So, the Ford Focus low-spec can now be had at RM99k? Great discount and a good buy for continental quality and handling.

Once you have driven the Ford Focus, it will be difficult to go back to Japanese cars if one loves driving due to the higher levels of handling and performance of the car. The driving dynamics and stability of the Ford Focus are on another level when compared with the Japanese equivalents - Civic, Altis, Sylphy. Perhaps the Mazda 3 may get closer to the Focus in terms of handling and performance, but still I believe the Focus is on another league. The next upgrade from the Ford Focus would be BMW, Merc etc.

If you compare the interior quality of the Ford Focus, you would also notice the higher build quality and material used for the dashboard, door panels etc. when compared to the equivalent Japanese which is of lower quality. One of the main disadvantage of the Focus is in the space at the back seat which is a bit cramped when compared to other C-segments but then the European cars usually do not have a lot of space at the back seat as the Europeans might have considered small kids sitting at the back. For good space at the back the Mondeo would have catered for that.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 7 2015, 02:57 PM

This question depends on the individual. Personally the slightly jerky character of the Powershift DCT transmission at low speed does not bother me now. The jerks were strong during the first 1500km or so, and that is the period they bothered me. Though they have lessened throughout the months, and after one software update, although the jerks are still present they are minimal and do not bother me anymore now. However, other folks who are used to smooth transmissions may not feel the same.

Another side note is the strong chassis of the car during low to moderate speed collisions. My back bumper was knocked by a car sometime last year. A loud bang, and at that time I thought a severe damage had been done. After getting out of the car and inspecting it, I was surprised that there was very little damage to the bumper, only minor scratches. On the other hand, the other car was completely ruined. Photos as below.

My car after the crash:-


The car which hit the back of my car:-


Another Ford Focus owner I spoke to also mentioned on the integrity of the car. He crashed the car at the front portion and thought that was it (expecting bad damage) due to the speed and loud crash. When he came out to inspect the car, he was surprised that there was no dent and damage to the front of the car. The Focus is solidly built.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 7 2015, 05:20 PM

The vinyl wrap at RM3k+/- isn't too costly if compared to glass coating. We did a glass coating at Penang on our CX5 2.5 and that cost RM3k+. I was told in Klang Valley, some quality glass coating will cost up to RM5-6k. Of course there are cheap coatings 1-2k but quality or workmanship is unknown. Sometimes workmanship can be equally or more important than the product itself, the application method etc.

Congratulations for settling down with the Civic 2.0. Since you have bought the Civic, I wouldn't pass comments here on the car.

For the Ford Focus, all the issues may sound serious and discourage potential buyers from considering the car. But in real life, the low-speed jerking and minor vibration at idling are not exactly bothersome issues as the symptoms are rather subtle. There are no more grinding noises and steering rattling (rattling noise in my car is due to a part in the air-cond which was fixed), and there are no oil leaks. Transmission overheating prompts will only come up during abnormal driving conditions and you can still drive you car as normal even if the prompt came up.

Korean cars are never on my list and they will never be. As much as they have improved, they are 3rd rate to me, still behind Japanese in terms of quality and reliability. As a matter of fact, after driving and experiencing the quality of the Focus, there is little chance I will go back even to the reliable Japanese again, considering all the quality not only in the handling and driving dynamics but the quality in the dashboard and interior. The dashboard material and door panels, the leather seats up to the steering wheel and gear knob feel. In all these aspects the Ford Focus is superior to all Japanese. Perhaps the interior design of the Mazda 3 is a bit better due to the futuristic round knob at the centre console which is reminiscent of BMW designs, but the quality in plastic material used in the dashboard and door panel still loses to the Ford Focus.

If you think I'm biased, we have a Mazda CX5 2.5 CBU from Japan. Although the drive of the Mazda is jerkless and smoother when compared to the Focus, as nice as the interior of the Mazda can be, the material of the dashboard and door panel is inferior and not as nice as the plastic tone of the Ford Focus.

The advantage that Japanese cars may have over continentals is in reliability, fewer problems. And cheaper maintenance. That may be one factor that drive people to Japanese cars.

At first I thought the rattling sound comes from the centre speaker cover at the top of the dashboard. But after having the car checked at the service centre, it was found that the rattling sound is actually from somewhere in the air cond and not the centre speaker cover. Now I don't have any rattling sound from the top of dashboard anymore. Just a minor rattling sound from the steering wheel when going over bad rough roads but that sound is negligible and not an issue.

No issues with gear lever. Feels high quality especially the leather on the gear knob. Not sure about the plastic door panel of the sports. The top plastic on the Titanium is textured brownish grey and the bottom plastic is light beige, which is high quality to me. Mine is the Titanium.

The main selling point of the Ford Focus is in the handling and driving dynamics apart from the higher quality interior when compared to Japanese.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 13 2015, 11:32 AM

Sorry, I didn't go inside the workshop to look at how the guy fixed it. It was mentioned that the sound is coming from the air-cond or something.

For any annoying sound, I would suggest that you just send it in to the service centre to have them resolve it. The Sime Darby PJ branch. If the sound is loud enough, I would think they will find a way to the source of the sound and get rid of it.

Yes, forgot to mention sound system is excellent. There is no need to upgrade the sound system as it is great in its stock form. In contrast, the sound system of my other car the Proton Preve Turbo sucks - tinny bass and shrill highs. Voices on the Preve's audio system sounded thin, midrange doesn't sound as rich as the Sony and bass is flat compared to the punchy and textured bass of the Sony audio system in the Focus. WHen compared to the Bose system of the Mazda CX5 2.5, the Bose is slightly cleaner sounding, clearer, but I prefer the more colourful sound of the Sony audio in the Focus - more meaty midrange and punchier bass.

You can likely have the car fixed and returned to you on the same day since it is just a troubleshooting of sound issues and not mechanical or electronics problem. I had my car fixed by lunch time, but you need to send it in first thing in the morning.

Sports mode gets the RPMs higher if you drive at higher speed. If I'm not mistaken the Sports mode is only practical for speeds up to 80km/h or so as above this speed the RPMs are high. It seems like the transmission will stay in 3rd gear and won't upshift in Sports mode even though you keep stepping on the pedal.

Though normal D can be lacklustre when launching the car from standstill. But when the power kicks in, even in D, it's great fun!

For battery warranty, Ford Malaysia will change the battery for free within the first 3 years or 60,000km whichever comes first. Not too sure about the Extended Service plan though, whether the battery warranty is bumped to 5 years/100,000km.

Do they change it during the service, or when the battery had run out of juice and you called them up to change, either towing to the service centre to have the battery changed or some other arrangement?

Thanks.

Tried Sports mode these couple of days. The car jerks more especially in city drive if in Sports mode since it holds the RPMs higher before upshifting/downshifting. Acceleration in D is more uniform, less jerking.

Do others here feel the same?

When the car is already cruising at highway speed there won't be any jerk. It is when accelerating from standstill, 0 to 40km/h during city driving.

Ok. FWIW when overtaking, even in D it is already sufficient and powerful. The S or Sports mode, in my opinion is more useful in certain driving conditions such as when driving up Genting Highlands, or down (although D is equally sufficient in these conditions). If you want to get up to Genting Highlands quicker, then Sports mode is fun as the RPMs are higher and you get more torque at any given speed. But the drive is slightly more jerky, but the jerks can be fun in these conditions, as opposed to annoying in normal driving conditions in city drive.

Can understand the advantages of a car which comes with manual transmission after having driven one for more than 10 years. Yes, if you want instantaneous acceleration without any lag, the S mode can be a more suitable choice than D.

Not too sure about the rear of the car being loose and having small swing on corner. Do you mean you feel the back of the car swinging slightly when you do high speed cornering? FWIW I tested the Focus Sports before and the cornering is more stable than the Focus Titanium.

I agree the cornering of the Focus is excellent. Occasionally when I am in fast-n-furious mood going into a corner, I tried not to apply the brakes and the performance of the car surprised me. Even at pretty high speeds, the car held its own during the corner. The fun part comes when you are out of the corner and you step on the accelerator and the Turbo power instantly kicks in, propelling the car forward like a beast.

Ok noted. My test-drive session of the Focus Sports hatchback is done at pretty low speed even during cornering. But even at low speeds I can feel a certain solidity of the car when compared to the Titanium. Maybe the 17" tyres play a part too. The car felt like it is planted to the ground very firmly.

The suspension of the Focus is to the softer side and not too stiff, hence the car can be wobbly if the roads are undulating. I suppose the Focus is only good for some normal spirited drives but not overly enthusiastic sessions. It balances well between handling and comfort. If the suspension is stiffer which provides better handling/less body roll or feeling of the car losing control etc. , the car wouldn't be so comfortable for everyday driving anymore. The Focus is still comfortable for families (though not as comfortable as Japanese cars) and yet possesses the added handling and driving dynamics for some spirited sprints.

Yes, current suspension of the Focus is great to me as well in providing the best of both worlds in performance/handling and comfort, providing a good balance between the two. I have owned the Nissan Sylphy before and the suspension is not only soft like the Ford Focus but a lot bouncier (which may be more comfortable in soaking up the undulations and imperfections of the roads) but the bouncier the suspension is, the more it will float like a boat. And this will affect handling especially around the corners due to the soft suspension. I have to drive the Nissan very slowly around a bend or corner as there is a tendency or feeling that the car will turn turtle if I drive too fast. But not with the Ford Focus. The suspension of the Ford Focus although soft, does not bounce a lot like some other more comfort-tuned suspensions.

The Proton Preve Turbo's suspension is a lot stiffer than the Ford Focus. People say stiff suspension will be better in handling than softer suspension. But when compared to the Ford Focus, somehow the Focus handling and performance with the softer suspension is superior to the stiffer suspension of the Preve Turbo. The Ford Focus feels rock solid when around the corners and you don't feel the car wobbling, and body roll is minimal. With the Preve Turbo, although the stiffer suspension helps in promoting good handling, I can still feel the car wobbling a bit when around the corners, giving a feel that it is losing a bit of control. As a result, I have to stop stepping on the accelerator or apply the brakes to slow the car down so as it will stabilise. But with the Ford Focus, the car will just go on and on without me having to step on the brakes, and I still cannot seem to test the limits of the car yet.

One thing that I am sure of is the Ford Focus' handling is a level higher than most common cars out there.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 23 2015, 08:27 AM

From Ford Malaysia webpage :-


The AutoConneXion Road Assist is in operation 24 hours, 7 days a week.

We provide a 24 hour Breakdown and Towing Service for accident cases. Vehicles will be towed to the nearest Ford authorised Service Center at a reasonable fee.

The towing service comes with a charge if your Ford vehicle is not insured under the AutoConneXion Motor Insurance Package (ie MSIG or AIG insurance).

If your car's insurance is not MSIG or AIG, you may check with the insurance company as most would have covered the towing up to a certain mileage.