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.