FL2 has gone in today for blue smoke on start up issue. They have given me a 61 plate Ford Focus. Here are my thoughts:

Ignoring the controversial looks for a moment, quite a nice car but this was fairly low spec with wind down rear windows and no climate control. The speedometer and rev counter etc are superb, well lit and extremely clear. The seats are supportive and the ride is very comfortable and smooth. I did notice an awful lot of creaking from the suspension over the speed bumps though.

Interior fit and finish is good but the dashboard sweeps and curves quite unusually. I dislike the somewhat cluttered button arrangement and the controls for the on board computer are all on the steering wheel and on higher spec models there are even more buttons all over the wheel. The cruise control button is in the same place as the headlight dial on the FL2 which is odd and the rear wiper is operated by a switch on the end of the wiper stalk which is counter intuitive too.

It is pretty spacious with a large enough boot. As for performance I have no idea which engine it has but it is petrol and it is underpowered. I suspect it is the entry level 1.6 which is quick enough off the mark with a nice gear change but needs to be revved hard to get the best out of it and it will get tiresome on long journeys due to only having 5 gears. That said, at lower speeds the engine is superbly smooth and so quiet to the point where you wonder if it is running when stationary. A welcome break from diesel clatter. 37mpg was stated on the computer but if you want a petrol in this car, best bet would be the 1.6 turbo ecoboost model. 150bhp and 180bhp versions available with the latter doing 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and apparently capable of 47mpg.

Overall not a bad motor at all (despite the 'peasant' badge that the snob brigade will scoff at). Perhaps the diesels would be better...

Any thoughts on the Focus? Some say very ugly car.... LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Pile of crap! Ford= Fetch Off Rubbish Dump

I use a Mk 2 Focus RS as my own car and have found that the Mk 3 lacks a lot of things that made the Mk2 appealing.

Taking away the speed for a moment, the boot is quite literally 1/3rd smaller on the current one and while the dash board looks about 20 years more modern, there's so much less space inside. It's like moving from a Focus to a Fiesta.

The late Mk 2 was much more distinctive looking car, especially from the back. The Mk 3 is pretty forgettable.

landy19840 wrote:

Pile of crap! Ford= Fetch Off Rubbish Dump

Personal experience, we have fords at work and they are all plasticky and cheap! Ok for the meat heads, and the big fat monkey fingers, but they still break them!

The top specs are ok and have some nice toys, like new top spec mondeo or rs focus!

Saying that tho the 2004 mondeo st we had blow its head and mashed the gearbox!

landy19840 wrote:

Pile of crap! Ford= Fetch Off Rubbish Dump

Ford Owners Recommend Dacia's

FORD = FU#KED ON RAINY DAYS

Don't forget a great deal of our glorious FL2's is thanks to FORD 2002 Honda VFR800
2002 Toyota Celica 140 Silver (mid life crisis - again!)
2007 FL2 GS Manual Army Reconnaissance Green + freel2.com sticker
2004 Toyota Celica 140 Black - Gone
2000 Toyota Celica 140 Silver - Gone
1998 Toyota Celica ST Pearl Green - Gone
1996 Nissan Primera 1.6 - Gone
1994 Rover Montego 1.6 Auto - Gone

This is very true, all the pictures of problematic parts and failed pieces remind us of this with those immortal letters stamped on the part FoMoCo

I had a Focus in Northern ireland as a hire car, wasnt bad really, did what it should, as a day to day runabout it was relaxed and comfortable, although as previously mentioned, for a car growing in size on the outside, the interior space was quite small?

poor old fords !!

I once hired a Mk 2 Focus for work and was really impressed with the gearchange and the handling, brilliant feedback.

my daughter has had a Ka since new, ( 55 plate ) and although it has been very reliable, even although she is not very mechanical sympathetic, I am disappointed with the amount of rust appearing.

last ford I actually owned was a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina and at that time, early 70's, would blow most off the road !!
although she did need constant attention to keep running sweet. ( a bit like a wife )

always fancied a Mk 2 1600E, but never managed to own one.

Iain

Its strange how you FL2 owners run down Fords as a lot of Ford influence is involved in the FR2 !

I also own a Ford Fiesta TDCi 1.6. Pile of crap its not. Reliability has been fabulous unlike my biggest piece of junk FR2 at nearly 3 times the price that cant make a journey without breaking down or not starting !
Our Fiesta is our 5Th TDCi and they have all been excellent infact in 4 years its had 1 fan speed controller and a headlight bulb , Infact i can go as far as to say Ford diagnosed the fan speed controller in one visit, fitted and tested and fault cleared so far superior service at my Ford Dealership than I have ever had at Landrover.
I have had 3 fan speed controllers on my FR2 & the first one took 10 days to diagnose , and only after £1000+ in parts had already been fitted !. I then had to wait a week for the part !!!!! When it failed the 2nd time they refused to believe it had failed.
I must add I have never had to call Ford Customer service ! My carp FR2, I needed a direct Line for Landrover customer service ! & that was so poor I ended up writing a recorded letter to L/R's MD.
Don't ever knock a car comparing with the likes of reliability a Landrover has to offer or their appalling carp service and after care.

I am not a Ford owner but it seems srtange to me that they are still the best selling cars in the UK.

Surely it cannot be just price that fleet buyers go for them as time off the road is lost revenue.

Looking at reliabilty charts etc they seem to do quite well.

I suspect badge snobbery has a lot to do with it !

Also a top range Mondeo can be had for a lot less than a top range FL2, ok so depreciation is more but overall it probably represents a better choice if you do not need ( want ) FWD and a high driving position, providing you buy initially t the right discounted price.

i have a ford fusion 1.6 zetec has been an excellent car now the wifes after i bought my freelander my only gripe is that its a bit noisey on the m/way this may be due to tyres rainy-city
xs

I have had a number of Fords in the past - all company cars. The best was an Escort van (JVV 433N - shows how long ago that was...) cos it was a sweet engine, had the best gearchange ever and it was the first vehicle I got, 30 minutes after passing my test...

I had subsequently a Ford Fiesta 1.1L which was nice for the time (Old T-reg), then an escort estate, then a Ford Orion 1.3L (awful - stripped 2 cam belts in the first 12 months.) , an XR3i that was very unreliable - got nicknamed the Sh*temobile. That was the last Ford. My abiding memory was of very poor service, grubby service areas, downmarket feel.

So it's a long time since I ventured into a Ford dealership. Might be that they are way more upmarket & have had to do that to compete. I had a number of BMWs - all were excellent, and the dealers were v good (but pricey). The last on was an X3 which cost an arm & a leg to run. Then I got my FL2 last year. I did test drive the new X3, which got lots of praise, but I felt it was dull. The FL2 is still great fun to drive. ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...