most of the newer ford's do this. for example, an 02 town car will shut the ac compressor off for more power.

 

I think this even happened back in the vacuum days just off the drop in manifold pressure. Easy for a computer to do nowadays...
The WOT (wide open throttle) switch would cut off the compressor and other non-essentials.

I was going to say, you probably never saw it on your Exploder because it probably was never short of power. But, your 99 Explorer shows at 160hp for the 4.0 liter. Isn't that the same as the focus for half the size engine an substantially less weight?

 

Yeah, my '86 Caprice Classic would disengage the a/c under a high load. It had a manifold vacuum switch.

 

Well, you don't typically see:
- Blind spot mirrors
- Ability to change interior lighting to one of 7 colours
- Rain sensing wipers
- Special storage area in the glovebox for the manual
- One touch up and down for ALL windows
- Reversing predictions (white lines on the camera image)

 

Well, you don't typically see:
- Blind spot mirrors
- Ability to change interior lighting to one of 7 colours
- Rain sensing wipers
- Special storage area in the glovebox for the manual
- One touch up and down for ALL windows
- Reversing predictions (white lines on the camera image)

I noticed this one the other day. Its not a big deal, but it was a nice thought by ford.

 

One of the things I really enjoy is the lane change signal. If you don't know about it you just tap the turn signal switch up/down to just before the switch locks on and it flashes the corresponding signal 3 times.

 

That is a German requirement if I remember correctly. All my VW's have had it for years. I'm so used to it I'm really glad they left it in.

 

Chrysler/Dodge has been doing the signal thing for at least a handful of years now too.

As far as things that the Focus brings to the American masses that hasn't already been done ad nauseum...I like the DCG. In sport mode it's absolutely fantastic, and once you learn to drive it right it shifts super tight and is almost always where you want it. If you drive like an oblivious idiot then it probably ends up acting like most other autos, but I've found by paying attention to it and use the throttle and brake appropriately I can keep it in the gear I want it to be in in most cases. Makes for a great time on the open roads.

Not too many other cars available in the US with the DCG. Pretty sure this is the first domestic to offer it, short of any high end sports/super cars.

 

After driving VW's DSG our DCG doesn't feel too good. Shifts are noticibly slower than DSG, and you can forget about shifts if you are choosing in sports mode, It'll rev an extra grand before switching gears.

 

When I worked for VW, I was amazed by the DSG! i miss driving a DSG

 

Hi, the VW DSG is better but I think it has been around for a bit longer, there is no doubt the Mk3 could do with some tweaking to make it better as it had similar issues on the Mondeo over here and isn't our favourite...
Chris

 

+1, My dad has the VW CC with DSG... I think ford tried to make theirs act too much like a traditional Auto instead of taking advantage of its full potential.

Its a new transmission, and I have been told there are over 250 calibration parameters available, and they have been experimenting trying to find the best balance. I can easily foresee a future calibration remapping coming to dealerships to flash on cars in service at some point.

 

i once drove a 80 pinto (yeah, i know, lol) and the a/c shut off on that too, under heavy acceleration.

 

When slowing down to say a stop sign or traffic light the car will shut the fuel off and use the inertia of the car rolling to keep the transmission moving. When you come to a stop it turns the fuel flow back on.

 

What dear sir, are you talking about[???]

 

Yes, it only fits one way.

 

Thanks for the posts explaining this. Just weird that I'd never heard of this before.

 

It's pretty noticeable on my 5.0L which has all the same fuel saving tricks as the Focus 2.0L, except for the direct injection. Exhaust note changes and the engine provides a little more braking. Probably pretty hard to hear through the stock Focus exhaust.