Apologies if this seems like a daft question but is the new Focus selling? I understand it went on sale 3 months ago but I have only seen 2 and I don't exactly live in the sticks.
Anyone got any sales comparisons with the old model? Is the bland design putting the punters off or are companies still buying them in their thousands?
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I think I read somewhere (Parkers?) that it was selling quite well. I'm sure someone 'In The Know' will be along to set the record straight.
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Im not plain stupid, just a special kind of stoopid.
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I've only seen one but how many can you make in 3 months ? Be patient, they'll be everywhere.
John
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Had a hired one delivered tonight for a Conference trip. Its a diesel (which is good). My insurance doesn't commence until tommorow lunch time....can't say I'm itching to drive it...
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It will sell well in the UK simply because it is a Ford.
I have seen a few on the road. I can't say I am struck by its looks.
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I saw an estate parked by the side of the road t'other day. It looked OK from the side, but kinda bland from the back.
Hope the saloon looks better, cos the hatch is rather dull too.
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It will sell well in the UK simply because it is a Ford.
Hit the nail on the head there. The yawn inducing dull looks don't matter all that much because people will go out buy them in their droves because its a ford.
I have seen a few of them popping around, but can't say they are a popular site. But give them time.
But don't get wrong, good looks are not a replacement for reliability.
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It will sell well in the UK simply because it is a Ford.
Don't know why !!!
I have seen a few on the road. I can't say I am struck by its looks.
Agree with that, also the fiesta is quite an ugly little thing aswell.
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In the last week or so I'd say in and around Manchester and the route to Warrington (well Birchwood/Risley) I've seen quite a few. Personally think it looks better inside than the old (which as poor IMHO) and not bad outside.
Would not say they are NOT common around here. Getting car washed two days before new 05 reg date, there were two being valeted where my car was... being illegally driven without trade plate on 05 plates. No trade plates!
Rob
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Normal practice is to chuck one plate on the parcel shelf (it faces up and no one can see it) and one gets jammed in the dashboard, again very hard to see. That was normal practice where I worked anyway, it made it less likely that you would scratch the cars. We never bothered with plates if we were driving a very short distance between our showroom and service sites.
I've also gone to fetch an Accord from just North of London which was driven the whole way back without any plates at all, I wasn't driving though thankfully. Wouldn't have fancied that endorsement on my licence! :-)
Blue
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Top Gear (the TV program, not the magazine) did a piece on it, where they parked it in a busy shopping street a few months before its launch and hid cameras in it to see if people took any notice of it, being one of the most important new cars of the year. No one batted an eyelid.
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The new Ford Focus is selling so well that I had to wait 3 months from the point of order to taking delivery (last Wednesday). I was told that the TDCi engine is so popular that there is a wait of 8-9 months if one is ordered now.
I must say that the new Focus is great to drive. I have the 2 litre deisel engine that handles really well - both refined and smooth. Considerably better than the old style Focus. Yes, I agree, the looks are not that outstanding from the outside but the inside is really comfortable and well designed.
Thoroughly recommended...
Pol
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The only thing that's stopped my Dad getting a new Focus is that it looks so hideous.
He was considering the saloon but the interior is just too boring. A shame because the new saloon looks nice. Almost as nice as the mark 1.
;-)
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Adam
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Almost asnice as the mark 1.
Touch of irony there Adam..
The reason why you're not seeing many Foci is the fact it's easy to confuse the old and new as the same car.. especially side and rear view. Following a mk2 at night it's difficult to tell even for a trained expert like me!
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I don't agree at all. I have had no problem in identifying the new Focus.
You are a trained expert? In what exactly?
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You are a trained expert? In what exactly?
the meaning of life!
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Strangely enough the only new Focus cars I can recall seeing are the AA driving school liveried ones. I can only imagine that is because the car blends so well into the rest of the Ford range that it doesn't stand out enough.
Not saying that is a bad thing mind you as the older Focus was never a pretty thing. I could only stand it in full fat ST170 or RS spec.
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I have only ever seen 1 on the roads, and ironically it was parked right behind a mk1. Seeing it like this makes you realise just how good the original one was.
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>> You are a trained expert? In what exactly? >> the meaning of life!
>>
Not much good for telling one Focus from another then?
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>> >> You are a trained expert? In what exactly? >> the meaning of life! Not much good for telling one Focus from another then?
Be careful.
If Adam sees this, he will be very irate at the implicit suggestion that the phrases "Ford Focus" and "meaning of life" might not be synonymous ...
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Too late.
I've just spent the past 9 hours cleaning my car...
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Adam
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Too late. I've just spent the past 9 hours cleaning my car...
9 hours? If I ever pay you to clean my car, you're not getting an hourly rate!
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Don't worry NW. If ever you get a car I'll do it for free!
;-)
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Adam
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Don't worry NW. If ever you get a car I'll do it for free!
I'll take you up on that.
But don't worry, I'll try not to make you clean it more than twice a week ...
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For a brew and a few rich tea biscuits, I'll clean it every day!
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Adam
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Irony? What is this ...ir...on...y you speak of?
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Adam
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I am surprised they used that prissy mincing bloke in the ads to sell the car. I know they are trying to use some form of (irony?) tongue in cheek, but I find it faintly irritating. I have only seen two Foci and one of those was on the forecourt of the dealers. I actually sat in one (The Zetec) and found it incredibly uncomfortable. I think it may be my big butt, but, the high sides of the seat squab made my thighs go numb after about 10 minutes.
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The 3 door looks - from some angles - like a Vauxhall Corsa.
job done Ford !
.....and the advert ..."I'm watching you" who is this targeted at ....?
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doesn't the fact they have to heavily advertise a new version of a top seller suggest sales are not high as anticipated? Don't know many there are still unsold of the previous (fabulous) shape, but I bet they're still sought after. Are there not any Ford insiders among BRs, who can tell the true true story on this one?
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Someone agree with me plleeaassee... the rear of the new Focus is simular to the old and at night is hard to tell difference!
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so if they did one ih Midnight Blue, it would sell well...?
Sorry, but to repeat the charge against Ford: that rear hatch shape is a major design offence, and unforgiveable.
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>>The only thing that's stopped my Dad getting a new Focus is that it looks so hideous.
I've seen a few about and I think they do look nicer than the Mark 1 Focus. Damned with feint praise!
cheers, SS
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I am sure they are selling,especially to fleets and car hire companies.I have seen quite a few,atleast 20.They don't exactly stand out in the crowd.Very boring design,they should have taken a look at some great looking cars some of the other manufacturers are making (mazda 6 for instance).
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It seems general concensus is that the Focus is good dynamically but Ford have scored a spectacular own goal with its dull styling.
Ford have taken risks before in styling and don't like their fingers burnt
(Scorpio etc)
Maybe when the Focus gets it midlife facelift in 3/4 years it maybe a bit bolder.
No-ones mentioned following one at night, please someone agree with me?? am i alone in this theory? (see earlier post in this thread)
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I have seen many new Foci on the road, while I agree that the styling of the hatch is not a step forward the saloon and estate look great, also the interior is very classy albeit a bit less radical than the old one was in '98.
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Just returned from a 414 mile round trip (over two days in one.) Better apointed inside than the old version, slightly tiny feel to the door slam. Lack of lumber support (for me anyway) - otherwise fine, far better feel to the leatherish steering wheel than I have experienced in previously hired ones. Wouldn't buy one though....
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I've just been to Majorca with family and we hired two cars - both Focus' but one was an old model one a new, both 1.6 engines. I used to own a 1.8 Mk I focus so was interested to see and drive the new model.
New car is bigger, but the interior plastics of the new model dash seems inferior to the old model, central console in the new model is better.
What really surprised me about the new model is the harshness and noise generated by the engine - at 90-100 km/h (50-60 mph) the noise is very intrusive and I was surprised to see the rev levels at 3,000 well before the posted motorway limit of 120 km/h - once at motorway speeds the engine sounded like it was screaming itself to destruction.
Another concern with the new model is the lack of space in the boot - it is wide, but as the spare is a full size it has absolutely no depth. We only just managed to get two small cases in the boot - not very good for what is supposed to be a family car.
Maybe a good car, but it needs either a 1.8 pterol or preferbaly a torquey diesel as the 1.6 felt very sluggish.
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Saw a couple of the new Focus Saloons recently and personally think is the best looking out of the bunch.
IMHO it looks more like a Volvo that a Ford, especially from the rear, although not really surprising with the shared floorplan.
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I had a rental new Focus 1.6 petrol in Spain last month and the gearing is lower than the old model. 20 mph/1000rpm in fifth compared to approx 24mph/1000 rpm on the old model.
Also, I noticed it had a poor turning circle compared a Renault Megane I had previously hired and used in the same places.
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I saw on Whatcar a week or so ago that Ford were offering 0% finance on the Focus as sales had not been what they had hoped. I went and sat in one and, at 6 foot 2 inches tall, I found the inside to be very cramped indeed no matter how much I adjusted the seat and wheel.
I did not like the visibility all around from the driver's seat nor the poor quality of the plastics IMPO. I was disappointed by the lack of space in the rear boot of the hatch also. No doubt they will sell lots of rentals but if I were buyingp rivate I would spend my money on a 'name' and try to minimise depreciation. I think the Focus is too over-priced for what it is... but you can say that about alot of cars.
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