Not too sure about the current condition since Ford is having promotion for the high-spec Focus + models now with low interest rate. But that would be more to the benefit of the banks I presume. For cash rebates, it may be possible to get better deals if you compare around. I would have paid more for the Focus had I not known about the rebates people are getting on Autoworld.

FWIW I got to know about the standard RM3k rebate for the Focus models from a forummer. THen I go visit the Ford showroom and was quoted only RM1k+ rebate. Another showroom quoted RM3k rebate. Then after that the sales person from the other showroom offered RM3k+ rebate. After that, the salesperson from the other showroom tried to match the discount. Man.. talking about tough competition.

Anyway, for the low interest rate under the promotion, guess it might have an impact to the cash rebates that are on offer now. 8 years is pretty long though. I tried to apply for 3 years loan but the bank wanted minimum 5 years in order to furnish a lower interest rate.

If you got tinting included in the package, then the RM2k discount may be comprehensible. The tint may have cost more than RM1k, so it all adds up.

Where did you get this table, and from which bank? The rates appear to be on the low side. For RM75000 loan the interest rate is only 0.96%? Sure or not?

Just received an email from Ford as below. Shucks.

Thank you for writing in via our Ford website.

We are regret to inform you that the auto cruise control feature found on high-spec models of the Focus cannot be added to the Focus Titanium standard( non ).

Thank you.

Regards
Norapedah Binti Jalil
Customer Care Consultant
Sime Darby Auto ConneXion Sdn Bhd
E-mail :customercare.sdac@simedarby.com

Does anyone know where can we get the original auto cruise control device for the Focus Titanium? Is it available locally? I received information from Ford Focus UK forum that the auto cruise control can be added to the vehicle. As a matter of fact many have fitted the device onto their vehicles themselves.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Sep 20 2013, 01:12 PM

Just the lowest interest rate will do. There is not much "service" that banks provide with loans. The difference in rates between banks are quite small anyway, usually below 0.1%.

Thanks for the information. Guess I will just have to live with the Focus without the Auto cruise control. The Auto cruise control never really appealed to me as I have not used it before after more than 15 years of driving(all my previous cars do not have Auto cruise). However, my 1st experience with the Auto Cruise control in the Preve Turbo just about a month ago changed my perception. Anyway, not a big deal since I don't travel on the highways or go on outstation trips too often. But it is surely a desirable feature to me.

I received information that Ford Thailand will be able to fit the Auto Cruise control feature to the Titanium standard model. However, that is just too troublesome and not worth the effort. Ford's support here is limited, and since the vehicles are imported from Thailand, Sime Darby will not have the expertise to cater for "special demands" here in Malaysia. As long as they have the right equipment to carry out the usual service and troubleshoot all problems, that should do it I guess.

You "read" from forum, I was informed by my sales person that the best service centre for Ford in terms of servicing and troubleshooting problems is the one at Jalan Ipoh in KL. Next is probably the one at PJ.

Don't know about the fuel consumption of the Kuga but it is one good looking SUV. I stumbled upon a Kuga in olive green on Kesas highway last Saturday afternoon and the vehicle looked very handsome and solid at all sides with its high stance and posture. Built like a brick.

Some pictures that I had taken the other day during the tint installation. Took about 3.5 to 4 hours for the job.

Yes, C40 sides. Quite a bit dark in comparison to Sech60.

Hi, I don't have pictures showing the tint in full, but it really depends on the amount of sunlight and the angle of the light that shines on the windscreen. If the vehicle is in a shade and not directly subjected to the sun, the windscreen will be quite clear, and you can view the leather seats in the car quite clearly. However, if the sunlight is directly shining onto the windscreen, then the windscreen may look a bit dark. You will still be able to see the interior of the car though.

The front windscreen is Sech60, all the side windscreens and rear are in C40. Personally I think this combination is just nice although the C40 is a bit dark. I chose the C40 over the Sech60 for the side windscreens as I was told the C40 is slightly more heat efficient than the Sech60(specs also showed this).

C30 is already quite dark, and Smart Windows/Huper Optik don't provide JPJ coverage for it. Sech60 and C40 are still covered under the JPJ (since the shades are still not too dark).

Don't need to pm. I'm quite transparent in this. Basically you will get cheaper prices if you approach (some) Huper Optik dealers directly, bypassing the main distributor, Smart Window. I inquired prices from 3 branches - CK Tint Auto Specialist and Puchong Smart Tints Garage. I believe both are offering the lowest prices - RM1600 for Sech60(front) and C40(sides and rear). Another branch, Speedy Cool in Klang, offered RM2500. Big fluctuation in prices between branches. There are many dealers in Klang Valley here [ http://www.smartwindow.com.my/dealers.html ] and currently the two Puchong branches are offering the lowest price, I believe. You may ask around.

I did my tint through Smart Windows and paid RM1700, which is an additional RM100 extra through my sales advisor. I believe he took a bit of commission out of it. I wanted to help him as he claimed he had given too much discount to me and is not making much(or any) money out of the sale(he just wanted to hit the sales target).

Is the Auto Cruise Control in the Focus Titanium + Normal or Adaptive? From Wikipedia it appears that the Focus supports the Adaptive Cruise Control feature.

Just found out the Auto Cruise Control feature in our high-spec Focus here is the Normal Auto Cruise, not the Adaptive type.

I have checked that in the UK, some of the Focus models come with the Adaptive Cruise Control feature. I wonder why this feature is not available for the Asean market yet.

Google is your friend. :-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_cruise_control

This advanced Adaptive Cruise control takes the normal Cruise Control to a whole new level. If your vehicle speed is set at 110km/h, it will automatically slow down to suit the vehicle's speed in front if it is traveling at say 90km/h. Full automatic function. You don't need to apply the brakes and just let the sensors and electronics in the vehicle do all the work for you.

Of course, all these advanced features may promote "laziness". Full attention and alert will still need to be practiced as the feature will not prevent collisions with stationary objects or in extreme cases such as abrupt vehicle intrusion into your lane.

Handling in steering feel and suspension is top notch and sound levels in the cabin is very quiet. Engine sound is very much subdued and silent. All in all a good car. Test drive to believe it.

Thanks Lowkl.

The Ford Focus Titanium is certainly a joy to drive unlike my previous cars that I have owned. I have not owned or driven many vehicles before though I can safely say that the Focus Titanium certainly provides one of the best handling, quality and package in its cagetory and price range. It's not a BMW or an Audi but one can definitely feel the driving dynamics and quality of the vehicle once in the cockpit and behind the steering wheel.

I don't know what happened to the thread that I"ve posted on the main forum here few days ago as it was taken off by the moderators. In that post I provided my initial impressions on the comparison in handling and driving dynamics between the Proton Preve Turbo and the Focus Titanium. I'll rehash some of that bit over here.

To me, the overall feel, handling and driving dynamics are the core strengths of the Focus. I am particularly impressed by the accuracy and responsiveness of the steering wheel. The steering weight is nimble and just nice, not as heavy as the Preve Turbo or as feather-light as the Nissan Sylphy. It reminds me of my cousin's BMW 320i that I've driven two years ago. It is just a joy to manouevre the vehicle around town or even on the highways with the impeccable and precise steering feel. On sharp bends there is little feeling of oversteer or understeer. You feel as if you are in full control of the vehicle and know how it is going to behave when the roads get complicated ie. undulating, sharp bends or tight corners etc.

The Nissan Sylphy's steering is feather-light and low in feedback in comparison to the Focus. It is still nice to drive the Sylphy around town with its lighter steering weight, though the steering feel is not as responsive or accurate as the Focus. The low steering feedback does not promote a sportier drive and handling as it is difficult to predict the behavior of the vehicle at increased speed levels especially on the bends, further exacerbated by the high profile tyres and soft comfort-tuned suspension. We'll get to the suspension of the Focus shortly.

The Preve Turbo's steering weight is heaver than the Focus which translates to more energy being required to turn the steering. Steering responsiveness of the Preve Turbo is better than the steering of the Nissan, though still doesn't match up to that of the Focus. I just love the steering feel of the Focus. Nimble, accurate and precise are the keywords to describe the steering of the Focus.

Suspension of the Focus - it feels planted to the ground and not as bouncy as the Preve Turbo. The Sylphy is the worst of the lot due to the soft comfort-tuned suspension. Going through bumps and unevenness on the roads, the Focus is unruffled and not as bouncy as the Preve Turbo. There is a certain firmness and solidity in the suspension and yet the ride is still comfortable. Perhaps the work of the Torque Vectoring Control and the Control Blade Independent Rear suspension. Magic.

Power in acceleration. The intermittent jerk at low speeds is improving now with the ride getting smoother. The power is just as expected from a 2.0-litre capacity engine. Impressive.

One thing that i like most about the drivability of the Focus is the instantaneous feedback or reaction with the pedal footwork. There is no lag between the moment when one steps on the pedal and the time the vehicle starts moving. The Nissan Sylphy and Preve Turbo have this 0.5s to 1.0s CVT lag whereby there is a time lag of 0.5-1.0s between the point when one exerts force onto the accelerator with the foot and the moment the vehicle starts moving.

Lastly, NVH. Noise levels are always important to me, and I am a freak when it comes to quietness and absence of rattling and squeaking noises in the car. (I used to try to pin-point the rattling noises in the car by switching off the audio. Any keys, access cards or stuff in the car, I will often try to put them at places where there will be less tendency for them to produce any annoying sound.)

I am happy to report that the Focus is a very quiet vehicle with no rattling noises, even the very minor ones. The sound of the engine is very subdued at moderate speed levels. When the car is stationary, one may feel that the engine is not running yet althought it already is. Wind noise is acceptable, a slight wind noise above 140km/h. Noise from tyres or road noise is the loudest in the Focus that dominates any other sound in the cabin. Although the Nissan Sylphy is inherently a quiet car, in my mind the Focus is at least as quiet as the Sylphy if not quieter than it. The Preve Turbo scores the worst here with the relatively loud engine and CVT sound in all driving conditions. There is some minor rattling noises here and there as well, though not to the point of annoying.

I noticed the stock tyres provided in the Focus Titanium are Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. No wonder the fuel economy is looking good. Silent tyres will be the priority when a tyre replacement is due.

Ok that's all for now. Hopefully the moderators won't delete this one.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Sep 27 2013, 02:44 PM

Thanks. No sound from the suspension when at speedbumps. As a caveat, when I approach any speedbumps, I often drive REALLY slow like a snail. If there is "gruk gruk" sound from the suspension, especially with your very new Focus, then I suspect there is something wrong or a defect somewhere. Perhaps that can be sorted out in the service centre.

Cheers.

Thanks. Good to hear your ears are also sensitive to minor sound just like me. Some people may regard us as "fussy" people to keep focusing on these noises in our Focus. :-)

I guess sooner or later down the road, minor rattling noises will pop up due to wear and tear. It is inevitable as cars are mechanical devices. Just hope it won't get too serious. The mileage is still below 400km so it's still barely run-in. It is good that you can trace the minor sound in your car and get rid of it. I find it difficult to do that in my Preve Turbo as the sound is somewhat coming inside the dashboard or door panels. I've tried pushing and nothing works. Anyway just minor rattling sound that may not be worth bothering about. It is a futile exercise in seeking perfection.