[jplayer]

Been a car fanatic since I can remember. As I've gotten older (33) I have moved away from the loud mustangs and such to something more refined.

That move took me towards Infiniti's. Great cars with plenty of power that is certainly more refined.

My first Infiniti was a 2004 G35 coupe 6sp. Very nice car. Loved everything about it except for the trunk which is ultimately why I got rid of it as I needed more space than something that had to have an instruction manual printed on the trunk link on how to load a golf club bag (NOT KIDDING).

Moved to a 2007 G35 sedan. Again.. nice car.. gobs of power.. great handling.. Awesome trunk space.. Horrible MPG.

My typical daily commute is literally 5 miles so I never really got to have fun with the G35's power and since it required 93 and I was stop and go for my 5 mile commute I got 15 MPG average so I reluctantly went searching for something that would do better in the fuel economy department.

I found the focus and liked it. I initially looked at a more basic model and while impressed it wasn't enough to move me away from the G35 so I walked away but with Focus brochure in hand.

I kept glancing at the brochure over the next few months and finally decided to go back to check them out again but knew that I wanted to see a more loaded Titanium this time around.

Got to the dealership and asked to see a Grey titanium that it showed they had in stock online.
After a few minutes of searching for the car he pulled up in a loaded dark grey titanium with the Tuscany Red interior and black accented wheels.

As soon as I got in the car I fell in love. The interior is more refined or at the very least = to the Infiniti. After driving it, the road noise and little nuance noises was substantially less than the Infiniti. MFT is cool and better than the Inifiniti's display system. SYNC is nifty and the parking assist while I will probably never use it is really cool.

Looks at least for the particular optioned car is equal to if not better than the Infiniti so we decided to move forward on it and traded in the G35.

After 500 miles I still believe that this car is better in every way than the Infiniti with the exception of power, but considering MPG is light years better i'm willing to live with the loss in power!!

When the thought initially entered my mind about getting a more fuel efficient car to replace the Infiniti I honestly never imagined that I would end up in something so nice. It truly is amazing at how good a job Ford has done with this car and also how far economy cars have come in creature comforts and what would have been considered high end features just a few short years ago.


TUSCANY INTERIOR COMMENTS...
The pictures in the brochure don't do this option justice!!
I HATE HATE HATE red interior and based on the pictures in the brochure and with my hatred of red interior I would have never ordered the car with this option but in person it is absolutely stunning!! Its not really red but more of a burgundy, meshes perfectly with everything and is just a beautiful combination!!

 

[rambleon84]

Sounds like a good match for you. In the next year or so, I would expect more performance mods to be available for your focus too. So you might be able to get some extra power out of it in the future while still getting good mpg.

I wouldnt have expected the new focus to be that nicely appointed either (as past years have been much less refined)

 

[jplayer]

Well.. I guess I should have mentioned this.
I'm not necessarily looking for performance, in fact, the exact opposite!!

Beside horrible MPG one of the other reason we switched over to this car was because my older son will be driving in 3 or so years. We figure if we get this now it will be a perfect hand me down when he starts to drive.

I certainly don't want to be handing a even remotely quick anything to a 16 year old!! But in the same token I would want him to have something that he would be able to enjoy and would be reliable!!

So, after this goes to him I would anticipate me maybe trying to pick up a ST [giddy] granted I continue to enjoy this one as much as I have.

 

[cjulian]

Great story. I also came from a higher end sport sedan - an 06 BMW 325i.

Although the power and BMW engine refinement is missed, overall I have been extremely happy with my decision for most of the reasons you mentioned. With a BMW I was also concerned with my lack of warranty and having 150k on the clock.

Glad you're enjoying your focus as much as I am.

 

[copernicium112]

Beside horrible MPG one of the other reason we switched over to this car was because my older son will be driving in 3 or so years. We figure if we get this now it will be a perfect hand me down when he starts to drive.

I certainly don't want to be handing a even remotely quick anything to a 16 year old!! But in the same token I would want him to have something that he would be able to enjoy and would be reliable!!

As much as I didn't want to even think about it, we had to deal with the same thought process when I was ordering this car as well (4 or so years for us). Still don't really want to think about it!

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

first off, welcome to the site! i wanted a titanium with the tuscany interior myself, but the one the dealer had with all the options i wanted had the charcoal.

as far as your story, (other than the kid) it's very much like mine. the car i traded in for the focus was a competition orange 04 mach 1 mustang. i HATED the mpg as my commute to work is also < 5mi. with a lot of stop and go. i also disliked the storage in the car. you really can't fit a lot in a mustang.

i too looked at a 2009 infinity g37 coupe and also the 2011 cadillac cts coupe. i got the prices for both and also the available features. both were used. both had performance. the cadillac (of course) was way more in the cost department. both got somewhat the same mileage.

after thinking it over, i decided to go look for something completely the opposite of performance and something with better gas mileage and more storage. getting either the g37 or the cts would be just like having a refined version of my mustang but with a car payment (mustang was paid off).

ended up at ford looking at a focus titanium. other than the performance, it BEAT out both the cts and g37 in every other area. it basically made my choice for me and i haven't regretted my choice since.

 

[jplayer]

As much as I didn't want to even think about it, we had to deal with the same thought process when I was ordering this car as well (4 or so years for us). Still don't really want to think about it!

I think this is a perfect car for a teenager.
While its not the slowest thing in the world, what happens when you hit the gas pedal certainly is in no way shape or form exhilarating!! LOL

In fact whenever you stomp the gas its almost a slap in the face reminder that this a economy minded car! Not saying this as a negative, it is what it is, in fact its really is a positive for our "long term" plans and shorter term better MPG wants.

Even though down on power a teenager should love this thing... it looks so nice and has so many cool little features that it makes up for the lack of power!! My one concern though is MFT... Ive found myself not paying attention because I am playing with it.. I couldn't imagine a new teenage driver combined with MFT?!?!?!

In regards to safety and teenagers did you happen to get the intelligent key?
If so definately check out the "MY KEY" features.
I toyed around with it the other day and you basically can program the key to have additional safety features activated when the "MY KEY" is being used.
Some features that I found are :
speed limited to 80MPH
speed warning that you can set to activate(flash in your face) at different intervals - 55/65/75
Radio will not turn on until you are buckled up. If you have a passenger it detects this and will not turn on the radio until your passenger is belted up also.
Logs mileage that has been driven with the special key.

I'm sure there are other features you can activate with the my key but these are a few that I have personally found and seen.

 

[Dr. Woo]

It never ceases to amaze me just how awful the gas mileage is on the VQ. My mother gets similar mileage on her G35. I drive a 6.0L V8 in a 2-ton cruise missile and get better mileage - and I also have a five mile, 25-35 mph daily commute. [screwy]

You explained it well here:

My typical daily commute is literally 5 miles so I never really got to have fun with the G35's power

I feel the same way about my car - plus, it's an automatic, which makes 25-35 mph even less fun. Had to go back to a manual. It's the only way to make this commute enjoyable!

 

[copernicium112]

I think this is a perfect car for a teenager.
While its not the slowest thing in the world, what happens when you hit the gas pedal certainly is in no way shape or form exhilarating!! LOL

Even though down on power a teenager should love this thing... it looks so nice and has so many cool little features that it makes up for the lack of power!! My one concern though is MFT... Ive found myself not paying attention because I am playing with it.. I couldn't imagine a new teenage driver combined with MFT?!?!?!

In regards to safety and teenagers did you happen to get the intelligent key?
If so definately check out the "MY KEY" features.
I toyed around with it the other day and you basically can program the key to have additional safety features activated when the "MY KEY" is being used.
Some features that I found are :
speed limited to 80MPH
speed warning that you can set to activate(flash in your face) at different intervals - 55/65/75
Radio will not turn on until you are buckled up. If you have a passenger it detects this and will not turn on the radio until your passenger is belted up also.
Logs mileage that has been driven with the special key.

I'm sure there are other features you can activate with the my key but these are a few that I have personally found and seen.

Oh, I agree whole-heartedly with it being a great car for a young first-time driver. Part of the reinforcement in my decision to purchase it and I love the idea of MY KEY. Though I didn't fully know it at the time as I was limited in my test drives, I also see how MFT could become a distraction.

I guess my comment was more of an off-topic melancholy about the whole "growing-up" thing slapping me in the face as I was purchasing the car!

 

[drunkyoda]

the way some people grow old... growing out of cars will never be my thing. but congrats. enjoy the grocery getter.

 

[Billp1]

My wife had a Lexus 250 AWD and we traded it in and went with the Ford Focus Titanium. Love it. It has everything that we had in the Lexus except for the high intensity head lights. Also was 15K cheaper and uses regular gas instead of Premium.

 

[hand-filer]

I'm encouraged by the comments in this thread. I ordered a fully equipped Titanium hatchback that should be here in early December.
I also own a 2012 Mustang Brembo GT which I don't plan on ever outgrowing, even at my advanced (55) age.

 

[narkotskyb]

Jealous Still waiting for my Ingot Silver Ti with Tuscany Red... man on man - second you on interior is absolutely gorgeous in person.

 

[JPopNC]

Had an '03 Honda Accord EX-L that was a good car, had 138k miles on it, ran great, but was boring me to tears so went looking for something more exciting. Like many in this thread have always been drawn to the Infiniti and was looking at the G37S, but due to costs was looking to settle for the G35S, both great cars with great performance numbers. But I'm more a gadget guy so even the loaded G35S lacked specific things.

Was literally at the Infiniti dealer test driving the one I wanted when I spotted the Ford dealer a block down, so decided before taking the plunge I'd check to see what they had to offer in the same price range. Luckily they had a single Ti out there (fully loaded) and I fell deeply in love with it!

There's no doubt the Infiniti has pro's over the Focus, but you couldn't get me to change staight-up, even for the upgraded G37S. I look forward to driving my Ti every single day.

(As a quick aside, my commute is 45 minutes one-way and am in discussion about another job closer to home. The first thing my wife said to me about the possibility of changing was, "You'll have less time to drive your car". Hmmm....something to consider here!)

 

[gtncpa]

I'm encouraged by the comments in this thread. I ordered a fully equipped Titanium hatchback that should be here in early December.
I also own a 2012 Mustang Brembo GT which I don't plan on ever outgrowing, even at my advanced (55) age.

As another Mustang/Focus owner I think we should have our own forum .. or at least our own thread! LOL

 

[descentgate]

I don't have a fully loaded Ti like many of you, even in an ole SEL, the ride and handling is on par if not superior to my friends who have luxury class autos. The tech is there (the 4.2" LCDs are a step up from the LED displays sometimes used). The leather and material quality on the seats is exceptional (rented a Ford Escape with leather, and that material was placemat quality). Finally, although not a turbo, the 2.0L is very smooth and has a deeper note than expected from a small engine. I'm glad to see others see the refinement of the Focus! And I wish I did get my hands on that Tuscany red. It's a beautiful color combo!