Hi, Guest
03-07-2007, 02:47 PM
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?
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?