2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe: Aye, There's the Rub

Seat belt reach: My Mustang has hoops on the outboard side of the front seats (next to the headrests) to hold the seatbelts. Otherwise, like you said, you have to reach too far back. Trouble is, you have to remove the belt from the loop on the rare occasions that somebody needs to ride in the rear. Maybe it's a Ford thing, putting seatbelts too far back. I don't seem to recall the previous-gen Eclipse having such issues.
 
Fuel economy: My best tank with my '07 Focus was 37.9 mpg, and lately every tank has been above 35. That keeps the fuel bills lower, which is important with $4 gas. I'm curious to see if the '08 is actually more efficient like the EPA ratings say it should be. You can still get $2500 cash back on a new Focus which, combined with great fuel economy, makes it a great deal.

Based on the overwhelmingly negative reviews the Focus has received in these pages, it sure doesn't sound worth it to me.
 
Some people will call the stuff you guys complain about nitpicking, but I like it because these are exactly the things you can't notice on a 15 minute test drive, but end up really bothering you once you own the car.

On the positive side, lighted cupholders are a nice touch. I can't see at all into the black recesses in my car.

They're expecting entirely too much from an economy compact.
 
The Focus is nice, and it handles nice, nice infotainment, and nice MPG.
Of course when you have the likes of a C300 and Mini -- the Focus is a failure, compared to the competition it's above average in many respects.

I don't think anyone expects the Focus to compete with a C300. I don't know what the staff expects, but I would expect it to be class-competitive, which it doesn't seem to be.

CX7lover, with the possible exception of a side impact, the '08 Focus is not demonstrably better in any way than my '99 Civic with 136k miles on it. Moreover, many cars in this price range ARE demonstrably better. Mazda3, Astra, Cobalt, Civic anyone? Hell, even the Versa's better than this throwback.

I can't really comment on the 08 Focus much but I have an 05 Focus 55k miles and my roommate has an 00 Civic with 135k miles on it and I can say that the 05 Focus destroys the Civic. While the Civic is older, it was also fully loaded. It doesn't accelerate as well and only gets 25 mpg (almost all city). It has an unappealing interior, which honestly is terribly considering the Focus interior isn't good either. The car's quality is pretty poor too. His trunk door lock doesn't work and part of the muffler fell off.

We get it, car needs a telescoping steering wheel

Our Civic averages 35 mpg in mixed driving, and has never recorded less than 27 mpg, regardless of conditions. No parts have fallen off yet. Total replacements in nine years include two sets of tires, one set of front brake pads, and a timing belt. I hope the Focus can still claim that when it's been on the road nine years.

The 08 Focus is MUCH better than any Civic before the 8th generation.
Undoubtedly more refined.
 
The Focus is better than the cobalt, too.
The Focus is not better than the Mazda3 or Civic in terms of build quality but the Focus easily can surpass the Mazda3 in fuel economy and features, and meet the 8thgenCivic in handling with a quieter ride.
 
Interior materials are a downside but the aesthetics are nice. The possible price just wraps it all up, with the heavy discounting at dealers it's a good buy.

I just got "2" Focus SES cars loaded! I sure like em too!

Although the Mazda3, Astra & Civic are in the same class as Focus, they are not in the same price range when decently equipped. (Price was the main reason I did not buy a Mazda3 when I was shopping a few years ago). Perhaps the Cobalt can compete on price.
 
Also, the fuel economy on the Mazda3, Astra & Cobalt leaves much to be desired.
 
Having said all that, I think I'd take the Civic. :P

The Focus SES is just a really cool iPod and Bluetooth setup wrapped in a four wheel package.

Would you buy said package, Brian?
 
Hope the Moodys have a nice weekend!

If your ultimate goal is to save money, the Focus is a good choice. Considering only gas and TMV price, the three cars in its class that will have the lowest cost over five years are the Kia Spectra, Ford Focus, and Chevy Cobalt (all with MT). None of these stands out in the compact car category, but they all will leave extra money in your wallet at the end of the year. For comparison, a Prius has a $8000-10000 premium over these cars. With gas at $4/gal and driving 15k miles a year and using the EPA's combined figure, your break-even point is on the order of ten years.
 
I still think you guys should've gotten the manual in this car.