I sat in one last week. I really liked the interior upgrades. I'd love to have the rearranged center console and cubby hole beneath the AC controls.

 

AutoTrader:
http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/car-reviews/235992/2015-ford-focus-new-car-review.jsp

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MotorTrend:
http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1503_2015_ford_focus_first_drive/

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Autobytel
http://www.autobytel.com/ford/focus...m/ford/focus/2015/reviews/2015-ford-focus-se-1-0l-ecoboost-video-review-128140/

http://youtu.be/9rla2fBlNAs

Pros & Cons

Pros: Delightful handling, outstanding high tech features, smooth ride, and quiet operation. Well-crafted interior with a quality look and feel, outstanding value for the price.

Cons: Could use more rear-seat legroom, rumblings about transmission issues for the 2014 automated manual transmission equipped models.

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Thanks for putting up the links E365/5!

 

There is a band wagon to jump on called 'Focus Transmissions Issues.' I am not saying that there is NOT an issue with the DCT but when I read a review that the writer cautions people to be mindful of the transmission failures and the vehicle getting reviewed is a MANUAL Focus it certainly tells me that the writer is going with the flow and jumping on that wagon without taking the time to understand the issue.

This stigma is going to be with the Focus for a long time me thinks....right on through the application of a new transmission. Those of use here will know the difference but the 'reviews' will be trumpetiing this for a long time until a whole new car is released.

 

To this day, when I tell people I drive a Focus, I am often asked about the reliability issues it has, and how the person I'm talking to would never own one, based on the early Foci that are now 14-15 years old.

Memory of reliability issues is long, and automakers would do well to remember that.

 

The Motortrend review does actually test the 2015 w/PowerShift and they say:

"The PowerShift six-speed's programming has improved substantially since 2012, but overall refinement still lags behind competitor transmissions. There's the occasional stubborn takeoff, as it seems the countermeasure against the old software's proclivity for lurching from a stop was to drastically slow the power delivery to the wheels. Upon downshift summons, it sounds like the Focus tranny has to slip the right gear's clutch before engaging, presumably to limit shift shock that'd be felt in the cabin. A transmission that is generally slow to respond in both Drive and Sport modes and has to rev the engine before slotting in gear is not helpful when Los Angeles' windows of opportunity to pass on traffic-clogged freeways are very narrow. To our eyes, a more polished automatic and extra back seat space would make the Focus better.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1503_2015_ford_focus_first_drive/#ixzz3TKcPHAPl"

I personally love my '12 Titanium w/DCT, I had issues with the seal leaking on the clutch pack, but that was fixed and the car runs great, just not like a traditional automatic. I think if anything could be done over, Ford should have offered the 6spd DCT as an option called "Automated Manual" and still offered a run of the mill automatic beside it, instead many people bought a car they thought was a traditional automatic. They really need to address this to the public directly and get out in front of it before it damages their brand even more, for many people a compact car is the first car they buy, imagine all the folks who are now turned off from Ford because of this...

 

I agree 100%. Everyone that borrows my SE Sport says there is something wrong with my automatic transmission. I explain that it is not an automatic but a manual that someone else is shifting for you. The response is nearly universal..."that's stupid." Marketing screwed this one up. Like Ford does with the Ecoboost engines there should have been a huge marketing push on how this works with cutaway graphics and animated videos. A little bit of prework would have gone a long way. Seals and clutches would still have been an issue but the perception issues on how it operates would have been nixed.

 

I think the front looks pretty ugly and I don't know why the instrument cluster is still analog.

Okay, I've done my complaining for today.

Enjoy your 15's everyone.

 

"right on through the application of a new transmission."

Is the Focus getting a new transmission? A recall? Do you know something we don't know?
I had the seals and clutch pack replaced and the software updated once. It is much better and I am enjoying it. The occasional jerk I can live with. If they programed the transmission so it is less responsive (slower) I don't know that I'd take it to the dealer for any tweaking.

 

No, I have no special crystal ball. These things change over time. There is a rumor though that Ford is working on something new but only rumor at this point until something comes out official.

The Focus came to NA in 2000 and was freshened in 2008 then completely changed in 2012. This version is already in freshened mode for 2015 so it appears to be a bit more accelerated.

 

The front end of the 2015 is a travesty but I do agree with Autotrader:

We much prefer the 5-speed manual, which we think adds a sporting character to the Focus that's more in line with the car's nature.


...even the entry-level model provides sophisticated driving dynamics that remind us of more expensive sport-luxury cars. In any trim and specification, the Focus is composed, refined and satisfyingly responsive

 

MT is always going to go with the manual over any auto/automated gear box...as they should!

 

Original (MkI) version was updated in '05 (Mk1.5), replaced in '08 with a USA/CA version (MkII). The rest of the World got a different MkII with more similarities to the current MkIII, which they got in '11.

So yes, the current model's timeline is accelerated vs. the Mk1 - but despite it's popularity that version didn't go 8 model years without change.


Tend to agree with Wildsailor, the trans. will have a bit of a reputation for a long time. That reputation is a LOT more well known here than anywhere else. Transmissions on the whole are rapidly changing, with many acting a little strange in one way or another. Makes this area one that gets more reporting than it got in the past.

 

For the USA/CAN models it was C170 based from 2000-2011 with the two minor facelifts of the platform (new top hat sheet metal in 2008, but structurally it was carry over from the original car for the most part). The US MKII Focus is really a face lifted MK1/1.5 compared to the rest of the world's model out of Europe.

Then for the MK3 launched in early 2011 as a 2012 Model it's been the C346 chassis. Even the 2015 model remains on the C346 chassis code.

In Europe the C170 lasted from 1998-2003, the C307 from 2004-2010, and the C346 from 2011-present. The C346 was originally known as the C1MCA as it was the mid cycle refresh on the C1 based C307 chassis.

It wasn't until 2011 that the Focus has again been on a shared global platform.

Even on the shared platform there will always be minor differences in available features, option packages, and required functional regulatory changes that until global regulatory harmonization is achieved.

 

Global harmonization? Should I be looking for my Mao jacket now? I can't get Ford NA to keep upscale features on the Focus. Trying to bring change to a globally harmonized Ford would be like an ant pushing a boulder. We'll just have to take what Ford gives us and shut up.

 

New review from Automobile: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1503-2015-ford-focus-titanium-hatchback-review/

They seem to like it a lot, they say the trans has "more refined action"...

 

this article makes me want to go buy a 2015 lol. I really like the new interior but i still prefer the body of my 2014.

 

Any with the 1.0L ecoboost? That's what I'm interested in.

I think if more people knew how to drive a manual transmission, or knew how one operated, there wouldn't be as many (or any at all) complaints about the DCT.

Hey, my automated manual transmission is acting like a manual transmission!

 

I think if more people knew how to drive a manual transmission, or knew how one operated, there wouldn't be as many (or any at all) complaints about the DCT.

Hey, my automated manual transmission is acting like a manual transmission!

It's funny you mention that, last winter (2013-2014) I had a friend from Italy visiting and he drove my Focus for about 3 weeks while he was here, he absolutely loved it and he knew without me even telling him that it was an "automated manual" he said "oh yeah, that's pretty common in Europe" and he had no complaints whatsoever... I'd be curious to see if there are any European-specific Focus forums out there and if people are having the same complaints (I'm not even 100% sure they offer this trans in Europe.)

 

Not a single person I know of has ever heard of Ford's DCT issues, let alone that they even know that there are more transmission types other than "automatic" and "manual".

Someone called my yet-to-be-delivered 2015 Focus a "crappy American car" because it doesn't have paddle shifters. Everybody knows that paddle shifters make a car better, right? Not a single syllable about the DCT or "only" 2.0L engine. Just that it doesn't have paddle shifters, therefore it's not a sporty handling car. And this is coming from someone in my office, not the internet

 

Paddle shifters are available on the 2015 Focus, at least in the USA. I am not sure about Canada, as I cannot find any details on Canadian spec Foci.
Ford.ca still does not have 2015 Focus detail specifications, features etc.

 

When I drove a 15 sport package it was really smooth. Didn't feel much smoother than the 14 I went with though. However the paddleshifters had a significant lag. I understand it's not a racecar but it was laggy to the point that I didn't want to use them anymore. Looked very good with the lip kit and the center console is a much better design (as I'm now wishing I had). Only reason I took the 14 was the seats.

 

I think the '12-'14 to 2015 interior swap might be the topic for a lot of future posts!

 

Yeah, i like everything about my '14 except i wish i had the center console of the '15. then it would be perfect.

 

Yea that'd be great. Also would like a heated steering wheel and seats.

I think the '12-'14 to 2015 interior swap might be the topic for a lot of future posts!

I sure hope so. Really what I like is the pocket in front of the shifter.

 

I for one don't understand the fascination with the new dash. To me the cons outweigh the pros. Sure the cubby in front of the shifter is nice in theory but not very practical; it doesn't look big enough for today's big smartphones. It'll just become a grimy coin collector. And the buttons under the 4.2" screen in the non-MFT application are cleaner. But overall it seems more drab. They eliminated the chrome accents on the steering wheel and the symmetric circular keypads and just made it less distinctive overall. And the grey-ish accents around the center air vents and shifter are gone. Now it's all just a sea of blah black. The climate control is just different, not better.

Honestly, are y'all enamored with it just because it's new?

 

Don't fall out of your chair when you hear this but I actually agree with you. And I would like to personally thank the moron that moved the central locking button off the center dash and stuck it on the door like every other boring car out there. Now the passenger will have to lean way over to lock or unlock the car when the driver jumps out to run in the store etc.

 

well for me the stereo looks a lot more upscale. i think the keypad buttons on the non MFT stereo look dumb. the biggest upgrade for me though is the climate control. i have the standard climate control in my car, not the dualzone digital one. I think the Knobs looks extremley out dated and out of place in such a new car. The new climate control looks so much more modern and upscale. My biggest regret with my car is not getting the dual zone climate control. it was only available with the MFT on the '14 models. Every time i look at those knobs it makes me feel like my car is outdated and it's only a year old.

 

yea id love to swap some of the interiors. but im not sure if i could swap the parts i want, mainly the phone tray and the cup holder + cover =/. the rest looks nice, but i'd care more about the features id use more.

 

I don't care for the main dash part and buttons, I think they look funny. It's mostly the tray in the front that I want. No where to put my phone now except for my pocket.

 

lol need that tray.
, mine bounces around in the cup holder or on a phone mount on my dash, but i dont necessarily want to do that everytime

 

And yet

So... I don't know what to believe?

 

It looks like from the pictures above that the new dash is more solid and has less separate pieces that make it up, especially the center stack, that should go a long way to helping eliminate squeaks and rattles. Overall I think it's a step forward as sometimes I think my '12 dash is too busy just for the sake of looking busy...

And wavsine, I wonder if those pics are of pre-production cars? Also, I know that each market will have slight variations of what is available.

And I'm seriously considering getting a 2016 Focus RS, my next car was going to be a 2015+ Mustang but... HOLY CRAP the RS is a beast!

 

And I'm seriously considering getting a 2016 Focus RS, my next car was going to be a 2015+ Mustang but... HOLY CRAP the RS is a beast!

If only it came in a sedan, and not just a hb, I'd order one today!!!

 

ganorp - not found

No words found in this wordlist when searching for ganorp.

No direct (one word) anagrams for ganorp found in this word list.

 

Same Ganorp from the past RS.
Tools to hold the beast down on the tarmac[hihi]

 

Moving the lock to me is no big deal, in fact, I'd want it. And the newer front end looks great. Not a "travesty" at all, since it looks like the ST/RS version.

Nit picks.

Oh, and the transmissions are not 'failing', just not 'luxuious'. Want that, buy a Lexus.