Old Focus Or New Focus?

[culicine]

I think the Focus looks really sharp, sporty and thoughtfully composed, the Sylphy (my chief option too) doesn't look whole, stylistically speaking. The back and the front should not look like they come from different models. I like that narrow lengthy metal strip that unites the Focus's doors and windows together, from rear quarter window to windshield. The Focus interior looks textured and rich. The Sylphy falls far short of that description, to the point of, well, being Chevrolet-ish.

Re safety aspects. The Sylphy felt a bit thin and bony, the Focus stout.

Then there's the model name, Sylphy. I do know two girls who have bought one.

It's hard to compare them they are not in the same class. If you wanna buy a focus noone would even look at an almera, and vice versa.

[Wiggy]

So if a VIP Bus hits you up the Arse the NCAP will make a difference over a Nissan. Both nice but a rating makes a marginal difference, look round a wreckers yard for proof..Ever seen the Video of a Renault 5 hitting a Volvo Estate . Renault 1. Volve 0.

That's another reason i bought the Focus and not the Almera - so I can go faster than the bus.

[Ace of Pop]

So if a VIP Bus hits you up the Arse the NCAP will make a difference over a Nissan. Both nice but a rating makes a marginal difference, look round a wreckers yard for proof..Ever seen the Video of a Renault 5 hitting a Volvo Estate . Renault 1. Volve 0.

That's another reason i bought the Focus and not the Almera - so I can go faster than the bus.

To me that would be the only reason, plus being Hen Peckled,my Wife says they "Got Duck Bottom., meaning the rear end and the tiny light cluster. To me the Mazda has the looks, Ford the Power.

[ignis]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

[Wiggy]

So if a VIP Bus hits you up the Arse the NCAP will make a difference over a Nissan. Both nice but a rating makes a marginal difference, look round a wreckers yard for proof..Ever seen the Video of a Renault 5 hitting a Volvo Estate . Renault 1. Volve 0.

That's another reason i bought the Focus and not the Almera - so I can go faster than the bus.

To me that would be the only reason, plus being Hen Peckled,my Wife says they "Got Duck Bottom., meaning the rear end and the tiny light cluster. To me the Mazda has the looks, Ford the Power.

I agree to a point. I preferred the rear-end of the old Focus 5-door/hatchback. I'm not quite so keen on the new rear-end, that's why I opted for the 4-door saloon/sedan. Would prefer with rear wiper though. The Mazdas do look nice.

[Wiggy]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

[ignis]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

Post 103........ quote: The only downside is that I'm getting nowhere near Ford's urban fuel consumption specs of 30mpg (9 litres/100km). At best I'm getting 21mpg (13 litres/100km).

[Ace of Pop]

No matter what we prefer,they all have one part that never lets us down. Those Infernal Freekin Beepers.When mine goes to the crusher it will still be i good voice.

[robblok]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

Post 103........ quote: The only downside is that I'm getting nowhere near Ford's urban fuel consumption specs of 30mpg (9 litres/100km). At best I'm getting 21mpg (13 litres/100km).

I think you never get those specs.. I know I dont. But its the same for all cars.

[culicine]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

Post 103........ quote: The only downside is that I'm getting nowhere near Ford's urban fuel consumption specs of 30mpg (9 litres/100km). At best I'm getting 21mpg (13 litres/100km).

I think you never get those specs.. I know I dont. But its the same for all cars.

I've no idea where they get figures like 6.2 km/l from (for a mazda 3). That's what my swift gets around Nonthaburi. My civic 2.0 rarely if ever got more than 12 km/l, and that's mostly highway driving. I almost very look at official statistics for fuel consumption. They seem too optimistic and depends a lot on driving style, fuel used, traffic conditions, etc.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

You will never be able to reach those published fuel economy numbers on the road. Carmakers follow a government standard in their own labs, where they can repeat tests under computer controlled, representative environmental and road conditions. No driver involved. Then government departments get copies of the new-model cars to confirm carmaker numbers based on the same testing procedure, plus some will do driver involved fuel runs on their test tracks. That more or less makes car fuel economy numbers directly comparable.

Real world changes things. Here are some of the things that thwart good mileage performance: region-specific road surface friction levels, under- or over-inflated tires, vehicle load, different fuel standards, altitude, air density, temperature and humidity, many other conditions and last but not least, vast differences in driver ability. This latter probably has the biggest impact on how your numbers compare with the government numbers.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[Wiggy]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

Post 103........ quote: The only downside is that I'm getting nowhere near Ford's urban fuel consumption specs of 30mpg (9 litres/100km). At best I'm getting 21mpg (13 litres/100km).

Correct, but if you read carefully you'll notice that was referring to urban consumption and I also said that I hadn't taken it on a run out of town. I since have, and it returned 6.4 during a run to Bang Saen and back.

[Wiggy]

Will the all new Mazda 3 be a better option......... Skyactive engine test reports = 6.2 lt per 100 km..

2013mazda3-w.jpg

The all new Mazda 2, already in production in Japan? or is the present one with the Skyactive engine = 3.3 lt per 100 km

Wow. 3.3 lt per 100 km for the Mazda 2. That's 85mpg (UK). Must be a diesel, in which case it almost certainly won't be available in Thailand. Mazda 3 at 6.2 lt per 100 km is on par with the Focus.

Post 103........ quote: The only downside is that I'm getting nowhere near Ford's urban fuel consumption specs of 30mpg (9 litres/100km). At best I'm getting 21mpg (13 litres/100km).

I think you never get those specs.. I know I dont. But its the same for all cars.

Correct.

[Ace of Pop]

Dont want to get into a pissing contest with you Guys, but my Civic returns much more than you talk about. Culicine is spot on with his 2Litre Civic, nice to hear the truth. My Wife returns 8 KP per Litre Shoping. i return 15 KPL,at an average of 60 Kph. You can post a Bullshit figuere of 24.6, if you Zero at 80KPH after a refill.So my point is, you dont save much with Mini Cars do You.

[culicine]

Sorry, my bad - swift is 15-16 km/l (not 6.3l/100 km), civic still 9-10 km/l in the same area. Mis-read the units:) The swift will only see 20 km/l cruising on the highway (5l/100 km). I guess the mazda 3 is similar to the civic.

[Ace of Pop]

All sounds about right, mines the New Civic 1.8 Navi with an Eco Button thingy. Just buggers up the Kickdown far as i'm concerned Yet it does save fuel I'm told. Too old to care about 20 MPG or 50 Mpg, but it matters to many here.. Ford in my experience never get it right, Range Rover , BM and Benz returns what they say generally but never miles off like Ford /Mazda.Why so many Prunes here use 4 By 4 Trucks at 9 to the Litre amazes me. They only bounce to Big C and pray for floods .

[Big Guns]

All sounds about right, mines the New Civic 1.8 Navi with an Eco Button thingy. Just buggers up the Kickdown far as i'm concerned Yet it does save fuel I'm told. Too old to care about 20 MPG or 50 Mpg, but it matters to many here.. Ford in my experience never get it right, Range Rover , BM and Benz returns what they say generally but never miles off like Ford /Mazda.Why so many Prunes here use 4 By 4 Trucks at 9 to the Litre amazes me. They only bounce to Big C and pray for floods .

Hey Wandrinstar probably because diesel is cheaper and they need the ability to haul stuff. On the other hand, maybe their in my boat and they have a car and they need another vehicle which is robust, can cope with pot holes/flooding and go off road and isn't too pricey.

[Ace of Pop]

All sounds about right, mines the New Civic 1.8 Navi with an Eco Button thingy. Just buggers up the Kickdown far as i'm concerned Yet it does save fuel I'm told. Too old to care about 20 MPG or 50 Mpg, but it matters to many here.. Ford in my experience never get it right, Range Rover , BM and Benz returns what they say generally but never miles off like Ford /Mazda.Why so many Prunes here use 4 By 4 Trucks at 9 to the Litre amazes me. They only bounce to Big C and pray for floods .

Hey Wandrinstar probably because diesel is cheaper and they need the ability to haul stuff. On the other hand, maybe their in my boat and they have a car and they need another vehicle which is robust, can cope with pot holes/flooding and go off road and isn't too pricey.

Who can argue with that ,except my Petrol is cheaper.I have no desire to go Offroad , or venture into Floodwater. A nice small Car isnt Pricey . Truth be known 90% of the time its for a Loose Face thing for Er in Doors. Wimpy Ferangs, just like Me. Be honest, a wee Car is all we rely need.

[Wiggy]

All sounds about right, mines the New Civic 1.8 Navi with an Eco Button thingy. Just buggers up the Kickdown far as i'm concerned Yet it does save fuel I'm told. Too old to care about 20 MPG or 50 Mpg, but it matters to many here.. Ford in my experience never get it right, Range Rover , BM and Benz returns what they say generally but never miles off like Ford /Mazda.Why so many Prunes here use 4 By 4 Trucks at 9 to the Litre amazes me. They only bounce to Big C and pray for floods .

Hey Wandrinstar probably because diesel is cheaper and they need the ability to haul stuff. On the other hand, maybe their in my boat and they have a car and they need another vehicle which is robust, can cope with pot holes/flooding and go off road and isn't too pricey.

Who can argue with that ,except my Petrol is cheaper.I have no desire to go Offroad , or venture into Floodwater. A nice small Car isnt Pricey . Truth be known 90% of the time its for a Loose Face thing for Er in Doors. Wimpy Ferangs, just like Me. Be honest, a wee Car is all we rely need.

A "wee" car is the most practical, and is really what we need as you say, but the Civics, 3s and Focuses (Focii? lol) are all nice. As we're seemingly agreed on the units as km/l, then for the record my 2.0 Focus returns around 9km/l in Bangkok and 14km/l outside. Reasonable.

[Ace of Pop]

"One O Dem Tings".I listened to friends arguing a Ranger was better than a Calibre, then they started on Civic V Altis, Far as i'm concerned one can pick the good and bad bits about all rides.For example my Honda is rubbish regarding noise level against an Altis, but the handling of the Honda is safer. Were all different. Every time i look at a Hi Rise Truck, i have an urge to put a Suitcase between the Wheel and the Wheel Arch. Stupid realy, but it allways catches my eye.

[Wiggy]

Just out of interest, how are any New Focus owners out there getting along with their purchase? Problems? Comments?

[Ace of Pop]

Just out of interest, how are any New Focus owners out there getting along with their purchase? Problems? Comments?

Just Hopping Around as Usual. It called the Jumpbuck in Ozz.

[robblok]

I love my new focus great car no problems got the 2.0 hatchback.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Just out of interest, how are any New Focus owners out there getting along with their purchase? Problems? Comments?

Reports earlier in this thread.

I don't have mine yet due to Thai complications and fact I am going back home for 2 weeks so my All New Focus is somewhere in the pipeline.

[15Peter20]

For the past few weeks I've been shaping up to get a Civic 2.0 EL Navi but now the Focus Titanium plus (sedan) is coming in as a serious contender. Figure I could get one of those Garmin navi things stuck to the dash of the Focus if necessary.

I'm not going to need the car for everyday commutes in town, just occasional long distance drives from Chiang Mai to BKK and light city driving.

May also be looking to sell it in about 5 years or so.

My missus says the big turn-off for the Focus would be the cost of any repairs, so I'm wondering how long the warranty is on parts for the focus and if it can be extended. Also, that the Civic resale price will be better.

So which of those two cars would you guys choose in this situation?

Cheers for any thoughts.

15Peter

[Ace of Pop]

If you have got a Short Fuse, stick to boreing old Honda or Toyo. No prob with Service Departments.If you live in a big City that point ist so important.

[Wiggy]

Just out of interest, how are any New Focus owners out there getting along with their purchase? Problems? Comments?

Just Hopping Around as Usual. It called the Jumpbuck in Ozz.

I thought you had a Civic.

[Wiggy]

For the past few weeks I've been shaping up to get a Civic 2.0 EL Navi but now the Focus Titanium plus (sedan) is coming in as a serious contender. Figure I could get one of those Garmin navi things stuck to the dash of the Focus if necessary.

I'm not going to need the car for everyday commutes in town, just occasional long distance drives from Chiang Mai to BKK and light city driving.

May also be looking to sell it in about 5 years or so.

My missus says the big turn-off for the Focus would be the cost of any repairs, so I'm wondering how long the warranty is on parts for the focus and if it can be extended. Also, that the Civic resale price will be better.

So which of those two cars would you guys choose in this situation?

Cheers for any thoughts.

15Peter

No idea of repair costs, but one of my main reasons for buying the Ford was the fact that they have their own body repair & paint shops dotted around the country, a list of which can be found at: http://www.ford.co.th/en/ford-owners/service/paint-and-repair. My theory being that when (not if) a motorcyclist makes contact then the colour in the subsequent panel respray is hopefully more likely to match if done by Ford. My last car's body repairs resulted in marginally (but noticeable) different paint colour. I also chose white as it's non-metallic and again easier to match. Not sure on re-sale value, but probably slightly less than Toyotas and Hondas, although as Fords become more common-spread then that could change.

[Wiggy]

For the past few weeks I've been shaping up to get a Civic 2.0 EL Navi but now the Focus Titanium plus (sedan) is coming in as a serious contender. Figure I could get one of those Garmin navi things stuck to the dash of the Focus if necessary.

I'm not going to need the car for everyday commutes in town, just occasional long distance drives from Chiang Mai to BKK and light city driving.

May also be looking to sell it in about 5 years or so.

My missus says the big turn-off for the Focus would be the cost of any repairs, so I'm wondering how long the warranty is on parts for the focus and if it can be extended. Also, that the Civic resale price will be better.

So which of those two cars would you guys choose in this situation?

Cheers for any thoughts.

15Peter

No idea of repair costs, but one of my main reasons for buying the Ford was the fact that they have their own body repair & paint shops dotted around the country, a list of which can be found at: http://www.ford.co.th/en/ford-owners/service/paint-and-repair. My theory being that when (not if) a motorcyclist makes contact then the colour in the subsequent panel respray is hopefully more likely to match if done by Ford. My last car's body repairs resulted in marginally (but noticeable) different paint colour. I also chose white as it's non-metallic and again easier to match. Not sure on re-sale value, but probably slightly less than Toyotas and Hondas, although as Fords become more common-spread then that could change.

Update: That link appears broken, so when you click on it, click on "Body Paint and Body Repair" under the "Ownership" column. That should take you there.

[kartman]

For the past few weeks I've been shaping up to get a Civic 2.0 EL Navi but now the Focus Titanium plus (sedan) is coming in as a serious contender. Figure I could get one of those Garmin navi things stuck to the dash of the Focus if necessary.

I'm not going to need the car for everyday commutes in town, just occasional long distance drives from Chiang Mai to BKK and light city driving.

May also be looking to sell it in about 5 years or so.

My missus says the big turn-off for the Focus would be the cost of any repairs, so I'm wondering how long the warranty is on parts for the focus and if it can be extended. Also, that the Civic resale price will be better.

So which of those two cars would you guys choose in this situation?

Cheers for any thoughts.

15Peter

No idea of repair costs, but one of my main reasons for buying the Ford was the fact that they have their own body repair & paint shops dotted around the country, a list of which can be found at: http://www.ford.co.th/en/ford-owners/service/paint-and-repair. My theory being that when (not if) a motorcyclist makes contact then the colour in the subsequent panel respray is hopefully more likely to match if done by Ford. My last car's body repairs resulted in marginally (but noticeable) different paint colour. I also chose white as it's non-metallic and again easier to match. Not sure on re-sale value, but probably slightly less than Toyotas and Hondas, although as Fords become more common-spread then that could change.

Nothing to do with Ford to do with who's using the paintshops mixing system and their eye/ ability to change the manufacturers weight mix if it does not match the vehicles paint thats if they bother, hence lots of off colour panels.