Can "why do not they a corolla?"
This is the question that President Obama his economic advisers have made shortly after his election, when he asked me why the domestic automakers could sell a popular small car with the success of Toyota's long-lived model is not reported.
On the basis of the 2012 focus, Ford was able to create a corolla, but only if the Dearborn decided company to make a much worse car. This is, because the restructuring of the best small car ever sold in the United States is today's Corolla, on the other hand not only a great small car ever sold it is not even the best Corolla in the United States as a corner cut a practical once-ton car has declined.
Since the arrival of the "downsizing" cars in the 1970s we have promised small cars, which have the feeling of larger models. 2012, The first small car, this promise is keep. Grab the clunky door handle and fills your hand with a magazine that speaks of the substance. Tug is a refined it and the door that you click on the lock released, missing drums cheap, tinny, the Volkswagen Golf accompanied the store opening every other small cars on the market.
Slide in the driver's seat and the door moves with a soothing Teutonic "Whumf," revealed the trouble Ford put seals in the triple weather on each door closed. The thick, contoured leather steering wheel is nicely weighted and provides precise and feedback on the road.
Zoomy dashboard styling can ultimately focus as an artifact 2012 date, but now it looks fresh and contemporary. Two stalks view from behind the wheel, ending Ford's marriage with a single overloaded stems, used a nuisance. Now, the wiper control on the right with own stem is as it should be.
And the question of controls, the power window switches. You are above and below one - touch all four digits! This is the substance of the luxury cars.
Unlike his colleagues most are in visible areas in focus soft, car loan, a luxurious feeling from any competitor surpassed. At night, this impression is reinforced by the indirect lighting, adjustable for color depending on the preference of the rider.
The focus dynamic sheetmetal reached outside, the performance of often-touted but rarely reached by search as it moves during standstill. This is a particularly challenging task for a vehicle in the worldly five-door hatchback category, so Kudos for Ford to this excellent performance.
My favorite example of the efforts that went into the processing of the information on the focus design is the gas door, a triangular Panel at the junction of the right rear fender with the rear taillight, where visually, it disappears.
There is no rule that says a gas door one round or square cookie cutter, in the sheetmetal punched that, Ford but seems is the first company that realized since the days when gas cap under spring loaded rear registration-plate were hidden. A better surprise waits behind the door gas: Ford simply capless fuel filler fuel. Open the gas door and no upper limit to remove or replace only stick the nozzle - there are.
Finished race red ("the brightest red ever" according to my 16 year old daughter) and optional polished aluminum 17-inch wheels, realized the focus that I tested really often derided the effort to dress automakers economy cars look some more. The focus does not look like it belongs in another class, it really belongs there by any measure, but size.
Other thoughtful details typically overlooked? The hood latch, you never find, if you to check the oil? It is pale yellow, so it's easy to see in the dark under the leading edge of the hood. Focused on the exterior mirror housings, your plans clear, drivers around you. They just have outside mirror small convex mirrors that show everything on this side of the car better. Who needs lane change warning gadgets, if a better mirror does the same thing?
Directly, injection, the 160-hp four cylinder engine functions increases the performance and economy, but how diesel clatter can help engine. Ford has been able the contested injector hardware with insulation shielded, so the focus is not like a diesel idling sound.
The EPA says that with the automatically to six-speed transmission in the test car focus 27 mpg city and 37 mpg on the highway will return. I saw drive s 28 mpg in mixed. The review for the five-speed manual is a couple mpg lower more fun.
So is everything perfectly in the Ford focus country, right? Well, not quite. The focus is the best small car that ever sold in the United States, but to this day from the bar usually set was quite low. The focus is a great car and is in its broad and most of the details. But there are a few more serious problems that address should the company simply to make the car better.
A few small examples: the front seats add a lumbar adjuster. Clean the evil, sharp-edged based tracks that narrow in the rear to disrupt leg room. They interact badly with bleary-eyed, barefoot children way morning swimming practice. Where Luke the internal release for the rear? Why is there only one door unlock button in the middle of the dashboard, where no one sees the door control lock?
These are the sort of thing, let it look like no one is watching, when we see evidence on the contrary, in most of the car other details.
But now we the two serious bone of contention and sources Ford the recent j.d. power quality survey suffering. Instead of a conventional automatic transmission a computer installed Ford manual transmission shifted, works the way with the clutch. This provides backwards not the same kind of seamlessly smooth driving experience than a traditional automatic transmission, in particular with its tendency, roles at startup on hills. Ford should offer a real automatic transmission option in focus and new position of the current PowerShift as a manual transmission, which itself moves.
Ford engineers were also amok on the MyFordTouch dashboard controls for the sound system, navigation, and other accessories. The people forward email jokes about "what is, if Microsoft cars made?" and now is Ford, thinks it a good idea to put Windows in their cars? The immortal words of John McEnroe can not "Seriously be!" Seemingly every time I started up went the NAV screen blank, the display "performing scheduled system maintenance."
Fortunately, the solution in both cases is to save money and buy a cheaper model, which computer system is not blighted made with automatic transmission and Windows.
Despite this hm, improvement opportunities, the focus is an excellent small car, which is really to go fun. It real presence, the ride and comfort a larger car and not to embarrass their drivers to bring only compact car can afford. Good thing is not only as good as a Crown.
© 2011 msnbc.com. Reprints
0 коммент.:
Post a Comment