Comments: 1-15, 16-18
Manual transmission on this car is a pain in the neck to shift (wish automatic came standard).
Does not come with rims on this model, just comes with cheap hubcaps which can easily fall off.
Lack of room in the back.
Cheap set of tools for changing a tire.
This is nowhere like my dream car (a Porsche). However it still has good power for a 2.0, and even my mini cooper had a lot of power and that only had a 1.6. Anyway this car can get from 0-60mph very well, and it drives well in the city and on the highway.
Gas mileage is great, only have to fill up every 2 weeks, and my daily driving distance is about 30 miles a day (That's 420 miles every 2 weeks. However I think my Mini got a little more mileage out of one tank. But that previous car was much smaller and much less comfortable than this Focus. I got a great trade-in deal from that car.
I'am really satisfied with the car and on top of that I had excellent dealer service.
Everybody should think about getting one, don't be afraid, it will save you a lot of money just in general.
I'll never understand why someone would buy a car with a manual transmission if they didn't want it. I don't care how much money it costs. There's no such thing as a good deal if you didn't get what you wanted.
I live in the area of the Allegheny Mountain range with lots of hills and small mountains that I drive over. Would you happen to know how it runs on that sort of terrain?
Thanks and glad you are happy with your purchase.
Here's an interesting fact for you all: on the 2008 Focus, a spare tire is OPTIONAL! Ha, Ha, Ha. They give you a cheap little air pump instead of a spare!
Having owned a Focus (2001 ZX-3), I can assure you they handle hills just great. Ours was fast, great handling and 100% trouble free (NEVER had a single repair).
As for spares, I have used a spare tire exactly ONCE in the last 10 YEARS, so I hardly worry about them. People who keep good tires on their cars don't worry about such things, besides most GUYS don't even change their own flat tires anymore, let alone women.
From what I hear the newer Focus is turning out to be a great little road beater. Great on gas and drives better than it looks.
As for the lack of a spare, just keep a can of tire juice in the trunk and you're good to go.
My wife and I love the new 2008 Ford Focus! in fact, we each got a fully loaded "SES Focus as my wife doesn't like to share!. Hers is a automatic but I had to order mine from the factory as I wanted a 5 speed manual transmission and they don't have fully loaded SES Focuses with manuals in them. I much prefer the manual in a small auto like the Focus it gives the car a little more PEP!. Money wasn't the issue here just the fun of a 5 speed!. The heated leather seats in the car are comfy! and the upgraded Audiophile stereo sounds like a concert hall!!!. The car is great fun to drive and the fuel mileage lets me again drive for no reason at all! The upgraded suspension in the SES model sure is worth the money! I am 100% satisfied! and have no complaints at all!
Except for the styling, which I find a little bland and Japanese-looking, I like everything about the 2008 Focus.
Our friends who own them love them and get excellent fuel mileage. They are also very solidly built and reliable little cars.
We purchased our 2008 Focus about a month ago. We went from having a 2002 Focus Wagon, to a 2004 Taurus. This by far is the best car we have had out of the bunch. It handles well, the traction control is awesome.
We purchased a SE with the Deluxe Package, so we have better wheels, a sun roof and fog lights. The only options our car does not have is cruise control, which I do not need.
I only do around town driving. Gas mileage is awesome too... I drove 150 miles on a quarter tank of gas, my old car would have made me stop half way through the ride to refill. I swear gas fell out of it.
I did not care for the body style at first, but it grows on you. AS far as the interior, it is the most user friendly car we have owned.
I would highly recommend this car to anyone. For once... finally... thanks FORD!!!
What kind of gas mileage are you Focus owners getting? I went on a trip in a friend's little 4-cylinder Corolla this weekend and was shocked when he told me did good to get 20 mpg on the highway with the A/C on. We filled up TWICE in 300 miles. This seems pretty bad, although we were driving on a hilly stretch of interstate and the automatic had to keep dropping all the way to second gear to make it up the hills. I'm sure that hurt the mileage. Is the Focus better?
I don't know if the Focus is better than a Corolla, but I know its cheaper because I was looking into a new Corolla before getting the Focus and they wanted $25,000 for the LE model, while my new Focus S was $16k and change. In the Focus I get about 30mpg combined driving with the AC on. Now getting to your issue on your friends Corolla. Despite on the AC and hilly points on the highway it still should not be affecting the gas mileage that much (under 20mpg) unless there is a problem with the car. Maybe it just needs a tune-up or check the tire pressure.
Thanks for the info 11:20, and yes, the Focus is a much, much better deal than the Corolla (which I am not remotely considering). My friend's Corolla is only 1 year old with under 20,000 miles, so it should not need a tune up, and the tires looked OK. I think the biggest problem is the underpowered engine, because it had to keep dropping all the way to 2nd gear to get up hills, and was revving 4000 rpm's a lot of the time. That's bound to burn a lot of gas.
My GM compact only turns 2000 rpm's at 70, and very rarely has to drop even to 3rd gear on that same drive.
I was very pleased to read that last quarter's sales figures show the Focus had a larger increase in sales than both Civic and Corolla COMBINED. The public is FINALLY waking up to the myth that imports are better. My family has had experience with both Civic and Focus, and the Focus was a far better and much more reliable car.
This review and the comments are of good quality, thanks!
That Corolla should be checked out while it's under warranty.
Regarding the '08 Focus, I cannot warm up to the styling at all. There are way too many lines from all angles. It lost the sharp uncluttered look of the old Focus. Maybe they should call it "Blurry" now?
I have to agree, the styling of the new Focus is just too bland and Japanese-looking. It is just boring. The cars themselves are better than ever, and the gas mileage is great, but for looks, our 2001 ZX-3 was a much better looking car. It was also 100% reliable and never required a single repair.
I wouldn't place to much hope on the increase in sales for the last quarter. While the Ford Focus did increase by over 50% it only equates to 30,000 vehicles. Where as Toyota Corolla increased 34,000 vehicles for only 2.5% and the Honda Civic increased 33,000 for only 15.4% increase. The Focus wasn't a great seller till the gas crunch but at least it is moving in the right direction.