I have attached a pic showing the comparison between the Focus and a few other models. Interesting numbers, especially regarding the dba levels at the bottom.
I've read from quite a few how quite the Focus is in comparison to the other cars in class.

I was also suprised to see the Focus win the Fuel economy test.

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww348/skippy905/Misc/CD.jpg

Nice post. Thanks for the photo.

Good to see the Focus is in the upper 3 across the board of this battle.

-Ray-

Reading over it, I am surprised with the TQ and HP of the VW, that it was still slower in the 0-60.

-Ray-

I believe the Titanium has more sound deadening built into it. It has an engine cover that no other models have for one thing.

I think it interesting that the Elantra was better than the Focus in roadholding and lane change.

Sorry, I should have read the whole thing and posted everything. Here is the final results. They raved about the Focus (as every one has), and said it was the best car. They didn't like the automatic transmission, and even recommended purchasing the standard (sorry to you US guys, as you can't get SEL with manual tranny). They also hated the MyFord Touch as they felt it was slow and complicated. I am really hoping that the future software upgrades speed it up a lot (I have heard that the hardware is fast, but the software is what slows it down considerably).

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww348/skippy905/Misc/Total.jpg

Thanks for posting that. It is good to see that the focus will be very competitive in their segment.

I think it interesting that the Elantra was better than the Focus in roadholding and lane change.

I wouldn't say that 0.01g is a big win. They even talked about it in the article how close ALL the cars were at this, and there is really no difference.

I'm not even sure exactly what the lane change is, so I won't comment. But I am pretty sure it means mostly nothing.

Thought they did talk in the article about how the Elantra was a much better car than previous, and thought the interior was eye catching and only second to the Focus.

Reading over it, I am surprised with the TQ and HP of the VW, that it was still slower in the 0-60.

-Ray-

Jettas have always been pigs. The new ones are a little lighter than the previous gen (thanks to torsion beam rear suspension), but they're still considerably hefty. Another limiting factor in the Jetta is the fact that it has a traditional automatic. That torque converter is going to sap power away and make actual wheel horsepower less.

The Focus's PowerShift transmission eliminates the torque converter and puts more power at the wheels. The same rule applies to the old Focus versus the 2011 Fiesta. The Fiesta has much less horsepower and weighs around the same as the old Focus, but yet it has a quicker 0-60 time thanks to PowerShift.

This is why dual clutch transmissions are a pretty big deal. They level (sometimes exceed) the playing field with traditional manuals. CVT transmissions also offer some distortion with horsepower/torque comparisons. It's pretty much pointless to associated raw figures with performance anymore.

Reading over it, I am surprised with the TQ and HP of the VW, that it was still slower in the 0-60.

-Ray-

its called gear ratios and weight..

as far as im concerned all these cars are more or less the same.

as usual... first gear is short as hell, almost pointless then just goes to a much longer gear ratio 2nd gear and on. It is also second heaviest to the chevy, but has longer gears than the chevy resulting in the slowness but ranks high in the top speed similar to the chevy.

[goofydrunk]

buuuuuttttas a VW owner the interior is important to me, and since the rest look like a sea of crap grey inside.... VW wins. (yes i've been in all of these cars)

buuuuuttttas a VW owner the interior is important to me, and since the rest look like a sea of crap grey inside.... VW wins. (yes i've been in all of these cars)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but let me quote the actual article in Car & Driver.

"Looks like a two generation old Cavalier on the inside"

"No matter how many option you pile on, the Jetta feels cheap inside, a hard, hollow, black-plastic casket."

I believe Lane Change refers to the speed at which they could safely do an emergency lane change maneuver. Overtaking is represented by the top gear acceleration numbers. That is showing what happens when you pull around someone without down shifting.

I find it interesting how the Mazda gives up so much fuel economy for so little acceleration. One advantage, and a main reason I'm going with the Focus, is that it's the only hatch with really good fuel economy and decent power. The Jetta (as well as the Golf) and the 3 are a slightly different class IMHO because their mileage just doesn't compete with the other three in this test.

I use to drive a VW, so I know about the weight on them. I was just surprised, and thought they would have addressed the weight by now.

Oh well.

YAY for Ford putting down the Focus with yet another great review. Still holding strong over the years.

-Ray-

Sorry to burst your bubble, but let me quote the actual article in Car & Driver.

"Looks like a two generation old Cavalier on the inside"

"No matter how many option you pile on, the Jetta feels cheap inside, a hard, hollow, black-plastic casket."

sorry to burst your bubble, but :

A.) you clearly never even been INSIDE a VW..

B.) Clearly neither has this guy from car & driver... a 2 gen old cav? really? he must be blind.

[?|]

wait,... you drive a honda pilot? how can you even comment on an interior...

1. How does a car that is the only player in its segment to have front and rear heated seats and the only other car in its segment to get a flash memory-based navigation system only get a 5 in the Amenities category? LOL

2. It scores better in rear seat comfort but also get the same score in rear seat space..LOL.


And.....

Insideline in their 2012 Focus vs Cruze comparo test stated they got the following figs:
0-60 2012 Focus = 8.7
0-60 Cruze = 9.3

Er..what?? [???:)]

sorry to burst your bubble, but :

A.) you clearly never even been INSIDE a VW..

B.) Clearly neither has this guy from car & driver... a 2 gen old cav? really? he must be blind.

wait,... you drive a honda pilot? how can you even comment on an interior...


Actually, I thought that the Cavalier quote was a bit off too.

I have owned a Golf and a Jetta, as well as having two friends who swear by Jetta's, so I have riden in / driven almost every year except the newest. So I have experience with them as well.

VW has always HAD nice interiors. However, with their new idea of bringing a lower price to the Jetta, the cost to do this is the interior quality. The article also points out how the Jetta has been lowered in quality to meet the cost of the others cars in class, just as they are bring a higher level of quality to the class.

Also nice of you to point out the Pilot. Purchased solely for need of space for kids/work. I don't even get to drive it, my wife does. Also, it is the absolute base model, so the interior is even worse. But that was exactly what I wanted.

BUT NICE TRY!!

Thread conclusion: Car & driver sucks...

Thread conclusion: Car & driver sucks...

yes, thats a logical explanation to what has been discussed here

Thread conclusion: Car & driver sucks...

I will have to agree with that, their numbers do seem all over the place.

But I can agree with them that the Focus is best in class. I haven't seen a single magazine article that isn't praising it yet.

yes, thats a logical explanation to what has been discussed here

Yes, it is clear this is the only statement I made in this thread

I was just looking at this in another forum, no real surprises that C&D liked the sportier Focus and Mazda over the Elantra or Cruze. The VW seems to be a poor choice for this test. Their 0-60 times on all certainly seem to be off, and I want to know how they drove to make all of these cars get 20 mpg in a 400 mile test.

I want to know how they drove to make all of these cars get 20 mpg in a 400 mile test.

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlLx3o20fs8&feature=related