the rear is fugly.

omg give us the Euro Focus

"Too bad the US must make due with this aged Focus, while Europe gets a much better version."

Come on! Stop complaining and change atitude! The US will never get cars like these while most of the people there thinks that they need something biGGGEERRR with more poWWEERRR!

Everytime there is news about any car, here in this forum, that has less than 200hp people start bitching about it..

keep it that way, and maybe in 10 years you guys will have the actual focus.

Why are Fords always so damn uggly and cheap looking? The dashboard looks like its off a cheap kitchen appliance.

Maybe they bitch about cars with less than 200hp because my 12 year old lexus has 200.

Fugly called - he wants his car back.

I guess when you charge under $15,000 for a car you don't get the top of the line interior. But I also imagine that this won't be the only style interior they offer at the price range. I doubt you are stuck with the massive amount of silver all over the place.

I do agree that it isn't the best looking color scheme but as long as the car is reliable, for under $15,000, over 30mpg, it isn't a bad deal.

It looks better than the previous, but still not something I'd ever buy. I'm sure I'll end up in a rental car one on a business trip...haha.

Why can't Ford hire someone for styling?
First it was suppository looking cars that peaked with the tarus (way to name a car and then style it nothing like the name),
now they can't get past the bars of chrome grill styling -
it's like they're all sporting ghetto grilles...
(like the teeth in case you're too white... look it up)

Heck this looks lots better than the Focus it replaced.

I like the dash and would buy one if I didn't already have a compact.

It's a little flashy and I think it will sell well in the market segment it's targeting.

IMHO. But that much is obvious!

UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! NO WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For a 2008 Ford Contour this is about what it should look like but for a Focus?...A FOCUS???!!! What the hell is wrong with you losers at Ford NA???

And please do us all a favor and don't lay that lame stupid excuse that "duhh it would cost too much to bring the european version here" or "i'm not sure people here in NA would like the way the european version looks" or "We want to enforce our 3 bar logo which will resurrect Ford and become a champion once again"

GM's Saturn division has found a way to make it work and their sales have risen from the grave. I am quite impressed at how they finally listened to the consumer. This is coming from someone who completely hates GM.

And another thing. You think just because you rebadge the poor selling 500 as a Taurus will resurrect the company like it did for you in the mid 80's when you introduced the first Taurus? News flash IT WON'T! Listen closely Going back to the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's for ideas of how to create your new car designs in hopes to wow America with a showstopper is failing miserably, with exception to the mustang but that's just a one time shot. You've failed with the redo of the Thunderbird when you should have just redesigned the 2 door coupe. You kill off the Probe years ago when there is a hot market amongst the younger generation for that type of car. You have no midsized 2 door coupe in your current lineup aside from the Mustang. Believe it or not, not every American falls head over heels for retro design, many crave european designs or something more aerodynamic. Shocking huh? You now carry nothing but boring sedans and gas hogging SUV's (With an exception to the Edge) that are nearly invisible when sitting next to better built and designed imports. You need to Listen to the consumer. Maybe even scrap every car in your line except the mustang and start over with a total redesign from skilled younger talented artists from europe, not a group of old farts who grew up in Tennessee or Michigan who are from the 50's and 60's, set in their ways while enjoying playing politics with the consumer in telling them that this is the car that America should drive. Do you know how many forums and blogs that almost make me sick that cover the Frankfurt auto show, showing their ford designs, and then 40-80 people complaining how Ford NA is screwing us with this boring god awful crap? Almost in every blog or forum they talk about even signing a petition or staging a protest against Ford NA.

You blind as bat losers better find a way to make it work and for god sakes scrap that god awful 3 bar logo and go back to what you used to have or at least get examples from Ford in Australia, UK, or anywhere in Europe.

You have already lost tens of thousands of loyal consumers to the foreign automobile companies, how many more do you plan to lose?

Wow, that was a good rant! I have to agree with NoLove4FORD. I live in europe now but when I was back in Texas, we had 3 fords in the family. A 93 mustang GT, a 96 explorer and mine, a 93 escort GT. I'm not touching ford agian mate! Those cars had issues! And they where ugly too! Only my escort was a bit loveable and that's because it was designed in collaboration with mazda.
Wake up Ford! The last Focus was crap! I hope this one works up a bit better

Wow, Ford managed to make a car that's ugly from all angles. Something not many manufacturers can pull off so completely and totally. Bravo, Bravo.

Now lets see if they can do the same with the Mustang and cause the company to go belly up.

Considering how Ford's have looked for...oh, I don't know...30 years or so, the styling isn't too bad. Could it be better? Sure. But look at the other stuff in Ford's lineup, then look at this. If you have to pick the best looking one, after the Mustang, this one will get the prize.

Yuck. I'll pay the extra for a Mazda 3.

Damn its ugly! It kind of makes me appreciate the fact that you only get this scarecrow in US. Blah!

They are really making fun of you in the US Ford if this is what they are feeding you.

soo fugly!!
I dont understand american cars interior, how long has Jap and Euro cars been making nice looking interiors?? 10-15 years now?? In all that time they couldnt copy or learn from any of them?? the only thing they work on is adding more power and those stupid side grills/vents they put on every car now!!!!!!!

Fords spend more time in the repair shop than on the road !!!!!!
Buy a ford over a honda ,,, did hell freeze over
You must be joking right
I wouldn't be seen in a ford dearship Its just shows poor judgment.

Is it made by Ford or by Mazda that is owned by Ford? I bought a 2007 Ford Focus. It is really nice. I would recomend it to everyone.

er, why dont you yanks get the nice Focus we get over here in the UK and Europe? It's a great car!

We are talking about the lower economic segment of the US buyers. Most of them still have affinity for the American brands.
If that model has semi-decent gas mileage, and the QC keeps improving, they will definitely purchase it, design be damned...

Come on people, that same segment has been buying Ford Focus/Escort, Dodge Plymouth/Neon, Chevy Cavalier/Cobalt for years...

FORD IS LOST! Pretty soon when the Camaro and Charger come out they wont even be able to sell mustangs any more either. They might as well face it and just drop cars altogether and sell only trucks. Their styling has been crap for 20 years now. They are truly lost!

FORD IS LOST! Pretty soon when the Camaro and Charger come out they wont even be able to sell mustangs any more either. They might as well face it and just drop cars altogether and sell only trucks. Their styling has been crap for 20 years now. They are truly lost!

FORD IS LOST! Pretty soon when the Camaro and Charger come out they wont even be able to sell mustangs any more either. They might as well face it and just drop cars altogether and sell only trucks. Their styling has been crap for 20 years now. They are truly lost!

You know what? I like it a lot better than the old one. It may not be up to par with the Civic (not that good looking a car anyway) as far as quality just because it is after all a Ford. That being said though I can see Ford making an effort to improve over the last model. And to be Honest i like the interior a lot better than the usual Ford. It looks like they took some notes frome the imports. I like the blue/white LEDs (better than my ugly amber).

honestjohn,

your statement shows lack of up to date statistics. Ford has greatly increased the quality of the vehicles they produce, and the latest information shows Ford being right behind Toyota. I agree that the older Ford cars had some issues, back in the 90's and maybe early this century, but today they are much better than they were.

Second, just because a car is sold over seas doesn't mean it was designed by a European. I am not sure how many of the European cars have American designers but I know some do.

I know Ford earned a bad reputation over the past decade along with the rest of the domestics, but they have greatly improved on the areas of quality and reliability according to multiple sources. Just because Toyota and Honda have been making good cars for the past 10 years doesn't mean they will continue to. Toyota for example has been slipping in the reliability arena. Alternatively, just because Ford made bad products in the past doesn't mean they are making bad products today. What kind of logic is that? Your post is what shows poor judgement.

"Yuck. I'll pay the extra for a Mazda 3."

Yeah! The story asks "would you buy this over a Civic?"

I wouldn't buy a Civic either! Boring and looks like a well-shaped turd pile! ^_^

And yes, Ford America always tries to cut corners on interior trim and finish - they do not yet realize that interior quality and design can make or break a car sale.

The Fusion has a decent interior, which is why it is selling...people actually want it.

The older version of the Taurus, for example, had a cheap looking, plasic-feeling interior that was a complete put-off for a consumer paying that much for a modern car. Nobody (in their right mind) wanted it!

Anyway, Ford's real problem is that they are stuck in a repeating pattern of "Typicals" and "Mundanes" - here, with the new Focus, they are trying for the "boy racer" look but on the other hand are afraid to disinfranchise Middle America with excessively "forward-looking" (or, possible, excessively "Japanese looking") designs.

I think they might be limiting themselves via "market" - in that I mean they are afraid to step Ford out too far and have it step on Mercury's market of "upscale" or Mazda's market of "exciting" (Mercury marketing = "New doors opened" and the Milan = "fashion and function are a match made in heaven", Mazda = "zoom zoom" and Mazda3 = "rethink what's possible")

blah,

If GM makes a Camaro that doesn't start to fall apart after 40k miles then it might be some competition to the mustang. The reason GM stopped selling Camaros is because they could not sell enough, Mustangs were outselling and taking sells from GM.

As far as the Charger is concerned, it's already out. It's a turd in my opinion. I drove a V-6 charger (I know, not the hemi) but that thing had no get up. The interior was not comfortable. The reason I mention the V6 is because they are probably the highest selling segment of the Camaros(when they were still in production), Mustangs, and Chargers. In the V6 arena Ford wins easily over the Charger. I would take the Stang over that pile any day.

I would buy it if it's a couple of grand less than the Civic. The back end looks fine to me... better than the Civic coupe rear (but I like the Civic sedan rear). It's the front end look that I don't like. I prefer the front end of the Civic. Overall, I think the Civic still looks better.

The style of this Focus is better than the previous model. But the 2005 restyle was a complete waste of time. The only restyle that Ford did that was was worse was when the Windstar morphed into the Freestar. The best looking Focus is still the original.

If I had to buy a Focus, I think going with a used 2003 or 2004 model. Those were the best looking ones and they had worked out most of the problems the 2000/2001 models had.

But if you're gonna look at a Focus, then you have to look at a Mazda3... which is still my favourite small car overall... particularly the Mazdaspeed 3.

Ford America must be happy with where they are, or live in a utopian parallel universe because aside from a couple cars in their lineup, most are still undesirable and second-rate (in terms of build quality, reliability, performance, and styling) to their Japanese and European counterparts.

I'd suggest staying away from a car that touts ambient lighting and "sync" technology over safety and performance. So the car gets 35mpg--do that with the Explorer and I'll be more impressed.

The coupe looks like an uglier and smaller version of the already ugly 2008 Honda Accord coupe. The sedan looks like they took a Nissan Sentra front end and welded it onto something that looks sorta, kinda like a BMW 3 series. The center stack reminds me of the one in the Volvo S40, until you take a look at it from the side and realize, my Lord, whoever designed this has bad taste. And I don't know about you, but that is the ugliest steering wheel I've seen in a long time.

I liked the old Focus better, and Ford demonstrates to us once again on how to effectively kill off successful models by introducing version 2.0 trash. Thanks for wasting Earth's resources on this.

Please give us the Euro model....

The Euro ST is a fantastic car, the volvo 5 cylinder turbo is something to behold, it will make a camero / mustang V8 blush in straight line, never mind going round a corner.

Frankly, I think Ford is f-d... And I'm the son of a Ford retiree, and I own & love my 2001 Mustang Bullitt! Am I the only one who thinks this car looks way too much like a '98 Contour? Wake up Ford, it's pathetic!
Ford has tried and tried again to build the "world car"--the '81 Escort, the '95 Contour... The formula is simple--design the car there and build it here. If us redneck Americans want "more vrooooom" then pop in a more powerful engine made for the US market. That's what the Japs do... That's what the Koreans do... The European cars usually have cheap interior options, so that's no excuse. So why is it that Ford needs to have completely different models for every continent?
Ford needs to wake up and realize that Americans can now see what cars are offered worldwide (thanks to "da Intarweb"). Until someone at Ford realizes that, they will continue to fall into obscurity.

zero constructive posts once again....

Everyone has thier likes and dislikes in automobiles. You cannot always please everyone. You complain about the Taurus yet it was one of if not the most purchased vehicle for a long time, even with its poor mechanical track record.

No auto maker is immune to putting out some sort of trash, and in defense of ford how hard is it for Asian car companies to produce ugly cars or copy other vehicle designs from every other model in thier lineup? Every nissan looks like a large medium and small version of each other with the exception of the 350. Which is exactly like oldsmobiles last models did the same thing...

The fact of the matter is, fords are far better running vehicles now than they have been in the past, some of the work they did with Mazda was very well designed.

While I agree you cannot compare European cars to US vehicles there is a stile difference there (The 80s Ford Escort in europe was a way better car than the US looks wise) they are better than they were.

I test drove a Focus before bying my Explorer, I also test drove a Mazda 6 which I liked alot but the little woman wanted the 3rd row seating.

BTW I also drive a GM (Saturn Ion Coupe) Its just a shy off low grade interior itself but I like the 35 MPG more than I care about plastic. Image is not always everything so is getting to work reliably.

Interior looks nice, matches the recent concepts Ford introduced, but he coupe is dreadful, it reminds me of the ZX2, which is by far one of the ugliest cars ever made.

And why the hell is this still the 1st gen focus when European version (I think, correct me of I' wrong) gets a brand spanking new redesigned car and platform....

Well, since this is the car they are giving us, I guess the only question that should be asked of Ford is...

How large of a rebate will they have to offer the consumer to move this turd off the lots?

I read "Too bad the US must make due with this aged Focus, while Europe gets a much better version."
What kind of rubbish is this!.
The European Focus is designed and engineered in Europe. We didn't get it from Ford America.
If you want the European Focus you have to be prepared to pay at least 2000$ extra for a basic model.
As I understand Americans are not willing to pay this amount of money for a 'little' car. That is uour problem.
We do however. Try to sell this 'old Focus' in Europe if you want, You will not be able to sell many, even if it's dirt cheap.

Don:

Take into account that the Taurus was also selling so well due to rental and fleet sales. I wouldn't exactly call that a design or marketing win...

Ford is better than they used to be but that's not enough They have to be better than Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, not the Old Ford. I think at this point Hyundai is out selling them in the US (excluding trucks), I know the Sonata out sells the Fusion.

Gary,

Ford quality is second to Toyota according to reports. We will see over the next few years how that relates to reliability but I imagine it should go up with the quality increase.

Finally, new fodder for us to bash Ford with. I was getting tired of the same old F-150, Five Hundred (oops Taurus), and Explorer jokes.

Lets see..... nearly 10 year old platform? Check. Substandard interior quality? Check. Outdated engine? Check. America-only people complaining that its not to bad of car? Check.

Yep, its a Ford.

"You complain about the Taurus yet it was one of if not the most purchased vehicle for a long time, even with its poor mechanical track record."

And what does this tell us? Americans are f-ing morons. Though, we already knew this after they started paying $200 for a hideous shirt just because it had the name "Tommy Hillfiger" on it.

Allen,

we are complaining about it not being a bad car? That doesn't make sense.

You people really don't care about any facts do you? I could post articles and stats all day long and you guys would just use your opinion as a factual reference.

Allen, what other companies are still running the same blocks from the late 90's?

Jeez Remy, take a break. You're gonna pop a vein soon.

@snake
"I wouldn't buy a Civic either! Boring and looks like a well-shaped turd pile! ^_^"

My boring turdpile just turned 180k. Original clutch, 2nd set of brakes, 3rd set of tires at 170k. Timing belt changed at 120k and I am still getting 36 - 39mpg freeway.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my Ford Escape has a warped head and 6 burnt valves at 60k and is on it's second set of brakes.

I'll take the civic...or a mazda 3...or a corolla or something from a us manufacturer that comes with a lifetime powertrain warantee.

Remy LeBeau,

you make some pretty broad generalizations, and the comments you have made thus far really make you look ignorant. Maybe you have never been here, or maybe you haven't spent much time here. Well, I have been all over the world. I have spent time in many different countries, and we for the most part are the same as the rest of the people. Do some people here spent a retarded amount of money for things they shouldn't? Of course, but to act as if it doesn't happen in other countries would be stupid.

Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV. And, if you happen to have spent some time in America then you need to stop using such a broad brush to paint a picture. I don't know why you hate Americans so much but I can tell you that hating people will get you know where in life.

"And, if you happen to have spent some time in America then you need to stop using such a broad brush to paint a picture. I don't know why you hate Americans so much but I can tell you that hating people will get you know where in life."

Haha. I live in Ohio, pal. Why do I hate Americans? Because I'm objective enough to realize how stupid the people in my own country truly are. Are there exceptions? Sure, I'm one of them. But it's a sad fact that most people in this country really are that dumb.

"Of course, but to act as if it doesn't happen in other countries would be stupid."

Never said it didn't - I just highly doubt that you'll find such a large percentage of the population doing it in other countries.

How much time have you spent in foreign countries?

How much time have you spent in foreign countries? Do you base your claims on experience or studies?

You sound like you harbor quite a bit of animosity. Why should you care what the hell other people buy? If they want to buy something, let them buy it. Who are you to judge people that want to spend $200 on a piece of clothing? If it's worth $200 to them well then great. You honestly might want to go to a counselor.

I am not sure what is going on in Ohio, but how large is this number? What percentage of people are "stupid" here?

Once again, how much time have you spent in other countries? You are basing these accusations on personal experience am I correct? So, without experiencing other countries how can you make an accurate conclusion? What is it that has made Americans dumb that doesn't exist in the rest of the world?

If you were truly objective you would realize that it's not just America buddy.

I've been to several countries and never encountered the blatant stupidity you do in the US. I'm not talking about spending lots of money on crap, I'm talking about the fact that the typical American is so dumb they can't even order food properly when they go into a simple fast food restaurant. Don't believe me? Go hang around for an hour or two listening to people order at the local *insert name of restaurant here*. You'd be amazed at what you'll hear.

That same stupidity carries over into purchasing things like cars - you constantly hear the morons saying things like "I done want my money to stay in Amuurica!" - which is amusing since the American cars they buy are built in Mexico and Canada, yet you see BMW's, Toyota's, Honda's, etc being built in the US. These idiots also foam at the mouth if you buy a car based on the best product for a given price instead of buying based on what country the parent company is from.

You really should stop blindly saying "MY COUNTRY IS THE BEST!!!" and start looking at your fellow citizens. If you do, I'm sure your "GO AMERICA!" feelings will vanish quite quickly.

The car looks alright to me. It's better than anything else their building.

whoa,

I was never once saying that my country is the best or anything of the sort. I guess my main problem with your statement is that when you make the comment like "americans are stupid" (paraphrasing), I feel like I am being attacked, since I am American.

I also have spent a substantial amount of time in other countries. I have been to a number of different places in the world. I did meet my fair share of ignorant people. I am not calling them stupid because they just didn't know any better.

I however normally do not witness the things you speak of. I have never worked in the fast food industry though. I live in TX(go ahead and make whatever crack you like) and while there are some rednecks around, their are also a large number of well educated people. I don't mind rednecks for the most part, if it came down to it a world wide meltdown, they would survive better than most.

I guess I just don't judge people the way you seem to be doing. I can look at a stupid person and they don't get under my skin for the simple fact they are stupid. I just go on with my life and if possible I try to educate them a little bit. If they refuse, it's no big deal.

While you seem to think I have a pro America attitude, which I assure I only try to give credit where it's due, you really seem to have a anti American attitude. Your comments make it seem like you hate this country. From my experience in other parts of the world, we really don't have it that bad here. Sure we have our own set of problems but, it could be so much worse.

I am not a blind fanboy, I too try to look at things objectively and simply disagree with your stance on the population of this country. I don't disagree on all points but I disagree with your overall stance.

"I don't disagree on all points but I disagree with your overall stance."

Ah, but at least you're intelligent enough to think about these things at all, thereby showing that you yourself are on of the exceptions.

= )

Well thanks for the vote of confidence. I took what you posted the wrong way. I think if you worded that a bit differently I wouldn't have reacted the way I did. But, it's all good. I understand what you were saying, I just don't experience the same things on a regular basis and feel that it's more a human thing than an American thing.

*looks at the sparing between Remy and Wes*

fuck yalls, I'm going to Canada

To answer the question: would I ever buy this over a Civic?

Answer would: Depends, have to drive it, but if I just judged on looks and reputation. Then No. If I'm budget concenus and open minded about Ford, then maybe.

To give credit to where it's due, Ford has been making a comeback that I don't think maybe people are taking notice. I've always been and still am an import fan. I love Honda's and am currently driving a VW GTI and love it. However, I do believe that the Ford Fusion is a strong contender and if they implemented anything from the Fusion into this Focus, it might be worth a look.

Allen,

mmmmk.....

I would NOT buy it over a Civic because its TOO economically priced when they engendered the car(using the old chassis/ engine.
if the world wide model was available for $1500 I would give that consideration
Mexico gets a sedan based on the world wide modal
price conversion $15295 www.ford.com.mx
us modal starts 13715 www.ford.com
also bring back the ST170 (I dont know if that is the US model name I live in Canada)

Call me strange, but I actually like the exterior styling. My problem is with the interior. Mainly the layout of the stereo that makes it extremely difficult to easily or tastefully put in the aftermarket unit of your choice. Seems like all new cars are like that these days though.
In a year and a half or so I'll be looking for a new small car that gets good mileage. I'll at least go check one out, but most likley I'll be buying a Mazda 3 or Lancer...

Blah.

Wes:
I know the charger is out I meant the challenger. When the challenger and camaro make it out the stangs are not gonna sell!

Wow...I drove this Focus. It runs much faster and quieter than the Civic...and the Civic costs more. Wait till you have service on that Honda...tune up, alignments and even the silly battery costs almost twice as much. Nobody ever talks about that. I'm over 6 ft and sit nicely in this car. The Civic sits so darn low, you can't see much ahead of you. I worry driving such a low profile car...not to mention if I was in an accident. Honda sure has lost its previous status of quality and style. I'm buying American this time.

Import Owners Syndrome...its proven again with many of the negative comments. It wouldn't matter what Ford or the other Big 3 True American car companies came out with...they will never choose American. They don't care that the Focus is much faster, more solid and quieter than the inferior civic...instead they use their only defense: "Perception!". Its their shallow syndrome. No facts..just verbal outbursts. Its really ironic how most woman and minorities buy asian cars. Yes, asian cars are from the countries that treat women as second class citizens...but gladly take their money. They build the Toyota, Honda and Nissan plants here...but are given tax free abatements, while Ford and GM have been building cars here and paying taxes (no abatements) for 100 years. They don't want to hear that.These critics are only qualified to do one thing: "whine!" There is an old saying: The person that bites the hand that feeds them, licks the boot that kicks them!"

I think this Focus is much better than the model before. This one may have just what it takes to get the people that want an economy car. I think Ford is coming along slowly though they have some road ahead of them. New technologies found in the 2008 Focus are an advantage though. And this car is one "green car" compared to other models of its category.

I agree with NoLove4Ford fo only one thing: about the Probe. I owned a 95 GT and i loved that car even though it broke more than a civic or corolla would have. It had a sporty feel all around and wa really fun to drive. I think they should try to redesign the probe and give it a nice reliable engine and easily tunable which will probably get tuning enthousiasts around Ford. I thought about it last night and i came to the conclusion that after owning the V6 model they shouldn't remake the Probe with a 4 cylinder (for a GT version i mean). It would take away the "GT" feel. Take a look at the Hyundai Tiburon: It came in 3 models: SE, GT and Tuscani. Respectively 4 cyl. 2.0L, V6 2.5L and V6 2.7L. Ford should do the same with the probe if they would remake it someday that is. Like maybe a 4 cyl. 2.0L for a base version and make a new V6 2.5L or simply take the one from the Mazda 6 and tune it to be sportier.

Back to the Focus, a good step towards success though Ford has a long way to go. I may not like Ford's too much but I acknowledge their efforts and also their ideas for the company's future.

I might have to put this under the microscope for a while for further study. Why?

It's a ford... that I ACTUALLY LIKE!

Well, I just bought "2" 2008 Ford Focus SES models fully loaded! I couldn't decide which Color to get so I got the red one and a blue one. The cars run GREAT!!!!! Gas mileage is wonderfull! in fact on the first drive today 132 miles I got 42 miles to the gallon!. That's a hell of a lot better then my 91 Caprice. I feel the cars are a great buy!!!! and I found out that when you buy 2 of them and pay cash they give you a good deal! I recommend everyone gets one of these!!