cup holder count? :gomer:


(6) cupholders

http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/ford/fiesta/specs#features

:gomer:

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/ford/fiesta/specs#features


Passenger capacity: 5
:saywhat:

[dando]

2 full size and 3 midgets. :gomer: :irked:

-Kevin

[nrc]

The interior of that thing is hideous. It's way too busy.:yuck:

Which is a VW guy's way of saying, "Not enough vast featureless plains of black grained vinyl." :gomer:

[dando]

Which is a VW guy's way of saying, "Not enough vast featureless plains of black grained vinyl." :gomer:

http://mimg.ugo.com/200809/24417/dieter.jpg

Touch my monkey!

:D

-Kevin

[Ankf00]

Which is a VW guy's way of saying, "Not enough vast featureless plains of black grained vinyl." :gomer:

less is more :D

[dando]

less is more :D

Which is also what you tell your girlfriends. :gomer: :p ;)

-Kevin

[Methanolandbrats]

http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/69473/2007_Jetta_City_i02.jpg :D :thumbup:

[Don Quixote]

How very goth. :D

[Methanolandbrats]

How very goth. :D Goth? I hate those di*****s. :D A proper interior of a car should not glare or distract. That's why it should be mostly matte black. Add a nice three spoke wheel, a decent sport seat and well placed shifter and pedals and that's all ya need. It's not a coffee shop, a disco or a ****ing conference center. That's why I hate all the doodads, chrome ****, navi screen and other ********. Even VW put radio controls where there should be horn buttons :mad: That wastes valuable time getting to the horn in traffic situations.

[nrc]

I paid for extra chrome on my Mini interior. :gomer: Anyway, it's more nickel than chrome in the Focus.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of the "cell phone styling" they've done on the interior of the Fiesta and Focus. But they look well put together and early reports are that they work well ergonomically so I'm reserving judgement.

To me, the interiors on the latest Mazdas appear to hit the sweet spot between the gadget inspired Fords and the funerary VWs. Pity they're such a laugh to see in your rear view mirror.

[Methanolandbrats]

I paid for extra chrome on my Mini interior. :gomer: Anyway, it's more nickel than chrome in the Focus.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of the "cell phone styling" they've done on the interior of the Fiesta and Focus. But they look well put together and early reports are that they work well ergonomically so I'm reserving judgement.

To me, the interiors on the latest Mazdas appear to hit the sweet spot between the gadget inspired Fords and the funerary VWs. Pity they're such a laugh to see in your rear view mirror.

Ya, zoom zoom interiors are nice. Minis are fun, they handle great. Had a guy show up at an autocross with a stock Mini on Dot R tires and he was a second and a half off the guys on race tires. :eek:

[chop456]

Goth? I hate those di*****s. :D A proper interior of a car should not glare or distract. That's why it should be mostly matte black. Add a nice three spoke wheel, a decent sport seat and well placed shifter and pedals and that's all ya need. It's not a coffee shop, a disco or a ****ing conference center. That's why I hate all the doodads, chrome ****, navi screen and other ********.

Amen. :thumbup:


Which is a VW guy's way of saying, "Not enough vast featureless plains of black grained vinyl."

Guilty as charged. :D

[Al Czervik]

Ya, zoom zoom interiors are nice. Minis are fun, they handle great. Had a guy show up at an autocross with a stock Mini on Dot R tires and he was a second and a half off the guys on race tires. :eek:

But can it hang with a mid '90s Mister 2? <ducks>

[Methanolandbrats]

But can it hang with a mid '90s Mister 2? <ducks>

The slow one or fast one?

[Al Czervik]

The slow one or fast one?

I'm guessing the slow one

[chop456]

Since there's no Fiesta thread... :gomer:

Possible U.S.-Market Fiesta ST Five Door Caught Testing at ‘Ring (http://wot.motortrend.com/spied-possible-u-s-market-fiesta-st-five-door-caught-testing-at-ring-88305.html)

Give me 175HP and 40MPG and I'm in. :thumbup:

[Don Quixote]

The numbers look great, but I wish it didn't remind me of a Honda Fit.

[nrc]

Wish they'd bring the three door. Hopefully they'll tone down the dash and put in some better seats.

[nrc]

Ford plunged from 5th to 23rd in the latest JD Powers initial quality survey. Turns out that the primary reason for the plunge is widespread complaints about Ford MyTouch connected audio and on board computer. Shockingly this non-intuitive, crash-prone system is brought to you by the fine folks a Microsoft. :rolleyes: Gee Ford, who could have seen that coming?

It does show how you need to take the initial quality ratings with a grain of salt. It's not really a quality survey, it's an initial satisfaction survey and widespread minor complaints can weigh heavily.

[racer2c]

Ford plunged from 5th to 23rd in the latest JD Powers initial quality survey. Turns out that the primary reason for the plunge is widespread complaints about Ford MyTouch connected audio and on board computer. Shockingly this non-intuitive, crash-prone system is brought to you by the fine folks a Microsoft. :rolleyes: Gee Ford, who could have seen that coming?

It does show how you need to take the initial quality ratings with a grain of salt. It's not really a quality survey, it's an initial satisfaction survey and widespread minor complaints can weigh heavily.

I read that this morning too. The other thing is that the margin between first and last is 1 issue per car (averaged). Much ado about nothing IMO.

[chop456]

It does show how you need to take the initial quality ratings with a grain of salt. It's not really a quality survey, it's an initial satisfaction survey and widespread minor complaints can weigh heavily.

I always felt the same about Buick's consistently high ratings. Considering 99% of Buick drivers can't see or hear defects or submit a complaint via computer, that put Buick in a pretty good spot.

[Don Quixote]

The other thing that skews these surveys is that some people have insane brand loyalty. One woman in our office had to change out the engine twice in the first 80,000 miles in her Subaru, and the car is in the shop once a month for other various reasons, but that is the greatest and most reliable car ever made.

[Napoleon]

One woman in our office had to change out the engine twice in the first 80,000 miles in her . . [Subaru]

I swear I heard once they use Subarus in light planes.

[cameraman]

They do use them in aircraft, they use them a lot. Folks rebuild the car engines and modify them to their needs.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Cynops/fwf1.jpg

They don't look like that when they're in your Outback.

You can buy them rebuilt & ready to go too.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Cynops/2008_E6_6redsmall2.jpg

I've never heard of anyone going through 2 replacement engines in that length of time. There had to be something else going on.

[nrc]

I had hoped to end up with a '12 Focus or new Mazda 6 as a rental on our Yellowstone trip but instead ended up with a Kia Forte. Well equipped basic transportation and not bad looking, but not something I'd want to drive.

Now that I'm seeing the new Focus out and about, I like it quite a bit. The tail lights on the hatch are the only part that I'm not terribly keen on. Meanwhile Ford introduce a new "Evos" concept in Frankfort this week that is supposed to show their next generation styling language.

http://www.at.ford.com/SiteCollectionImages/2011_NA/Article%20Images/evos/FordEVOSConcept_Event-51.jpg

I like it. Some might prefer red:

http://www.at.ford.com/SiteCollectionImages/2011_NA/Article%20Images/August2011/FordEVOSConcept_06.jpg
More pictures here: http://www.at.ford.com/news/cn/Pages/Ford%20Evos%20Concept%20revealed.aspx

Interestingly, it bares more than a passing resemblance to Mazda's SHINARI concept.

http://images.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/musa2/images/garage/upcoming/2012/MZ6/pho_gallery_MZ6_ext3.jpg

[opinionated ow]

Not so sure about that, I see more Aston Martin Virage in that Ford

[racer2c]

I can't remember where I read/saw but the grill on the yellow concept is supposed to be the new grill across their lineup. I'm liking what I'm seeing.

[Don Quixote]

Throw a diesel in that car and it would sell like hotcakes.

[SteveH]

Throw a diesel in that car and it would sell like hotcakes.

i think it will anyway

[Indy]

I must say that is the best looking Ford in years.

[nrc]

Drove the new MINI Coupe at MAG's Motor-tober event. Didn't win the car but I did get the proverbial "free hat".

I liked it more than I thought I would. But just on principle I'm not enthused about throwing away useful space and making the car heavier just to get a more rakish profile. Maybe next year when they rip the top off completely for the roadster it will make more sense. Unfortunately with front wheel drive I don't think it will ever be as much fun as a proper RWD sports car.

http://www.miniusa.com/sections/gallery/image/CoupeS/1024x768/CoupeS_ext_1024_03.jpg

[nrc]

Not a V8 guy, but this giving me 70s dream car flashbacks.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZfWSTEwRO4M/Ts0bliEJfNI/AAAAAAAAAhI/vdyh9rA5oIs/s912/photo.jpg

Along with the Focus ST Ford showed their Fiesta ST concept. Definitely a candidate to replace the MINI in about six years. I just really wish Ford would give the 3 door a shot.

http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/d/456215-2/IMG_0631.JPG

[cameraman]

http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/d/456215-2/IMG_0631.JPG

The front end of that thing looks like some kind of mutant sucker fish.

[Gnam]

Aston DB9 on a budget?

[SteveH]

The front end of that thing looks like some kind of mutant sucker fish.

Yeah, I'm not digging that at all.

Hope it doesn't come in brown.

[nrc]

At least it's an angry sucker fish.

[G.]

Not a big proponent of wheels as window-dressing, but those gotta go. :yuck:

[Indy]

What's with all the ugly? VW ruined the Jetta, Honda ruined the Civic, etc. Is it really that hard to design distinctive cars?

[WickerBill]

At present, ugly sells -- in the name of uniqueness. That car ain't ugly compared to, say, the Juke.

[opinionated ow]

It's got a long way to go to beat these beauties available down here...

Ssangyong Musso Sports:
http://www.ssangyong4wdclubofaustralia.org/MussoSport/images/musso_sport_avaleht.jpg

Ssangyong Actyon:
http://cdn0.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/2007ssangyongactyonrear.jpg
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/0/C20129041C26AF1DCA2572C60005A03C/$file/SsangYong_Actyon_Front.jpg

Ssangyong Stavic:
http://images.drive.com.au/drive_images/Editorial/2005/08/01/1ssang_leadimage.jpg

Proton Savvy:
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/0/3B7688592598011ECA2571340002AA52/$file/Proton_Savvy_Front.jpg

Nissan Murano:
http://adrianerdedi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Nissan-Murano1.jpg

[JohnHKart]

The LA Auto show now offers test drives, and Ford brought several vehicles but no Fiesta or Focus. What the hell?????????? :mad:

I drove the Cruze and I like it, (except for the brakes) but need a hatch. Guess I'll just have to track down a rental Focus somewhere.

Headed to the show tomorrow.