2010 Ford Focus Review – The compact car that can!

By Holly Roberts

Pros:

• Shocking (and decent) acceleration when already at speed (from 0 to 60, not so good)
• Mileage, mileage, mileage!!!!
• Microsoft SYNC
• Sirius Satellite Radio
• Built-in Bluetooth

Cons:

• The interior is a bit noisy on the freeway (which hampers the SYNC a bit)
• While still a value car, the interior did feel a “bit” cheap

Fuel Economy:
EPA Estimates: 24 in the city, and 33 highway (or 27 combined)
Actual: 31.2 mpg

I was pretty luke-warm on driving the Ford Focus.  But I decided to clear all my preconceptions out and just review it for what it is:  an American-made compact car.  Honestly, it really surprised me.  Our model was the top-end car, and was packed with thoughtful features.  Most impressive of all (to me):  the voice-activated Ford SYNC System, and the fuel economy numbers!

Driving Impressions:

I definitely wasn’t expecting a luxury car ride, but the Focus really wasn’t that bad of a ride either.  It had nice road manners, got great mileage, was easy to drive, easy to park, easy to see out of, etc.  Not a whole lot to dislike, in my opinion, and definitely a lot better than my expectations.

The acceleration of the Focus was respectable.  It wasn’t spectacular from 0-60, but if you were already at speed and needed to pass someone, it was almost “perky”.  Due to the lightness of the vehicle, the braking was more than adequate.

Build:

Both the interior and exterior build quality felt good.  Nothing too flimsy, nothing too heavy, just like Goldilocks would say:  “it was juuuust right”.  The trunk, doors and hood felt fitments were near perfect – slamming wasn’t necessary.  There were some nice things (the leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated leather-trimmed seats, the dashboard, the 60/40 split fold down seats), but there were some not-so-good things (some of the materials felt inexpensive or cheap).  Overall there was more good than bad, and it felt like a really solid little car.  Most of all, I felt SAFE driving it.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

The good:

• I had a much better experience with the Ford SYNC system this time around.  With SYNC you can access your music collection on your MP3 player by genre, album, artist or song title and operate your Bluetooth® phone with simple voice commands. You can even make music selections through your flash drive by voice command.  A quick push of the SYNC button and you’d hear, “Please say a command”.  If I responded with “Phone” and it would give phone options (Dial, Voicemail, etc.).  If I responded “USB” (my iPod was plugged into the USB port) and I would get my iPod options (Shuffle on, Who’s playing, Artist, etc.).  I found it really easy to use with my phone, my iPod, etc., and much easier to understand what to do or say to get it to function properly.
• The console had a nice design, things were easy to find, within easy reach and the instrument lighting was easy to see at night.  The matte silver material on the dashboard and console is a nice touch, and the matte finish makes it non-reflective.  Easy on the eyes in more ways than one!
• Interior storage was adequate and there was actually a lot more room in the car than what it appeared to have.  I was able to fit my bike in the back seat on the floor space fairly easily.  Just a quick twist of the handlebars and it fit perfectly.
• The “Moon and Tune” value package was nice.  Power moonroof with shade, 6-CD changer and MP3 capability.  Enough music available to never get bored!
• The seat heaters worked exceptionally well.  They heated up really quickly and didn’t get too hot.
• The “customizable” ambient lighting option was fun!  Pink?  Purple?  Blue?  There were something like six different options for the lighting area in the front cabin area, and even though it might be a little “disco”, there was nothing wrong with the 70′s!

The bad:

• The seats felt decent enough.  Adjusting them was easy, but I felt that if I were to take a really long drive, I’d not be comfortable for more than a few hours at a time.
• Due to the cabin noise, the Ford SYNC system had problems operating during drive-time, which is a pretty big disadvantage.  I’d ask it commands, and it wouldn’t be able to understand me.  Once I pulled over, it was fine and could decipher what I was saying.  Perhaps with some refinement, Ford can work on this, because if this worked better, it would make a huge difference in this vehicle!

(Continued on page 2)

Related posts: