A friend of mine wants to buy my 2000 XZ3. So I went to the dealership yesterday to have a look at the 2006 model.

OMG, what has Ford done to the Focus. [bigcry]

I love the curves of the dashboard on my ZX3.

http://www.localriders.com/photopost/data//500/medium/IMG_1876_012_edited-1.jpg

When I sat in the 2007 model, I couldn't believe how cheap it looks now. And no curves. Everything straight, flat, flush. [V] [V]
http://media.automotive.com/evox/stilllib/ford/focus/2006/3ha/55.jpg

It looks plain ugly compared to mine.
I would hate it every time I would drive it.

So I am going to keep my 2000 and Ford can keep the 2007.

there should just be a thread for the 2006-2008 models... lol

i have an 03 and i love my curves!

i disagree with you on that 1 i had a 2002 focus before i got my 06 i love the 06 interior the old int. looks like a bunch or ovals

I prefer the interior curves of the older model too. The front headlights and grill layout look a lot better too, in my opinion. From the side it looks like there's a weird hump in the front for the newer models. The newer sedans don't look so bad with it, but the hatchbacks... I don't know it just doesn't look right.

Okay, I will say that the street appearance packages help a little in making the newer ones look good. But I still prefer the older styling.

I like the older interior myself. I feel like it flows better and is more original. It doesn't look like every other car.

The new interior started in '05. I much prefer the new interior, as I feel its much more refined and grown up. I also prefer the new front end over the old ones, looks closer to what the euro focus looks like :)

dude as an 06 owner, I hate my boring ass dash and loved the pre 05 dash.

The new interior started in '05. I much prefer the new interior, as I feel its much more refined and grown up. I also prefer the new front end over the old ones, looks closer to what the euro focus looks like :)Amen to that. 05~07 Focus Interior is really nice. I love it. I've seen older models' interior and it's just too odd ball. I love the 05~07 Front end better as well. This is one of the reasons why I bought a 05 instead of 00~04

I had a loaded 04 zts. Now I have a loaded 06 ST. This car is superior in every way to the pre 05. Ford fixed every complaint I had about the 04. If only it had 50 more ponies...

Another attempt to de-Euro the Focus.

Not only is the '04 dash superior in every way, it has more character, and the radio systems that they used were far far better than the cheaped out units they used on the '05 and up. I had both and believe me, the old is way better.

The '05 and up SCREAM old lady. Look at the front end as well. Looks like grandmas old dodge dart. No lines. no sculptures, and the way the front fenders come down and meet the bumper doesn't even line up. Looks really poor from a quality stand point.


cheap cheap cheap That is what ford is all about now.

^ "The '05 and up SCREAM old lady" haha!

Yes, I would agree with that last post...it's really disappointing to see that. I drove an '06 after I paid for mine but before I could take it home (they did a few things to it) and...man, bla bla bla.

Although I must say, the '06 & 07's look alright, but WTF have they done to the '08's!?!?!? THEY ARE THE UGLIEST CARS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!![bigcry] And to think, Ford was the only American car I ever said I would buy...sucks for them I guess. Make an ugly/crappy car and I won't buy it.

Meh.. I'm just glad it works... and works good. I am not picky on the asthetics as much as I am on the handling and power.

Not only is the '04 dash superior in every way, it has more character, and the radio systems that they used were far far better than the cheaped out units they used on the '05 and up. I had both and believe me, the old is way better.

The '05 and up SCREAM old lady. Look at the front end as well. Looks like grandmas old dodge dart. No lines. no sculptures, and the way the front fenders come down and meet the bumper doesn't even line up. Looks really poor from a quality stand point.


cheap cheap cheap That is what ford is all about now.
HAHA!!! That was a funny comment... I have no complaints with either the pre 05's nor the 05's and up... considering I have had both.

But I don't know abut the rest of you but this does not look old lady... and if so, this old lady car sure the heck would kick yours cars arse... [:D]
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y292/sharon5384/myspace1.jpg

The new hatches don't look good without a lot of TLC.

But when you do add some stuff, MAN can they be sexy. The interior just doesn't do it for me though.

Exterior wise, all I have to say is SAP FTW, although i agree the dash is terrible. I love my seats though.

I like the new interior. It's not as strange and unappealing as the initial design.. The main point is that the new design is symmetrical which coincides with beauty. The more symmetrical, the more beautiful.

I think the Pre-05 guys are just jealous they don't have the nifty CD case holder.

I think the Pre-05 guys are just jealous they don't have the nifty CD case holder.

People still listen to CD's? I haven't listened to a cd since 03. I've moved on to the iPod and Sirius radio.

Anyways, I'm actually considering an 07 to replace my 02. I'm not terribly thrilled by the interior of the 05-07 models, having rented a few 05/06 foci since they came out while my 02 was in the shop. The CD case holder is useless for me, the loss of the slide out tray bugged me, as did the loss of the cubby next to the gauge cluster.

From a tactile feel standpoint, the radio in the 05+ feels cheaper and seems out of place, while the factory radio in the 00-04 were unique to the focus with nice rubberized control knobs.

From appearance standpoints, I thought the dashboard on the 00-04 was ugly at first, but it grew on me. It's oddball, quirky, and helped endear the car to me. The snapple cap turn signal was the other oddbal quirky little thing that was an irritant at first, but became something I loved about it.

Snapple cap turn sig, LOL! Yeah, I hated it at first, but now I like it. Atleat I know I won't be one of those idiots driving around with the signal on and not turing anywhere for miles!

This looks like an old lady car?

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o198/lifocus/Feb10/100_0212.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o198/lifocus/Feb10/100_0216.jpg

I prefer the 05+ over 04-

I love the curves of my 03[:D]

People still listen to CD's? I haven't listened to a cd since 03. I've moved on to the iPod and Sirius radio.


It came with the Sony Audiophile system in it, and I'll use it until it dies, then I'll move on to hooking up my iRiver.

just buy an st they look sexy inside with the leather and everything

All Focus years (with the exception of the SVT and ST) look like cheap old peoples/college student cars. Unless they are modded. IMO.
U can make them sweet(or look very ricy).

All Focus years (with the exception of the SVT and ST) look like cheap old peoples/college student cars. Unless they are modded. IMO.
U can make them sweet(or look very ricy).


Hey! im a college student!

I love my SVT Im not too much of a newer 06 on model. Look to plain for me.

I prefer the first generation dash looks more, but the second generation's are fine with me too. Though it reminds me a lot of my 1991 Ford Escort I owned.

Hey! im a college student!
Im a college student too [:)]

just buy an st they look sexy inside with the leather and everything


Am I correct that the ST does not come as a 2 door hatchback?

This can be a discussion that goes on forever ofcourse all the drivers of older focus will find there interior nicer altho all us 05 and up duratec heads will never agree since we love our cars as well and I agree with an earlier comment that the old interior looks like a bunch of ovals and that first picture im sorry but aint got nothing on my ses interior.

Am I correct that the ST does not come as a 2 door hatchback?



^^^ yup, Ford screwed up again!

i like the new style, i was with all you 04 owners when i owned my 03 focus, the curves where really nice, but after a few week in my 07 i fell in love with the interior, its so much cleaner, and more refined, now when i get in the 03, cuz my sister has it currently, i go wtf, lol, i enjoy the curves but i enjoy the nice clean layout the 05+offers
but as for bodystle i like pre 05 better, unless the front bumper is a f2 one

I had an '06 rental, beige no less. As for the interior, I felt like I was sitting in front of a mid-70's harvest gold stove. No soul, just an appliance.
I never did find a coin tray on it, and the CD storage opened directly into my shin. And all the plastic had been turned into that cheap, hard stuff. Maybe I had the generic cheapo rental, but I was not impressed. Fortunately I only had it a couple of days...

Snapple cap turn sig, LOL! Yeah, I hated it at first, but now I like it. Atleat I know I won't be one of those idiots driving around with the signal on and not turing anywhere for miles!

lmao! i've never heard anyone refer to it as a snapple cap cept a friend of mine, claimed the car came with a midget under the hood with a snapple cap for the turn signal.

lmao! i've never heard anyone refer to it as a snapple cap cept a friend of mine, claimed the car came with a midget under the hood with a snapple cap for the turn signal.


My friend said the exact same [hah]

I think this is the problem with the Focus. Is it an older demographic car or is it for a younger person? The first gen really appealed to the younger crowd because it was new and different. With the newer, more refined(mature) looking interior it seems to be appealing to an older demographic. You look around at the demographic driving Mazda 3's, Golfs etc.... That could be the same demographic as the Focus but Ford can't get their shit together to decide what demographic they want to sell it to. I've got a '07 ZX3 on order and I was originally turned on to the Focus looking at the olders ones. I like the older interior and headlight assemblies. I like hatchbacks but I've alway had small econobox's but this time I wanted a car that was more fun to drive. Thus the Ford Focus, 0% financing didn't hurt either. I ordered it with the SAP because I think by the time I resell it in 8 - 10 years it will appeal to a younger more eager buyer.

^up two haha omg so funny!!!

and crusty ya, sap is kick ass, and most fofo owners like it, and me im 20 and enjoy both, but i prefer mine cuz i like the clean look, and the black silver theme is better then my baseline begine interior

I test drove an 07 today. First off, it feels like a different car (i test drove an 07 zx3 se with the automatic - my current car is an 02 zx3 with the manual) - one of the rules for me on getting a new car is to get an automatic so my wife can drive it too. Since the rentals I had driven were sedans, I didn't catch the full impact of the changes.

The test drive was a little odd. I kept wondering where the power was - I was mashing the pedal and getting less than stellar acceleration. The dash felt like harder plastic and had less useable space for storage, the seats felt odd - I couldn't get quite comfortable (though this is probably due to the fact that after three years of nobody else driving my zx3 - the cushions are probably contoured to me by now). The handling characteristics of the car changed as well ... and not necessarily in a good way. It's not as sharp handling (my zx3 is bone stock with 72k thank you very much), and just feels a little off. Could be the fact that the OEM tires are no longer the Goodyear RS-A's, the fact that the wheels are steel now and not alloys (alloys were standard on ALL ZX3's from 00-04, made optional from 05 onwards).

For whatever reason, the 07 focus doesn't feel as special as the 2000's did when they came out in late 99, or when I got my 02 zx3 used in feb 2004.

Unfortunately, I'll pass on the focus for a little longer. I'll stick with the 02 for a while. Maybe I'll give it to my younger sister when she turns 16 if only to irritate my parents and give her something that I didn't get to have at that age - the ability to drive and someone giving some level of support to it. She turns 13 in April. By 2010, I'm sure it'll be ready for her (albeit with just shy of 100k by then) and maybe (this may just be a boy wishing) that the Focus C-max is available in America, or that some variation of the european platform focus will be available in America.

The radio on the older Focus looks much cheaper than the new one.

Edit: The 'coin holder' can be found under the control bezel.

My CD6 looks a lot nicer than the earlier model ones... I dunno how anyone can say the old ones look better... [screwy]

Maybe it's that I'm getting old, or what not, but the location for the coin tray drawer was perfect in the 00-04. Perfect place to perch a cell phone, put an iPod (mini at least), bluetooth headset, cigarette lighter, etc. . The location of it now is such that since I couldn't find it, it's of rather limited utility.

As for the radio controls, I wasn't fond of how plasticky the controls of the head unit felt on the 05+ models. Felt like hard cheap plastic. On the 00-04, some of the controls were rubberized, the buttons were recessed, and the display on the head unit was similar to the odometer - same font - size & backlight. The head unit in the 00-04 felt like it belonged in the car - it seemed like more attention was paid to making it "fit" with the rest of the car. The 05+ head unit is a standard piece from the parts bin that is shared with every other Ford, and as such - there isn't the same level of continuity in displays in the car. For me, consistency in controls and displays makes the focus a much easier car to live with.

I'm also one of the people who saw 1995 as the last year of a good car from Saturn. I had a 94 SC2 - nice car, but after 95, everything with Saturn went downhill.

Maybe it's that I'm getting old, or what not, but the location for the coin tray drawer was perfect in the 00-04. Perfect place to perch a cell phone, put an iPod (mini at least), bluetooth headset, cigarette lighter, etc. . The location of it now is such that since I couldn't find it, it's of rather limited utility.

I find that the cup holder acts as a perfect cell phone/ipod/headset holder. It's also very nice for holding coins.[clap]

I find that the cup holder acts as a perfect cell phone/ipod/headset holder. It's also very nice for holding coins.[clap]

Heheh, I never actually thought of using them as a cellphone/sunglasses/money/map holder before until someone mentioned it on this site. Now I can't live without my cupholders... :-P

The reason the old interior and design were better is because the 2000-4 Focus was a nearly direct import of the pre-'02 Euro facelift MkI. The Ford of Europe design team got it right the first time, and then with the '05 "facelift" the US design team bastardized the car and started the transformation from European import to grocery go-getter and rental fleet drone, which they've completed with the '08 reskin.