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....they also used that engine in the Mazda 6 136 TD

No they didnt the engine in the Mazda 6 is a Mazda built engine which I think is only used in the Mazda 6 and Mazda 5 (and soon Mazda 3) but your right about the emissions though its in band f which is not very good. It is a heavy car (1500odd kilos)and its dropped a bit in the new 143bhp cars but still not enough. Having said that it a cracking engine soooooo much more refined than the one in my fabia and it is pretty good on fuel and to be honest I doubt peformance wise there is very little in it it just feels like the Mazda could do with a bit more oomph but when (driving with ) racing with my GF its neither here nor there.

I drove the Focus 136 zetec and I thought it was a cracking little car but that was only to drive I have not lived with one so cannot comment about bits falling off and failing injectors:)

No they didnt the engine in the Mazda 6 is a Mazda built engine which I think is only used in the Mazda 6 and Mazda 5 (and soon Mazda 3) but your right about the emissions though its in band f which is not very good. It is a heavy car (1500odd kilos)and its dropped a bit in the new 143bhp cars but still not enough. Having said that it a cracking engine soooooo much more refined than the one in my fabia and it is pretty good on fuel and to be honest I doubt peformance wise there is very little in it it just feels like the Mazda could do with a bit more oomph but when (driving with ) racing with my GF its neither here nor there.

I drove the Focus 136 zetec and I thought it was a cracking little car but that was only to drive I have not lived with one so cannot comment about bits falling off and failing injectors:)

the only real problems with the Mazda engine are , its a bit noisy , fuel pump problems and the clutches do wear out if hammered , and some of the ones i've driven seem to be down on power , gutless was the word that sprang to mind

otherwise it is generally pretty reliable , i have replaced a short motor though due to a problem from a previous warranty claim on a turbo , the engine was in pieces for 7 weeks :eek: whilst waiting for the parts to be delivered :(

the focus out handles an octavia easily which in turn out handles a fabia in my experience so quite how you found a focus to be vague i don't know.

i owned a 1.6 LX estate and had it on 17" wheels, lowering springs then a bloud back box and it handled better than my octavia does now with coil overs, poly bushes and strut braces.

my brother has a 99' focus 1.8 zetec and the only mods are lowering springs and a manifold/de-cat/cat back system and it is so much fun to drive, my car only out handles his really due to better tyres and the fact i can put way more power down out of corners(mines 4x4).

if the focus is fast enough for you i'd get that definitly myself as i find it a much more enjoyable car to drive and a lot more rewarding too.

fuel pump problems and the clutches do wear out if hammered ,

noooooooooooooooooooo I didnt want to know that. Ignorance is bliss;)

I knew about juddering clutch problems but the fuel pump ones is news to me:eek:

I have had it a year and done 20,000K and its been faultless. it doesnt feel gutless though i would say its on a par with my old mans 130tdi A6. It does not have the nice kick in the back you get with a 130tdi but it seems to have its power spread over the rev range so you have to give it some beans to get the most out of it which makes it a bit petrolly to drive. I prefer the 130tdis power delivery though but I cant have my cake and eat it (unless i opt for an expensive engine swap) And of course the handling is fantastic and oddly enough its

the insurance is higher on the fabia because people keep crashing them. isn't poor handling fun

i have a friend with the focus and a friend with the vrs and i know for a fact that my mate with the focus doesnt regret buying the focus its a good car but wished he had bought the vrs hope this is abit of use to you but like the others say try both see what you think :

The Focus is a more sensible choice. Voting with your head rather than your heart. What puts me off the Focus is that the roads are full of them. You see lots of Fabias too but nowhere near as many vRS's. Well, not round my area anyway. Perhaps 1 or 2 a week?

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/auto-tests/review-2003-ford-focus-1-8-tdci-115-ghia/65014/?highlight=focus

the focus out handles an octavia easily which in turn out handles a fabia in my experience so quite how you found a focus to be vague i don't know.

Could just be my dear old mum's. I wouldn't be surprised if Ford decided to palm off two lemons on her - the dealer was shockingly poor to the point that I'd never, ever buy a Ford. The only reason she's not ditched the thing is that the depreciation is so brutal and she'd lose so much money on it.

I honestly can't think of a single thing that's better about the Focus than my Fabia. Ooh - two - it has a CD changer and the seats offer better lateral support. That's it though.

unless a Fabia vRS is signicantly better than a mk1 Octavia on KW coilovers and 17's I really can't see a Focus feeling vague in comparison

Mine's not a VRS.

The steering in the Fabia is not exactly communicative.....it's accurate and sharp but not communicative.

Then again, it's light years ahead of the Xantia I ran for about 3 months.....and the SWMBO's old MK2 Astra which felt like you were steering the car with one of these:

I imagine a Focus is better in that dept. Does the Fabia also have a live rear axle? The fully independant control blade jobby on the Focus is apparently a masterpiece and light years ahead of any VAG offering.

It's just a shame Ford are a victim of their own success. They've sold so many that dealers probably now think they don't have to care as there's a new customer along every minute.

I imagine a Focus is better in that dept. Does the Fabia also have a live rear axle? The fully independant control blade jobby on the Focus is apparently a masterpiece and light years ahead of any VAG offering.

It's just a shame Ford are a victim of their own success. They've sold so many that dealers probably now think they don't have to care as there's a new customer along every minute.

doubt a Fabia would have a live rear axle...:P didn't VAG pretty much copy the rear setup from the focus for the new golf/octavia/etc?

Driving the focus is like playing a playstation game. It's all very nice but very unrewarding and unconnected.

I had one as a courtesy car for two days and it was very easy to drive but completely boring.

My mate had one as a hire car (1.6 MKI) and I could not believe the way that thing went round tight corners. We attacked a roundabout and the thing just held on. Not sure how much fun it was as I wasn't driving but the experience from the passengers seat was pretty good.

Shame the interior is so nasty, the roads are filled with them, the residuals are poor and the best diesel they do in the MKI is the TDCi 115.

It's about time the MKII came out with the 130 and an improved interior, even if the outside is a bit more sedate.

the mind boggles, it really does...when did good handling become boring?

:confused:

the mind boggles, it really does...when did good handling become boring?

:confused:

No, there is a difference between good handling and something that doesn't respond in a way which tells you it is handling well. You get feedback, you can work with the car and for somepeople thats part of the joy of driving, it becomes more than a job of sitting in a seat pressing buttons and turning knobs. It becomes an experiance.

If you don't have that you get something that is obviously very capable and something that will appeal to most given that for most driving is a chore and it needs to be as easy as possible. Fair play to it the Focus does that very well and that why most peple like it. Me, I like to know where I am with a car. I gives me an extra reason to get out of bed in the morning. For instance, my car will loose grip when really pushed, which in my opinion is a good thing. I know when and how it will go, I can feel it. There is no understeer, no oversteer, just a gentle drift, which can be used. It's a joy to drive and I love it to bits as I have got it just how I want it.

It also means I know when the car is beaten and I know when I am beaten and I know when to take my foot off the loud pedal. You get a car that doesn't feedback but gives the impression of good handling and suddenly everyone is James Hunt. Thank God most of the Focus range doens't have the power to make it a problem.

the mind boggles, it really does...when did good handling become boring?

:confused:

had a mk 2 as a hire car 1.6 titanium very nice car lots if toys but just didnt tike the way it handeld mk 1:thumbup: i found great tho

I just bought a 58 plate Focus 2.0 tdci in Titanium spec, non DPF, to replace my 54 Fabia VRS. It has all the toys inc full heated electric leather but I am not sure I can let the Fabia go.

 

Took the Fabia out today for what was meant to be it's last goodbye drive but I fell in love with it again. The Focus is lovely but just not as much fun, and more to go wrong. Plus it's huge in comparison.

Edited 5 December, 20178 yr by Yaris