07-08 focus sedan pics

[OmniFocus]

Originally Posted by CheaperSleeper

While you are correct from my perspective regarding how great a hatch is you have to remember that for some odd reason AMERICANS DON"T LIKE HATCHES! Or wagons for that matter.

If that were entirely true, they wouldn't sell any at all.

That they are less popular here isn't a motivating reason to remove them from the order sheet, because there is still a significant percentage that want and prefer them. Those customers will now have to go elsewhere.

[sonicblu3zx3]

Originally Posted by BLUE_02_ZX3

were gonna have to face it one day... if we want it that bad, were gonna have to move to europe.

were to stupid over here to ever have something nice for us.
gas is going up and up and up. and these idiots are still going out and buying the biggest v8 they can find.

we are stupid.

speak for yourself, and don't include me in the we. I despise SUV's and I think they should be very heavily taxed since they use up so much more gas than a 4 cylindar does, not to mention almost everyone who drives one uses it for daily commute to work.... THOSE people are the stupid ones you mentioned.

I personally would never buy an SUV or a minivan, I'd never let myself have so many kids that I needed one. (No, I don't have a problem with kids or people in minivans, just saying I wouldnt get one myself and why...doh)

[sonicblu3zx3]

Originally Posted by BRZX3R

I agree completely! Ford stopped making the Focus in 04, now they make another econobox. It might as well just be a neon with a ford oval on the front, simple bland, transportation. Boring looks, boring dash, boring performance, boring hubcaps, just plain boring.


I like how the ZX3 comes with hubcaps with fake lugnuts on it! How did the car sink so low?

a neon with a ford oval on the front? ooooook just because it has different headlights and a different looking dash (whcih I might add looks better in my opinion...doesn't look like they put the vents in there as a last decision.... blah) oh and as far as boring performance??? Ummmm the duratec actually has MORE power than your zetec. Plus it responds to mods alot better. The only reason is is rated at 136hp and not higher is because of the intake they put on the thing. I guarentee that if they had put a less restrictive intake on there like they did with the zetec the thing would be rated at 140 - 145.

Sheez, but I will agree that they killed the focus when they killed SVT. I'm trying to make my car look like an SVT as much as I can (minus the front end) I get the SVT looks and power without the insurance bill! Muahaha.

This will be my last Ford however, unless they come out with some amazing focus in the future on the new euro platform. Otherwise, it'll be a VW R32 or something along those lines.

[wilko]

For my father the daily commute includes lugging vacuum cleaners, and cleaning supplies. All of which can fit into a focus, but that is after the rear seat is folded flat. His explorer can carry that stuff with out folding the rear seat or filling the rear view mirror. His explorer is also a better people mover than any focus. Yes I can get 4 additional people in my ZX3, but that would be clown car territory. The explorer can handle 5 passengers, no sweat.

I find it strange that anyone would assume that the only reason people get SUV's is to only take kids to school, and drive to work. They are useful vehicles. As for a persons intellegence for buying a SUV based on gas prices. The sales of SUV's has slowed since the rise in fuel prices (Maybe they arent too dumb). Many of the people who have them now either can afford the +/-$70 to fill it up every week or had them before OPEC and associates got greedy. Still those vehicles are handy if you need to carry supplies, large items, or people.

[Blis]

Nice pics.

You just got us linked by Autoblog

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/21/s...08-ford-focus/

P.S. Ron 4tw.

[Smurf]

haha. Sweet.

Now everyone can read about how upset most of us are that they've butchered the focus and may be getting rid of the utility focii.

[bryst06]

thats funny.... oh you guys..

[sonicblu3zx3]

can you believe that guy with the civic who dissed the focus? Civics are so much slower and uglier....geez. lol

[rpvitiello]

The focus had THE highest customer loyalty in the industry for ANY small car in the Unites States. It was note worthy because it was one of the ONLY small and cheep cars to have customer loyalty. People who bought one were VERY, VERY likely to buy another. NO NOT enthusiasts, REGULAR people LOVED this car. I have had 40 year old women pull up to me in there stock se sedan RAVE about how much they LOVE this car (in 2001 or so).

Ford has NO “upgrade produces” for former focus owners. WTF is the point of a car that loses you money if it does not gain you future customers that buy cars ford MAKES MONEY on? People who bought a focus did nothing but buy another focus.

People that buy civics, go out and buy more civics or more expensive Hondas…

People that buy Rabbits/golf/jettas, go out and buy more Rabbits/golf/jettas or more expensive VW

People that buy foci, go out and buy more foci till ford completely removes every reason people originally bought the car, and offer no alternative, causing there customers to leave ford pissed to go buy a civic, or rabbit.

Honda and VW happily charge $16-$24,000 for there C segment cars and make money, and have happy customers, wile ford struggles to sell a $15k focus with 0% financing for 72 months, 0 down, $2,000 customer cash, free gas for a years, a 5 year 100,000 mile warrantee, free auto, free leather heated seats, free upgraded stereo, a free Dell computer, with an I-pod, and a Blow job.

Enthusiast or not, you are going to tell me fords made the right product and marketing decisions…

Take one of the best selling, best reviewed products, highest customer loyalty products in its class. Cheapen it, remove all desirable content, piss off its customers, offer no upgrades, kill resale value buy throwing countless incentives on the hunk of junk, and then bastardize the car from its routes, and then wonder why its sales plummet through the floor wile the competition makes there next generation product better in every way than the current product was to compete with one of the best products in its class.

If anyone thinks the CURRENT focus is a profitable sales success PLEASE tell me HOW you come to that conclusion! As for losing 30% of there current market share, they already through out 50% of there sales numbers and closed a plant, what’s the difference if they destroy the remaining 80% of there profitable retail sales. I mean ford can sell 100,000 sedans for $0.05 profit to the rental companies, and sell the remaining 40,000 lx sedans at a loss to the absolute cheapest scats in the country for $8,999
bring over your e spec product and ill take notice, till then who cares”

I myself cross shopped VW and Civic when I bought the focus. I bough the focus because I LIKED the car. The focus no longer compares to those cars, it competes with a yaris, fit, and aveo. I am NOT in the market for a downgrade from my car with it’s STOCK alloy wheels, power sunroof, 500 stereo system, hid headlights than you very much. I will look to other manufacturers for the SAME type of car I bought in 2001, just BETTER. My need and wants did not change a whole lot, just as it has not changed much for 100,000 of former focus owners, ford simply stopped offering them a product they were interested in. They instead wanted to try and force-feed something these people do NOT want.

Also allot of my classmates stated they like the focus and they all “ALMOST” bought one but ford cheapened the crap out of it and made it nothing like the E spec and made it a very undesirable car so they passed it for a VW, or a Civic. All of there comments are “dri The focus sold some 300k units a year when it first came out with NO major rebates (ford was making money on it

[secondechomatt]

Originally Posted by Blis

Nice pics.

You just got us linked by Autoblog

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/21/s...08-ford-focus/

P.S. Ron 4tw.

ROYALTIES!!!! I'm patiently waiting for my check.

[MrPotatoes]

i've held out hope for the focus up until about a year ago. even then i think i was being optimistic. just give it up guys. it's not going to get any better until we start building our own Focii

[bryst06]

this thread and hear people bitch is entertaining..... Keep it up.. bwhahah.

[blackbird]

Been a while since I've been on the 'jet, but I recently moved to Germany for work and was recently driving this base rental "stripper" around for a month:







It was a regular low end Focus with a 1.6L and 5-speed and 15" steel wheels. It did have a few things like rear parking assist and an automatic dual-zone climate control we never got. After driving it for a while after coming from my SVTF stateside I started to think to myself "this isn't bad, I could see myself buying another Focus like this". And that's a base model and not even something like an ST.

Then I go onto one of the military bases and they have a new US-spec ST sedan with the street appearance package at the AAFES overseas sales. Essentially the top of the line car in the US. I'm looking it over and while they may still drive alright I'm thinking to myself I wouldn't ever seriously consider it or even a regular ST.

I really wish Ford well since they are a large part of the American economy but I have no problem shopping elsewhere if I can't get what I want. I'm not a heavy European enthusiast, but I do like a wide range of cars from Asia, to America, to Europe. Every day out on the road I see the Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, and all the variants and they catch my eye. I can't remember the last time I said that about the American line-up.

[EricR]

Originally Posted by Silfox

... Why would someone get a coupe that is hard for the back seat people to get out of, has no rear headroom, and cant fit anything large in the trunk when they are used to a huge hatchback with its museum in the back. ...

1) No one has even seen the coupe, so no one knows what the trunk on the coupe will be like.

2) It's easy to agree that a hatch gives the *most* rear flexibility & ease-of-use. I still have very fond memories of my '76 Mercury Capri V6 hatchback!

However, your statement "cant fit anything large in the trunk" is just doesn't apply to the current trunked Focus (ZX4) . It's just plain bull, an urban myth type of thing that was started by those with no experience using the current sedan trunk and then regularly repeated here and at FF.

I can't speak for the earlier models, but the '05+ sedan trunk is *very* large for an econo-box and is remarkably well designed. The trunk lid moves completely up, up, and out of the way making the total usable "mouth area" of the trunk much larger than you would expect.

While on vacation last week my trunk contained a large rolling cooler, 2 sport-bag type suitcases, a big a$$ sleeping bag, a stuffed-full kids backpack, a folding card table, and a folding lawn chair. With plenty of room remaining to tuck smaller items in and around the larger ones. This was *without* folding down the rear seats.

Maybe this is j20000's answer as to why the trunk line is high?

Are there times when it would be easier to just throw large items in and drop the hatch? Of course. With the ZX4 you have to tip the large rolling cooler in bottom first and then slide it where you want it, which is a bit awkard when it is full of food and ice. I only really wish for a hatch while putting a mountain bike in (with rear seats folded down) as it really requires two people to be really be sure you won't scratch the exterior paint with a pedal or something.

The only thing I could think to improve would be to have rear seats that folded *completely* flat (it would make the mt. bike easier)!

Overall though, to Ford, I say job well done! In 15+ months I have always been able to put everything I wanted (and more) into the trunk of my Focus.

[EggYolkBill]

The seats fold flat if you fold "up" the seat cushion before you fold down that seat backs. The same way they do in the hatch.

[EricR]

EDIT:

OK, this reply was too far off topic and too much of a rant to leave in this thread. So if for some odd reason anyone cares to read my rant titled: "So are SUVs, Vans, etc. Evil to be Stamped Out or Not?" you can find it here:

http://forums.focaljet.com/team-pit-...d-out-not.html

[chaz493]

Blahdy blahdy blahdy we bitch and moan alot because we only want a hatchback even though the other 90 percent of the market would rather have a coupe.

shut up already, if the hatch goes away then move on, drive a volkswagen for all i care. A hatch door does not make or break a car, especially in the sport compact arena.

im so sick of people bitching and moaning "oh if the hatch is gone then it sucks." Go buy a different hatch from some other company while the rest of us enjoy the coupe we always wanted. PERIOD.

[EricR]

Originally Posted by rpvitiello

... Ford has NO “upgrade products” for former focus owners. WTF is the point of a car that loses you money if it does not gain you future customers that buy cars ford MAKES MONEY on? ...

Uhh, did you forget about the Fusion?

[EricR]

Originally Posted by EggYolkBill

The seats fold flat if you fold "up" the seat cushion before you fold down that seat backs. The same way they do in the hatch.

WOW! Thanks! I love ya' man!

Hey, ain't I smart (didn't even read the manual about this)!

[SilverSVT]

Originally Posted by rpvitiello

The focus had THE highest customer loyalty in the industry for ANY small car in the Unites States.

That was after the car was on the market for 3 years..how can it have the highest loyalty when 90% of its owners are still making payments on it? WTF

Ford has NO “upgrade produces” for former focus owners. WTF is the point of a car that loses you money if it does not gain you future customers that buy cars ford MAKES MONEY on? People who bought a focus did nothing but buy another focus.

Guess you never seen a Fusion huh?

Honda and VW happily charge $16-$24,000 for there C segment cars and make money, and have happy customers, wile ford struggles to sell a $15k focus with 0% financing for 72 months, 0 down, $2,000 customer cash, free gas for a years, a 5 year 100,000 mile warrantee, free auto, free leather heated seats, free upgraded stereo, a free Dell computer, with an I-pod, and a Blow job.

Enthusiast or not, you are going to tell me fords made the right product and marketing decisions…

Take one of the best selling, best reviewed products, highest customer loyalty products in its class. Cheapen it, remove all desirable content, piss off its customers, offer no upgrades, kill resale value buy throwing countless incentives on the hunk of junk, and then bastardize the car from its routes, and then wonder why its sales plummet through the floor wile the competition makes there next generation product better in every way than the current product was to compete with one of the best products in its class.

I guess the 13 recalls, horrible reliability and the general bad reputation that the Focus has now from that didn't have anything to do with sales dropping like a rock huh?

[SilverSVT]

Originally Posted by blackbird

Damn interior looks cheap....

[Croc_Tease!]

Originally Posted by SilverSVT

Damn interior looks cheap....

Looks better than my interior, and thats a base rental. Hell looks better than our own ST interior.

[hkysk8r07]

Originally Posted by EricR

P.S. My wife made me promise her a 2-seater sports car when the kids are gone! (Hmm, but where will we put the grandkids?)

thats why you get 2 cars and one golf vart like my grand parents.

1 is a 06 honda odyssey and the other is a mercury grand marquee. you fit tons of luggage or golf bags in either one.

of course you can switch one of them out for the 2 seater like a Z or Z4///M roadster or a S2K if it's still around

[EggYolkBill]

Originally Posted by EricR

WOW! Thanks! I love ya' man!

Hey, ain't I smart (didn't even read the manual about this)!

Glad to help a fellow Foci owner.

[rpvitiello]

Originally Posted by SilverSVT

That was after the car was on the market for 3 years..how can it have the highest loyalty when 90% of its owners are still making payments on it? WTF



Guess you never seen a Fusion huh?



I guess the 13 recalls, horrible reliability and the general bad reputation that the Focus has now from that didn't have anything to do with sales dropping like a rock huh?

Notice how many people on focaljet used to have more than one foci? A few people and families owned more than one focus at the same time!

Honestly not really. I see one ever 2 months on the road, and I don’t see too many at ford dealers because they are all going out of business here. I see more 06 style Hyundai sonatas than fusions. The fusion has fewer options than the focus used to have, so even though it is “bigger” it is a crappier car. Not an upgrade at all IMO.

BMW, VW etc have NO trouble selling VERY un reliable products for a profit. Even though there cars are not reliable, they have style, quality feel, tech, and performance. Ford should have ADDED features to the focus to ad to its appeal even though it was not the most reliable car. By making it a boring, bland, unreliable car there was NO reason to buy it over a civic or corolla. There is no longer ANY compelling reason to buy the focus over any other small car except it is MUCH cheaper than anything else similar to it on the market. Not a good way to make money.