Ford’s Focus provides high-end perks at fine price
Today’s review of the 2015 Ford Focus sedan provides an opportunity to mix the “business’’ of writing a review with the personal business of searching for a replacement for our family vehicle.
We’re calling the latter our ongoing “Snowbird Sleigh Search.’’ It encompasses the lower-end (read “affordable’’) vehicles we review on these pages and also constitutes doing the research for a replacement vehicle for us to drive to Florida each winter.
For the past three winters, we’ve driven Mrs. G’s 2004 Toyota Solara back and forth without incident. Here’s hoping it’s up to another trek.
Each fall, when I have the car serviced at Angie’s on Plum Island, the guys say, “There’s a lot of rust on that exhaust system, and the brake pads are wearing down.’’
After 77,000 miles, the vehicle is coming up on its 12th anniversary and has been virtually problem-free. About five years ago, we did a major preventive maintenance job, replacing tires, battery, brakes, water pump, serpentine belt. This fall, I redid the brake pads again.
It’s been wonderful not having a car payment for eight or nine years. Now, with an empty nest, it’s time to look for an economical compact (or subcompact) crossover or hatchback.
Of course, it would be nice to have a real plan. However, when it comes to making a decision, I can waffle with the best of them. So let the fun continue.
For this exercise, we’re only putting vehicles we’ve reviewed on our consideration list.
Because we’re dodging a lot of winter weather, the four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles we’d like so much for driving around the Northeast aren’t mandatory.
So the Subarus that I like a lot probably won’t be on the list, though they’re great on dry pavement, too. Price likely will eliminate another vehicle I like, the Acura ILX.
So far, on the consideration list we have only the Fiat 500X and Honda HR-V.
Today, we can add the Ford Focus.
LOOKING INSIDE: The Focus has straightforward controls, a quality interior feel, and plenty of space for front-seat passengers.
Our test car is the premium level Titanium sedan.
Ford has done a nice job with the exterior styling, giving it the Ford “look’’ with a redesigned hood and grille.
Inside, there’s upscale leather for the dash and touch surfaces.
The Titanium trim level reflects the industry trend to have high levels of technology in smaller vehicles, features that previously would be in premium vehicles and take considerable time to trickle down to compacts.
Our test car started out at $23,995 (including destination). A host of options brought the final line to $27,200.
Among the options were white platinum tri-coat paint ($595), an 18-inch high-performance tire and wheel package ($625), technology package ($795), navigation ($795), and active park assist ($395).
The technology package includes auto-dimming high beams, blind spot information, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping warning and assistance, all of which I’d order. All interior controls were intuitive and relatively easy to use, though some dash buttons were on the small side.
Standard equipment included an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, ambient lighting, floor mats, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio, phone, and cruise controls, dual-zone climate control, fog lights, and rear parking sensors.
A rear camera is standard—and has a nice feature. In addition to the outside parameters of your reversing pathway, it has a dashed center line that shows exactly where the middle of the car is heading. For some reason, each time I use the backup camera to slot a car in my parking spot at home, the image reminds me of the “cone of probability’’ meteorologists use in forecasting hurricanes’ tracks. It’s nice to have that exact line.
The navigation system comes with an 8-inch screen and Ford Sync/MyFord Touch infotainment system.
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Ford Focus and other most-stolen vehicles of 2014
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Ford deserves credit for continuing to refine what was a totally unwieldy maze of Sync’s menus and voice recognition system that just didn’t recognize many of us in its early days. The system now makes sense with the basic four-quadrant home screen divided into audio, climate, navigation, and phone.
Our test car had the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 160 horsepower and 146 lb.-ft. of torque, which is plenty for this light (3,000-pound) vehicle.
It was mated to the dual-clutch, six-speed automatic transmission that sends power to just the front wheels.
Over the years, troubles with this transmission have given the Focus a poor reliability report in “that leading consumer magazine.’’
Indeed, at first it occasionally gave us a slight-but-noticeable shudder on starting out, but as we drove it during the week, the shudder went away, and I liked the way it shifted.
We found the engine-transmission combo to be plenty peppy in passing and merging. That combined with a terrific suspension and well-calibrated steering to make this a fun car to drive on both back roads and the highway.
On the highway, the Focus steering tracked quite straight and the lane-keeping assist tried to nudge you back into the center of the lane if you started to cross the lane divider without using the directional—something we tried to test in the system.
We averaged 32 miles per gallon in some city driving, a number that rose to 35.4 overall after a Columbus Day weekend trip to Connecticut. EPA estimates are 26 city, 38 highway, and 30 combined.
The turning circle, rated at 36 feet, seemed wider, perhaps a function of the optional 18-inch tires.
While that was wide, the rear seat space was snug. We could take two other adults in the rear seat only by sacrificing some of our front-seat legroom.
All in all, Ford has done a nice job of making this a fun-to-drive and economical compact.
It goes on our Snowbird Sleigh list, although we’d probably consider the hatchback version.
How will this search play out? It’s appropriate that sentence ended with a question mark.
2015 Ford Focus 4-Door Titanium sedan
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $23,995/$27,200. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 26 city, 38 highway, 30 combined. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 35.4. Drivetrain: 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel-drive. Body: 4-door sedan.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 160. Torque: 146 lb.-ft. Overall length: 171.6 in. Wheelbase: 104.3 in. Height: 57.7 in. Width: 71.8 in. Curb weight: 2,948 lbs.
THE GOOD
Handling, stylish looks, fuel economy, interior quality and quiet cabin, lots of available technology.
THE BAD
Rear legroom, concerns on transmission.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A well-rounded compact sedan.
ALSO CONSIDER
Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Golf.
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