SA (2018) Ford Focus - Page 10

**DFB FGXR6** · 20-06-2019, 08:26 PM

Well that didn't last long!

https://www.caradvice.com.au/767928/...ithin-a-month/

Adds weight to my theory that the Ambiente was a botched factory order.

dannyhilton · 20-06-2019, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Well that didn't last long! Adds weight to my theory that the Ambiente was a botched factory order.

The leaked dealer bulletin from the 2018 Focus launch listed the Ambiente, saying it would be launched early 2019. But it listed no further details. My guess is Ford we’re forced to take the car (a lot of the Ambiente models appear to be January build) but somehow got out of making it a full time model.

Let’s be honest, Focus sales are dismal. Looking at the prices dealers have demo models listed on Car Sales for is depressing, surely they’ll either just drop the model or actually do some solid advertising? It’s a great car that just needs some extra standard equipment and a solid marketing campaign...

thebigd · 06-07-2019, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannyhilton

So it seems a few on here have had their Focus for a few weeks, any feedback from owners, negative or positive? I've had a good look at some of the competition (no driving) and interested to hear thoughts. Not a huge fan of car reviews as I feel like they just as biased spec guides these days.

Hey Danny.
Am waiting on a new Mondeo, after my last one was involved in an accident. Motorama Moorooka have loaned me a new Focus Titanium until they can deliver the Mondeo.
Now that I have things all set up eg. sync / bluetooth / audio / driving mode, WOW !
The cars a bit small for me after the Mondeo, and there's little boot space, but that's the only negatives I would give.
How the hell they get that much power from three cylinders has got me beat.
The B&O sound system is fantastic. No comparison to what the Mondeo offers.
Handling in sports mode is awesome, as long as you like a stiff wheel and hard suspension.
Front end LED lighting is great, although I'm comparing it to Mondeo Trend spec that still uses halogen.
The dash incorporates a bit of GPS info which is great, especially if you are using the screen display for other items like audio. It also displays the current speed limit. Seems to default to 40k's in the school zones even if it's not within the hours, but I can deal with that.
Would totally recommend.

CatonaPC© · 07-07-2019, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebigd

Seems to default to 40k's in the school zones even if it's not within the hours

Yes, I noticed this. It's a good alert to the driver that they're in a 40 zone even if the speed is outside the applicable times. This got me thinking: that 40 surrounded by a red circle is technically an indicator of the speed limit and should be obeyed, regardless of what any extra writing is attached to that sign. If you couldn't understand or read english, and you're from Europe, you'd slow to 40km/h, wouldn't you?

As an aside, if you happen to be in speed limiting mode with sign recognition switched on, your car WILL slow to 40km/h regardless if the applicable time is active or not.

stefcio007 · 20-06-2019, 11:11 PM

Ford did some advertising before the car launched and now it’s zero. IMO the Focus brand has been ruined by the transmission problems. It’s going to be very hard for Ford to get past that even if it’s a good car.

Just go to Ford’s social media posts and you’ll always find people banging on with negative comments about the transmissions. Whether it be people just being negative or disgruntled owners who didn’t get help from Ford. It still happens.

The owners that think it’s a great car would help Ford with sales if they just told friends and family. Word of mouth is everything these days.

marg99 · 21-06-2019, 11:40 AM

It is so hard to build a good reputation but so easy to loose it. Most of our former local manafacturers have not yet made a good adjustment to being pure importers.

CatonaPC© · 21-06-2019, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marg99

It is so hard to build a good reputation but so easy to loose it. Most of our former local manafacturers have not yet made a good adjustment to being pure importers.

Holden in particular (Ford are doing better). Toyota have hardly been affected.

csv8 · 22-06-2019, 09:34 AM

Focus should have a 4 cylinder engine not a 3 cylinder motorcycle engine. Longevity will be interesting.

CatonaPC© · 22-06-2019, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csv8

Focus should have a 4 cylinder engine not a 3 cylinder motorcycle engine.

Why? Plenty of very reliable 3-cylinder motorcycle engines out there. In any case, this engine has been around for a while now as the 1.0L Ecoboost which had some initial problems sorted out by now. The 1.5L is based on that engine with further improvements. Time will tell of course, but there is no reason to believe a 4 cylinder under would be any more reliable just because it's got an extra piston.

csv8 · 22-06-2019, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatonaPC©

Why? Plenty of very reliable 3-cylinder motorcycle engines out there. In any case, this engine has been around for a while now as the 1.0L Ecoboost which had some initial problems sorted out by now. The 1.5L is based on that engine with further improvements. Time will tell of course, but there is no reason to believe a 4 cylinder under would be any more reliable just because it's got an extra piston.

Nothing wrong with 3 cylinder motorcycle engines, in motorcycles. The engine doesnt have to haul the same weight as a car..

mickjf · 23-06-2019, 07:51 AM

So after mulling over whether or not to get a small to mid sized hatch as a second family car and one my now L plate son could drive I decided to pull the trigger and get something. Goal was a base model, decent size for 4 passengers but as many safety features as possible.

Mazda 3 & Corolla - Simply too small in the back seats so crossed off immediately
Focus Trend - Great size, driveline and handling but at $30k+ simply too much for what it is plus insurance would be $1.4k with my son listed next year
Hyundai i30 Go - Good size, good driveline with safety pack $25k and $500 a year cheaper in insurance than the Focus

In the end I went with a Kia Cerato S auto with the safety pack for $22k on road. Driveline and handling are average (but acceptable), but the included safety and other features combined with the 7 year warranty and the cheapest for insurance made it the obvious choice.

I know Ford & Mazda are claiming that the market is heading upspec to justify cutting base models and hiking prices on what used to be their mid spec models. But so far their sales aren't exactly growing, whereas Kia and Hyundai are. I'm sure there is more profitability compared to the cheaper Koreans, but if they have to resort to discounts to shift cars then that will evaporate quite quickly.

CatonaPC© · 23-06-2019, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickjf

I know Ford & Mazda are claiming that the market is heading upspec to justify cutting base models and hiking prices on what used to be their mid spec models. But so far their sales aren't exactly growing, whereas Kia and Hyundai are.

You make a claim that Ford and Mazda sales are not growing. Can you specifically state where you sourced your information? Bear in mind, that both Ford and Mazda have only just recently introduced new models, so it may be too early to say if their sales are not "exactly growing".

All the best with your new Kia.

marg99 · 23-06-2019, 06:31 PM

The ten best sellers according to Canstar
1st Toyota Hilux
2nd Ford Ranger
3rd Toyota RAV4
4th Hyundai i30
5th Toyota Corolla
6th Mazda3
7th Mazda CX-5
8th Kia Cerato
9th Toyota Prado
10th Holden Colorado

CatonaPC© · 23-06-2019, 06:50 PM

Lists of overall sales mean nothing and don't indicate sales growth or slump.

Try this article instead, which shows which car makes have actually improved sales. Guess which brand has defied the market slump?

In the words of Alan Moffat: "Oh, what's that out in front? Is that a . . . . Ford?"

mickjf · 24-06-2019, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatonaPC©

Lists of overall sales mean nothing and don't indicate sales growth or slump.

Try this article instead, which shows which car makes have actually improved sales. Guess which brand has defied the market slump?

In the words of Alan Moffat: "Oh, what's that out in front? Is that a . . . . Ford?"

Yep it was that article and a couple of similar ones I was looking at covering growth rather than outright sales numbers.

It looks like there's been a trend (pun intended) for the few manufacturers offering entry level variants of their mid hatches to increase sales (Kia is up close to 10%). If Ford had an Ambiente with similar specs to a base Cerato, not the 90kw stripper, but for $2-3k more I probably would have bought it. But $8-10k is just too far.

Yellow_Festiva · 06-07-2019, 09:17 PM

The i30 has really put the Corolla on notice - haven't taken much notice of sales for a while but last time I did Corolla was ahead of i30.

I wonder what the numbers would have been if Hyundai called the Elantra an i30 sedan?

It would have blitzed the Rav 4 - there is bugger all between them anyway.

Could have been number 2 or even number 1 on the list.

fobzee · 25-08-2019, 05:17 PM

Whats everyone's thoughts on service intervals?

Im at 10,000 at the moment, never had a car with 15,000 intervals but I guess thats a lot more normal now?

stefcio007 · 25-08-2019, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fobzee

Whats everyone's thoughts on service intervals?

Im at 10,000 at the moment, never had a car with 15,000 intervals but I guess thats a lot more normal now?

Mine is 15k km service intervals for 2011 LW. Normal now.

CatonaPC© · 27-08-2019, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fobzee

Im at 10,000 at the moment, never had a car with 15,000 intervals but I guess thats a lot more normal now?

It's 15,000km or 1 year whichever comes up first.

There is a caveat, though. If you're driving the car in dusty conditions or where it's doing a lot of towing or you're driving it hard, then you need to consider getting it serviced more often. In Europe, this car has conditional service intervals determined by the car so it can vary.

KosCo · 31-08-2019, 02:12 PM

Things seem to be a bit quiet on news from users on the SA Focus front – so here is my bit of news. At last I can say that the order for our new Focus was put in this week. Am getting a Titanium model, colour – Desert Island Blue, options – HUD and Active Park Assist 2. Unfortunately, the options ordered mean we probably won’t see the car until November. It has been listed as a 2019.75 model so don’t know if that means anything. We have been provided a NSC Order Number and hopefully will get a VIN Number soon to track its progress. Have seen a few SA models now driving around my suburb lately whereas a few months ago there weren’t any at all. Hope it all goes well now. Will put this post up on a few of the forums.

**DFB FGXR6** · 01-09-2019, 08:54 PM

https://www.caradvice.com.au/788393/...ms-early-2020/

Focus ST details.

$44,690 manual or auto.

cappie · 15-09-2019, 05:15 PM

Transmission issue encountered by this review as well, in an Active no less.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/i...665a5770fc4220

CatonaPC© · 15-09-2019, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cappie

Transmission issue encountered by this review as well, in an Active no less.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/i...665a5770fc4220

I have an Active. I note no undue delay. I'm not saying there isn't but no more than what one would expect from any auto with a lever to change gears. Unfortunately, methinks the writer is looking for something that isn't there because he's too lazy to put the foot on the brake: He says "I shouldn’t have to". Sorry, Mr Car-test-driver; there is no such auto transmission in the world, nor has there ever been, where you are not required to put your foot on the brake when changing from D to R or vice versa!

The real issue is that dial-shifter is easy to flick from D to R or R to D and there's the expectation the mechanics of the gearbox should change just as fast. It doesn't. It's completely incorrect to state the car continues to roll because of a perceived delay that would normally go unnoticed in an auto with a regular selector.

I take issue with the fuel consumption criticism, also. I owned a Ford Focus LZ Trend and my new Focus with the 8-speed auto chews through about 5-10% less fuel in heavy stop/start traffic. It's not thrifty, but it's better than the old model with the 6-speed auto box.

The rest of the review is what readers should be taking onboard, because this car is very good. Also, readers should keep in mind, car testers base all their opinions on short term trial of a car. I'd wonder what they'd think if they drove any car they tested for 3 months or longer and whether it changed their perception - rotary dial shifters in particular?

cappie · 15-09-2019, 07:19 PM

I'm getting to the stage where this transmission issue is really ****ing me off and I'm thinking of selling the car. I've never had a vehicle where once it goes from drive to reverse and u take the foot off the brake and it rolls forward. Ridiculous!

ivorya · 17-11-2019, 08:01 PM

What is the Ford oil spec for the new Focus?

stefcio007 · 22-11-2019, 09:20 PM

Was this car released in China in 2018? Watching a TV show from that year and the car is in the show.

Edit; it actually looks like an LZ from the rear but an SA on the front.

It’s does have the rotary dial shifter though. Not sure if the LZ had that.

CatonaPC© · 23-11-2019, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefcio007

it actually looks like an LZ from the rear but an SA on the front.

It’s does have the rotary dial shifter though. Not sure if the LZ had that.

A quick check of the Ford China site shows they're still selling the LZ version in hatchback form. The new SA version appears only available in sedan form.

The LZ and SA are completely different cars and have nothing in common.

fobzee · 16-12-2019, 09:49 AM

so took mine in for a service, i had a very early model. Asked them to see if there were any software updates for the transmission

They did find an update, they said it was huge and took them almost two hours. Transmission is much smoother shifting into drive or reverse. Better yet though, i've got auto steer now! I didnt change anything, just turned on the cruise and it now steers itself

Was this a 2019/2020 upgrade??

CatonaPC© · 16-12-2019, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fobzee

i had a very early model.

Early model? By that, you mean a 2018 model?

fobzee · 16-12-2019, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Early model? By that, you mean a 2018 model?

Yeah it was a late 2018 build, compliance early 2019

Checked the ford site and it says it comes with lane cantering - not sure if that’s what it is but on the highway it will take bends on its own