I love my new 08 focus, but....

[canadianlarry]

I just paid off my 2003 5 speed spi which I still love and am keeping around. So we just bought an 08 se with auto, sync, heated seats, mirrors usual power stuff remote start etc. Much more options than the 2003 with just ac, 16 inch rims and keyless entry.


Anyway, some little things are definitely not improvements. No interior trunk release means when you are still in the car and want to pop the trunk for someone outside it means an akward head twist to get at your key fob and push the button.

The driver's seat height adjustment is no longer a window crank thingy but the ratchet lever type. The whole seat pivots on one point and you have to move the seatback as well when someone else like your shorter wife has moved "your" seat.

No radio retained power for one hour pisses off my dog who liked listening to Howard Stern when left in the car. Now as soon as you open the door it turns off.


Before I continue I repeat that I do love the car especially sync which I like more for the phone stuff than music. And the automatic gets a little better mileage than the spi even with 30 more noticeable horspower. I agree with people that the look of the car is much more american than the euro originals 2000-2004. Still I looked at lots of other cars before deciding to stay focussed.

Back to the nitpicking. I miss the wiper stalk on the right, indicators on the left. Now one left stalk for everything.I had to dig out the owners manual to find out how to get one swipe out of the wipers. A single brief push on the end of the stalk will do the trick but hold it too long and it sprays.

The commercials say how much quieter it is inside but it still sounds exactly the same to me. Still a fair bit of tire and wind noise.

When I bought the car I knew it might be replaced with a redesigned car in just a couple of years but I'm happy to hear it might be the world version of the focus. I'm pretty sure I will be buying a new Focus in 2013 whatever it looks like.

[natedog_1959]

The 2008 Focus is getting updated for 2009 with new bumbers, wheels, wing, less chrome, etc. The euro model will be here in 2010. You won't have to wait until 2013 to pick up the latest and greatest. Nate

[Honkeytonk Monkey]

I think he's saying 2013 because that's when this car will be paid for.

No sense buying a car in 2008, then selling it in 2010 and being upside-down.

I had alot of beefs with the 2008s after renting one for a week while my DD was in the shop. I'm glad I did it though, it solidified my dislike for the new car. I actually like my sister's base model Cobalt better than the 2008.

[natedog_1959]

I drove a 2008 5-spd and the only cool thing the saleman could show me was how my phone synced with the sync system. The car felt like a dog compared to my SVT. The shifter was sloppy, power was lacking, blah, blah, blah. The 2009 might improve upon the looks, but Ford has a ways to go before the sport-compact crowd starts looking at the Focus again. Nate

[natedog_1959]

Please

[natedog_1959]

delete

[natedog_1959]

these

[Z63R]

^ ° ^

I see that I'm not the only one experiencing some laggage in forum speed. Quad post ftw!



My only real dislike with the '08s is the steering wheel. The original car's leather-wrapped premium wheel is the first wheel I haven't wanted to swap out. The new car's wheel is lame! There's no place for one's fourth and fifth digits! and the wiper stalk thing sounds like a major step backwards. 1st-genC 170s rule.

[DarkHorse]

Did you drive a 2008 5-spd? haha

[Johnny_P]

I thought the shifter on the 08 was really sloppy... the car would make a great DD with an auto trans, but that shifter was just terrible. I thought wind noise and tire noise were noticeably less than my '00. It was very quiet, NVH was minimal. Fit and finish were nice. I liked the sporty black gauges, they were pretty cool. And the mileage counter seemed nice. Seats were comfy, and the steering wheel felt good. The engine felt adequate enough, but I disliked the electronic throttle.... it felt.... vague I guess. I couldn't really get on it though, the saleslady took me on some low speed back roads. TONS of body roll... and I mean TONS.

I mean I drove a base model S coupe, so that might have had something to do with it. But I wouldn't buy the thing. I disliked the interior, and thought it was not very functional. The radio buttons were a bit hard to use, and everything seemed slapped on as far as the center console goes. The one I drove didn't have the stupid chrome applique on the side, but I still thought the overall design was pieced together instead of flowing.

[GapBoyPCS]

^ One reason why you may have had body roll is that there's no rear stabilizer bar on the base models. That, and the 15-inch OEM tires will probably give you more roll on the twisties.

That being said, I was actually okay with my SE loaner with the sentiments echoed by canadianlarry. The climate controls were fiddly -- it's too bad that rudimentary knobs weren't used. In some ways, Ford went backwards using something similar to the "chiclets" from their early 90s radios. I was more shocked at the fuel economy with the automatic -- WAY better than my current Zetec auto.

For 09, there will be stability control and rear "integrated" headrests (so I assume some redesign to bulge up the backs). I'm still putting the 09 on my list, despite the current shortcomings. For the dollar amount and what you get, there's really few cars that are coming close. I priced a fully loaded Mazda3 with the 2.3, and it was already past $30K, but it didn't feel as roomy as the Focus. I didn't feel the dynamics were there on other cars. For basic transportation, the old/new Focus still fits the need.

[fubar]

^^^ how did you get it past $30k?? I built a speed3 GT with all the options and it was under $28k

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by fubar

^^^ how did you get it past $30k?? I built a speed3 GT with all the options and it was under $28k

It was an 08.5, GT = $28,300 -- plus 5% Federal GST (tax) and 8% Provincial tax. Canadian market cars tend to be more expensive than US market cars.

[natedog_1959]

Everyone knows Canadia doesn't count when you are talking cars, wars, or hockey. Just kidding, Nate.

[lepak91]

Originally Posted by canadianlarry

The commercials say how much quieter it is inside but it still sounds exactly the same to me. Still a fair bit of tire and wind noise.

I've noticed the same thing on the ones I've been in. Hopefully they get this resolved in the next redesign.

[Sting2324]

I've been renting one for the last 3 months and agree with you on some things.

Back home, I have a 2001 SPI and this 2008 SE rental gets noticeable more miles to the gallon. I would say that I consistently achieve 30-32MPG. Having no button for the trunk is, well, stupid. Don't understand why it wasn't implemented somewhere inside the cabin.

However, I would have to disagree with you when you say that it sounds the same inside the car. Mine is noticeable quieter than the 2001. Granted it's not as quiet as a Buick, but for the amount of money this car costs new, it's not bad.

I also must say that the handling on this car sucks compared to the '01 back east. Perhaps it's just the Hankook 15' rubber, but this car can't take a turn for nothing. The moment you try to hug a corner, it will back down and let you know that it doesn't like it.

Now, I still have another a little over a month to go until I return this car, but from what I get out of this 2008 SE, is that it's a very capable, comfortable daily driver. I wish that the rental would have had Sync, but at least it came with Sirius radio.

[wilko]

Originally Posted by canadianlarry

No radio retained power for one hour pisses off my dog who liked listening to Howard Stern when left in the car. Now as soon as you open the door it turns off.

So the dog has voiced his/her opinion about listening to Howard Stern wile you run errands. Or does the pooch poop in your slippers after you take them out in the 2008?

Reminds me of a Warner Brothers cartoon where the dog's master went away for a year.