think rpm too low (0.75) tht caused the light vibration. If i complain n they up the rpm....there goes my good mileage

Although I do not disagree with you, but have you forgotten about how manual car drivers used to and still change gears?

Titanium+ and 408Turbo is about the same price. I love the technologies of the Focus but the spaciousness of the 408. It is so hard to decide.

Hi there,

Just see which vehicle ticks more of the boxes for you. There are many aspects that will influence the decision of the buyer when it comes to the selection of a vehicle. For me, the criterias that are important to me, in chronological order, are as follows:-

1) Exterior looks
2) Handling and driving dynamics
3) Comfort
4) NVH, especially noise levels
5) Back space
6) After-sales service

Resale value used to be a factor but nowadays I don't rate it as highly as before. I have acknowledged that the RV of vehicles that are more than 5 years old will not differ much although the colder brands may command a lower price than the common Japanese.

Before I considered the Focus I have looked around for suitable candidates but couldn't really pick one that ticks all the boxes for me. To me, exterior looks is very important, and I understand that it's all subjective as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I will not consider a vehicle that looks ugly to me even though it may be excellent in other areas. I apologise beforehand but to be frank, I did not test-drive the Peugeot 408 because of this reason.

After-sales service, it's a gamble that I have gone with the Focus as many people don't put too much faith in Sime Darby. Similarly I have read horror stories with Nasim's level of service.

I will give you my impressions on the Focus. Handling and driving dynamics are definitely one of the strengths of the Focus. Just a light and precise steering with high driver's feedback. Transmission may have a slight jerk at low speeds though it will iron out with time. I have not test driven the Peugeot so I couldn't comment, though I am sure you would be able to find out for yourself.

Next comfort. As we all know comfort does not go hand in hand with driving dynamics. However, the Focus managed to remain relatively comfortable with the handling that comes with it. Comfortable in areas of ample space for the driver and front passenger, thick leather seats, a relatively quiet interior and a suspension setup that remains relatively unperturbed on bad roads.

However, the comfort levels of the Focus if compared to the Nissan Sylphy, I would say the Sylphy is more comfortable. Mainly in the softer and plusher leather seats (the leather seats of the Focus is slightly harder and thinner), the higher seating position and the overall layout of the dashboard. The suspension of the Sylphy is softer and more bouncy - it feels more comfortable as if the vehicle is on a big cushion when going over unneveness and undulations on the roads, though feels floaty at highs speeds and bad in cornering. Nevertheless, the handling and driving dynamics of the Sylphy is just not on the same level as the Focus. Steering feel is very light, again, comfortable in a good way, but does not have sufficient driver's feedback. It feels "loose" vs. the precise and perfectly weighted steering of the Focus.

NVH. Quietness is certainly important to me, and the Focus scores well here. The engine sound is quiet in all driving conditions. Road noise is decent though not particularly good, mainly due to the tyres used. Wind noise starts from 100km/h and is gets louder at around 130km/h. My benchmark is the Nissan Sylphy. The wind noise in the Focus lost to the Nissan(the Sylphy is quiet up to about 140km/h).

Finally, spaciousness. I'm not sure if you are referring to the available space at the front or the back. In my mind, for a sedan in this class, the rear legroom of the Focus is still decent if not great. It will depend on the positioning of the front seats. If the seats are pushed further back then I'm afraid the back space/rear legroom of the occupants sitting at the back will be compromised. It depends on how important is the rear legroom to you. I think it's still manageable.

I think the Peugeot 408 comes in black interior? See whatever floats your boat more. The interior of the 408 looks pretty classy too, from the pictures on the net.

SportyHandling, thank you for the comments, and you wrote like a pro from car magazine. As I need a car which sits comfortably 5 adults, a spacious backseat is important.

Nice review and sharing.

Next version of self park...
https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_...200177877924671

5 adults comfort? big adults? advise you to try bring them to showroom and make them sit and test drive the focus... for me 2 big adults at the back can sit comfortably with one child in between not three large framed adults. so depends.

Yes, you're right. I've totally forgotten about how a manual transmission car is being drive, I've never driven a manual car since I got my driving license 10 years+ back. I doubt if I would be still able to drive a manual transmission car today

Thanks. Personally I think it's about managing expectations. Any mid-range sedans can fit in 3 adults at the back seat, and it's just a matter of how much comfortable you want those adults to be. For long journeys usually 2 adults should not be a problem.

If you want to fit in 3 adults comfortably, then the Accord, Camry or Teana range will be more comfortable, or should I say ideal not only due to added rear legroom but width as well. Less potential to rub shoulders against each other. If 3 adults sit inside both 408 and Focus, then not much difference as there will be equal potential to rub shoulders due to decreased width. The 408 will only have the advantage in providing more rear legroom for 2 persons in comparison to the Focus. However, if 3 persons of similar size, I wager comfort levels between the 408 and Focus may not differ much. Just my opinion.

I guess other factors which add to "comfort" are in the interior fittings and tone of the trimmings(which add to the ambiance in the cabin) apart from quality of leather seats, whether it is softer, plusher or nicer to sit on. Other than that, the black interior vs. light beige interior may swing you to one side too.

have you guys encounter this problem before?

once i turn power off, the display lcd and speedometer remain lit up. It only switch off once i lock the car

i might be wrong but i think the display is draining the battery. my car is barely 2mths old and i have to jump start it twice already. 1st time is during installation of tinting, the car engine is off but the doors remain open during installation and when i tried to leave after installation, the engine couldn't start. 2nd time was when i left car at car porch without locking the doors, the next morning the engine couldnt start.

dont know whether is a battery problem or ignition problem

Most of the time. I thought of bringing this up but didn't attempt to post it since I felt it is something that is inherent in the vehicle. The lights on the display LCD at the centre console and speedometer do lit up most of the time when the engine is already switched off, but sometimes the lights are off. Funny. I wonder what is the explanation for this?

No problems with restarting the vehicle though. My car is always left unlocked in the car porch, so that may be the reason why the lights are automatically on although the engine is already turned off?

And to top it off, the electric control of the driver's seat can be operated even though the engine is already off. I wonder why is that?

yesterday right after heavy rain i took a rest at RNR Mex highway, and then a red fofo parked beside me. I can see clearly the LCD remain on but engine is already stopped.

after i off engine, the lcd still on. after i lock the car, the lcd will shut down. normal?

This car seems to leave almost all electronics on *all the time*. Eg. the cigarette lighter (and therefore anything that's plugged into it) is on even when the car is off and locked. The two LCDs remain on for about a full minute unless the car is locked. Also, the USB also draws power when the car is off (should not be a big issue for a USB flash drive, but don't la leave your USB harddrive plugged in). When the car doors are open, a whole bunch of lights come on (ambient lighting, curb light, rear lights, side lights, etc).

My fiesta has the same characteristic too. The speedometer n lcd stays on for about 10 mins after theengine is off. Guess its sstandard for Ford cars

Ford Light Assist (FLA) lol as i call it
same with my car

Talking about the back space for seating, dun forget there is a transmission tunnel at the back....the person sitting in the middle will be uncomfortable.....is the transmission tunnel used to facilitate the torque vectoring??

Love this...I can already foresee its usefulness already