2012 Ford Focus - Consumer Reviews

My wife says "It's adorable"

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought a SE Hatch with Sports Package, and the beautiful Tuscany leather interior. I wanted to park my 07 Shelby Mustang GT (preservation and better mileage) and get something cheaper to wear out commuting to work every day here in Houston. I could not be more pleased, and my wife says it's cute and adorable. It's a win-win. I see some new owners with issues and problems posting here. Those should be taken in context, this car is a brand new design (for the US) and coming out of a brand new (reconfigured) plant. There's always growing pains related to those two things. I highly recommend the 2012 Focus. Read the magazine reviews, almost always picked #1 over the competition.
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FINALLY Euro Focus is here!

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I just took delivery of my 2012 Ford Focus SE Hatch on Sept. 17th. So far, the car has been reliable, but time will tell. I have read many reviews complaining about the dual clutch auto, and I haven't experienced anything negative with it. I do notice that the transmission is reluctant to accelerate from a stop, but I think that's because the engine needs to rev higher. That is when the car opens up more. My previous car was a 2000 Toyota corolla, so ANYTHING is an upgrade from that! Most features that people take for granted, I LOVE having now. The very first day, I did notice some rough shifts, but I think that was just the car breaking in. The car has been smooth shifting since then.
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2012 Focus I regret buying!!

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

I've had my Focus for about 5 months now and while the car looks awesome, I can't really recommend it to anyone. After 5 weeks of owning it, the sun roof exploded on my while I was driving down the interstate. It then sat at the dealer for 5 weeks waiting for a new sun roof. The shifting is horrible and unpredictable and is usually in third gear before you hit 15mph. The MyFord Touch is awesome, when it's not locked up. I had to do a battery disconnect at one point because it was locked up and now my gas mileage sucks. I was getting over 40mpg before that on the hwy but now am getting about 33mpgs. HUGE difference. Looks aren't everything, but you find out the hard way...
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Completely Bi-polar car

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

Just received my SEL Hatchback, I opted for the 301A, Nav, Winter Package, and Remote Start. This car is driving me crazy. So many pros and then a few super annoying cons that have completely ruined this new car experience and have me wishing I had gone elsewhere.
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2012 Focus has Transmission issues

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

Been reading reviews. Yes, I know it's an automated dual clutch and am familiar with the technology. It's a good design. However, the computer setting is dubious and our dealer covered up. Shifting was jerky and we were told it was "normal" or due to being an early model. Then recently it revved to 4000 and more in shifting - sounded a mess and engine light came on. Normal -- or who's lying? Heard it was adjusting itself and a computer upgrade was needed. Have been told it was "Normal" "Battery problem" "Get the regular computer update," How insulting can your service department be? Asked for computer printout -- "Delayed shift" Fully fine now (for now?) with new computer setting.
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Do want to be a beta tester?

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

I purchased this car about 3 weeks ago and after a few days the transmission would shudder when leaving from a stop, I took it back to the dealer and they confirmed what I was feeling was indeed a shudder. The dealer called Ford and Ford stated it was normal. How many potential purchasers would want a vehicle that shudders on takeoff? Anyway so I got a call from Ford Customer Service today if you want to call it that and the only reply I would get from the agent was it was normal. I was told it was a isolated incident that affected some vehicle's. Ok so it is a isolated incident only affecting some vehicles how can it be classified as normal?
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This is a Focus!?

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

Ford has really upped their game this new vehicle. The new focus provides a perfect balance between being a “fun to drive” sporty car and a practical fuel-efficient vehicle. The focus is not as fun to drive as a Mazda 3, but gets much better gas mileage. In turn, it does not get as good gas mileage as a Prius, but is much more fun to drive. The focus finds the happy medium. The handling of the car was much better than I anticipated. It holds corners well and the steering is very responsive. fuel mileage. City – 30; Highway – 37-38; Combined 34. Coming from a Jeep Liberty which got 17, I am a happy camper!
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New Focus

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus Titanium 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

Just purchased a 2012 Focus with the Titanium package. Candy Blue. About all I did not get was the sun/moon roof and nav. I figured I'd buy a Garmin for much less $$ and be just as happy. It's nice to have a smaller car that fits in the garage with more space, gets better mileage...so far 27.2 with around 450 miles on it, it looks good, and has a great stereo. Transmission is sometimes sluggish when initially taking off from a stop and yesterday, some gas dripped on the pavement from somewhere under the car when I topped it off. I'll have to look to see about that.
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2012 Ford Focus - Tech Saavy Buyers Beware !!!

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

If you want to buy a new car that breaks after 30 days and cannot be fixed by Ford, the 2012 Ford Focus SEL is the car for you. I bought my 2012 Ford Focus on May 27, the BRAKES, Antilock Brake System, Traction Control, Uphill Assist and other Safety systems Failed before the end of June. The car has been at the dealership for repairs for >45 days and Ford does not know how to fix it . Attempts to resolve the problems at the Milham, PA dealership, service department and thru Ford Customer Care were futile. Ford markets this car to young tech saavy first time new car buyers, then treats them poorly. Do not be fooled or you will have a Bad Case of Buyers Remorse.
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Everything I thought it would be... and more!

Vehicle

2012 Ford Focus SEL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6AM)

Review

I thought I would provide an in-depth review of this fine car for any prospective buyers out there. I purchased a Blue Candy Metallic SEL Sedan model with 303A trim last month. After scouring AutoTrader for about a month, I got lucky and this gem turned up in my own city. I scooped it up even before they had a chance to list it on their website. 1,600 miles later, I have nothing but praise for this car. I'm glad that automakers seem to be giving more respect to the compact segment. After exhaustive research, my selection was narrowed down to the Chevy Cruse, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra when I started seeing internet buzz for the new Focus. Since it was a Focus, I dismissed it offhand as the capable yet unremarkable car it used to be. Then I started to read some reviews and watch some demo videos on YouTube. I became very intrigued with the MyFord Touch system. I'm a fairly practical car buyer. My previous car was a 2006 Nissan Sentra, which ran fine and got pretty good gas mileage, but had no personality. This time I wanted a fuel efficient car that would be a little more fun. The Elantra was my #1 choice due to its aggressive styling, above-average size and upscale interior. After the Focus turned my head, I was torn between the two. The Elantra has better gas mileage and a better warranty. But the Focus has more to offer technology wise. Sure, the Elantra Limited trim also has a touch screen with navigation and a premium stereo, but the Focus has a 10 speaker Sony system with a subwoofer. The Elantra only has 6 speakers and no sub. My Sentra had a sub in the trunk and I was reluctant to give that up. Focus also has an advantage with Microsoft Sync (which so far has worked really well). I’m not sure what the extent of the voice command usage is on the Elantra (nobody ever had a Limited in stock in my area, plus I couldn’t find many details online). At the end of the day, I was lured away from the Elantra by the seemingly superior tech in the Focus cabin. When I actually went to test drive the nearest one (about an hour from my town), I was blown away by its appearance, both inside and out. Any pictures you see online really don’t do this car justice. People still can’t believe this car is a Focus (my brother in particular was stunned). The tech does not disappoint, though the touch screen is occasionally slow to respond (usually only when you first start the car). Touch sensitivity is quite good, and voice commands yield the desired results 9 times out of 10. I still get a kick out of requesting albums and songs by voice (so far the funniest one has been Prince’s “Irresistible B***h…” if you didn’t know, the selection is repeated back to you, so it’s often amusing to hear the frumpy computer voice repeat the occasional odd phrase). It’s infinitely better than screwing around with an iPod interface while you’re trying to drive. If you don’t like using voice commands, the touch screen iPod interface is excellent. MP3 sound quality is quite good, but I can still tell the difference when I put in a CD. You can also use a regular USB flash drive for music if you don’t want to pay iPod prices (flash drives also respond to voice commands). The sound system is quite good overall, though the highs are occasionally a tad shrill (I think the multiple front speakers are probably to blame for this, i.e. too much separation of higher frequencies). You can always adjust the EQ to your liking, though (you get a 3 band EQ- bass, midrange, treble; there are no genre settings i.e. Jazz, Country, Dance, etc.). At first, I assumed the EQ settings would need to be similar to what I have always used (+2 or 3 bass, -2 or 3 treble, default midrange and -1 or 2 towards the rear speakers). This didn’t sound very good at all, though. In addition to the bass, I ended up increasing the midrange and treble, which is something I’ve never done in a car stereo before. There is a lot of power in the woofers (355 watts courtesy of an amplifier in the trunk) and you don’t need to crank the volume in order to get great bass. The bass is very tightly controlled, however. Often times a song will start out heavy on the bass and you can feel/hear the speakers pull it back a little bit to avoid a potential speaker blow-out (this is usually only noticeable on songs with very heavy bass). The bass response is still excellent, though… easily the best I’ve personally experienced from a factory sound system… and I’d rather have the system pull the bass back than have a speaker blowout. The CD player reads CD text, which is awesome for those of us who use it on mixes. The iPod interface will display album artwork when it is available. The only annoying thing I’ve encountered with the stereo is that it will sometimes switch inputs when you turn the car back on. For instance, I’ll leave the car listening to a CD. When I get back in, the car is tuned to USB… not sure why. Luckily this only happens if something is plugged in to the USB drive, and it doesn’t happen all the time. The navigation system works extremely well, though searching for a POI (point of interest) or setting a destination does take some getting used to. The visual navigation screen has a couple of different views, including upcoming exit information and turns. You don’t need to worry about missing a turn because not only is your next turn displayed on the driver screen (in the Information display next to mileage, trip info, etc.), but you get voice alerts when your turn is coming up. The voice alert even tells you what your next turn will be before you get on an interstate exit (“Take Exit 254, and in 2/10ths of a mile, turn right onto Highway 6”). The system got me through the confusing Chicago interstates and into Michigan without incident this past weekend (it even displays the speed limit for you!). Sirius Traffic Link gives you gas prices of upcoming stations and traffic alerts for your entire route. You can search for gas stations, restaurants and even stores via the POI setting. This feature was incredibly helpful while driving around in an unfamiliar city. After the 6 months of free Sirius service expires, you’ll have to pay $1.99 per month to keep Traffic Link. I’d say it’s probably worth it, but I won’t know for sure until it’s gone and I see the full extent of what I’m missing. So far the air conditioning has been excellent; I was able to keep it on automatic even during the last few blazing hot weeks. The dual zones work well considering the size of the car. It has a max defrost feature that I’m hoping will work nicely come winter. Hands-free Bluetooth phone service works quite well. I can converse at a normal volume and the calls come in nice and clear (bear in mind, quality of calls will also depend on your carrier and the coverage you get). My HTC Evo Shift automatically pairs with the car when I get in, and voice dialing is supported (“Call Mom and Dad Cell”). I have heard that voice dialing will not work for every phone, though. There is a SYNC-cell phone compatability chart here: http://www.nsapp.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/sync/usEN/sync_us_EN_iop_2_00.pdf The display provides battery level and signal strength. You can browse your contacts on the touch screen. Text messaging on the touch screen is not supported on my phone, so I can’t comment about that. My phone also does not support ringtone transfer to the car speakers. I can stream music from the phone, but I can’t select the music from the touch screen, only on the phone itself (though when I browse the phone on the stereo interface, a couple of my ring tones do show up). I don’t have the Parking Assist feature, only the rear sensor (rear camera only comes with Parking Assist). Since I have to park pretty close to the wall, the sensor beeps every time I back out of the garage. The car handles quite well (my brother was very impressed and he is an auto snob when it comes to American cars) and the ride is very smooth on the interstate… no more struggling to maintain cruise control speed when I go up a hill as with my previous car. Cruise control works very well, including the ability to increase or decrease speed without having to reset it. Plus if you have to brake, you can hit the resume button once you are able to cruise again and the previously-set speed resumes. Acceleration is a lot better than my last car. I no longer have to put the pedal to the floor trying to get on the interstate. The transmission shifts smoothly at high speeds but does occasionally act a little confused at low speeds (mostly when first accelerating after breaking). I know some people are really annoyed by this, but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t use the Sport mode so I can’t really comment on it. My brother used it and was impressed, for whatever that’s worth. The car is fairly quiet at high speeds with very low wind noise (though I hear the Cruze supposedly has the quietest cabin in the segment). The front windows are both one-touch up and down (very handy for those pesky tolls). The glovebox and center console are fairly roomy, but there are no other spots to put a cell phone or loose change, unless you use the cup holders. The cup holders are deep enough to accommodate bigger fountain drinks. Plastic bottles and cans don’t feel too secure but so far I have not had one tip over. The holders are deep enough that tipping shouldn’t be a problem. It’s true that back seat leg room is not great, but the seats themselves are comfortable. The fold down center console (only available with the leather package) is a nice touch, though the drink holders are a little small. The auto dimming mirror works extremely well. I haven’t had much of a chance to test the auto-sensing wipers yet. I haven’t been able to get the Homelink button programmed correctly, so I’m still using my clunky garage door remote. There is supposed to be a “Learn” button on my garage door receiver but I haven’t been able to locate it. The seats are quite comfortable. It’s so nice to have a power driver seat again, and the manual lumbar support is sweet (note: both are available only with the leather package). The base of the seat could be a little wider for me personally, but keep in mind that I’m a bigger guy (6 ft, 270 lbs). Front seat leg room is great, though I do have my seat all the way back. I don’t need to have it there in order to drive comfortably, but I prefer to have the maximum amount of leg room. The trunk is pretty roomy for a compact. It’s not as deep as my last car, but it’s wider and can fit more. I LOVE the capless fuel tank… my brother opened it and observed, “Did you know that your fuel cap is missing?” I’m sure I will love it even more come winter (no more fumbling around in low temperatures). Mileage has been excellent so far. While tooling around the city, I get an average of 32-33 mpg. On the interstate, I was getting 40-41 mpg for a good majority of the trip to Michigan (when traveling at 70 mph or slightly below). Once I went past 71, the mpg went down to 38-39. So far my peak mpg has been 45 while going 65 on the interstate for about 15 minutes. In summary, I am very pleased with my purchase and have no regrets (though the push button start on the Titanium model might have been nice…). This car strikes the perfect balance of luxury and practicality. The technology in the cabin is excellent and I am already very spoiled… I don’t think I could ever go back. I have received many compliments on the body design… people can hardly believe it is a Ford, let alone a Focus. I hope you prospective buyers found this review helpful in your decision. One final note- my girlfriend, possibly the most frugal person I know (and who once said she would NEVER buy a brand new car), likes it so much that she ordered a Titanium model for herself! She ordered it on July 18th and it is scheduled to ship the last week of August. So the supposed production delays can’t be that bad if she can get one in about seven weeks.
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