We looked at the Fiesta also, but it was too small (two kids in carseats), so when we saw the new Focus had similar styling we "built our own" @ Ford.com

We realized we could get everything we wanted:
*hatchback
*manual
*leather
*sunroof
*turn signals in the side mirrors

And excellent fuel economy, I briefly considered the Mazda 3s GT but the Focus seemed the better choice for these reasons:
*substantially more space behind rear seats
*substantially better fuel economy
*front end "styling" of the Mazda...



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Tired of getting speeding tickets in my Mitsubishi Evo, so traded it in for my Focus. The overall good reviews, styling, Ford's improvement in quality, great gas mileage and features swung me over to the Ford camp.

 

Hi, I ticked them all, I just needed a smaller car to replace my Mk4 Mondeo, but I didn't want to go lower with the quality or the features, plus I wanted a car that was bang up to date with it's looks. The 1.6 Ecoboost engine uses diesel technology thus it has a lot of torque, thus good performance, but good economy also.
Chris

 

I can't vote yet.

#1 - needed better fuel economy but not sure I wanted to think about replacing batteries every 80k miles on a Hybrid.

#2 - I've always been a Toyota person but wanted to buy an American car and support Ford - made in Michigan.

#3 - saw a new Focus on the road and liked the look.

 

I can't vote either. but I got it because of the fuel mileage. with two high performance V8 and gas running between 3-4 bucks a gallon I needed something I could count on for a decent monthly gas bill. been looking for awile but held off because of the uncertainty of when I would be getting back to the states. Now was the time, I wanted American, and was going to buy Ford since I own two others and own stock in them.

 

I bought the overall package - - a relatively small car that was quiet, comfortable, fun to drive, upscale options available & to top it off it has great fuel economy - - the car I've been waiting for Ford to build for the past 30 years!

 

I have seen 1st gen Prius with over 250k miles on their factory batteries, I don't think anybody has had to replace them @ 80k.

That said, I still wouldn't buy a hybrid because they're not economical when you compare them to their non-hybrid counterparts.

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My current car is having issues and is likely on the verge of dying, so I needed something new. Gas prices in Canada are INSANE so I needed something efficient, plus I think the focus looks great styling wise and I couldn't believe what features I could get in the car for the price.

 

All of the above. I was looking for a manual and that was top priority at the time.

 

The three reasons I'm buying a new focus are:

#1 Gas mileage my work commute was recently doubled and with gas prices being what they are my weekly fuel bill is killing me.

#2 The new styling and features really got me looking, plus the fact that my oldest just graduated from high school and needs a car to commute to and from college, so she gets the 9 year old Bull (Taurus).

#3 I'm a Ford guy (Have been for 25 years) so there was no real way I was gonna be looking @ something else.

 

Some assclown ran a red light (and took off! 18 yr old punk texting. Witnesses estimated 50 mph and no brake lights!!!!) and totalled wife's loaded 07 SES Foci with 50k and garage kept. Heck, she even changed her own oil! (With me setting up the lift lol)

She was bummed when we couldn't find anything close as she was fine with same generation and even me transferring leather seats and interior over but there's nothing out there even close to as good shape as hers. The good news is we paid 14300 (on A plan with lots of heavy incentives due to 08's on the lot) and after much effort pushing the defandants insurance and buying the car back and reselling the car for double what I paid to get everything I paid for the car when we bought it in October 07....

The wife hasn't looked back after the new car. She loves everything the new car is that the old wasn't! She only had to give up leather which we're working with Katskinz for a set of theirs for the 12's. She was insistent on 5 speed so SE and she loathes the Tuscany red although I don't mind it.

 

Some assclown ran a red light (and took off! 18 yr old punk texting. Witnesses estimated 50 mph and no brake lights!!!!) and totalled wife's loaded 07 SES Foci with 50k and garage kept. Heck, she even changed her own oil! (With me setting up the lift lol)
.

Sorry to hear you got the new one under those circumstances; seems to happen all too often these days. Being a 19 year old myself I can tell you not all of us are assclowns[wiggle]. I never text while driving and I rant at my friends that do, though amazingly none of them have ever crashed, go figure.

 

For me, I was looking for something to replace my 2002 Neon. Its was a good car but with 210,000km I was starting to put money into it every summer. That and the best I could get was around 11-12L/100km (around 24-25mpg)

After reading consumer reports praise, I had my heart set on the Elantra! It was the first car we test drove, and everything was going to compare to it. Well after driving it in the city and highway, my wife felt car sick and it just didnt handle the way I thought it would. Its a great looking car but it, we just didn't feel "it".
Next was the New Honda (it felt cheap and we really hated the interior), the Forte (looked nice but felt cheap and wondered how it would hold up to Manitoba winters) and lastly the Nissan Sentra (just thought the interior was ugly and it felt too small).

Then my wife said, why don't we try the Focus? Well to keep her happy I said fine. I didn't have a hope for it. I mean I loved the way it looked, but its a Focus. I've never owned a Ford in my life. Well one test drive later, I now own my first Ford. It handled great, has a nice amount of power for an "economy" car, and it just felt right! I know consumer reports said that the Focus has a quirky transmission and little rear leg room. I've found that the transmission smooths out the more you drive it and it learns your driving style/habit. The leg room isn't bad, and more so we find the seat is actually wider than our SUV. 3 people can sit side-by-side alot more comfortably.
I have no regrets getting our Focus, and everyday I drive it, I love it even more!

 

For me, was love at the first sight, driving to my work, Ford dealer had my Ti Yellow
(flashy)) Blaze at first row, I just said " i want that beauty" when I went for a test drive, we closed the deal

 

Much like the OP and eyeballeater's post above me... I looked all around the C-segment.

I had a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 before this... fun car, but I modded it, and I didn't get the performance out of it I expected for the money I put into it... after a lot of effort it was still under 300hp to the wheels. It also got 25-26mph hwy, and I've been driving to bigger cities a lot more lately, being less than 2 hours away from 2 major cities in FL I have a good amount of options for things like concerts and theme parks around me, so I drive there often, and I HATED driving in cities with a manual.

So my list was:
Awesome MPG
Automatic
Cheap-ish

I ventured to look at the Chevy Cruze and Dodge Avenger for comprison's sake, but wouldn't buy because Ford is the only domestic that didn't steal our money to be bailed out of problems they caused. But, the first car I really was set on was the Kia Forte Koup SX (to keep SOME sportiness)... under 20k, decent amount of power, looks awesome to me, but then I test drove it.. the automatic had no throttle control, barely tapping it, the car pulled like I floored it, and the "sporty" exhaust note just sounded terrible too, very noticeable from inside, would have been the Mazdaspeed 3 all over again.

I then looked online, built a lot of cars, and did a LOT of research.. the Elantra looked great, the Civic was super cheap and as always great mileage, Lancer was out of the question as Mitsu's everday lineup has been lacking for years IMO, the Jetta was decontented and looks cheap now, and so finally I looked at Ford's website, JUST for the hell of it.. and there it was on the home page, the 2012 Focus.

So I took a look at it online... looked great, flashy, but not overstated, interior looked awesome, full of cool tech that other competitors didn't have, etc. BUT, it was a Focus!?

So I drove to the Ford dealership and talked to who later became my salesman, Glenn. I told him much like I told the Kia salesman that I didn't want to talk numbers, I just wanted to drive the car. The Kia salesman continuously asked me questions about the process throughout the drive, whether I was going to trade in, how many miles and what kind of car, etc. and it just pissed me off, he also called me the wrong name the second time I visited him to get a trade-in quote. Glenn however, simply said okay, we walked to the Foci, looked around, I drove a white SEL with MFD but no MFT, took it around the block, and I absolutely LOVED it, it felt so composed, confident, solid, quiet, etc. It was simply fantastic. I then looked into a Titanium to check out the MFT system, which Glenn knew his way around as well.

So a few weeks later, some trade-in quotes, and some negotiations done, I walked out of the dealership on a Saturday morning with the keys to my SGM SEL Sedan Glenn found at another dealership 3 states away that had everything I wanted in it, and drove home. That was 2 weeks ago and I've been loving it ever since.

 

Just wanted to say I can relate to your story -- I too did so much research and must have looked at almost every other compact car (civic, mazda3, Elantra, etc). It never really entered my mind to look at ford until my dad told me (over the phone one day) that the focus was redesigned this year and that I should maybe consider it in the lineup as well... I never expected I would have been this obsessed with the car once I first clicked on the focus (for the 1st time) on the ford homepage. After I saw the specs/inside/out - It was like all other cars just didn't come close anymore. It just has everything you could want and could be custumized exactly to my liking.

 

After my daughter moved to Australia in February, I was left with three cars. A new Acura MDX, a 2004 MDX, and her 2009 Honda Fit.

I like having 2 cars, an SUV or a pick-up and a daily driver that gets good gas mileage. This spreads the annual mileage over two cars, 10,000 miles per car rather then 20,000 miles on one car.

The Fit was a 5 speed and black. I have had my knees replaced and I found a manual was not as much fun as they used to be. A black car in Texas in the summer is really hot when you first get in it. The AC labored to cool the car off.

So when I saw the Focus I found a car with features to match my 2011 MDX Advance, gas mileage to match the Honda Fit, that I could get in a cool color, (white, silver, etc.), and that was stylish.

 

My Car

If I had to pick (which I am just a few days away from being able to vote). The fuel economy probably is the most influential factor of my decision, but truthfully, All of these above reasons are why I decided on the 2012 Focus.

It drives well, interior is sporty, the re-designed exterior is to my liking (i like the sedan style more than the hatch - IMO). but i wanted something that I could drive and be happy with over the next few years, because I plan to own the car as long as it runs. Many say its like a compact luxury car for 1/2 the price, and I for one happen to agree with that statement. Even though mine is not fully-loaded titanium (which I would love to have gotten - it just wasn't in my budget) I still love all the features on my car and I am very happy with my decision. IMO, this should be the best compact car of this year - I just don't think I'd still be this happy today if I had gotten any other brand/model compact car.

 

A combination of them all.

I started out with a real basic car in mind. But when I started comparing the SEL I drove to everything I thought "eh, what's another 15 dollars a month here and 20 dollars a month there" If I'm gonna be paying off a car for the next 5-6 years I really wanted to enjoy it. I didn't want a car that would turn into my neon 10 years down the line and be viewed as total garbage.
So I guess a top selling point was the features.

I also like the sporty appearance, I definitely wanted something that was gonna look cool. Something to be proud to say I drive, or to wow people when they say "that's a focus?!"
Gas mileage was important, I had a small car before so it won't blow it out of the water, and the savings will just end up paying for the increased insurance rates. But it's still important. It won't save me every money, but next time you're in traffic take a look at the other drivers, 1 per car, and how many of them are in trucks and SUVs.

 

This is my first Ford.
I've been a truck / suv driver for the last 15 years or so.
I had just bought a new Toyota Double Cab 4x4 thinking I could keep it for 30 years and not worry too much about the gas mileage.
As nice as the truck was, it was miserably uncomfortable for me. Mostly due to my back and neck issues. I tried all sorts of things to make it more comfy. Nothing worked.
That, and the cost of fuel going up, made me consider selling the truck and getting a more economical car. I typically drive 1500 - 2000 miles a month. So comfort, economy, and durability were my key issues. I looked at almost every sporty compact out there and kept coming back to the Focus.
After three test drives, I made my choice. I'm very pleased with my 2012 SEL hatch. Meets my needs, and then some.

 

Our convertible beetle was starting to have issues so we sold it and started looking for a replacement car. We figured we should look in the C-segment as we want to eventually give this car to our kids when they reach driving age. After doing a bunch of research on all the cars in this class, it was really tough to beat the value of the Elantra. Plus we just liked out it looked a lot...but then we test drove it and it was as boring as you could get as far as driving feel.

So, we test drove the Focus and both of us fell in love. Great mix of good driving dynamics, comfort, options, etc. Only problem was it was about 3-4k more expensive than the Elantra for all the options we wanted in it (Nav cause my wife gets lost the moment she walks out the door, Winter package cause she's always cold, Moonroof because she says she won't drive a car without one, and Remote Start so the kids can get into a warm car in the winter mornings). Was able to get X-plan plus some rebates which made the price different only about 1k - that made it a no-brainer.

 

I was looking for a compact to get me to work basically... my new job has me driving 50 miles daily. So my primary thing was gas mileage. Secondarily, technology features.

After briefly considering a Corolla S, I was down to the Cruze and the Focus, because of the available tech. Both cars have a lot of really excellent features not found elsewhere in the class. Settled on the Focus because SYNC impressed me on the test drive and I preferred the styling.

 

I got my Focus for a myriad of reasons. Putsimply it just was the best bang for my buck out of the cars on my list. For what you pay the options are outstanding, the styling is top notch, the fuel economy is great, and the quality of build/materials is stellar. The only car that came close for me was the Mazda3, but the lower fuel economy and ridiculous smiling grille knocked it down a peg. Comng from my 1965 Galaxie, this SE hatch is a dream come true... No more 10 mpg highway driving on a 110 degree vinyl seat and roaring wind in my face (due to lack of a/c) during the Texas summer and a new thing to fix everytime another project is finished. Also, despite the fact it's now a forgotten color, the tuxedo black on the new Focus looks damn good when it's clean during these sunny days unlike the old Wimbeldon White paint job on the Galaxie that just looks dull in comparison.

 

I'm 23 and this would be my first car ever. My budget was 30k over 5 years, so I checked out every C-segment car.

My favourite thing about modern luxury cars is the interior with lots of tech, and nifty styling. The Focus was the only car under 30k that came even close to having a cool interior. The piano black radio, to the MFT system, to the cool blue gauge dials and info screen was what sold me on the car when I was looking at gallery pics online.

After taking a test drive for an hour with no salesman in the car (he just handed me the fob and said "have fun"), I ordered it. The handling, quietness, MFT quality (worked really well for me), nav, blew my expectations out of the water. When "Climate temperature, 21" worked first try, my fiancee said I had the biggest grin on me face ever. Never having to take my hands off the wheel to use knobs or buttons is so cool.

2 more weeks and I should have mine!

 

The fact that we could get a 5-speed WITH leather (tuscany, we love it) was a big selling point for us.

Elantra: leather with automatic only
Cruze: same
Civic: same
Mazda: only competition that offered a manual/leather option
Golf: no manual or leather offered for 5-door hatch

If the GTI weren't so expensive, or if the Mazda had more cargo space and better gas mileage... we probably still would have bought the Focus.

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I can't vote yet, and I haven't taken delivery of my vehicle yet, but:

*Features
*Styling
but most importantly:
*Gas mileage

Coming from a Jeep Liberty that gets 15 city 21 highway, 17 combined... this will be a nice surprise.

Funny thing is, my monthly payment is going to be less than the amount that I save on gas per month!!!

 

You're all liars the gas mileage is no different in the focus than any of its competitors, you bought it cause its sexy face it
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Ok, you got me. I admit it. Although I still think the Elantra is pretty sexy too...too bad it doesn't drive as good as it looks. Plus since I ferry my kids around a bit and have to wait for them in the car, the comfy Focus seats are to die for.