Buying a Focus

scottc · 20-11-2011, 04:20 PM

Hey everyone,

the Wife wants a new car, and I have steered her towards a Focus

I was keen on the Turbo diesel, but the local dealer didnt have one I could test drive.
Any opinions on the TDCI over the petrol?
As far as I can work out, the diesel has 120kw and 340nm of torque, and the petrol 125 and 202.

Any thoughts, and anyone recommend a dealer in Melbourne?

Cheers, Scott.

Franco Cozzo · 20-11-2011, 04:45 PM

Hey mate I can recommend a dealer and a salesman who I deal with, he's great. I'm fairly sure he is still there as well.

What type of driving do you do?

scottc · 20-11-2011, 08:12 PM

Hey Damo,

that would be awesome!

Well it's for the misses, so pretty much just a daily driver. She has a 2005 Mazda sp23, which has only done 50k, but having said that, I would love something sporty!

Scott.

Franco Cozzo · 20-11-2011, 08:19 PM

Mix of highway and city stop start, or just city?

scottc · 20-11-2011, 08:21 PM

I would say mix of highway and city.

Franco Cozzo · 20-11-2011, 08:24 PM

The diesels have a diesel particulate filter somewhere in the exhaust, what it does is stops soot and other crap from coming out the pipe and it needs to be able to get warm to burn it all off.

Unfortunately if you only take the thing on short trips in stop start conditions without it getting hot enough like inner city it won't have a chance to get hot enough and it'll clog up and have to do its burn-off.

I'd say go the diesel, I have a TDCI LV Focus, except 6sp manual and having this much torque is great, overtaking is easy and the thing will pull up hills in 4th gear doing 1500 RPM without issue and still have go left to accelerate hard if you want to without having to drop back a gear.

I'm averaging 5.5L/100km out of my Focus.

Yellow_Festiva · 20-11-2011, 08:34 PM

Go the diesel for sure. Got my wife one for her birthday and we both love the great torque and economy.

scottc · 20-11-2011, 08:44 PM

The Sport or Titanium?

Franco Cozzo · 20-11-2011, 08:47 PM

I'm not too sure on the new LW spec levels, I think Titanium is the top of the range, it has some cool features.

I think you can option up HIDs or at least projector halogens on these babies, if you do a lot of night driving in country areas, well worth the extra cost.

scottc · 20-11-2011, 08:54 PM

I think the difference between the Sport and Titanium is the wheels, the 6 speed auto, park assist, partial leather, keyless start, heated seats.

makattkd · 21-11-2011, 12:43 PM

Good choice, I am leaning on trading my FG XR6 in on a Diesel Titanium.

Same problem though, only had a petrol to test drive. Gotta wait a month!

sysh · 21-11-2011, 04:06 PM

.. looking at the mileage of the 2005 Mazda SP23 which is about 50k, it seems that your wife doesn't really drive much (i.e. maybe 10+k a year). Personally if the car isn't really a workhorse, you wouldn't be able to recoup the $3k extra spent on the Diesel with savings you're gonna save on the fuel.

But I guess it all boils down to how deep your pocket is

scottc · 21-11-2011, 05:36 PM

Yeh fair call sysh,

The diesel sounds like it has lots of torque, so am looking forward to a test drive. The dealer I spoke to said the diesel is not as economic as the petrol around town, not sure how revvy it is.

Damo, i'm having trouble with my pm's, i'm receiving email notification that I have received a pm, but nothing in my pm inbox. Not as if it is full either?

Scott.

Franco Cozzo · 21-11-2011, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottc

Yeh fair call sysh,

The diesel sounds like it has lots of torque, so am looking forward to a test drive. The dealer I spoke to said the diesel is not as economic as the petrol around town, not sure how revvy it is.

Damo, i'm having trouble with my pm's, i'm receiving email notification that I have received a pm, but nothing in my pm inbox. Not as if it is full either?

Scott.

Thats rather odd, anyways what I was messaging:

If you don't mind a trip to Melbourne's nothern suburbs, there is "AutoCentro" just off the Tullamarine Freeway, theres Great Wall Motors, Ford, Hyundai, Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge, Volkswagen, Mazda, Toyota and Honda dealerships right next to each other, all within walking distance, no crap they're all right next to each other, except Volkswagen, which is probably a good 100m away from the others.

If you decide on the new Focus ring up Essendon Ford, ask for the salesman Habib Chacha, if he's still there tell him Damien from Honda sent you and that you're interested in a new Focus, he'll look after you, he's one of my ex workmates, we both used to work at Honda.

If he's not there, ask for the sales manager and tell him Damien who stacked the new Focus sent you

http://www.essendonford.com.au/

Their number will be on their site, thats the dealership, all the dealerships in the area where only built 2 to 3 years ago, so everything is well designed and new.

The diesel isn't just worth it for the fuel economy, I found compared to the petrol ones, that the diesel is a ******** better to drive, the torque is amazing.

scottc · 21-11-2011, 07:30 PM

Nice one mate

Will check it out! I'm looking forward to giving the diesel a run.

Scott.

Russ · 21-11-2011, 10:39 PM

I would advise you test drive both petrol and diesel and get the Missus to drive both as well

sysh · 21-11-2011, 11:17 PM

Yea, I guess the grunt from the torquey Diesel would selling point IMHO. The Petrol is decent, but sedated as compared to the Diesel.

Next question, for those driving the Petrol.. how much mileage are you guys getting from a full tank of fuel? and are you using RON91/95/98? Trying to gauge mine

Turbodiesel · 22-11-2011, 01:13 PM

I say diesel is the future

DeKa · 23-11-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sysh

Next question, for those driving the Petrol.. how much mileage are you guys getting from a full tank of fuel? and are you using RON91/95/98? Trying to gauge mine

Don't talk about mileage in terms of distance from a tank - please talk about it in litres per 100km.

ConradP · 23-11-2011, 11:15 AM

I get anywhere from 8-10l/100km my daiily drive is just through small back roads with lots of traffic lights but weekends i head off on freeways and it drops it.

Currently at 9.8, also I'm not the most economical driver. On 98 octane.

And apparently the petrol has a 55l tank, yet when i fill up when i'm told I've got <20kms left in there i get 44-46l into it only.

rand0mn00b · 23-11-2011, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConradP

And apparently the petrol has a 55l tank, yet when i fill up when i'm told I've got <20kms left in there i get 44-46l into it only.

haha yeah i've always been a bit baffled by that i've filled up when the needle was down on or below empty and also can only fill it with about 45L

i think it automatically keeps some in reserve for the worst case scenarios

not sure if the focus has a small reserve tank - i would not consider 10L to be small - but some cars do especially older cars without trip computers such as in the Focus

sysh · 23-11-2011, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rand0mn00b

haha yeah i've always been a bit baffled by that i've filled up when the needle was down on or below empty and also can only fill it with about 45L

i think it automatically keeps some in reserve for the worst case scenarios

not sure if the focus has a small reserve tank - i would not consider 10L to be small - but some cars do especially older cars without trip computers such as in the Focus

Yea, my previous car used to close to a10l reserve tank too (or at least before the light comes on).. so I knew I still could run it a fair 70 - 80kms before I had to pump in some fuel.

I'm running about 8.5l/100km @ RON95. I think that's about average city/highway driving.

Russ · 23-11-2011, 07:34 PM

You youngins' must have even more lead in your right boot than I have, I'm running 98 RON and average around 7.4 L / 100 with a combination of city / hwy and I don't mind giving it a good fang now and then either

Calculated using the kilometres travelled into litres used method not relying on the onboard computer although it's not far off the mark

Yellow_Festiva · 23-11-2011, 07:43 PM

My LV Focus did something very odd regarding the consumption / DTE reading. I was visiting my brother with 30km DTE when he asked to borrow the car urgently to tow something then and there.

Went down to 7km DTE, and was getting really worried.... he hops in to reverse the trailer into position, back and forth several times.

Then I hop in... DTE was now back to 23km.

Go figure...... I hate it when it gets below 50.

Russ · 23-11-2011, 07:54 PM

Sounds like you need to let the moths out of your wallet more often

harveyr · 25-11-2011, 03:04 PM

I ordered a Focus Sport diesel in mid-September. Expected delivery mid-December!!!!

Pete A · 25-11-2011, 03:09 PM

Had the Titanium Petrol for 3 months. Very good. Drove the Diesel. Definately goes harder but the price tag I think is a bit high. They'd sell more if the price differential was closer. I still have one problem with Diesel. There are still usually 1 bowser (2 pumps) at most petrol stations. That's probably the main reason I didn't get one to be honest. (still don't like the engine sound - sorry).

SpoolMan · 27-11-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottc

Hey everyone,

the Wife wants a new car, and I have steered her towards a Focus

I was keen on the Turbo diesel, but the local dealer didnt have one I could test drive.
Any opinions on the TDCI over the petrol?
As far as I can work out, the diesel has 120kw and 340nm of torque, and the petrol 125 and 202.

Any thoughts, and anyone recommend a dealer in Melbourne?

Cheers, Scott.

Ring Sathis @ Strapp Ford Doncaster (03) 8848 1222 they have a Titanium diesel demo you can drive, looked at it yesterday Candy Red Hatch $35,777 Drive Away.

scottc · 28-11-2011, 07:57 AM

Thanks Spoolman,

will give him a call!