2006 Ford Focus SE review from North America

Front brakes pads wore out unusually early at approx 20000KM. After reading on the Internet about this issue (we usually get ~50000km out of brake pads), I decided to put higher quality Wagner brake pads. Time will tell if they will hold up, or if there's a design issue.

FYI this was the easiest brake job I've ever done; really straightforward. Kudos to Ford on a simple design.

We bought this car for the price. It was a leftover from the last year, and we got employee pricing + 0% financing. It was a few thousands cheaper than a smaller subcompact like a Accent or Yaris.

The car drives nicely. Steering is tight and precise. Engine is smooth and flexible. Clutch is light and intuitive. The suspension is honestly the best I've ever owned; it's comfortable and sporty, a perfect compromise. The front seats are very comfortable as well.

A/C, heat and defrost are powerful and this is a typical strength in American cars.

Now the 'bad':

- The interior finish feels cheap and the ergonomics aren't great, especially the cupholders.

- The shifter is notchy and squeaks on ours, though I've driven other Focus without this issue.

- Fuel mileage is nowhere near advertised; we get approx 8L/100KM highway and 10.5 city. Not horrible by any means, but 2L/100KM more than Civic / Corolla.

- Road and wind noise is loud on the highway.

- Car is quick around city, but loses steam at higher speeds. Lacks low end torque to pass in 5th. I had a hard time maintaining momentum while climbing hills in the Laurentians. My VW with similar power does much better in the hills and at higher speeds.

Final thoughts;

The car isn't perfect, but it's a great value for what we paid. I expect it to age well as it seems like a simple, straightforward design. It's in the 6th year of production on this platform, and most of the bugs have been worked out by now.

I'm impressed enough with the car that I might get a second Focus, probably a used ZTW wagon, as a second vehicle. The poor resale makes them a good buy when used. This is also a double edged sword; if you buy new, plan on keeping it a long time as resale is abysmal.