Yes, similarly I always look for side parking spot near pillars in shopping malls so as only one side of the vehicle is exposed to another vehicle, and I always park in an awkward position as far as possible from the vehicle beside of mine ie. one side of the vehicle will be very close to the pillars. It may not be 100% effective but at least it will minimise scratches, dents or metallic paint chips on your car.

Not too sure about midnight sky diy paint kit but I have some very minor lines on the side of the skirting front bumper. I suspect caused by motorcycles. Will ask the service centre and see if they can do this minor touch-up. Otherwise, it is fine to me as the lines are minor and not very conspicuous.

A 2.0-litre Turbocharged engine in a small to mid-sized sedan such as the BMW 320d will certainly have much quicker acceleration than the Ford Focus. The Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost(Turbocharged) already clocked an impressive 6.5s in a 0-100km/h dash.

If compared amongst the common non-Turbocharged 2.0-litre engines, the standard Focus 2.0-litre 0-100km/h acceleration at sub 8.0s (claimed 8.7s) is already most powerful in its class. The Nissan Sylphy 2.0 only managed about 10.5s in a 0-100km/h dash whilst other more powerful 2.0-litre sedans register about 10.0s +/-. Due to the high horsepower, acceleration at higher speeds say from 100km/h to 160km/h will be more effortless and quicker than most vehicles in the similar class.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Dec 27 2013, 03:29 PM

Yes, stability at high speeds is top notch with the Focus. Guess this is a strong trait of the Ford in comparison to the Japanese. The Nissan Sylphy feels unstable at higher speeds due to the soft comfort-tuned suspension and high centre of gravity. The Focus sits lower to the ground and somehow the chassis and suspension feel rock solid when cruising at higher speeds up to 160km/h. Nissan vehicles(Sentra and Sylphy) are somehow not designed for sporty drive and are more towards comfort.

If one is passionate about speed, acceleration power and a sportier drive or handling, the Focus delivers. Feels nice to be in the cockpit everytime I step into the vehicle. :-)

The suspension of the Focus is not so suitable on bad uneven roads. So the best is to drive slower on these roads. As I have mentioned earlier, the suspension transmits the undulations or imperfections of the roads into the cabin and to the driver more effectively than some stiffer suspension setups such as the Proton Preve Turbo, or comfort-tuned suspensions such as the Nissan Sylphy. This is the bad aspect of the suspension setup of the Ford Focus when traveling on bad uneven roads.

The good aspect of the Focus' suspension is it contributes more to the stability at higher speeds when on the highways with the better road feedback. It will feel less bouncier ie. more stable, when the vehicle is going over undulating or wavy (good-conditioned) roads at higher speeds due to the nature of the suspension setup. In contrary, vehicles with stiffer or comfort-tuned suspensions will feel bouncier or springy(less stable) when cruising at high speeds on these undulating road surfaces.

For bad conditioned roads, uneven and with some potholes etc. vehicles such as Proton Preve or Nissan Sylphy with stiffer suspension/absorbers will absorb the imperfections of the roads more effectively than the suspension of the Focus. You can literally drive on these bad roads at higher speeds and still feel fairly comfortable. But not with the Focus as the suspension transmits the imperfections effectively into the cabin, turning it into a more uncomfortable experience.

But on the highways especially at higher speeds, then it's a different story. The Ford Focus will feel stable and rock solid whereas those vehicles which drive well on bad surfaces(Nissan Sylphy for instance) will rock like a boat and feel unstable.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Dec 27 2013, 04:50 PM

I usually try to go on non-peak hours the first thing in the morning before 11am. In the afternoon it's pure luck. Sometimes we can get good parking too depending on luck if on "peak hours".

Talking about parking. I was about to have buffet Christmas dinner at the Sunway hotel and the parking at Sunway Pyramid was so full that cars were literally lining up even on the roadside. A total mess. Lesson learnt is to avoid going to the shopping malls during festive seasons "peak hours".

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Dec 27 2013, 04:52 PM

Pumped RON97 first time with about 1/5 of RON95 fuel left in the tank. Have to monitor further with 2nd tank of RON97 later but initial impressions are smoother acceleration and more effortless acceleration at high cruising speeds on the highways. Didn't manage to gauge the difference in fuel consumption as I definitely burnt more fuel with RON97 earlier this morning as I went above 200km/h (for the first time) when traveling from Melaka back to KL. Stability is very good and rock solid, and pickup from anywhere between 120km/h to 180km/h is effortless.

Jerking at low speeds is not an issue anymore but grinding sound when going uphill at low speeds (especially with speed bumps in between) is present. I think the grinding sound is inherent in the vehicle, though it is not very loud to the point of being a nuisance. It's acceptable to me.

My in-laws are from Melaka. Yes, first time I breached 200km/h after more than 15 years of driving. It is still early in the morning before 6.30am and the Melaka to Seremban stretch does not have many vehicles at that time.

So you have only managed about 10.5s with the Focus in a 0-100km/h dash. That is about the same time as the Nissan Sylphy (an owner tried that once as well). Quite far off from the claimed 8.7s. I wonder if it is more ideal to accelerate with D or Sports mode from standstill in registering a quicker time. In Sports mode, perhaps upshifting manually when the revs are close to redline would register a quicker time as most often the vehicle will tend to drag a bit at a certain rpm before upshifting, resulting in a slight loss in time and speed.

Wind noise of the Focus is certainly not spectacular. I share the same observation. My previous vehicle the Nissan Sylphy is quieter than the Focus on this aspect. I think Thanish tried the 3M door tape already, not too sure if the results have yielded some noticeable improvements.

Other than that, tyre noise is also quite loud.

The slower you go, the more obvious the grinding sound will be. Yes, I am starting to think it is normal for the Powershift transmission. Similarly, as long as the sound isn't too loud then it's okay. The grinding sound is most apparent, ie. at its loudest when one is going uphill at slow speeds. You will hear it easily especially if you are very gentle on the pedal, the vehicle going slowly up a steep slow with speed bumps in between whereby you need to brake and then step on the pedal again, gently, to accelerate the vehicle. Fortunately, my car is not jerking so much now even at crawling speeds.

Yes, too many traffic lights in Melaka. Anyway, there are not many straight leveled roads to test the acceleration of the Focus anyway. Apart from the curve road, if the road is slightly uphill(not exactly leveled), that may affect the acceleration time too I think, other than the method of measurement. Anyway, the acceleration and power of the Focus are certainly stellar. Not only 0 to 100km/h but 100km/h to near top speed.

Yes, can't do much about the tyres. The current tyres won't wear out so soon. Similarly I am eyeing the Yokohama Advan DBV551 but with the current escalating cost of living next year, will need to practice some moderation. Will try another RON97 topup before I switch back to RON95.

Yes, I have accepted the grinding sound as it is. If driving uphill especially with speed bumps along the road(you have to drive slowly approaching speed bump and that is when the grinding sound will come up), then the grinding sound will be quite loud.

I believe the Titanium and Sports do not have the same tyres. If your tyres are Michelin then I guess you have the Focus Sports. Mine is the sedan and it comes with Goodyear Assurance FuelMax tyres. It is a budget to mid-level tyres more toward fuel economy and not really the quiet type of tyres.

I think the Michelin tyres on the Sports may be quieter than the Goodyear tyres on the Titanium.

You may want to try RON97 (2 tanks) and try again before the government decides to raise the price of petrol again next year which will further contribute to the spiralling in cost of living(next year is looking gloomy). I haven't really compared in detail, but with RON97 the acceleration feels effortless. It reaches 200km/h without breaking much sweat and the needle still keeps going up on the speedometer when you floor it.

The jerking of the Focus is not really as serious as some might have implied. No doubt it's there during low speed gear change, but it is quite subtle in most cases, ie. light footwork. The jerks are only more prominent when you step harder on the pedal. It's just like when you want the car to accelerate quicker and you floor the pedal. The vehicle will lunge forward and jerk more strongly when changing gears.

Sometimes the jerks will inject some adrenaline into the drive too. If one loves speed and a sportier drive, the jerks during hard acceleration may give an exhilarating feel to the driver. Imagine the whole body being pushed strongly to the seat when the driver steps hard on the pedal as he feels the gears upshifting with each and every jerks. The car just feels lively with the jerks.

There are some cars with transmissions that are as smooth as butter, mostly vehicles that operate on CVT. I've owned and driven 3 vehicles with CVTs that drive smoothly - Nissan Sylphy, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Proton Preve Turbo. Minimal or no jerks in all driving conditions. Nevertheless, the aspects that I don't like about these vehicles are they felt HEAVY and slightly lethargic, and there is a slight lag between the moment one steps on the pedal and the moment the car starts to accelerate, especially in low speed acceleration. In comparison, the Ford Focus felt light.

Apart from the impressive specs on paper (high horsepower and torque numbers in the 2.0-litre engine), I believe the Powershift transmission plays a major part in contributing to the powerful (jerky) acceleration of the Focus which in turn gave it a "light" feel on the roads. The Nissan Sylphy and particularly the Proton Preve Turbo and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport feel "heavy" even though it drives smoothly.

If choosing between the jerky Focus and the smooth Preve Turbo, Sylphy and Pajero Sport, I would definitely pick the Focus for its lightness during acceleration.

Of course, handling and driving dynamics are another matter. :-)

Personally I think the Focus suits those who prefer a more sporty drive. Sometimes, some jerks are good too. A livelier drive, more life. A drive that is as smooth as butter may be a bit boring and bland, in my opinion. Horses for courses.

Just came back from the SC to complain on the friction sound when turning the steering wheel left or right. Apparently the mechanic didn't hear it so I hopped into the vehicle and go for another 2nd round of drive and showed him the sound does exist. We agreed the sound from the steering wheel is quite soft, and he informed it is normal due to the EPS. He said there is nothing that can be done, but if the sound gets louder then they will consider replacing the pump for the EPS or something, which is responsible for the sound from the EPS.

Apart from that, they claimed some bolts were tightened when I complained on a thud or knocking sound from the suspension when going over bumps. Will need to monitor further on this though so far the suspension seems quieter.

As for the jerks and grinding sound, I did put in the complain though they are not very serious. The mechanic who test drive concurred that the vehicle drives well and doesn't exhibit serious judders, so he didn't update the software for me. I did tell him that I don't want my vehicle to experience greater shudder with the new software update, and since the vehicle seems to drive well now, the software is not updated and remains as it is.

A complain on a slight gap on the front speaker cover at the dashboard, and the part was ordered. Approximately one month waiting period for the part to arrive.

By the way, the service is acceptable but waiting period, in my opinion is too long. Chatted with two guys at the SC and similarly they thought the waiting period is too long. One guy was servicing his Focus Titanium 10,000km mileage and instead of half day leave, he used up a whole day. The service drags on until about 4.00pm from 8.00am in the morning for the 10,000km service. The other guy who only had one complaint on the shudder when braking waited in the SC from 8.30am until 3.00pm.

By the way, another Focus Titanium user who arrived at the same time with me also has this sound from the steering wheel. Not too sure whether he got his rectified. He did mention the jerks on his car are very bad, and that is the main reason he had brought the car into the SC to have it looked at. I guess the SC would have updated the software for his vehicle.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Jan 9 2014, 07:00 PM

Sorry, it is the 20,000km service and not 10,000km service. Perhaps the 20,000km service takes a longer time than the 10,000km service.

The service centre is SDAJ PJ.

Any chance you have sound from the steering wheel of your vehicle?

Thanks for the information. Yes, the "sticky" noise, something like plastic rubbing against each other. Not only when the car is stationary, but when making a 90 degrees turn at a T-junction, left or right, I have this sound from the steering wheel. The sound is not very loud, so I will just leave it as it is for now. If the sound gets louder then only it can be classified as a defect, as advised by the mechanic, in which they will replace the pump for the EPS, if I recall correctly.

Yes, the Focus is a great car to drive. Great power and handling. Focus ST is in manual transmission though. If it comes in Powershift transmission and is capable of doing 0-100km/h in 6.2s then it would be a very desirable machine. :-)

Read the Top Gear magazine when at the SC and there was this article written by David May, quite interesting. He mentioned top speed is not important, but the accceleration from 50km/h to 100km/h is the one that is important. It is what that differentiates between a boring and fun car to drive.

I think the wiper is good and cleans reasonably well. It is surely better than the wipers on my previous and current cars. I particularly like the configuration whereby the right wiper goes clockwise and the left wiper goes anti-clockwise since in this way the set of wipers cover a larger area on the windscreen. On most vehicles, the wipers only go in one direction that is clockwise. Haven't tried silicon wiper with droplet effect though.

I noticed the current batch of Ford Focus Titanium comes in Michelin Premacy LC tyres. My batch comes with the Goodyear Assurance Fuelmax. Personally I suppose the Michelin Premacy LC tyres will be quieter than the Goodyear.

I was told that although Yokohama tyres are quiet, they wear out very fast due to the soft rubber.

If anybody had changed the tyres on their Focus, I would appreciate if some feedback can be posted here.

Yes it does. Unfortunately the suspension setup of the Focus is quite noisy on uneven or bad-surfaced roads. One of my colleague who is driving the Focus diesel(forgotten the model) also mentioned that his sister commented why the suspension of the Focus makes so much noise as if something is going to fall out.

Some comfort-tuned suspension types which are more quiet are from the likes of Nissan Sylphy, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or Mercedes Benz. These vehicles soak up the shocks and irregularities of the roads more effectively when going over undulations or bumps on the roads whilst the Ford Focus transmits all the "flaws" of the roads + noise into the cabin more effectively than vehicles with more comfort-tuned suspensions. Somehow I do think the suspension of the Focus is tweaked for a more sporty and stable drive but comfort and quietness (on bad-surfaced roads) are not very good.