I was in a rental for 4 days earlier this week. Enterprise tried to give me a Versa with a broken drivers side mirror, but switched me to a 2012 Focus SEL hatchback. This example had 25k miles on it when I picked it up. I put about 200 mostly highway miles on it over 4 days.
Things I liked:
1. The engine and DCT were very willing to accelerate at highway speed. Mat the gas and the DCT instantly dropped gears. No DBW throttle lag in this car.
2. The cheesy-looking blind-spot mirrors were very effective in covering blind spots. Much appreciated in a suburban rat-race commute.
3. The handling was superb. It held quite well around some sharp bends, and did not get upset by mid-corner bumps. The DCT helped by not killing the revs mid-corner.
Things I did not like:
1. The interior seemingly designed by Tonka. The seats were large and flat, while not being comfortable for me. The switchgear looked and felt cheap. Pressing it the same way consistently did not always result in the same response. The turn signal return gear sounded like a cheap Chinese toy about to break. Also, there were too many buttons to memorize. When the buttons did work, the swoopy animations on the displays were distracting while trying to do something like change radio input sources. There were also some persistent rattles in the dashboard.
2. Noise. The Focus was a decidedly noisy car, almost as bad as our Honda. Wind noise, engine noise, tire noise, all present and accounted for. None of the noises were bad ones, but I was surprised by just how loud the interior was.
Things I was ambivalent on:
1. Sync. When it worked, it worked well. When it did not work, it was frustrating. Control difficulties did not help one bit.
2. Fuel economy. It returned about 38 mpg in my hands, which is better than EPA highway. Coming from my Cruze, the fuel economy was worse, but not enough so to break the bank.
3. The DCT. It was a gem on the highway. Instant downshifts, held gears appropriately, just a joy to drive. Off the highway it felt like a beginning manual transmission driver. There was noticeable clutch slippage to achieve smoothish starts, and even then it was not linear like a torque-converter automatic or experienced manual driver. It did always have the right gear, though. Overall, meh on the DCT.
Overall, I enjoyed driving the Focus. I really liked the chassis, but the interior was decidedly not my taste. I am not sure about the DCT lifespan, but it was decently sorted for everyday use. Would I rent a Focus again? A qualified yes.
Bringing up the inevitable Cruze/Focus comparison, both cars are good ones. The Cruze has the quieter, less busy interior. The Focus has a stronger, if a bit thirstier, engine off the showroom floor. It also sticks very well, while the Cruze trades a little bit of grip for a little more isolation from road imperfections. I see quite a few of both every day around me. They are different flavors of compact car.
Things I liked:
1. The engine and DCT were very willing to accelerate at highway speed. Mat the gas and the DCT instantly dropped gears. No DBW throttle lag in this car.
2. The cheesy-looking blind-spot mirrors were very effective in covering blind spots. Much appreciated in a suburban rat-race commute.
3. The handling was superb. It held quite well around some sharp bends, and did not get upset by mid-corner bumps. The DCT helped by not killing the revs mid-corner.
Things I did not like:
1. The interior seemingly designed by Tonka. The seats were large and flat, while not being comfortable for me. The switchgear looked and felt cheap. Pressing it the same way consistently did not always result in the same response. The turn signal return gear sounded like a cheap Chinese toy about to break. Also, there were too many buttons to memorize. When the buttons did work, the swoopy animations on the displays were distracting while trying to do something like change radio input sources. There were also some persistent rattles in the dashboard.
2. Noise. The Focus was a decidedly noisy car, almost as bad as our Honda. Wind noise, engine noise, tire noise, all present and accounted for. None of the noises were bad ones, but I was surprised by just how loud the interior was.
Things I was ambivalent on:
1. Sync. When it worked, it worked well. When it did not work, it was frustrating. Control difficulties did not help one bit.
2. Fuel economy. It returned about 38 mpg in my hands, which is better than EPA highway. Coming from my Cruze, the fuel economy was worse, but not enough so to break the bank.
3. The DCT. It was a gem on the highway. Instant downshifts, held gears appropriately, just a joy to drive. Off the highway it felt like a beginning manual transmission driver. There was noticeable clutch slippage to achieve smoothish starts, and even then it was not linear like a torque-converter automatic or experienced manual driver. It did always have the right gear, though. Overall, meh on the DCT.
Overall, I enjoyed driving the Focus. I really liked the chassis, but the interior was decidedly not my taste. I am not sure about the DCT lifespan, but it was decently sorted for everyday use. Would I rent a Focus again? A qualified yes.
Bringing up the inevitable Cruze/Focus comparison, both cars are good ones. The Cruze has the quieter, less busy interior. The Focus has a stronger, if a bit thirstier, engine off the showroom floor. It also sticks very well, while the Cruze trades a little bit of grip for a little more isolation from road imperfections. I see quite a few of both every day around me. They are different flavors of compact car.
