Road Tests: Long-Term Test

"Finally," wrote Senior Editor Christian Wardlaw in our Focus ZX3's logbook this month, "I get a solid chance to find out why the Focus is such a big deal." Not that he hasn't driven a number of Foci in the past. He wrote our initial road test of the ZX3, he's driven various sedan and wagon iterations of the car, and he's even taken our long-termer from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back. He just hadn't gotten an opportunity to live with the car for weeks on end as a daily driver.

Wardlaw commutes just under 80 miles per day, spending as much as two hours on the road daily Monday through Friday. This gives him ample opportunity to uncover the true "commuter" experience in any of our long-term or test vehicles. After a month driving our ZX3, he still has a smile on his face, even though we skipped the optional automatic transmission.

"Like everything in life," Wardlaw says, "the Focus has its good and bad points," and it's with the latter that we'll start this month's update.

"I hate the seats," wrote Wardlaw. "They aren't exactly uncomfortable, but neither are they places I want to sit for very long. The bottom cushion doesn't tilt up, meaning that I sit rather splay-legged even though it can be adjusted for height. The seatback lacks any semblance of lumbar support. The side bolstering is thinly padded, allowing you to feel the seat framing underneath. The cushions themselves aren't very supportive, feeling too much like a park bench after a while. And the fabric grips clothing, making it hard to wiggle around to find a more comfortable position on the seat."

This report is in stark contrast to what Associate Editor Erin Riches had to offer about the seating in our orange Ford: "These are excellent seats. Often, you won't find seats this comfortable in cars that cost twice as much. I particularly like the generous side bolsters. Besides keeping me in the seat, it's a convenient place to put my right hand when I'm shifting frequently in heavy traffic (in the absence of an armrest, that is)." So the moral of the story is that you ought to rent a Focus at your local rental car outlet, take it for a day or two, and decide if you like the seats enough to buy one.

Riches brought up another sticky comfort issue. When cruising, there's no place for the driver to rest her right arm, which becomes fatiguing over time. Just as the presence of a tilting and telescoping steering column in the Focus has made it unacceptable for more expensive cars to overlook this useful feature, so the Kia Rio's center armrest has made it unacceptable for the Ford Focus to lack a place to rest the driver's right arm.

Ford has, however, ensured that Focus exhibits better build quality than the Kia Rio. But sadly, it isn't up to the standards set by Japanese manufacturers. Beyond the numerous recalls issued for the Focus since it was launched a year and a half ago, our car currently has a driver-side mirror that is loose and poorly matched door and dash panels.

Also irritating are our car's automatic door locks, made more so by a remote system that is slow to respond to input. Riches decried the lack of a redline on the tachometer, blasting Ford for substituting an illuminated upshift arrow, claiming, "Most people who have been driving a manual for any length of time are going to ignore these anyway." Yes, but Ms. Riches, in this time of rising fuel prices it is important to note that the upshift arrow illuminates only to help the driver squeeze every available mile from each gallon of gas.

Other gripes from Wardlaw's camp include the difficulty involved with installing and removing the rear cargo cover, which is shaped to fit through the hatch opening in a precise manner that isn't easy to discern. Also noted, as summer temperatures rise, is how easily taxed the Focus' 130-horsepower four-banger becomes when the air conditioning is cranked, and how quickly the cabin begins to heat up as the engine saps motive force from the A/C system on long hills. "If you don't launch the car with extra revs when the A/C is cranked up, the engine bogs easily, leaving you vulnerable in left-hand cross-traffic turns," remarked our senior editor.

According to Wardlaw, power from the engine is acceptable under most driving conditions. Not only can it make the ZX3 move quickly, but it's also a smooth-revving powerplant. "On a couple of occasions, I found myself cruising at 80-plus mph in fourth gear," he claimed.

Finally, Wardlaw says, "I'm still not sold on the styling. Unique? Yes. Attractive? Not to my eye. I only like the paint color and wheel design. The car's profile reminds me of a Nike athletic shoe or even a doorstop. The design puts too much visual weight and overhang on the front of the car. And those funky taillights are hard to warm up to." He much prefers the sedan and wagon versions of the Focus.

Fortunately, it's easy to overlook what some might deem styling miscues because the driving experience is so darn good. Both Riches and Wardlaw, who commute almost equal distances to the office, lauded the softly sprung suspension for daily driving duty. "I cannot believe how soft and smooth the ride is," wrote Riches. "The Focus seemed to absorb everything its path. For anyone who wants the smooth ride of a mild-mannered midsize sedan (like the Camry) but can't afford one, try the Focus. There is no rough, econo-car ride with our ZX3." Wardlaw agreed, but noted "The result is pitch and toss over undulating pavement, not to mention body roll in corners. Sometimes, over more severe dips, the body movement allowed by the Focus' suspension is excessive. It feels like the bump stops are making contact. I don't mind this, as my commute includes some nasty pavement, but it doesn't inspire the confidence enthusiasts would get in, say, the sportier Protegé ES."

More from Wardlaw's notes: "The pedals make it delightfully easy to heel-and-toe downshift. Combine this trait with responsive steering, good grip and sensational road feel, and you've got a fun-to-drive car. Even the brakes behave nicely, though I'd trade the rear drums for discs in a second."

Cabin accommodations were also found to be pleasing. Though hardly an audiophile, Wardlaw found the sound system to produce good sound and great ergonomics; he just wishes there were a tuning knob provided. Another wish was made for deeper cupholders sized to accommodate a wider variety of drink containers.

"My wife loves to drive this car. It's one of the few vehicles I bring home for which she always asks for the keys," wrote Wardlaw. "She even goes through the hassle of removing the kids' car seats from our van and installing them in the Focus." By the way, that's made easy thanks to automatic locking retractor seatbelts and an easy-entry right front seat.

In the final analysis, Wardlaw thinks the Ford Focus makes a fine choice in the mid-market small-car class. In fact, he'd buy one himself, if it had better seats.

Current Odometer: 17,813
Best Fuel Economy: 28.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 22.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.6 mpg
Body Repair: None
Maintenance: None
Problems: Driver-side mirror is loosening.