2007 Ford Focus ZX5 SES 2.0 Duratec I4 from North America

Summary:

It's still a Ford, so don't get your hopes too high

Faults:

There were things wrong with it when I got it. Valve cover gasket, a broken radio ground (Ford, why does the radio ground even connect to the ECU's circuit?), worn away bar links and a clogged fuel filter. So the car made a bad first impression.

General Comments:

This car is light, and quite tinny, compared to my Subaru.

The seats have a squishy-soft bottom cushion, but a rather hard back cushion. They just encourage proper driving.

The radio's gone from mine.

The shifter feels on par with the Mazda unit Ford had for the Escort GT I owned. Notchy but easy to tell where you are in the gear pattern, unlike the 1980s Escort's gear change, which turned quickly into a gear bag.

The ride is decent, for such a short wheelbase.

This car makes the most of its rear cargo area, though I would have liked the light to be mounted up in the roof, rather than down on the beltline.

Ford's propensity to be inconvenient continues with cupholders a mile away, and with nothing to hold drinks in. I drive carefully to get around that.

The traction control and ABS respond late and strongly.

The heater in these is decent, but don't expect the car to be amenable to cold starts (under -15°C) without being plugged in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd December, 2020

24th Dec 2020, 05:58

Sounds like reviewer was expecting perfection, or something close to it, from a 13 year old car with 138K miles on it.

In reply to 24th Dec 2020, 05:58

9th Jan 2021, 01:06

OP here in response:

It's not perfection that I expect, but drivability. I have had many faults in many cars, and still been satisfied with them. My family's had good and bad experiences with Fords, about 50-50. This has, so far, been one of the bad ones.

In reply to 9th Jan 2021, 01:06

10th Jan 2021, 00:38

I would agree with you on this. I reguarly have driven cars around the 10 years old / 100K mark. General reliability has been good across various manufacturers, but I always buy looked after good condition cars.

Used dealers these days want a lot of money for old cars, so if it fell apart in a short time I would be mad regardless of the car's age.

2007 Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Disappointing, slow, dreary, unreliable model

Faults:

Kept going into limp mode; dealer never found out why, even after sensors and ECU change. Cut out for no reason intermittently, almost causing crashes.

General Comments:

Having a faultless '04 Focus 1.8 Zetec as my first car, my hopes were high for its '07 equivalent. Big surprise!

The engine was poor performing. Slow and sluggish. The gearbox was bad, noisy and regularly not wanting to go into gears. MPG was OK, 35 around town. 40-45 on a run. Handling left a lot to be desired. Not much feedback from the steering, poor road holding and surprisingly bad parking. Comfort level was OK, with average leg room. Boot size again average. Everything internally felt cheap.

Nothing but problems running wise. The car at times would just cut out, which is obviously extremely dangerous. Dealer couldn't find the issue, and in the end took it back as a part ex. This was the worst car I've ever owned. Maybe just fell on a really bad one, but it put me off Ford forever.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th March, 2018

23rd Apr 2018, 14:18

You definitely got a bad one, especially with the cutting out and so on. Sounds like it wasn't looked after. Anyway, the car itself should have been better or a slight improvement over the old model, with performance and handling at least matching the old one.

24th Apr 2018, 16:29

Please before you buy any car available, do your research. So many bad cars out there now... it's endless. Some are new and some are used. Use this format carsurvey.org and carcomplaints.com for information on the car you want. Viewing carcomplaints.com it says electric problems were the number one issue with the 2007 Focus, centering around problems with the alternators. But compared to the 2012 Focus... you got a good one. Also Consumer Reports just came out with their buying car guide in April. Everyone buying a car new or used should read that cover to cover before making a decision. But remember people that abuse their cars buy their recommended cars too, so to be safe take any used car to a good certified mechanic to weed out these abusers who think changing their car oil is for the weak.

In reply to 24th Apr 2018, 16:29

16th Sep 2019, 14:15

I must bring to your attention that: carcomplaints.com is an American Website for American Market made & Spec cars.

My late father was an importer of American cars for 23 years, and he would often say that American quality was poorer than European, and some British cars. Check reviews on American made Honda's and Toyota's in particular. Fit & finish (component's, paint & assembly) was always well below Japanese standards.

The same could be said for Ford, GM, & Chrysler; don't forget they almost went bust during Obama's Administration, hence his Cash-for-Clunkers programme. Many old but more reliable cars were destroyed in favour of current, but poorer quality 'New' cars.

Going back to carcomplaints.com, it confirms what I have said about USA built vehicles in general. You'll find that Euro & Japanese counterparts fare a lot better!

In reply to 16th Sep 2019, 14:15

17th Sep 2019, 09:10

I am glad you said “some” British cars. Which ones are great with maintenance? Then factor in parts cost vs a domestic equivalent.