I had this Focus as a rental car for about 4 weeks in Summer 2008. I originally wanted a hatchback or small wagon, because I had to do business in several locations in France and Germany, and as an engineer I carry some heavy toolboxes. Hatchbacks weren't available, so I had a choice of this or a Renault convertible. I took the Focus, and it was awesome! The engine is a bit weak for the heavy car, but it cruises at 120 mph easily if no big grades are involved. Even with the roof down, it's quiet enough at speed to use the bluetooth handsfree. (with the wind deflector up) Excellent Sony stereo. I ended up doing more than 10,000 km in this car, and the seats are definitely good enough to still be relaxed after sitting in it all day. Fuel economy wasn't great - 9L/100km on average - but that was mostly fast driving. Handling is not as good as in the hatchback, but still big fun. The steering is communicative and the 5-speed manual gearbox slick - a 6 speed with a taller top gear would be better though. With a diesel engine, this would be a pretty awesome all-rounder.

I love my Focus. It has nearly 70,000 miles on it and it is still running like it did when I drove it off the dealer's lot. The performance is acceptable for a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder and the handling is excellent for an econobox. It sometimes feel as though I'm driving something sportier the way it grips corners. It also feels like a much larger car that it looks from the outside. The interior space in my car is comparable to that of most mid-sized family sedans of the mid-90s. My Focus is solid as a rock, the only problem I have is an occasional squeak when I'm going over one of the 5 million speedbumps in my apartment complex, but other than that, nothing. My car hasn't needed any repair work so far mostly because I have taken my car to a Blue Oval certified shop every time I needed anything done including oil changes, tire rotations, etc. As far as cost of ownership, this car has truly spoiled me. Even when gas was $4 a gallon, I was paying less than $30 to fill up. It has excellent gas mileage, so getting gas is a once-a-week thing for me which usually average out to $12-$15 to fill up from a quarter of a tank. The Focus is definitely a fun car to drive, all I can say is go to your local Ford dealer and ask to test drive one. I am certain that you would fall in love with the car like I did with mine...

This car is great! It is roomy, the gas milage is great and it rides very smoothly. I would highly recommend this car. The price is also very affordable for a new car.

I absolutely love this car! I would reccomend it to all of my friends. It drives so smoothly, and is a good price with no reported problems. handles very well and acceleration isn't bad either. Wish I still had it!

The car drives like a dream, if feels stable, safe and at the same time very sporty and aggressive! The style of the wheels complement the curves of the body. I have been doing about 9.5 km/l since i bought it, did approx 4000km's. The interior is very executive but at the same time also a bit plain, it doesn't have leather seats as you would come to expect from this model. Being a tiptronic also helps especially when you sit in traffic, there the car really drives smoothly.I would recommend buying one.