Long-Term Road Tests

Wrapping up the week with another What You Said.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS: No Remote Start

Why Ask Why?
By lowmilelude on September 21, 2009 7:25 AM
"Why does someone in California need a remote starter?"
For the same reason anyone would want fog lights, MP3 inputs, automatic wipers, seat warmers, seat coolers, power windows, a convertible top, steering wheel controls, cup holders, back-up sensors, mult-zone climate control, navigation, or anything else that doesn't come standard on, I don't know; a 1977 CJ 7. It just makes driving that much more comfortable and/or fun.

Full disclosure: Had remote start on a manual transmission in my previous vehicle, and I live near the beach. It was meh. Used it a handful of times when I first got the car, then never used it again.

2009 Hyundai Genesis V6: Passes the Trunk Test

Fill 'Er Up
By tjpark01 on September 21, 2009 9:28 AM
The trunk is cavernous in this car. I worried about the rear seats not folding when I bot it, but it does have a pass through. Brought home a 10 foot pool net last week, no problem. Is there a better 35k car out there?

By stovt001 on September 21, 2009 11:33 AM
The hinges barely take up any room anyway. That is one really nicely designed trunk. Pay attention GM.

More after the jump...

Continue reading What You Said (9/20-9/26).

Categories: 2008 BMW 135i,2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Mini E,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

After an extended tour of duty, our 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe is gone. (Read the wrap-up here.) After some 25,000 miles of Sync, ambient LED lighting, fake vents and it not being a hatchback, we were more than willing to let it go. While no tears were shed, dozens and dozens of words were written for this installment of Parting Shots. Don't forget to leave yours after the jump

Continue reading 2008 Ford Focus SES: Parting Shots.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

I LOVE being able to chat on the phone through our 2008 Ford Focus' Sync but since I hadn't driven it in awhile seemed someone deleted my phone from the list of Bluetooth devices stored. I didn't know this until I had gotten in the car and it didn't automatically connect to my phone like it did previous times. Aww, boo. This had always made me feel special as if the car remembered me out of the other bazillion editors who drive it more regularly.

So I tried to add it but the lady prompted me to first delete a device from the list since it was all filled up. Apparently Sync can store up to eight different devices at a time. More than enough for most families but not enough for our "family" of editors. Oh well, buh-bye "Motorola Phone," hello, CpW580i. It's not too hard to reconnect your phone anyway so I didn't feel too guilty. I was able to do it without cracking open the Sync supplemental guide once. Yay.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 25,396 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

For this week's wrap-up, I thought I'd highlight our favorite reader comments from the past seven days.

2009 Dodge Ram 1500: Comfort Food

Comparison shopping
By tryan on August 3, 2009 3:01 AM
As I said in another blog post, simply the most attractive iteration of the Ram in a long time (ever). It actually looks even better in person. If I was in the market for a pickup, I'd have a hard time choosing between this, the Silverado and Tundra. This is coming from a guy who grew up with a Ford F-Series always in the driveway!

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe: Great Car for Recon

We like the way you think
By Mad_Science on August 3, 2009 9:15 AM
Wranglers work great for this as well. If you get a white one and put orange caution stripes (or even lights), people assume you work for the water company or something.

2009 Dodge Ram 1500: Moving day

Best use of a made-up word
By jeepsrt on August 3, 2009 9:38 AM
My wife voluntold me to move one of her friends from work. I borrowed a friends trailer and used my Dodge 2500, she had nothing put in boxes and was not prepared at all. It took about 6 hours on a Saturday, at least she was thankful but what a pain in the #$$.

Moving tips
By jbbevel on August 3, 2009 9:31 AM
The key is to invite other friends with Dodge Ram trucks...or Ford F150's...or Chevy Silverado's.. or...Toyota Tundra's...or....

Call this guy
By adamb1 on August 4, 2009 2:15 PM
I enjoy helping people move. It usually ends up being a fun day. I helped one friend move about 45 miles away. He had a metal swing set he wanted to take with him for his kids. So, I hitched my 16x6 utility trailer to my 2003 Ram and headed out to help. We picked up the entire swing set and put it on the trailer in one piece. I tied all the swing up so they wouldn't do anything stupid. We threw 2 ratchet straps over it, hooked it down and took off. I was passing people on the interstate going 75mph. The only way people might have stared more is if there were strippers on the swingset poles.

More after the jump...

Continue reading What You Said (8/2-8/8).

Categories: 2008 BMW 135i,2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mini E,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

I rarely drive a car until the "low fuel" indicator comes on, mostly because I don't like to gamble with my ability to get out of town when the zombie threat finally becomes too much to fend off. But this weekend, I got lazy and the fuel light blinked on. Got me to thinking about the Focus' range. This tank only got us to 258 miles, but we've managed 344 a couple of times. Additionally, the most we've ever had to put in the 13.5 gallon tank was 11.784 gallons.

How does that compare to your car's fuel log?

Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com @ 25,139 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

The posts just go flying by on the long-term road test blog.

I don't want you to miss anything. So here are a few highlights of the past week. Enjoy.

Our Nissan GT-R went to Comic-Con
2009 Nissan GT-R: Comic-Con Burger Break

Our Mini E blew a fuse
2009 Mini E: Quite the Draw

Our Nissan Z got a new clutch
2009 Nissan 370Z: New Clutch Break-in

You can get a Pontiac G8 at a discount
2008 Pontiac G8 GT: Land of the Lost

We pondered the Dodge Challenger R/T vs. SRT
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: To R/T or SRT? That is the question

Could we own a Focus?
2008 Ford Focus: Would I Make Room in My Own Garage?

We like the Pontiac G8 GT, we really like it
2008 Pontiac G8 GT: 10 Things I Like About You

We walked around the suspension of the Ford Focus
2008 Ford Focus SES: Suspension Walkaround

We contemplated the beauty of the Audi A4 Avant
2009 Audi A4 Avant: Best-Looking Wagon Ever?

We trucked the Mini E to the track
2009 Mini E: Track Testing

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Mini E,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R

...Because it saves me from having to find my way through this mess of buttons. Thanks, Sync.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

So this morning we dropped our 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe off at Santa Monica Ford for an oil change and a tire rotation. They quoted us, after some debate, a price of $55.99 before tax. Too late, you alerted us to a printable coupon that could've gotten us this service for $39.95. Being Santa Monica, they certainly offered us no such deal without our prior knowledge. Welcome to the West Side.

At the end of the day we walked out with fresh oil and rotated tires (I secretly and permanently marked the wheels, they were rotated front-to-back) and were charged $59.85. The cashier was on the slow and careless side and the valet took forever: Ford of Santa Monica gets a C for this effort.

Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 25,068 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

Thanks to lowmilelude for this week's favorite caption. That's his second week in a row. Woohoo!

These are the others that made us smile:

The Focus on the set of "The Past and the Curious" (ergsum)
To compete with BMW's "iDrive", Ford offers "uHaul" (ergsum)
Restored, ignored, a Ford and no cord. (ergsum)
Well, I guess I'll take the focus...(jshhuber)
Is there any room on that truck for me?...the fiesta's coming. (vwthing1)
Eenie meenie minie NO (stpawyfrmdonut)
Pahrump concours d'elegance (stpawyfrmdonut)
Clear that ramp! I'm going to jump the laundromat! (actualsize)

What was your favorite?

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Bonus Round: The little red wedge is a Citicar. I don't know about the other two, that's why I was asking you.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

Service still comes every 5,000 miles if you own a 2008 Ford Focus. We've just hit the 25,000-mile mark, so our blue coupe is due for an oil change and tire rotation.

It wasn't busy at Santa Monica Ford today, so I pulled into the service drive without an appointment, and within 30 seconds, a service advisor came out to greet me. After jotting down the mileage, he invited me inside and I told him I wanted an oil change and tire rotation. I then noticed he'd typed "$75.99" in as the preliminary estimate.

"$76 seems high for just an oil change and a tire rotation," I said.

"It's a minor service," he replied.

"Well, how much for just an oil change?"

"$35."

"So it's more than double that just to pull the wheels off for a tire rotation?" I asked.

"Well, it includes other inspections, including a brake inspection."

"Well, we don't need a brake inspection," I said. "How much just to change the oil and rotate the tires?"

That brought the estimate down to $55.99, and our service advisor was nice about it. The printout I signed actually included both figures, but he was willing to "X" out the $75.99 and put his initials next to it, so I'm 99 percent confident that $55.99 plus tax is what we'll eventually pay.

While waiting for a ride back to work, I lingered in the dealership's outdoor waiting area. There are chairs indoors, too, but this shady spot is a nice place to be on a Santa Monica summer day.

Then, I noticed this poster on the door. Hmm, just about 2-3 years out of date.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 25,079 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

When I left work last night, I needed to make a quick stop off at the grocery store to get a few things for dinner. I was hurried and our long-term 2008 Ford Focus didn't seem to mind that.

You're undoubtedly aware that an electronic throttle ("drive-by-wire") replaced the throttle cable in the partial 2008 redesign. Yet, off-the-line response is still quite good in our long-termer --certainly by economy car standards and certainly compared to some of the newer cars I've driven that are calibrated to scrimp on fuel to an excessive degree.

I've complained mightily about the four-speed automatic transmission in our Focus, but even that deserves some credit. It's more decisive with shifts than many of the easily befuddled six-speed automatics I've sampled recently.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

Vehicle Testing Manager Mike Schmidt took this picture of our Ford Focus with these fellow coupes.

Dig that 1970s-era electric car and those two classic coupes circa 1940s.

We offer: Focus on Modern Style

What is your caption?

We'll post our favorite at 4:00 PM California time.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Bonus question: Can you identify the make and model of the cars in the background?

*** Just added a closer shot of the mystery coupes, click through to view ***

Continue reading 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe: You Write the Caption.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

That's what I thought as I flipped a u-turn on the way home last night. It was a standard width street, yet I barely had enough room to clear one of the cars already parked on the curb. I wondered how a compact coupe could make a street feel narrow, I mean it doesn't really get much smaller than this Focus right?

I decided to check the numbers to see how the Focus stacks up in the turning radius department. Turns out I was wrong, or imagining things, or not turning to full lock quickly enough.

According to Edmunds.com statistics, the turning radius of the Focus coupe is a very admirable 34.2 feet. Compare that to the Honda Fit (34.4 ft.) or Honda Civic coupe (35.4 ft.), and the Focus cuts a pretty tight circle. The only car I could find off hand with a tighter circle is the Chevrolet Cobalt coupe at 33.5 feet. And if it's between those two, I'd take the Focus.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line @ 25,041 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

It's suspension walkaround time for our 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe. And not a moment too soon, because its time with us is fast drawing to a close.

I have mixed feelings on the subject because the chassis of the Focus has always been one of it's strongest selling points. It's always been a sound-handling compact car, and even though its suspension tuning has grown soft over the years, I'd still take one of these over a Toyota Corolla.

As long as I don't have to look at it, that is, as the styling and level of interior trim isn't what I want to see in my driveway. But we're straying off topic. On with the show.

I'm starting with the front brakes today because I simply like this picture. And it doesn't need any arrows because this sliding brake caliper's single piston stands out like a sore thumb.

Continue reading 2008 Ford Focus SES: Suspension Walkaround.

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

It happens a lot more often than I'd have thought: a Car-of-the-Week hits a significant mileage milestone during its time in the spotlight. I can think of three times when this happened while I was driving including, now, the 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe.

I saw it coming yesterday afternoon, but it looked like it was going to happen during this morning's bleary-eyed freeway commute. That wasn't going to work, so I volunteered to get some milk last night so I could shoot the shot on deserted suburban streets instead of the freeway.

Over these 25 kilomiles our Focus has averaged 26.8 mpg, just a hair under than EPA's combined fuel economy rating of 28 mpg.

Our best recorded fuel economy was 40.6 mpg, but that was over a short 96.5-mile stretch, not a full tank. The best extended drive performance was 37.4 mpg, and that came during our Gas Sipper Smackdown on the return leg of from Las Vegas to LA on the I-15 freeway at a steady 70 mph on cruise control.

That was no fluke, because the outbound leg of that same trip returned 36.8 mpg over 326 miles of two-land back roads through the desert, including several long up and downhill grades on the way through Death Valley. We drove at a tourist's pace, but we weren't exactly hypermiling.

Those numbers are pretty impressive when you consider that the EPA highway rating for this machine is 33 mpg. The Focus can be quite frugal if you drive accordingly.

Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 25,000.0 miles

Categories: 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe