Owner PeachorLemon_Archive    Posted in Ford Focus   Comments 0

I'm a driving Instructor and recently joined a national driving school and got a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec. Admittedly Im prejudiced against Fords and I was not looking forward to it, I fail to see why Britons queue up to buy them However I put my prejudices to one side and considered the praise that has been heaped on this car. I approached the Ford with an open mind. Ive reserved my judgement until now On June 11th, I had to inspect the car before I accepted it and the interior looked awful, the cheapest possible plastics, poor fit and design detail poor. Still, I couldnt mark those as unacceptable on the sheet, so had to take it My first drive was a 350-mile trip home from the midlands (smashing people) to Scotland. I stopped after an hour for a coffee and when I got out I had lost all circulation in my right leg. I thought DVT had got me but eventually I managed to walk. During coffee I was talking to a colleague who was making the same trip home who also felt the seats were not supportive Back on the move for a bit on the M6 and while stopped in traffic I had a good poke and prod at the car to check out the build quality. Not impressed, the cheap plastics, the leatherette finish on the dash (which feels like its stuck onto cardboard) looks and feels cheap. Driving for such a long distance I was getting hot so I put the Aircon on and tried desperately to get the creaky oval air-vents to point to my hands on the steering wheel, impossible. While the vents look good they are all but useless for specific direction The CD player may do what it says on the tin, but its bog standard stuff. The clock and the odometer are Casio calculator stuff and I would estimate cost for both at 30p I arrived home exhausted with the car. This was just the start. Since then I have come to loathe this car, mainly by build quality issues, I have to keep reminding myself that the list price for this car is £13,050 Blind Spots - Too many and not ideal for learners Bodywork - Sheet metal twangs when doors close. Only exterior sides of panels galvanised hence rusty examples Brakes - £13,050 and drums on the back, shocking Carpets - Detached from doorsills on both front sides. More glue Ford please CD/Radio - £10 would get this on this on the open market Electric windows - One touch, one way, on one window, bare minimum, cheap trick Engine - Gruff sound. Too flexible for learners. Loss of control very easy Front grill - flimsy. No point having a locking bonnet when you could pull the grill off with as much effort as it takes to pull up your zip Gear Change - Notchy, grindy, crunchy with badly shaped lever Handling - Overrated, what a disappointment, totally unremarkable. It may be better than an Escort (not much that isnt) but this car is NO driving benchmark Hatchback fit - Under light clusters offside has a 3mm shut line while the nearside is about 15mm. Big enough to shove my finger in Indicators - Infuriating 3 blink function confuses learners and consequentially other road users - very, very dangerous Mirrors - Exterior mirrors height too short. Poor vision Oil - consumption huge Paint - Worst paint job I have ever seen its got runs and blisters, a total disgrace Parcel Shelf - Shudders every time the clutch is at bite, flimsy, too small for space Plastics - Cheap plastics everywhere. Particularly bad in binnacle and storage spaces Seats - limited adjustment, crude height adjustment, winder & handle, massive gap between seat base and back when lowered fully, unsupportive and uncomfortable Vents - Poor adjustment Windscreen wipers - No variable speed or intermittent wipe On a positive note, the Focus, from the outside and from a distance, looks good. Its a good design, it has huge door bins and it hasnt broken down in the two months that I have had it, surprisingly While Im an instructor I enjoy an enthusiastic drive as much as the next person. Give me a twisty B road and a decent motor Ill enjoy it. However, this car is totally unremarkable in every way. Descriptions like substandard, below par, downmarket and pile of the steaming stuff all suit the car perfectly. Then consider that these cars depreciate faster than underwear. Why people buy them is beyond me Popped into see a mate today to show him the Focus. He recently acquired a 1991 VW Golf GTi as a collectable and we were comparing. The Golf rattles less, is better built, better finished and is better to drive. The Focus lost the battle on all fronts. Not good news comparing a 5 month old Focus with 7000 miles on the clock with a 13 year old Golf that has covered 125,000 miles American giant Ford decided to build the Focus in Germany rather then the UK. I suspect there are many reasons for this other than efficiency and costs. I believe that Ford is trying to give the Focus a quality German product image, its not worked There is nothing German about this car. £13,050 I wouldnt give you £1300 for it. Its a worthless car. I loathe it and look in disbelief at the people who stump up their hard earned cash for one. I wish they would look about more seriously before they take the Ford Focus plunge. I pity them come trade in time when they get nothing back for their mindless purchase and tiring experience. Death to the Focus, now please.

PoL Comment: It was like reading War and Peace only more interesting, well done. I gather you don't much care for Fords then? PoL.