Owner Review: The workhorse that thrills - My 2015 Ford Focus 2.0 Sport Hatchback

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Basic information about my car:

2015 Ford Focus 2.0 Sport Hatchback (RM101,000)

Reasons why I bought this car(purpose):

I bought this in 2015 to replace the old Persona and was due for an upgrade. This was intended to be the daily car to work and for short weekend getaways.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM 100, 000
• Models that I have considered include: Mitsubishi Lancer, Honda Civic, Mazda 3 Hatch, Ford Fiesta

Reasons why I chose this car:

Available competitors didn't score as well to me price and looks wise as the Focus. The dated interior in the 2014 Lancer and awkwardly styled 2014 Civic did not pass the looks test while Mazda 3 was not yet available in the market. Fiesta would have made the cut if not for it being in the smaller than preferred B-segment. That's how the Focus came to check all the prerequisite boxes. Also worth mentioning is the competitive RM17,000 discount offered by SDAC-Ford on the Focus 2.0 Sport at the time of purchase!

User Experience

• I have done: 67,000 km
• My average fuel consumption is about 9.2L/100km

First things first; this feels like a very safe car to be sitting in.

Build quality is on the higher end for a ride within this price range. Body is solid, sturdy and at times even heavy (when it comes to pushing open both front doors and boot door). Plastics in the interior back door, cup holders, infotainment panel seem a bit cheap especially on sweltering hot days.

As for the transmission, once I got past the jerky 1st and 2nd gears, the plucky DCT picks up without a hitch. The 2.0 is no slouch when it comes to picking up the pace or overtaking. Acceleration is overall genuinely eager and satisfying albeit at times it feels like the automatic transmission takes a while to decide on the right gear.

The ECU, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. More than a handful of times, the car had to be sent back to the service centre to be reset. Even so, it has failed on account of misreads and mis-diagnosis on multiple occasions. For this major reason, my next car will likely not be another Ford. 

Saving the best for last, the handling aspect on this nifty hatch forgives the above mentioned shortcomings. Driving satisfaction comes from the tight and refined drive quality as if the seat, steering and turns are an extension of my arms and body. For a relatively short bodied car, manoeuvring sharp corners feel stable, effortless but far from mundane with just the right amount of dampening on both sides paired perfectly with the 215mm wide stock tyres. Shift back up in Sport Mode after agilely taking a corner punches the car right back into a straight line.

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car
1. She's fun to drive! (excellent steering and handling)
2. Punchy acceleration
3. Cruises comfortably on the highway
4. Built like a mini tank
5. Stands out in a crowd since there aren't many around

Cons

1. Terrible re-sale value
2. Bumpy and cramped ride for rear passengers
3. AC doesn't come close to the effectiveness of Japanese make ACs
4. Reliability concerns once warranty on transmission lapses

Total Score: 3

Performance: 5

Quality & Features: 4

Space: 2

Ride comfort: 3

Fuel Economy: 2

Price & cost: 3

Summary:

Despite its transmission downsides and potential reliability concerns, the 2015 Ford Focus has been a solid and thrilling workhorse of a compact that still pleasantly surprises and rewards me.

Interesting Events:

Every drive up a curvy road is an experience in itself, i.e. Genting, Camerons, Hulu Langat, especially with that touch of oversteer from handling those corners like a breeze!

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