Cruze vs Focus

I am partial to Focus because my son drives one that's 2008 vintage. No real big issues with engine or transmission. Starts in cold Canadian winter without any issue and gets good gas mileage. Bluetooth and Sync still works well. Small things break off and needs fixing, but nothing a trip to salvage yard couldn't fix.
Not the same Focus. All new car that has that horrible tranny in it.
 
Hi, Looking to pick up a spare vehicle to use when I don't want to drive my Silverado.
Been considering either a Cruze or Focus. Unsure as to which one would be the better
pick. I lean more towards the Focus but leering about that dual clutch auto trans.
Is there any years that don't have that issue? I would to be a domestic car.
Thanks
These articles say it all:
The choice is yours.
 
I met this girl that had an old Focus wagon with about 450,000 miles on it. That car was showroom clean!!
Any before the 2012 Focus would be far better than the 2012 and up with that POShift automated manual.
Why do that, Ford, foist a half-baked tranny on the most price-sensitive customers, seniors, parents buying their kids a graduation present?
My parent's '02 was very nice. Reliable. A power window motor went when it was 10 years old. Roomy back seat [unlike the 2011 & up].
Focus had a pretty good rep after setting some sort of record in recalls with the first ones in the '00s. And then Ford destroyed it with the final version.
Almost like it was intentional.
"Must. Sell. More. Expeditions and F-150 King Ranch Titaniums for $75,000. 120 month contracts. Zero down. Everyone drives."
 
Last edited:
I bought a new 2015 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost/6M and it was possibly my favorite car I’ve every owned. 87,000 miles and literally not a single issue. The Getrag 6-speed was the best manual transmission I’ve owned as well. It also had a better chassis than my current MINI Clubman (BMW X1).

54 MPG was the best tank I saw. It would do 45 MPG routinely at 70 MPG. If it had AWD I would still own it.
I test drove a new 2016 with the 6 speed manual. I agree that the transmission felt awesome on the test drive. I want to say it was the same or similar unit that the fiesta ST got.

Unfortunately at the time I was burdened with student loans and couldn't make the deal work.
 
Plenty of other options that are light-years ahead on reliability, and similarly priced.
- Toyota Corolla 1.8 (139hp) or 2.0 (169hp) are both boringly reliable units. Extremely fuel efficient. Available as hybrid too.
- Honda Civic, 1.5T (180hp) is powerful while 2.0 (158hp) is "old school" port injection engine. 1.5t is more fuel efficient and more powerful, but has/had some fuel dilution issues and turbocharger may be a concern with long term reliability in mind. 2.0 is simpler, therefore should be more reliable in the long run.
- Scion iM (Corolla Hatchback in last days of Scion) lightly used examples are cheaper than competitors.
 
I have a 2013 Focus manual with 230k+ miles on it. I'm very happy with it. At the dealer's the other day for a recall... he was surprised to see a stick. Said they had several Focus's in there with the DTC that had been out-of-service for several months awaiting parts. Really sad how Ford handled this ... they let the customers beta-test the DTC. If Ford had put a decent automatic tranny in there, they'd still be selling them Overall, my car's in great shape.
 
Do you want to put an engine in a Cruze or clutches in a Focus?

If you can find a Focus with a manual trans and the 2.0 they’re are solid but those that have them usually are not selling.

The 08-11 Focus is great but they’re getting a little old at this point.
 
If it must be one of the two, just drive both and pick the one that you like driving the most. I don't think either one is markedly better than the other. If other brands are taken into consideration there are plenty of great choices in that segment. Compact cars have never really been something either company consistently does well with.
 
Plenty of other options that are light-years ahead on reliability, and similarly priced.
- Toyota Corolla 1.8 (139hp) or 2.0 (169hp) are both boringly reliable units. Extremely fuel efficient. Available as hybrid too.
- Honda Civic, 1.5T (180hp) is powerful while 2.0 (158hp) is "old school" port injection engine. 1.5t is more fuel efficient and more powerful, but has/had some fuel dilution issues and turbocharger may be a concern with long term reliability in mind. 2.0 is simpler, therefore should be more reliable in the long run.
- Scion iM (Corolla Hatchback in last days of Scion) lightly used examples are cheaper than competitors.
agreed. plus toyota yaris (original & rebadged mazda2), kia rio & forte, hyundai elantra...
 
Back
Top