I spent the weekend in our 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv-G and put mostly freeway miles on it. I like the way our car rides. It's highly controlled. No matter what kind of pavement you encounter, the suspension is able to cope with it. It never gets unsettled, and this builds up your confidence. No other car in this class feels this good.
However, I'll admit that the setup on our i Grand Touring model (with P205/55R16 89H Bridgestone Turanza EL400 tires) toes my personal threshold for ride compliance. Which is to say, it's great the way it is now, but I wouldn't want it to ride any firmer than it does now. (Which makes me a bit of hypocrite, given how I loved on the stiff-riding Mazdaspeed 3.)
After renting a Ford Focus SEL hatchback (seen after the jump parked outside an atmospheric Microtel at night) last week in Michigan, I can understand why someone might drive both of these cars and prefer the Ford's slightly cushier ride. Arguably, the Focus feels more luxurious, though less fun than the 3.
Still, for a personal vehicle, I'd go with the Mazda, as I prefer its sharp-shifting six-speed automatic to the Ford's dual-clutch box, along with the freer-revving character of its newer engine (the Focus 2.0-liter is based on the old MZR motor that's still the base engine in the Mazda 3). Also, I'm not really a fan of the Ford's electric power steering -- not enough feel and I found myself making tiny on-center corrections on I-94 and U.S. 23.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 4,050 miles
ed124c says:
02:33 PM, 01/17/12
With the Focus I can get a sunroof, etc. AND a stick shift-- something you can't get with the Skyactiv. But I guess I should drive a Sky-activ at some point.
gabbo241 says:
02:45 PM, 01/17/12
Erin, quite agree on the Focus on both points.
The Focus' steering is a dealbreaker for me. Rented one to go to Maine this summer and it required far too much attention to keep it in the lane, mainly because the steering assist seems to weirdly "suck" the steering in the same direction you're trying to make a gentle correction with, and as a result you constantly overcorrect and wind up in a sesawing back and forth inside the lane.
Absolutely terrible and the first car I've driven where it was that bad.
stovt001 says:
02:45 PM, 01/17/12
I even find the 3 to be on the upper limit for acceptable firmness. I'm still considering a used one as a stop-gap to replace the Miata until I splurge on a good car I really want and fits all of my new needs (hopefully with some sort of military discount and/or favorable financing) but it won't be the most luxurious drive out to Alabama.
blueguydotcom says:
04:03 PM, 01/17/12
Shrug. Mine feels soft to me but then again my 2007 Cooper S with sport suspension felt too spongy for my tastes.
Erin Riches replied to comment from ed124c
04:58 PM, 01/17/12
Ed: Dan Edmunds tells me the manual gearbox on the Focus is a weak effort, so I wouldn't even consider a manual Focus (until the ST gets here).
And yes, you owe it to yourself to try the Skyactiv, esp. since Mazda's new manual gearbox is really quite nice. I'm not a fan of sunroofs, so I always forget about that equipment issue.
explorerx4 says:
05:08 PM, 01/17/12
Usually, I check the tire pressures when I get a rental or loaner.
haunty says:
05:22 PM, 01/17/12
For a while I couldn't decide if I liked the Focus or the Mazda3 better. I like the Focus body more, but the Mazda seems to be better where it counts. If only I could put the Focus body on the Mazda3 it would be perfect. The Mazda3 looks okay from most angles, but the back and front ends are kinda weird.
lautomobile says:
05:39 PM, 01/17/12
@ haunty
Yes, a car that combines the strongest aspects of these two would be the best in the segment by far. (I have a '12 Focus 5-spd myself.)
fordson1 says:
06:09 PM, 01/17/12
The 5-speed manual on the Focus has been praised by everyone who has reviewed it.
EL-400 Turanzas - some of the crappiest tires out there. Rated #22 out of 22 in all categories - including ride comfort - by Tire Rack. So you get rid of them and the 3 rides just fine.
Gotta love OEM rim-protectors.
Erin Riches replied to comment from fordson1
06:38 PM, 01/17/12
"The 5-speed manual on the Focus has been praised by everyone who has reviewed it."
Maybe so, but not by Dan Edmunds, and since he's an engineer and someone whose opinion I trust, I'll go with his verdict: "There's also a five-speed manual, but with just the five cogs and a flaccid clutch it's not really optimized for either performance or fuel economy. It's more of a value proposition on the low end of the price scale, which explains why it's confined to S and SE models."
http://www.insideline.com/ford/focus/2012/2012-ford-focus-titanium-first-drive.html
Besides, why would I want some old five-speed manual when I can get a stunningly good six-speed manual in the Mazda 3?
woochifer says:
06:54 PM, 01/17/12
I was also closely cross-shopping the Ford Focus. While I preferred the interior and styling of the Focus, the drivetrain on the Skyactiv Mazda3 ultimately tipped the balance in its favor.
I definitely wanted a sunroof, but I was less decided between the MT and AT. The Focus allows you to pair the sunroof with MT, while the Mazda3 currently does not (my dealer tells me that the sunroof/audio package might yet be made available on the Skyactiv models, but if that happens, it won't be soon). I thought that the Focus MT was okay, not great (its throw is a little longer than I prefer). But, while the dual clutch tranny delivered crisp shifts, it had that lurching feel at low speeds, and in the SE trim, the manual mode was limited to a couple of buttons on the gear knob -- not quite as satisfying as a shift-gate or paddle controls. Also, I thought that the Focus' engine gave a stronger low end push than the Skyactiv Mazda3, but the power at the top end dropped off sooner. Overall, the Skyactiv Mazda3's drivetrain felt more refined.
I didn't really notice the Focus' ride being noticeably softer than the Mazda3. Both cars handle quite well, but here too I prefer the Mazda3's steering feel.
fordson1 says:
07:14 PM, 01/17/12
Well, I can definitely go with the six- rather than the five-speed argument - no issue there.
But..."he's an engineer..." ?
So what?
Erin Riches replied to comment from fordson1
07:17 PM, 01/17/12
Come to Santa Monica sometime, fordson. We'll introduce you to Dan, and you'll know exactly what I mean by that. He knows his stuff.
Erin Riches replied to comment from woochifer
07:21 PM, 01/17/12
You make a good point about the Ford's design that I neglected -- it really does have a nice interior. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what I like because the controls are a little fussy, but the driving position is great (better than in our Mazda 3) and the materials are a tad better. Even though my rental car had 21K miles on the clock, I liked being in it -- and being seen in it.
uncanny_man says:
11:08 PM, 01/17/12
Any chance of a review of the focus dual clutch after the software fixes? I've heard from hearsay that it is much better, but would love to hear from a more objective source...
vbcodegamer says:
01:21 AM, 01/18/12
Erin, how does this compare to the Jetta long term car? (even though that one is an TDI model, I'm interested in the interior, ride and handling, and personal preferences points to help me cross shop the gasoline versions...)
Thank you
vbcodegamer says:
01:22 AM, 01/18/12
Erin, how does this compare to the Jetta long term car? (even though that one is an TDI model, I'm interested in the interior, ride and handling, and personal preferences points to help me cross shop the gasoline versions...)
Thank you
comp386 says:
05:52 AM, 01/18/12
Actually what sold me on the Mazda 3 vs Focus was the hatch. My wife's on the short side and she couldn't reach the hatch on the Focus when it was open. I'm 5'10" and even I had to reach a little to get it. Very happy with the Skyactiv. My wife's used to driving a Camry and even she's loving the firmer ride.
emajor says:
07:50 AM, 01/18/12
It's a fine time in which to live when someone with ~$20K and a penchant for quality hatchbacks has the 3 and Focus to choose from. And Golf. And Elantra Touring, but that's probably going away soon.
Can anyone with experience driving both of these cars comment on the road noise in the Focus compared to the 3? Loved the steering, suspension, and driving position of the 3 but the highway road noise was a bit intrusive for my tastes.
carguy622 says:
08:03 AM, 01/18/12
@emajor: I recently test drove a Focus SE sedan and it was really quiet and refined, even on the highway. Might have been a bit quieter than my '06 Acura TSX actually.
The MazdaSpeed3 I drove after it was fun, but quite noisy. I'll be trying out the standard flavor 3 this weekend.
I'm sorry to hear the Focus' stick is a weak effort as getting a sunroof and heated seats with a stick is important to me.
duck87 says:
08:24 AM, 01/18/12
The Mazda 3 does have the better tune and powertrain combo in my opinion. So it has the engineering bones right. What the Ford does better though is standard features- I would say the interior is "okay", though I still feel that the Cruze's more conventional (and upscale) interior is better. It's kind of wacky looking when you're sitting inside (this coming from someone who had a 2006 Civic Si).
woochifer says:
12:50 PM, 01/23/12
@Erin Riches
Some of the Ford Focus' controls were a bit bizarre. The interior on the Focus in general is a bit more daring and much of it works. But, so many of the Focus models I looked at had the MyFordTouch touchscreen controls. Aside from the well documented reliability issues with those controls, I simply hated them -- so much that I eliminated all of the Focus models that included the touchscreens. This really limited the selection I had available, since I was also wanted a moonroof.
@emajor
I thought the Focus was a little bit quieter than the Mazda3, but not by orders of magnitude. I never thought any of the Mazda3s (previous gen or current) as particularly noisy, then again, I'm not bothered much by road noise in general.