2008 Ford Focus: Cabin Still Looks Good

Hey that side airvent and its wraparound dash trim looks really pretty. Too bad that design didn't carry around to the center dash and the door.

Very impressive that the seats are unstained-wish I could say the same of my car!

Luckily you guys didn't get the base model cloth.

It's Rental Car spec interior. After all, Ford has to fashion it's interior to it's core customres- your local Hertz lot!

Um, what's with all the random focus bashing posts above already?

wobbly is just like that sometimes.

Billt9 is right, that vent and dash trim does look good.

What bothers me is interior quality is often judged purely on "soft plastic = good, hard plastic = bad". Sometimes this is true, but I've seen some soft plastics that feel like half-melted cheese and aren't durable at all, and I've seen some hard plastic interiors that have great texture, quality assembly, and are very durable. There are many facets to interior quality. Looks like the Focus has at least nailed some of them.

Maybe you guys don't spend enough time pounding the dashboard or pulling things apart. Since that seems to be your test of a quality interior. Maybe that, or VW's and BMW's Godly interiors may not necessarily be of better "quality" than the American products. If I could post pictures, I'd show you a picture of how pristine my 10 year old, 125k mile Mustang's interior was before I released her to my cousin's custody...

As for the quality of the plastics...most everything that came out of every factory in the early 90's cracked if it wasn't leather. And most leathers cracked...everybody's gone a long way in terms of actual durability of interiors. Surely, a softer grain is indeed more comfortable in areas you rest your knees and elbows, but in general I'd like to see a new generation of journalists who can see beyond pinching rubberized Audi dashes to death to let us know what a quality interior is.

hey that's the oldest trick in the used car sales book! Show the DRIVER'S side, not the passenger side!! ;-)

Glad to see the Focus is holding up well. Now just give us the hatchback back!

I still dont see what is so terrible about this car's interior. In spite of all the small minded insults above the reality is that the Focus interior is no worse looking than whats found in the Civic or Corolla. I know it's hard to acknowledge but that's the truth.

"Now just give us the hatchback back!"

Ditto. I understand that they didn't sell well three years ago, but times have changed.

Many (some) people criticize the Focus, but their audience loves the car. It's practical! Give them a hatch and a wagon again, it'll be more practical.

Hey Mustang5507, are you serious? Mustang interiors ( '94 - '03ish? ) are pretty much the biggest rattletraps ive ever come across. HORRIBLE fit and finish, mismatched colors. That's a good one.

And altimadude, I was LMAO, I was thinking the same thing.

But if you want to experience the worst interior ever on a newer car, sit in a Dodge Caliber/Jeep Compass/Jeep Patriot.) Be careful though, you might bruise yourself on the hard plastic that covers every square inch, or you may even cut yourself on all of the hard edges and plastic flash that wasn't trimmed off.

"By wobbly_ears on March 30, 2009 5:13 PM
It's Rental Car spec interior. After all, Ford has to fashion it's interior to it's core customres- your local Hertz lot!"

Get with the times, wobbly - Hertz is no longer owned by Ford. Hertz is now owned by two hedge funds/private equity groups, who are in the process of driving the company into the ground. Rent a Hertz today, and you won't get a new Focus - you'll get a Hyundai Elantra with 35k miles on it.

I will admit, for the money, as a commuter car, the value aspect of the focus is hard to argue. But still, there are better choices out there for buyers and Ford won't be winning over any import buyers unless the Euro Focus really knocks their socks off.

audisport:

the average "import buyer" could care less about the Euro Focus and wouldn't know one if it was parked in their driveway. The #1 import compact sold in the US is the Corolla, not the MAzda 3 or any other sporty compact. Most import buyers want dull, reliable transportation- hence Toyota's success here.

Also, the interiors of the corolla and Matrix are no better than ANY Chrysler product. I got in the Matrix at the autoshow and the interior seemed like something from 2000. Hard plastics and an odd design. I opened the center storage console and saw the exposed head of the bolt holding it in place. Is that what Toyota calls moving us forward?

the matrix is indeed a step backwards as far as design and quality. and its super expensive and for what??? because it has a "T" on its hood??? not good enough for me. i looked at one while shopping for my focus and i got my sunroof, wheels, rear spoiler, power everything, abs and all that jazz... for a quoted $19k???? i didnt even have the XRS, just an XR without awd. yes, the focus has hard plastic, but i love it because its easy to clean, and it wont peel like VW's ruberized plastic seems to do. its made of good quality material without flashing, and a nice texture and feel to it. i dont know why everyone has a habbit of knocking on the dash as if they are knocking on a door to judge interior quality. what sound is quality plastic supposed to make?????

i wish the dash was integrated more into the interior for sure!