[NOS2Go4Me]

Drivesthebeast,Jan 7 2007, 09:30 AM Wrote:I LOVE the fact that they went more gutsy with the lines of the car than I, or we, expected...it looks a lot less cookie cutter than the 05-07 models (sorry all of you that have em!)...

L8tz
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And I've never been happier to have a 2007. Modding the interior (stereo upgrades anyone?) will suck, the rest is basically the same as the 07 for underpinnings except they made the auto even slower than the 07 thanks to the taller final drive.

The outside? The rear's alright, except for the... *snicker* SEL plating... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Now you're right at home next to a 500 and a Fusion! :rofl:

They discontinued the hatch (which is the only model to "resemble" the rally car) and they intro'd a coupe with no announcement of even the 2.3L availability in the coupe to counter the non-SC'ed Cobalt SS and higher Ions. Real smart :rolleyes:

It needs a debadge, fast. The headlights are STILL single halogens, and everyone else and their mother has HID as an option it seems these days. The double bars through the headlights? :puke: The gauge cluster looks alright, but the centre console looks like they were sorting through a Toyota Echo parts bin. The 4-bolt axle means the spindles and wheel compatibility are still gen 1 Focus.

And you know what? I like the new fender bulges and how the lines continue down the car... until you get a second look at it and you're like, "this really doesn't look like the tight-handling, rally-inspired car I've known for 7 years". At a point when Ford's rallying for sales (pun intended) and they could have REALLY used the European flavour... they brought out some old doodles that Ridley Scott did on the set of Blade Runner. Hell, even VW brought over the new Golf and called it the Rabbit.

They swung and I think they missed on this one. I hope their fleet sales go up huge, because the deletion of the hatch just got them off the sport compact shopping list of a LOT of folks. Plus, when Grandpa is asked whether he wants a Focus SEL sedan or a 500 SEL sedan... I know what he's going to pick.

2008 - the year the Focus died as a driver's car.

I really hope the coupe proves me wrong on the last part.

EDIT - "To maintain good ride character, we reduced the spring rates" - We got tired of older folks bitching about the stiff ride, so we screwed over the enthusiasts and made the car squishier.

" The brakes are 10.9-inch vented discs in front and 11.0-inch drums in back" - so you'll supposedly improve the suspension but you still won't give it matching front/rear discs? I won't be trading in our new Focus, but this is one area the Mazda 3 will always have an advantage over the Focus. What's more, they ought to have made ABS standard across the board for their "big" rollout, given the safety benefits. But they didn't.

Thankfully it's a long way off, and I plan to enjoy our new Focus for a long time, but the next time we car shop I doubt a Focus will be on the list. And that makes me a sad panda. :(