[naz]

i'm travelling for work and my rental car is a 07 focus se sedan. it has been almost 2.5yr since my 00 zx3 and i parted ways, and my return to the focus family has been umm.. interesting

here are a few random comments based on 2days of living with the sucker (please if you are just skimming, rear my comments on suspension at the end and comment on that and ignore the random biatching up front)

- the interior is MUCH worse in this 'mid level trim' 07 than it was in my base model 00!!!! i can't believe it. the 'soft touch' material in the dash and the fabric in the door panel are all hard plastic. the hard plastic is generic and uninteresting instead of the daring and unique dash layout. the faux brushed metal trim that i used to hate on for not being real metal is sorely missed (something needed break up the monotonous hard plastic please!!!) the leather wheel is now a rubber wheel. the seats are so so crappy. it isn't supportive, the seat cover is cut rate, there are NO side or thigh support.

- it is using the same wheel design as the 00 ZTS. wow. cost cutting at its finest (at least it is the light multi spoke 15" instead of the heavier 16")

- there is no tach. i know its auto so i dont need it .. but still.. wow. ford isn't even trying to pretend its a performance orient compact anymore

- there is no 'o/d off' button on the auto trans (isn't that important to you auto trans guys?)

- 1st gear tops out at 45mph, 2nd gear at 85mph.. why are the gears so long? the standard 1st gear 30mph, 2nd gear 60mph is already long enough...fuel economy is nothing special anyway (23mpg) so just gimme some short gears and lemme have some fun

- the exhaust sounds worse in 07?!

- did the suspension get softer?! maybe it is my imagination but i swear something is different.. the car feels like it is softer for front back bumps (like going over a bump straight on) versus side to side bumps (like when weight is shifting laterally in a corner and i hit a small bump) it is really weird. also i feel like the car is harder to rotate with lift throttle. am i imagining things or have i just been away from the focus for too long? i really enjoyed tossing my focus (it was stock) around corners and i really was looking forward to that again. i feel like its still there, just really numbed down. like someone reinterpreted 'euro inspired' to mean 'buick inspired'

- the steering feels more vague?! again is this my imagination? i am not understanding what the steering is doing as much as i used to

i'm sad guys. i feel like the car really got worse at time went on. it feels so cheap in a way in a way my old 00 never felt.. like. i am driving it.. and i KNOW i am driving a rental car meant for fleet sales to unsuspecting americans. i used to feel like i shipped a euro style hot hatch from europe and somehow convinced the DOT to let me register it for use on US roads.. what gives.. was this an intentional play by ford to really differentiate the focus from the mazda 3?

[ZX5focused]

i also had one of these as a rental for about 5 days, was not impressed compared to my 02 zx5

i did find the O/D button is a right below the shifter button. if you feel around the shifter you should find it. its on the side closest to you.

[NOS2Go4Me]

I've driven two SE sedans (05 and 06) as rentals, so while the general care and concern for it was less than acceptable... I've drawn the following conclusions (some of which mirror your own) after 3 months of 2007 ZX5 SES ownership. I'll also weigh it against the SPI sedan. Hope you don't mind. :)

05/06 SE sedan - mid-grade suspension, better than the stock 00-04 LX/SE sedan. Somewhat tippy, not as floaty as the 00-04.

07 ZX5 - as dialed in as the SPI after the S2 upgrade with a lot more neturality thanks to the matched anti-sways. It's the best factory Focus suspension I've driven yet.

The interior plastics are superior to the first gen I find, and the dash cluster is MUCH better... more compact, less of a sprawling egg shape than the first gen. Faux metal??? What did the hatches have that my SPI was missing?

Wheel design - the only wheel to come out as new for 05+ was the ST wheel. The rest are carry-overs, which is fitting as all of the underpinnings are still first-gen Focus equipment. The 06/07s are actually a hybrid of the mk2 Focus suspension bits with mk1 4-bolt hubs.

No sedans save the SE Sport / ZTS / ST had/have a tach standard. It could be ordered as an upgrade if I recall the options correctly, but few did.

The final drive for the auto Duratechs was lengthened some over the Zetec and SPI. This was done to improve fuel economy at the expense of a bit of performance. I find (having driven my SPI stock and modded) that even with the taller final drive, it's still quicker than a stock Zetec auto and a modded SPI auto. It IS gearaed tall, tho.

My 2007 ZX5 has the OD on/off button, and so have the sedans I drove in Reno. Not sure what happened to yours.

I really don't recall what a stock Zetec or SPI sounds like, but I really couldn't complain much about the stock Duratec exhaust on our hatch. It was quiet and did its job... and then it was summarily executed. :lol:

I actually find the buckets in the 07 ZX5 much better than any other stock Focus I've been in, save Kev's S2. The annoying bar across the back has been fixed somewhere between 05-07. I find the lateral support quite agreeable for a car that has systematically had its soul sucked out in small pieces over the last 4 years.

I drive an auto by choice, so my "pure sporting" impressions might not be the same as yours. However, I find our new Focus the most tossable one I've ever driven, the most responsive (and it's the lamented drive-by-wire to boot!) and the most stable at speed. I really don't see myself getting rid of it before our payments are up, nor for a bit after that.

[naz]

NOS2Go4Me,Mar 7 2007, 05:16 AM Wrote:I drive an auto by choice, so my "pure sporting" impressions might not be the same as yours. However, I find our new Focus the most tossable one I've ever driven, the most responsive (and it's the lamented drive-by-wire to boot!) and the most stable at speed. I really don't see myself getting rid of it before our payments are up, nor for a bit after that.
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do you know if the suspension is different between the older and newer focus.. or even the hatch you drive and these new sedans? its really bugging me that maybe it is just my imagination that this sedan handles worse than my old hatch.

i'm probably going to take this sucker autoXing this weekend, so i'll have more to say about the suspension. haha

there IS one thing i forgot to mention about this rental that i do like better than my own car.. no clutch shudder when cold!!!! i kind of see the appeal of just jumping in, start er up and just nail the gas immediately.. instead of wait 10min to warm up the engine and be super careful for the first couple of miles with the clutch/throttle application to avoid shudder.. and i think it is as fast 0-25 unless i am using some serious clutch slip, so it doesn't require so much attention in stop and go traffic.

and on a random note.. i had no clue the new v6 camry nails 0-60 in 5.8s and traps at 99mph (according to car and driver) holy SH!T that is quick for a commuter appliance. EDIT: no i take that back. that is just quick in general. isn't that what a 350Z does 0-60?!

[NOS2Go4Me]

The suspension offerings were beefed a little but softened as you mentioned for 05. For 06+ the actual "guts" that the shocks/struts/springs sit on were changed (imports from Europe, really) so there are 00-05 suspension kits and 06+ suspension kits. No one knows about the 08 Focus yet.

For 05+ there are/was 3 levels of suspension - the S/SE suspension (softer, single anti-sway in the front), the SES (better damping, matched front/rear anti-sways and thicker) and the ST (pretty much the same as the SVT suspension, if not identical).

[SVT ZX3]

NOS2Go4Me,Mar 7 2007, 06:12 AM Wrote:...and the ST (pretty much the same as the SVT suspension, if not identical).
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Only the dampers were the same, maybe the sway bars too but I'm pretty darn sure the springs are different on the ST than the SVT.

[NOS2Go4Me]

I'm having a hard time finding ST spring rates to put against the Jet's listing for the SVT. I do believe that we're both correct - the dampers and sways are identical... except for 06-07 perhaps. Not sure how much changed there, or if the ST retained the Mk1 gear throughout while the S/SE/SES got new underpinnings.

[mo_focus]

Naz, you have been spoilled by the Carrea GT, thats why! The focus is a nice car :) haha j/k

one of the reasons why i would rather keep my 01 then purchase a newer one. I think I would get an 03 next year, but after that I have to say goodbye to the focus as well.

The new focus doesnt really interest me anymore. Its just bland and borring.

[NefCanuck]

naz,

Read your review, yeah the S/SE trim levels on the '05+ Focus caused me to shudder badly. While I was waiting to do the papers on my SES, I sat in a brand new S level Focus with manual and could only go "Holy s**t, how can this be the same car?" Though I will admit, that even the SES suffers from "plasticus mostitcus" (Which I resoolved on mine with some snappy aluminum look inserts to break up the grey, grey & grey of the interior) :P

Considering I came from an Oldsmobile, as neutered as the '05 is, it's miles ahead of what I had in terms of the handling ;) Though the little devil in the back of my head keeps whispering "SVT suspension upgrade" :D

Stock, I found the Focus competant if somewhat lethargic in acceleration. Add an intake & exhaust & WOW! :blink: :lol:

NefCanuck

[Drivesthebeast]

In the 1st gen MK 1 foci, you could put in something like the SHM/Multimiatic suspension package, or the Focus RS parts, and eat just about anything on the road, including New Mini Coopers (yes, I could outgun them in the handling department). The ONLY 05+ model that feels ok is the ST. Any other model, is a waste of time, when it comes to stock vs stock.

I don't like the cookie cutter "safe" type of design layout in the 05-07's, and YES, I preffered the "egg" and curve shapes of the 00-04's because they were unique, and unlike anything else in their class.

I will consider buying another Foci in lik 2010, when/if they bring the MK II to North America.

There is, afterall, the Fiesta and KA too....

[naz]

Drivesthebeast,Mar 10 2007, 11:22 PM Wrote:In the 1st gen MK 1 foci, you could put in something like the SHM/Multimiatic suspension package, or the Focus RS parts, and eat just about anything on the road, including New Mini Coopers (yes, I could outgun them in the handling department).  The ONLY 05+ model that feels ok is the ST.  Any other model, is a waste of time, when it comes to stock vs stock.
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random note.. i can't help but say it.. did you 'outgun' them by comparing raw or even PAX'd times in some form of timed competition :)

anyway.. back to what i meant to say..

the interesting thing i find is that even though this 07 rolls quite a bit more than i am used to in turns compared to my old focus i am pretty sure i am keeping pretty similar speeds through familiar turns.. like even though based on the body roll this car feels worse, from an actual performance standpoint i'm not sure how much worse it really is.. i mean.. the tires really affect how much grip there is in the end. and i almost feel like this softer suspension is 'better' because the exaggerated body movements are really making it obvious how driver inputs change the vehicle dynamic.. i feel like the weight transfers a bit slower, and more obviously.. so its a good training aid in my opinion..

i also realized that if i move the 'shifter' to 1 or 2 then the car isn't as annoying because it won't change gears up and down when i try to use the throttle to rotate the car.. and it won't downshift when i am rolling on the throttle on corner exit and mess things up.. so i can still get some cornering fun going on..

but there is one thing i can't figure out.. i feel like when i hit the gas in an auto car.. there is some delay before the car reacts.. almost like there is something in the drivetrain that has to engage or take up slack or something.. before my throttle application gets transfered to forward movement.. does that even make snse? is that something to do with having a torque converter instead of a clutch? this is really interesting to me i have never tried to drive an automatic car hard before, (never had one)

and on a random note.. i am autoX this sucker tomorrow.. another first for me. autoX an automatic car.. haha i'll let you know how that goes