How's your Ford Focus?

[Jayco-noslide]

Did tow a Chevy Sonic behind our Class C but have traded for a slightly used 2017 Ford Focus Titanium Hatchback. It's one of the few newer automatics that can be flat towed. I'm puzzled. Nothing I've read rates the car very highly at all; especially Consumer Reports. Not so good in repair history, acceleration, etc. I love the car and it seems to me under rated. I like the ride, handling, mileage and I think it's pretty peppy with the 2 liter 160 HP standard motor yet is averaging 29-30 MPG. What am I missing? What do you think of your Focus? There is a history of problems with the dual clutch trans(which I also like). I knew that and mine has been repaired under warranty. I know the design is dated but have other compacts become that much more advanced? One I would consider is the new Corolla Hatch but can't tow with the automatic.

[vjstangelo]

FWIW the first CVT transmissions on the Nissans were failing so frequently that Nissan felt compelled to extend the warranties on their CVTs to make peace with their customers. Honda also had their issues with transmissions. So, Ford isn’t the only manufacturer with cruddy drivetrains.

[SidecarFlip]

camp-n-family wrote:

ScottG wrote:
My SIL bought a $500 older Focus that had been a company car for two different companys. I could see it had been wrecked and repaired several times.
It had some minor stuff wrong with it (motor mounts, leaking T-stat housinge etc.) along with a busted mirror and a few other little things. It was super easy and cheap to repair. At 150K, it ran perfectly, didn't smoke or use oil.
I was very impressed with it. No Honda or Toyota would do better I think.

Guess you’ve never owned a Honda or Toyota. At 150k they’d be just getting broken in. My last Honda with 190k miles was all original apart from brakes when I traded it. Our last Toyota needed nothing but a battery and power steering line and that was at 240k.

You can keep your rice-a-roni junk. I support American Unionized autoworkers.

[SidecarFlip]

I have a 14 Focus hatch with the 2.0 and a 5 speed. Bulletproof car. fantastic mileage (43 average mpg on the computer with the air on). Rides nice hits 100 per on the on ramp. My BIL is an engineer at Ford (he was one of the designers of the new 10 speed). He told me to stay away from the auto manual dual clutch so I did A planned it in 14. No issues what so ever and it looks sharp too). Love to have an RS but here in Michigan, insurance is too expensive.

The 2.0 naturally aspirated engine is a sleeper. I'd buy another one if I ever wear this one out and they still made them at Wayne assembly.Easy to work on too.

[Supercharged]

I have a 2013 so far love it. It only has 30,000 miles on it. We only use it in towing. Parked the rest of the year.

[camp-n-family]

ScottG wrote:
My SIL bought a $500 older Focus that had been a company car for two different companys. I could see it had been wrecked and repaired several times.
It had some minor stuff wrong with it (motor mounts, leaking T-stat housinge etc.) along with a busted mirror and a few other little things. It was super easy and cheap to repair. At 150K, it ran perfectly, didn't smoke or use oil.
I was very impressed with it. No Honda or Toyota would do better I think.

Guess you’ve never owned a Honda or Toyota. At 150k they’d be just getting broken in. My last Honda with 190k miles was all original apart from brakes when I traded it. Our last Toyota needed nothing but a battery and power steering line and that was at 240k.

[dodge_guy]

My buddy has a ‘12 and I set it up for him to tow behind his Class A. He bought the Focus new and had a trans issue early on. It has been reliable and gets good mileage.

[Bedlam]

I carry my Sonic in the trailer. I didn't even look to see if the automatic was flat tow compatible.

[ScottG]

My SIL bought a $500 older Focus that had been a company car for two different companys. I could see it had been wrecked and repaired several times.
It had some minor stuff wrong with it (motor mounts, leaking T-stat housinge etc.) along with a busted mirror and a few other little things. It was super easy and cheap to repair. At 150K, it ran perfectly, didn't smoke or use oil.
I was very impressed with it. No Honda or Toyota would do better I think.

[vjstangelo]

I bought my 2016 SE dual clutch auto model last July. I do not use as toad, but that is our intent as our 2011 CRV ages.

The dreaded clutch shutter showed up at 55,000 miles, but Ford installed a brand new clutch package under the drivetrain warranty.

I do like the handling and acceleration. Also like the hatch and sunroof. I hope that is the end of the trans troubles. Get 38 MPG average, but low 40’s on highway.

Finally, these can be gotten for a steal used, mine 1 year old off lease with 40K miles for $11,500.

[carringb]

The Focus is a great car, other than the Dual-Clutch "automatic" transmission. The newest ones seem to be lasting longer, and the failure mode isn't as catastrophic. But basically some driving conditions and/or style can cause friction material deposits on the clutch(es) which will cause shudder if that happens. I have one friend who can't get more than 30,000 miles before this happens. Avoiding driving it like a traditional auto helps a lot, i.e. don't creep at lights (this is slipping the clutch) or powerbrake. Hard driving however makes this much less likely, and few good hard 0-80 launches can even scrub the clutches and fix mild shudder. Some of the prior problems, such as input shaft seals leaking and causing more serious transmission failures, seem long gone.

My Focus has the 6-speed manual. Mine is a 2.0L turbo. My brother has the 1.0L turbo, also with the same M/T. Both have been trouble free. My coworker has a 2014 with the 5-speed manual non-turbo, and is at 300,000 with zero problems.

The new Corrolla is OK, but the driving dynamics sill fall short of the Focus. The new Civic has comparable driving dynamics, and a nice 1.5L turbo. But it's butt is wayyy too big IMO. And also can't be flat towed.

If you like the Focus, a Ford C-Max would make a great toad. It's the same car, just taller. And the hybrid transmission can also be flat-towed, and is very reliable. Plus, it gets 45 MPG in town.