Taking our lumps from Consumer Reports ...

[halfmoonclip]

Originally Posted by Just Tom

. The criticism isn't without warrant as we all know. However I think it's important to keep in mind that Consumer Reports does revise their ratings periodically and future reviews may prove to be kinder as Ford works through the issues. We'll have to wait and see.

Tom, I fervently hope you're right.
Moon

[cbdallas]

I do rely on the car mags for information, but so far, this forum has provided me with so much more specific information about the potential pitfalls of this car. It's a double-edged sword in some ways, because while my DCT is actually behaving well, I now find myself to be apprehensive about the future....specifically, that God-awful grinding noise that some people are experiencing when they get upward of 10,000 miles on it. That has nothing to do with driving technique or perception...it's plainly a defect. As far as the 'jerking' and 'lunging', I think some of that may be up for interpretation. I wouldn't always call the DCT 'smooth' or 'intuitive', and I think that people are expecting their automatic transmission to be just that...which is where the disappointment lies.

Speaking for myself, I haven't been able to pinpoint a single advantage to the DCT. It doesn't shift any faster or smoother than my 2011 Optima. I expected faster, but not smoother. I got neither.

I realize it was an attempt to achieve higher MPG, but I'm not even sure it's delivering on that front. I guess only Ford can say whether the endeavor has been worth it. If you ask CR, they'd clearly say "no".

[VOLDAR]

halfmoonclip - I don't have to shoot the messenger. I don't need to and don't want to. You seemed a bit preoccupied over what CR said about the Focus and I only said you should not be.
In my opinion, we are no longer in the era where CR or C&D mean something, unless you are not very friendly with Google or you are totally a computer illiterate. Forums like this one is the place to go to find real information. And yep, even then, take it with a grain of salt. Because in forums like this one, people tend to complain more rather to praise. Make yourself an idea of your own, test drive the car. And yes, don't see your car as an investment, because it is not !

[cbdallas]

Cars are definitely an investment. They just don't yield positive returns...unless you bought a muscle car or exotic in the 60's or 70's and kept it perfectly-preserved. Otherwise, kiss thousands of dollars goodbye when you drive it off the lot, and a few more thousand when you trade it in.

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by halfmoonclip

Let me say that 'MFT' is the biggest sinner in the CR evaluation, with the proverbial Big Black Ball. Those of us who avoided the MFT (based on other evals we saw before purchase) are apparently better served.

I like MFT (a lot) and it serves me well 99% of the time. If I listened to their opinion and didn't get MFT, I wouldn't enjoy driving my car as much as I do.

Why do you hold the opinions of some CR writers so highly?

[VOLDAR]

For me, cars are simple appliences. Like the fridge or the washer. Yes, I want to have them for long time (at least 5-7 years) but nothing more. This is not even close to my understanding of an investment.

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by mp223

... Ford should be downright embarrassed at the terrible quality of Sync and MFT.

Do you have both?

[JasDmw]

I once was a loyal CR follower, but over the years one can see that they are not without fault as well. Many times a black dot car one year bcomes a no dot car the next and vice-versa. Similar models with different nameplates (ie, chevrolet, pontiac, buick) ranked differently; things like that. I used to look forward to filling in the surveys. There is an art to asking the questions. I found theirs to be severely lacking and wide open to opinion. I don't recall questions specifically, but their questioning was generally vague. You were asked if a problem was major or minor without any guidelines as to what was considered major or minor; it was left to your own opinion. Therefore, a slight flaw to one person could be a major issue to another. In the end, they are trying to get scientific and minimize the judgement calls, but they still do rely on that too much in my opinion. I'd be willing to bet that in 3 years they will rank this car pretty high. My '13 is pretty flawless so far (touch wood) and once more of us learn/understand how the tranny works and Ford fixes more of those legacy 3rd party software issues, this car will be recognized for what it is; pretty damn good (I hope)!

[Sonic_HedgeHog]

Consumer Reports as a source reminds me of being back in college and my Professor telling us to use defendable sources. Obviously some hold CR to a high regard, but are they really... I prefer to look to MotorTrend and Car & Driver, both of which will tell you that MFT and the DCT are the only rough spots in the Focus. The Focus is still finishing in the top of the segment and gets tons of accolades for much of its design and tech.

[swansong]

Car and Driver has placed the Focus on the 10Best list for two years running now, with the caveat to avoid the DCT and MFT if possible. I believe it has beaten every other compact in C&D comparison tests as well.

And as far as the ST is concerned, I have yet to see it lose any comparison test, from any reviewer, even against the European competition across the pond.