Here is a somewhat candid head to head between the Focus and the Skyactiv. The SkyActiv come out tops in terms of performance.

I think I've seen this video before, ford are not losing too far behind thou, it's a close fight.

The interior of the Mazda 3 SKyactiv looks very bland, plasticky and grey. Not as upmarket as the Focus. Some people in the US have test-driven both and results were mixed, but the comments on the bland interior of the Mazda were consistent.

anyone can share with me how to hard reset the Ford sync by removing the fuse? Where's the fuse? Better if there's pictures.

If I'm not mistaken, I saw some post on this before, can't remember in which forum thou.

I tried to use master reset in the Sync Setting yesterday, and it got worst, now even the sync menu is hanging...can't navigate around...

I reset my Ford Sync all the time but I can't tell you specifically which fuse to pull.

If I'm not mistaken it should be the third row from the left and 5th column down. It's a brown fuse with the number 7.5 printed on it. It's definitely at the top row and few columns down.

Good luck.

blinky, why reset all the time?

where's the fuse box...any cover need to be remove? what tools do I need?

Want to ask why there is no Malaysian version of Ford Focus Service Booklet? The Service Booklet I had shows All Ford models except Malaysia and furthermore it shows 20,000 KM or 40,000 KM? Is that normal?

In the context of Malaysia the comparison may not be accurate, since Mazda dropped the compression ratio of the Skyactiv 2.0 to accomodate our fuel.

Want to ask why there is no Malaysian version of Ford Focus Service Booklet? The Service Booklet I had shows All Ford models except Malaysia and furthermore it shows 20,000 KM or 40,000 KM? Is that normal?

Apart from the potential "slight" difference in the Skyactive engine, I presume the interior and fit-n-finish of the new Mazda 3 Skyactiv that we are getting here in Malaysia is the same as the one in the US since it is a global model. After all, the Mazda 3 will be a CBU model in Japan when it is launched here in the earlier phases or batches.

The engine will only affect the power in acceleration. Handling and driving dynamics, I think it will be almost similar.

The interior of the Mazda 3 SKyactiv looks very bland, plasticky and grey. Not as upmarket as the Focus. Some people in the US have test-driven both and results were mixed, but the comments on the bland interior of the Mazda were consistent.

There's a bug in the Ford Sync. If your iPod is too full (mine has 18GB worth of music), sometimes the system won't be able to index the tracks properly. When it happens (probably once every 2 months), I'll reset the fuse.
The fuse box is just underneath the glovebox. You can use your bare hands to remove the cover. I suggest you use a plier to remove the fuse as it's a bit too tiny for the fingers.

did you try to use the "master reset" features in the sync setting? it doesn't help? must do hard reset?

How long we need to keep the fuse removed? 15 minutes before we put it back?

Well, I apologise beforehand but that's where the inaccuracy in your comment lies in your notion that "nobody would want to buy a car package with grinding sound and jerking even if minimal". I think you are speaking for yourself or a minority who have possibly regretted in getting the Focus for these jerks and grinding sound issues.

As mentioned earlier, these issues are very minimal and only occassionally happen at low speeds. Other more receptive or non-critical owners have considered them as non-issues.

I am not sure if your vehicle is showing more serious jerks than other vehicles that had caused much resentment on your part. If it is, then I hope Sime Darby would fix the problem for you soon. If not, then I suppose the jerks and grinding sound are something that is inherent in the Focus, something that cannot go away. Even worldwide reviews had mentioned about these.

Anybody drove up Genting Highlands with the Focus, since there are many comments on the grinding sound of it when going uphill? I was thinking of doing a trip sometime next month just to see how the Focus will perform when going up a steep slope.

The interior of the Mazda 3 SKyactiv looks very bland, plasticky and grey. Not as upmarket as the Focus. Some people in the US have test-driven both and results were mixed, but the comments on the bland interior of the Mazda were consistent.

Anybody drove up Genting Highlands with the Focus, since there are many comments on the grinding sound of it when going uphill? I was thinking of doing a trip sometime next month just to see how the Focus will perform when going up a steep slope.