What cars have you recently rented?

Homeslice · 01-03-2012, 01:18 PM

Ford Focus SEL

Ford deserves to be proud of this car. It is leagues better than the prior Focus, which was a boring POS imo. For one thing, it doesn't have any of the slab-sided, boxy styling that plagues most American economy cars like Cobalts, Avengers, Calibers, etc. The catfish grill might be a little overdone, but the rest of the body is excellent.

This SEL version has a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a couple of awesome “bulges” at 10 and 2 o’clock, the way all steering wheels should. Like many Fords, there are adjustable LED mood lights for the footwells, map pockets, cupholder, and door releases. The windshield wipers are cool, because they sweep in opposite directions like a Mercedes. And like a good European car, the turn signals give 3 signals if you blip it for lane changes. The only shortcoming is that the basic seats don't have any lumbar adjustment, but there are better seats available.

The Microsoft “In-Sync” system is ok I guess, if you get off on such things. There is also a bigger system available called My Touch.

The climate control setup is very good --- It has dual climate zones first of all, and it doesn’t turn on the AC compressor unless you push the AC button, unlike some cars that try to make that decision for you.

The steering is VERY good for an economy car. Firm, accurate, etc. Handling is very decent as well. The upcoming Focus ST will be even better. As far as ride quality goes, it’s decent over small bumps, but over larger bumps it bottoms out and sometimes forces the car to step out, revealing the economy origins of the setup.

The brakes are a little too abrupt and over-boosted, IMO.

The tranny is a 6-speed auto, which means good acceleration if you're flooring it, but if you’re just taking it easy, the first 3 gearchanges feel kind of confused & random. It also has a Sport mode which provides higher rpm shifts, and downshifts when you brake.

Overall, I see no point in buying a Fusion over this car. The only thing the Fusion does better is ride quality. I doubt if it offers much more room inside. Plus the Fusion's dashboard sucks IMO.

01-03-2012, 01:18 PM	#9
Homeslice Elitist Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area Moto: Gix 750 Posts: 11,351	Ford Focus SEL Ford deserves to be proud of this car. It is leagues better than the prior Focus, which was a boring POS imo. For one thing, it doesn't have any of the slab-sided, boxy styling that plagues most American economy cars like Cobalts, Avengers, Calibers, etc. The catfish grill might be a little overdone, but the rest of the body is excellent. This SEL version has a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a couple of awesome “bulges” at 10 and 2 o’clock, the way all steering wheels should. Like many Fords, there are adjustable LED mood lights for the footwells, map pockets, cupholder, and door releases. The windshield wipers are cool, because they sweep in opposite directions like a Mercedes. And like a good European car, the turn signals give 3 signals if you blip it for lane changes. The only shortcoming is that the basic seats don't have any lumbar adjustment, but there are better seats available. The Microsoft “In-Sync” system is ok I guess, if you get off on such things. There is also a bigger system available called My Touch. The climate control setup is very good --- It has dual climate zones first of all, and it doesn’t turn on the AC compressor unless you push the AC button, unlike some cars that try to make that decision for you. The steering is VERY good for an economy car. Firm, accurate, etc. Handling is very decent as well. The upcoming Focus ST will be even better. As far as ride quality goes, it’s decent over small bumps, but over larger bumps it bottoms out and sometimes forces the car to step out, revealing the economy origins of the setup. The brakes are a little too abrupt and over-boosted, IMO. The tranny is a 6-speed auto, which means good acceleration if you're flooring it, but if you’re just taking it easy, the first 3 gearchanges feel kind of confused & random. It also has a Sport mode which provides higher rpm shifts, and downshifts when you brake. Overall, I see no point in buying a Fusion over this car. The only thing the Fusion does better is ride quality. I doubt if it offers much more room inside. Plus the Fusion's dashboard sucks IMO. Last edited by Homeslice; 01-03-2012 at 07:16 PM..