As mentioned by Wingwp, instead of reverting to manual mode with the manual gears(or paddle shift), one can opt for the S(Sports) mode too. Both D and S mode should cater for all driving conditions. Heck even D should be sufficient for all driving conditions, S for more spirited drives when going uphill or in racing mode.

No more wind sound above 100km/h. Looks like the rubber strip has somehow seasoned over time. Fuel consumption is not good on highways (as with most cars). In city driving, it's okay for a 2.0-litre car but will not achieve the fuel economy of a small car such as the Myvi or Viva.

Yes, that is the reason I mentioned the paddle shifters on the Preve Turbo isn't fun and feels like a toy. But in D, the acceleration from standstill(0 km/h) especially in city driving and traffic jams is also terrible due to the CVT - 1 second lag coupled by the low frequency drone from the engine which gives a "dragging" feel. Although the paddle shift is bad, I prefer it over the D in city drive and crawling traffic which I feel is even worse.

Maybe the paddle shift in very high-end cars may operate better with less lag. Having said that, I have no qualms that D or S will suffice in all driving conditions which render the paddle shift useless.

For the driver, I don't think there will be issues with headroom even for guys up to 1.83m in height. If there is a space issue, it will likely be the side legroom. Due to the larger centre console at the middle which protrudes into the space where you legs are, chances are your left leg will be very near to the centre console and may be just touching it. Similarly for the front passenger seat where the right leg may be touching the centre console. Personally I do not find this an issue.

Back space is indeed a bit tight if compared to most C-segment cars as it is closer to a B-segment when it comes to space. Although rear legroom of the Focus is not very good for a C-segment, at least it is slightly larger than the new Honda City which is touted to have the largest space and rear legroom of its kind(it is weird to read comments on the good rear space of the Honda City).

If you want a C-segment with good rear legroom and space at the back seat, you may want to look at the Nissan Sylphy. Class leading rear legroom with a wheelbase of 2700mm, largest of its kind for a C-segment. The Focus' wheelbase is 2649mm in comparison, about 50mm less than the Sylphy. Though when it comes to handling the Sylphy will not be able to touch the Focus which is truly a driver's car. The Sylphy on the other hand is a "passenger car" where your passengers sitting at the back seat will stay comfortable. The person sitting at the rear seat may be able to cross his/her legs while enjoying the soft and plush leather seats of the Sylphy (in comparison to the harder leather seats in the Ford Focus).

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Jan 30 2015, 10:28 AM

Yes, if you are 1.78m, the person sitting behind you will surely suffer as the back seat is pushed further behind, reducing the rear legroom. If there is only one person sitting at the back, he/she can sit on the other side, presuming a shorter person (1.56m~1.70m) is sitting at the front passenger seat.

The rear legroom of the Ford Focus is still acceptable. It is not exceptionally cramped, just not as good as other cars such as the Nissan Sylphy. I owned the previous generation Nissan Sylphy and the rear legroom is much larger than the Ford Focus.

I am actually referring to the Proton Preve Turbo and not the Ford Focus when I mentioned on the below.

The Ford Focus's throttle response is a lot better than the Proton Preve, responsive and doesn't have the lag or "draggy" feeling of the Preve Turbo when accelerating from standstill. It's only the slight jerks that may be annoying for some.

On the highways >100km/h, the Focus surely delivers as you will feel the instantaneous speed and power kicking in when you step on the pedal. Coupled by the stability of the car at higher speeds, it is a good performer on the highways. The limiting factors that hinder you from speeding are police speed traps and the amount of vehicles on the roads.

It has been quite a while since I last pumped RON 97. Only tried 2 full tanks last year and did not really gauge the fuel consumption of it relative to RON 95.

May I ask which petrol did you pump or usually use? I only pump Caltex for all my vehicles.

S mode will hold the upshifting of gear longer than D and as such, the RPM with S mode will almost always be higher when compared to D. I find S mode to be particularly useful when going up Genting Highlands, as there is more torque available at higher RPMs for a more spirited and responsive drive.

If you want better handling, the hatchback is the car to get. Before I test-drove the Focus Titanium, I test-drove the Focus Sport. The handling is agile and sharp. Along the straight road, the stability of the Sport felt slightly better. Not that the Titanium is not good, but the Sport does show a bit more composure and didn't bounce as much when going over undulated or uneven roads. Due to the higher levels of stability of the Sport, comfort is sacrificed a bit as you will feel the sharp knocks and all imperfections of the roads more prominently than the Titanium which soaks up these irregularities on the roads more efficiently due to the 205/60R16 tyres. The Sport comes in 17" lower profile tyres.

During cornering at T-junction, the difference in stability and handling between the Sport and Titanium will also be different not only because of the different tyre sizes but also the shape of the car body and the suspension system (I understand the Focus Sport comes in stiffer sports-tuned suspension).

I haven't looked at Mazda 2's interior but from photos they looked high quality. The Ford Focus' interior when compared to most are high quality. The centre console design is a matter of preference, but look at the dashboard material, the door panel and the gear knob. All are solid and well put together. The dashboard feels high quality as it is not black but a brownish grey. The cream colour of the door panels also adds a touch of class in the cabin. The interior quality and colour theme of the Focus are of higher quality than all Japanese equivalents.

The Mazda's 2 interior looks neat and tidy, but haven't really looked at the car in real life.

I presume you have the spare key. Can use that first prior to getting another key. Most keyless car keys are in the region of RM1k+/-. Even the Proton Preve Turbo's keyless key cost RM900+ the last time I asked.

By the way, not too sure if the key settings can be changed for security reasons.

I presume you are referring to the noise when the car is going through bad-surfaced roads or grooved parking ramps where the suspension will produce quite some noises. You are not alone in this. Yes, the suspension of the car is not very quiet when the car is on bad roads. With good roads, the suspension doesn't produce any noise and is quiet.


I've been driving a manual car for more than 10 years also(Proton Waja), alternating between that with the Nissan Sylphy. Both of them had been sold, now I'm on the Ford Focus and Proton Preve Turbo. Can't say I miss manual cars, but I can agree the thrill and sensation when changing gears using the gear stick and while stepping on the clutch, especially if one is into some spirited driving. Nowadays traffic jams everywhere, so an automatic transmission is more practical and preferred.

As for ride and handling, I have no qualms that the Focus is a class above all the Japanese family sedans.

I'm presuming your car model is as below.



If that's the case I'm not surprised the resale value is low as I can barely see this car on the road. The reception of this previous generation model is not very good judging from the low sales of the vehicle. I believe the sales and reception of the current Focus model are better judging from the number of vehicles I see on the roads everyday. Though I dont' expect the resale of the Focus to match that of the Japanese.

I've sold my 5-year old Nissan Sylphy for RM60k+ which is about RM10k to 15k lower than a Civic or Altis. Not sure about the current resale value of the existing Focus model, but I would expect it to be around RM65k-80k for a 3-4 year old model.

The PJ service centre is really packed with appointments. Service appointments are now backlogged up to 3 weeks.

Do you guys have rattling sound at the dashboard top speaker cover and also the steering wheel when the car is going through bad-surfaced roads? There is a bit of rattling sound from these areas when my car goes over these roads. I hope they can get rid of these rattling noises.

The rattling sound is not very loud but it is a bit annoying when it comes up. A quiet car only to be spoiled by these minor rattling noises.

If they drive my car on some bad rough roads, surely they will hear the rattling sound. If they say they cannot hear anything, there must be something wrong with their ears.

I hope they can fix it. The rattling sound only comes up when the car is subjected to some vibration when going over bad uneven-surfaced roads. On good roads, the car is quiet.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Mar 20 2015, 12:21 PM

For normal service you can go to other smaller service centres. Those large number of appointments at the Sime Darby PJ service centre are mainly complaints on defective issues. Usually any problems associated with the car, owners will drive the cars to Sime Darby PJ which is touted to be one of the most effective in troubleshooting problems(well, in Malaysia that is).

Semangat Anggun Klang is okay. Just a small service centre.

Yes, can understand why it was bad as the car is not popular. The Nissan Sylphy is very common on the roads so demand and resale value are there.

Those sports cars are mostly capable of doing 6.0 to 7.0 seconds in a 0-100km/h dash due to the high torque(turbocharged engine or high cc engine). So it is inevitable the Ford Focus will be left behind. But compared with most 2.0 or even 2.4-litre non-turbo cars out there, the Ford Focus can be considered to be quite a powerful car.

I own the Preve Turbo which is essentially the sedan version of the Suprima. As good as the turbo power of the Preve Turbo can be, the acceleration cannot match that of the Focus, mainly due to the CVT. With the Focus, you can literally feel the torque and power kicking in as your whole body gets pushed back to the seat a little with sudden hard acceleration. With the Preve Turbo/Suprima, you don't experience this feel but rather a uniform acceleration.

Not only the power in acceleration but the handling, driving dynamics and cornering of the Focus are superior to the Preve Turbo also due to the higher levels of steering accuracy and sharpness and the more responsive suspension (the suspension of the Focus is more to the soft side but still sporty enough for some spirited drives, compared to the stiffer and bouncier suspension of the Preve Turbo).

It will be interesting if the new Ford Focus has paddle shifts at the steering wheel for manual shifting. I haven't really experienced a car with great paddle shift operation. I have paddle shifters on my other car, the Proton Preve Turbo, but the execution of it is poor due to the preset gear ratios that are set too close together.