As above... strange going from the Fabia VRS to one...

Ride quality and Handling - Fabia is on coilovers so the Focus is MUCH MUCH better obviously, although I did not like sitting so high up, felt almost 4x4 like and not sporty at all. Great handling.

Exterior - Hate the look of new focuses, apart from the front end. Looks like a car designed for obese people, fat and wide with a high ride height and minging alloys.

Interior - plenty of room and huge boot, good quality plastics throughout. Decent sound system but not better than the Fabias. Seats were OK. Lots of toys, first time I've used cruise and I like it.

Engine - Now I remember why I bought a turbodiesel. 1.8 petrol lacking in grunt and really needed to be worked.

In conclusion...

I would not swap the Fabia for one.

And NO WAY would I come back to an N/A Petrol engine after driving that slug

:thumbdwn:

Edited 20 October, 200916 yr by ultra_joel88

As above... strange going from the Fabia VRS to one...

Ride quality and Handling - Fabia is on coilovers so MUCH MUCH better obviously, although I did not like sitting so high up, felt almost 4x4 like and not sporty at all. Great handling for a car of its size.

Exterior - Hate the look of new focuses, apart from the front end. Looks like a car designed for obese people, fat and wide with a high ride height and minging alloys.

Interior - plenty of room and huge boot, good quality plastics throughout. Decent sound system but not better than the Fabias. Seats were OK. Lots of toys, first time I've used cruise and I like it.

Engine - Now I remember why I bought a turbodiesel. 1.8 petrol lacking in grunt and really needed to be worked.

In conclusion...

I would not swap the Fabia for one.

And NO WAY would I come back to an N/A Petrol engine after driving that slug

:thumbdwn:

The different driving styles of Petrol vs derv aside, the fabia obviously handling comment is totally expected, but the good for a car of it's size was not.

The focus handles far better than a MK I fabia stock and was best in class last i checked.

I disagree it's 4x4 like, but then I think that is just a case of you being used to car on lowered coilovers.

Just as you have put coil overs on yours, the same money spent on handling tweaks would make the focus even better, but if you want to leave it as out of the factory you won't find much better at that price point.

Which radio did you have as I found the CD6000 much better than the stock MK I Octy and Fabia radios (symphony) that I have used, but then it was much newer too. The optional sony HU is very nice.

Similar thing here, while my Octavia TDI is in the dealers being worked on I have the pleasure of a 1.6 petrol Megane.

I forgot how much you have to wring the neck of an N/A petrol to get it to do anything!

Thrash it and it does 22 to the gallon, baby it and it returns 50mpg. Thrash a TDI and its 38mpg all the way

As for the rest of the car, I don't really want to go there

If I had to describe the car in one word it would be "Uninspiring"

Give me my rattling, bone shaking, tractor sounding, but ultimately faster and more charming VRS anyday

I'm sure if I test drove an ST though it would blow me away.

Oh I forgot MPG... quite poor but a large tank does fool you into thinking its betetr than it actually is.

MPG over the trip average of 38mpg thats steady driving.

The focus handles far better than a MK I fabia stock and was best in class last i checked.

Looks like the new Mazda 3 has taken its crown The Mazda 3 uses a new and improved chassis that the Focus will adopt in its next generation, apparently.

Regardless, the Focus is a fine handler, end of!

Oh absolutely, no doubt. The handling and ride quality were nigh on perfect. Minimal body roll but soaked up all the bumps!

When I said "much much better" I meant the Focus, in both departments, even though Fabia on coils and with RARB!

Just hated the ride height, felt like an MPV. Prefer to sit "in" a car rather than "on" it.

38mpg average for a brand new 1.8 petrol sounds VERY respectable imho!

I like the Focus, and titanium spec is good. I found the seats comfortable, suspension lovely, steering nice etc. I think the 1.8 petrol is a good run of the mill engine. I don't like the horrible alloys on titaniums though, but they do some interesing paint colours on the latest version

38mpg average for a brand new 1.8 petrol sounds VERY respectable imho!

I like the Focus, and titanium spec is good. I found the seats comfortable, suspension lovely, steering nice etc. I think the 1.8 petrol is a good run of the mill engine. I don't like the horrible alloys on titaniums though, but they do some interesing paint colours on the latest version

They are absolutely ghastly.

Steering was nice, but some may find it a bit heavy, but I like heavy steering myself.

I just think the Focus has nicely weighted steering, but more importantly it actually has some feel. More so than the Mazda unfortunately :(

Oh absolutely, no doubt. The handling and ride quality were nigh on perfect. Minimal body roll but soaked up all the bumps!

When I said "much much better" I meant the Focus, in both departments, even though Fabia on coils and with RARB!

Just hated the ride height, felt like an MPV. Prefer to sit "in" a car rather than "on" it.

Opps, a missing comma and I've been confused

My bad

On the TDCi focus you can change the steering weight using the "MFA" stalk, choice of comfort, normal or sport and it saves the setting to that key. 2005 onwards have this feature, so I assume the new models also do it.

at the end of the day , its just a boring Ford

and in 3 years time it will be worth buttons

at the end of the day , its just a boring Ford

and in 3 years time it will be worth buttons

Boring is probably the best word.

If I was 50 it would be a great purchase!

It does nothing wrong... just nothing exciting at all about it.

Interesting review and I think I'd agree that a TDCI would be a better bet than the 1.8 petrol which is fairly lacklustre ... well that is if you couldn't run to the ST (or probably the RS) which is rather accomplished :rofl:

Chris

On the TDCi focus you can change the steering weight using the "MFA" stalk, choice of comfort, normal or sport and it saves the setting to that key. 2005 onwards have this feature, so I assume the new models also do it.

Depends on spec. Parents 2007 'Style' doesn't.

Oh, and also I found the brakes to be pappy compared to the 312s on the Frubz

at the end of the day , its just a boring Ford

a boring Ford that practically changed the game for it's size/class of car? and that's opposed to a sketchy Skoda...in standard trim my Ibiza accelerates, brakes and corners better than a standard vRS, but it's far less interesting or fun to drive than my mk1 Focus even was. but the seats were too high

They do look a nice car, but at 20k, does seem abit steep.

List price on the Focus is a joke. Compared like for like with the Mazda 3 (TS2 seems equivalent to Titanium), both with the 1.6D, the difference is £16960 for the Mazda, £20195 for the Focus. The Mazda is arguably the better car, certainly better spec, and certainly has better residuals too.

who buys a turboless car today anyway.

Looks like the new Mazda 3 has taken its crown The Mazda 3 uses a new and improved chassis that the Focus will adopt in its next generation, apparently.

List price on the Focus is a joke. Compared like for like with the Mazda 3 (TS2 seems equivalent to Titanium), both with the 1.6D, the difference is £16960 for the Mazda, £20195 for the Focus. The Mazda is arguably the better car, certainly better spec, and certainly has better residuals too.

Tom_vRS, now sponsored by "The Friends of Mazda" :P

21k!

**** that.

Tom_vRS, now sponsored by "The Friends of Mazda" :P

Meh. I thought it was a point well put :P

List price on the Focus is a joke. Compared like for like with the Mazda 3 (TS2 seems equivalent to Titanium), both with the 1.6D, the difference is £16960 for the Mazda, £20195 for the Focus. The Mazda is arguably the better car, certainly better spec, and certainly has better residuals too.

Titanium is the fully loaded spec and IIRC includes the X pack these days.

TS2 I would think would land it somewhere around the LX/Ghia area.

a boring Ford that practically changed the game for it's size/class of car? and that's opposed to a sketchy Skoda...in standard trim my Ibiza accelerates, brakes and corners better than a standard vRS, but it's far less interesting or fun to drive than my mk1 Focus even was. but the seats were too high

and your point is ?

the Focus is and always has been in different class of car to the Ibiza and Fabia, so aren't comparable

the Seat brand have always been the more sporty of VAGs products, so i dare say you Ibiza would out perform a standard Fabia

and i stick by what i said , Fords are boring , end of