2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

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ElectroGhandi
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2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by ElectroGhandi »

I got to drive a 1st gen North American Ford Focus sedan from the 2005-2007 era today. It's categorized into the 1st generation but it was facelifted in 2005 and continued until 2008 when it was replaced with the current gen Focus. I am not sure whether it was a 2005, 2006, or 2007. I will keep this review short because I'm tired and you probably only want the gist anyway. Furthermore, I will compare the Focus to our Sentra, mostly.

Ride/handling: 4
Fuel economy: 5 (self explanatory)
Fun: 4
Practicality: 5
Style: 5
Power: 5
Interior/comfort⁰: 3
Overall: 4.5

⁰Since I only drove this car for 2 hours collectively, I felt this would be a good category to substitute in for "reliability."


RIDE/HANDLING:
For basic transportation, it gets the job done. It's not boaty and couch-like, and it's not a stiff sports suspension. It did feel like it absorbs bumps better than the Sentra does, but that could be attributed to an additional 9-11 years of driving with the Sentra.

For an entry level compact (non sport edition), it handles very well. Not very much body roll and I felt like the car was firmly planted the whole time. I confidently went around a bend at 45 mph that I would usually take at 35 mph in the Sentra.

FUN:
As far as economy compacts are concerned, this seemed like a fun car. The 2.0 liter I-4 was relatively torquey and had good pickup; The complete antithesis to the Sentra. The steering wheel felt like the steering wheels on those go-carts at amusement parks, which definitely helps with the fun factor. Also, the fact that the car is very stylish just attributes to a fun atmosphere. The Focus I drove was an automatic (bleh), but even still it was pretty enjoyable to drive. The transmission was kinda erratic and shifted a little rough, but that makes it more sporty, right??

PRACTICALITY:
Compact, good fuel economy, available in sedan/hatch/wagon, not too complex. The definition of practicality. Also note that used Foci can be had for pretty cheap too!

STYLE:
I think it's a pretty stylish car. Interesting, but not too cockamamie to make it ugly. The 2005-2007 looks much better than the 2001-2004s, in my opinion. The current gen Foci don't look as refined, and that makes me sad.

POWER:
Like I said before, the torquey 2.0 L I-4 makes spirited driving even more fun. Certainly lots more power and torque than the 1.6 L I-4 in the Sentra. I was really impressed with the responsiveness.

INTERIOR/COMFORT:
This is the Focus's weak point, but it's actually not that bad. The interior is really stylish and everything is easy to reach. It's just not a very comfortable car. The seats are not supportive and are shaped in a way as if they are trying to make your back hurt, even on short rides. Oh well.

OVERALL:
I really liked this car. Definitely a car to consider if you want basic transportation on the cheap. Its power is an added incentive.

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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by theholycow »

ElectroGhandi wrote:It's just not a very comfortable car.
That's what keeps me from considering a Focus. I sit in one and I feel like it's made specifically to prevent me from resting my arms anywhere, if I try to my arm ends up in an almost painful position. I couldn't get past that well enough to notice if the seat was comfortable...
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by FDSpirit »

This review is awesome just because you used the word cockamamie.
But in all seriousness, I considered a focus, but not that one. I personally like the new ones. Of the big 3, I would definitely consider Ford. Mainly because I'd rather drive a Focus than a Cobalt. Just something about the Cobalt I really don't like...
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by ElectroGhandi »

The fact that GM has no soul?
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by six »

Focuses are surely the best compact cars made by American manufacturers. I've rented that generation of the Focus countless times, and it really is a great car. Peppy when you want it. No nonsense. Safe. Even saved my friend's life in a rollover.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by watkins »

Style? Ive seen more attractive things come out of my ass. The new Focus, however, is a sharp looking econobox. Far nicer than the Civic, and the interior is well-planned and rather comfortable.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by ElectroGhandi »

I think this gen Focus looks very nice. I also think Saabs are quite ugly. So we can say that beauty resides in the eye of the beholder, and leave it at that.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by RITmusic2k »

Please append your review with a compliant Feasibility of Sexual Encounters subsection.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by Tups »

One of my past co-workers used to have a car like this, a North American Ford Focus sedan. It was the only car with an automatic transmission he could find on short notice. I always found it rather funny that the engine in, 2.0-liter CVH, it was based on the one in my Escort while the one in my parents' Focus was of the newer design (Zetec-SE).
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by FDSpirit »

watkins wrote:Style? Ive seen more attractive things come out of my ass. The new Focus, however, is a sharp looking econobox. Far nicer than the Civic, and the interior is well-planned and rather comfortable.
I only like the generation of Civics like the one I have. But I think in general car design nowadays doesn't suit my tastes. My girlfriend's dad has a Hyundai Accent, and the thing looks like a spaceship. I told her I hated that car. I guess since Americans keep getting fatter and fatter, they gotta keep making cars bigger and bigger. The Corolla's got effin' huge. The height is around the same, but it got wide...
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by theholycow »

FDSpirit wrote:they gotta keep making cars bigger and bigger. The Corolla's got effin' huge. The height is around the same, but it got wide...
That's standard practice...every couple years the model gets slightly larger, to have an advantage over the competition (another few cubic inches of interior space or whatever). Eventually they come out with a new model approximately the size that the old model used to be. Corolla --> Yaris. Civic --> Fit. Sentra --> Versa. Etc.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by FDSpirit »

I think maybe my problem is a comfort issue. I like smaller cars. I've never felt comfortable behind the wheel of SUVs or larger cars. I understand where you're coming from though from a business standpoint. But some cars, IMO blew up. Ex:the new Accords and the newer Passats.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by theholycow »

Yup, they're trying to get cars to compete with SUVs. Part of the reason SUVs are so popular is that cars got so small in the 1980s and 1990s, and people want something bigger. For some, that's their main reason to have an SUV. Offering larger cars again gives them more car choices.

I thought the old smaller Passats were pointless, they didn't look any larger than the rest of VW's line.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by DKaz »

theholycow wrote:Sentra --> Versa. Etc.
The Versa is huge inside though. Even though the back seat realistically can only hold two adults, the two adults have massive amounts of head and legroom. I'm 6'1", I put the front seats to a very comfortable position, then went to the back, and the front seat was still quite far away from my knees it felt like a midsize.

I had a 2001 Focus as a courtesy car, it was ok. I did not find it uncomfortable at all, the engine was peppy, it was stylish on the outside, the interior was functional and easy to use but it just looked really cheap (like the Toyota Echo, but the Echo is 20% less expensive than the Focus MSRP). The 1.5 gen Focus interior was much nicer. If the Mazda 5 didn't exist, I would've bought a 05 to 07 Focus ZTW. A shame that Ford discontinued the wagon (and hatch) in North America. It screamed soccer mom station wagon but there was no other compact with that much cargo space.
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Re: 2005 - 2007 Ford Focus

Post by Tups »

DKaz wrote:I had a 2001 Focus... ...interior was functional and easy to use but it just looked really cheap...
Does the interior of the North American model differ much from the European one? It has never looked "cheap" to my eyes (but then again the only "not cheap" car I've been in was my ex's dad's X-Type, and it wasn't really that different from the Focus with all that fake wood).
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