Thanks for the review Alex! I just picked up a 2013 SE hatchback with the appearance package (leather, 17inch wheels, etc). I was initially looking at the cruze but then this caught my eye. From the second I took off I knew it was a dual clutch, and being a car guy, I like subarus and GTRs, but wasn't aware for made a dual clutch. All I can say for anyone interested in this car, is get it. The chevy Cruze is great for commuting, but for an enthusiast, the featherweight steering and overly soft suspension wasn't cutting it for me. If you're looking for a practical car with great MPG, but still want something that's fun on windy roads, this is perfect. I'm ranting, so I apologize. But this car is so well rounded, and if you understand how a dual clutch operates, you'd know that "weird symptoms and clutch jerk, etc" you'll love it. And to anybody who thinks that fords power shift is clunky, I advise you to drive a 2009 GTR (clunk city). It's just the nature of the transmissions. VW has obviously had more time to refine their DSG, but know that a company would never intentionally put out a faulty product. Long story short, buying this car was the best choice I ever made. Go out and drive one, it's truly remarkable for an economy car.
Thanks for your excellent, thorough reviews, as always! You've provided some great help for me in determining which car to buy. I really appreciate your explanation about the dual-clutch transmission; it answered a lot of the concerning questions that I had about it and pointed me in the right direction for further research.
From New Zealand, great review Alex, even though we drive on the other side your reviews are informative, detailed and great too watch, keep up the good work!
I've been looking for Ford Focus (Focuses? lol) reviews lately and suddenly you upload this. I knew you had other review of the focus but it's nice to see what little upgrades Ford has done to the focus. Also, it's better with the latest format. By the way, does this mean other reviewers are getting the Focus for review?
I bought a 2014 Ford Focus Titanium, performance blue color, and I just love it, nothing like my previous Toyota Corolla that was a piece of trash. My only complaint is that my Focus came with the 18" aluminum wheels and regular spare tire that took some space from the trunk.
I think I should have a rolling tally of "decent" "relatively" and "attractive" and then maybe a scoring list of which cars hit the highest totals. In an attractive and relatively decent fashion of course.
Alex on Autos That would be totally decent haha. Still love your reviews though. TTAC is becoming a wasteland with the loss of you and some other key writers.
I have the 2014 Focus SE with manual 5-speed and Sport package all for a very reasonable price. No issues or complaints, and the 2015 model is not much different which is a good thing IMO. Why people are so enamored by complicated gimcracks in upscale cars is beyond me; simply more to go wrong and more to distract from the task of safe driving.
gwwayner have a 2016 manual focus think it is quite good for the selections of cars out there today. Get about 43 mpg highway and believe it or not the hp and 0-60 is about the same as a old 240z .
I bought a '14 with the five speed manual. My only complaint is there being only five gears leaving me in fifth gear by 35-40 MPH and at over 3000 RPM at 70 MPH. Great car for the price and has delivered nearly 40,000 trouble free miles. Somewhat fun to drive with 160 HP and low gearing but still up to 41 MPG combined in the summer, 33 in the winter. Just stay away from the automatic...
Could not agree more…when you get out on the flat or rolling hills highway I really feel like the 2.0l Duratec GDI could use that 6th taller gear. It could REALLY squeeze out some crazy highway mpg of it was there.
The best values will be on the 2014 Focus. Wait for a big Holiday weekend, like Labor Day when the rebates will be more generous, but check Ford's website because some of their deals last for a week, not just the weekend. If you wait until December you may actually get less rebates and much less selection, although the dealers may cut their profits. I'm very interested in how the 1.0L ecoboost will perform in the Focus.
Those who have driven it in Europe say it is a bit on the slow side. The 1.6 Turbo will be an interesting option I think. The 1.0 should deliver some really good gas mileage though.
***** HP isnt what makes a car move, its torque, the 1.0 ecoboost makes 148 ft pound of torque @2000 rpm or nearly 126 ft pond @1800 rpm so as long as car is above 1800 rpm it moves, its just that it wont accelarate like a 160 HP Focus and the ecoboost 1.0 i3 comes as a manual only
1guyin10 Ford wont bring 1.6 ecoboost to USA, also they have changed the injection ports and turbo of the ecoboost engine and now its a new 1.5l ecoboost engine producing 150 or 177 HP and 178 or 180 ft pounds torque @ 1500 and 1800 rpm, sadly America wont get these gem of engines Still the 2.0 160 HP aint bad at all, in Sport mode its pretty fast, got 0-60 in 8.6s but in D mode its 0-60 is 9.5s
Hey Alex on Autos. So I noticed something interesting about the 2014 Focus. Just to set the backdrop, near the end of 2012 I briefly owned a 2012 Focus Titanium Hatchback (for a little more than a year). During that time I did seem to experience the lurching feeling that people had complained about in terms of the shifting of the dual clutch auto. Not only that but the gas mileage did not seem to live up the EPA claims. Fast forward to about 3 months ago and I needed a car rental to take me from my home city to Houston TX. As luck would have it the car they gave me was a Focus, a sedan but this one was a 2014. Now I had heard that Ford had been working to improve the shifting behavior of the dual clutch via software updates and other tweaking but I was a bit skeptical. Well sure enough (at least during my 3-4 hr travel to Houston) the car I was given felt like it shifted more cleanly and not only that the gas mileage seemed noticeably better. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience when comparing the 2012 to the 2014 Focus. Have you Alex? :/
You should do a better pointing system like an Excel Spreadsheet style infographic at the end of the video kinda like Doug DeMuro, because it's gets kinda confusing if you slip that info right in the middle of reviewing the car.
I think that Volkswagen's DSG is much more refined than Ford's PowerShift. The PS was terrible when it first came out, but it's much better now with the new software updates.
Good review, Alex. I'm in the market for a hatchback and am looking at this, the Mazda 3, and the 2015 Golf TDI...any chance you'll be reviewing the 2015 Golf soon?
I test drove the new Golf with 1.8 TSI and it just is the best car in the world, the competition like Focus,Mazda 3 etc is mutt before the mighty Golf, If VW improves reliability in USA, Golf is soo good that its even better than some Audis and BMWs and Mercs
Chris - I am in the same boat! But any VW is out of the running. Anyway, what did you decide? I prefer to purchase cars used, and there are a few lightly used 2014 Mazda 3 and 2014 Ford Focus Titanium. Thing important to me include cabin noise, safety, MPG, leather seats. I would be curious to hear what you chose.
I am not chriss but I drove the new Mazda and its cabin noise is horrible,i felt like i am speeding @70 mph when i was just 50, too noisy inside , Another problem with Mazda is super stiff ride at slow speeds,if u dont wanna break ur bones stay away from Mazda,its too stiif focus and golf are way better.
MsLuminescence I actually took possession of a 2015 Golf TDI last week. To each their own but I'm curious why VW is out of the running for you? In all the things you listed as important to you the Golf TDI competes with or is vastly superior to the Mazda 3. The one thing is you can't get great deals on used TDIs which I why I went with a new one. I'd recommend you drive the Golf just as a point of comparison to the Ford and Mazda. The gas-powered versions can be had in the low 20s if price is the issue. Let me know what you end up with!
Excellent review. I was interested in buying a used 2013 Focus but a bit concern about the dual clutch issue or abnormal shifting during an incline or down hill stop and go. Now, does this post a problems for the car ahead or behind me for slight roll before the clutches engage? Thanks!
Alex I love your reviews but I have to question your 0 to 60 time. My 2012 will always run faster then 8 seconds and most auto mags reflect my experience. As far as comparing the Focus to the Mazda 3 on looks, I'll take the Focus. The 3's front end is tool long and it's proportions look akward. Other then that, thank you for reviewing the 2014 Ford Focus.
The 0-60 time was about 1/2 a second slower than Edmund's time but the test was run twice as usual and both results were the same. Times depend on vehicle specification because that determines the weight. In addition one shouldn't compare one outlet's time with another because we aren't all testing on the same track with the same equipment. It is always best for instance to only compare MotorTrend's times with other MT times not Edmunds time. Likewise compare my times with the other compacts I have reviewed rather than another outlet. We're all testing at different altitudes, different climates, humidities, etc
I have heard some complaints about the dual-clutch transmission exacerbating front wheel slip when starting, but other than that it should be very much the same as any other FWD car.
Alex on Autos you are so fast! thank you!!! We are planning to get 2014 focus titanium hatchback and all the negative review made us really nervous. your video really helps a lot. Thank you so much!
Agree with Alex here…I have a 2012 Cruze Eco 6spd with 368k likes now…just recently bought a 14 Focus SE with 5spd and the Focus is *significantly* louder inside than the Cruze.
Hello. I own the exact model from this video and was wondering if it was possible to replace the dual clutch transmission with a normal automatic transmission. Would appreciate an educated response from anyone. Thank you in advance.
That's the rumor mill. Optional steering HID lamps, tweaked seats, standard backup cam, optional lane keep assist, optional parking assist. We should know for sure soon.
From what I read we'll be getting halogen reflectors with LED signature lighting on Focuses with the SE Plus package, but HID projectors on Focus Electric and high-trim Focus ST like before
New Ford Focus 2015 is going to be a much better package and the features included for USA will definitely make it more appealing, but if Ford brings the Paddle shifters as optional, that will make it a hoot to own
My biggest problem with ford today is not the exterior design, but the Interior it's kind of how do i say this"Jarring" and probably the one of the biggest turn-offs for me especially in the ford fiesta,also when you turn on the car it makes that "do-de-do" sound,also I hope to see you do a review on the Mitsubishi Outlander but that's just a request.
Curious that you don't list VW Golf as a competitor...I suppose it's that the Golf is a premium hatch and at too high a price relative to the Ford; here in Quebec Mazda 3 and Golf hatches are neck-and-neck competitors with ford I think a weak third. Also a key question is driving on winter roads. Finally the hatchback Ford is more expensive because fewer are sold or manufacturing is more complex....?
It is a competitor but its sales are much lower so I didn't include it in the mix. If I included them all it would take too long. Hopefully I'll have the new 2015 Golf soon.
alex, i'm wondering what is up with the dct people say it is horrible and a deal breaker for sure, could you give us the conclusion wether it is working smoothly or abit slippy or bad, thanks in advance
Ahhh...yes. I know why TH-cam shows me this now. This car had a Ford special fatal flaw ready to torture its owners...the duel clutch six speed transmission. Mine failed in August 2021 and has been sitting on the back lot at Hudson Ford with 79,000 miles ever since waiting on a transmission control module. If I ever get it fixed I'll sell it for scrap.
Just bought mine is red hatchback with the 5 speed manual transmission the best car ever and proudly made in Michigan by Americans I get around 40mpg on highway and 32mpg on city all the time. I got as much as 50mpg if I did 55mph. The best looking car ever please buy American support your country send the money to USA not over seas.
Just bought mine is red hatchback with the 5 speed manual transmission the best car ever and proudly made in Michigan by Americans I get around 40mpg on highway and 32mpg on city all the time. I got as much as 50mpg if I did 55mph. The best looking car ever please buy American support your country send the money to USA not over seas.
When he appeared in the trunk i nearly cried laughing. Great review though
Thanks for the review Alex! I just picked up a 2013 SE hatchback with the appearance package (leather, 17inch wheels, etc). I was initially looking at the cruze but then this caught my eye. From the second I took off I knew it was a dual clutch, and being a car guy, I like subarus and GTRs, but wasn't aware for made a dual clutch. All I can say for anyone interested in this car, is get it. The chevy Cruze is great for commuting, but for an enthusiast, the featherweight steering and overly soft suspension wasn't cutting it for me. If you're looking for a practical car with great MPG, but still want something that's fun on windy roads, this is perfect. I'm ranting, so I apologize. But this car is so well rounded, and if you understand how a dual clutch operates, you'd know that "weird symptoms and clutch jerk, etc" you'll love it. And to anybody who thinks that fords power shift is clunky, I advise you to drive a 2009 GTR (clunk city). It's just the nature of the transmissions. VW has obviously had more time to refine their DSG, but know that a company would never intentionally put out a faulty product.
Long story short, buying this car was the best choice I ever made. Go out and drive one, it's truly remarkable for an economy car.
How's the focus working out now?
Alex your reviews are the best. Whenever I need a review, I always go to your channel first.
Thanks for your excellent, thorough reviews, as always! You've provided some great help for me in determining which car to buy. I really appreciate your explanation about the dual-clutch transmission; it answered a lot of the concerning questions that I had about it and pointed me in the right direction for further research.
From New Zealand, great review Alex, even though we drive on the other side your reviews are informative, detailed and great too watch, keep up the good work!
I've been looking for Ford Focus (Focuses? lol) reviews lately and suddenly you upload this. I knew you had other review of the focus but it's nice to see what little upgrades Ford has done to the focus. Also, it's better with the latest format.
By the way, does this mean other reviewers are getting the Focus for review?
It could be. I assume Cnet and MSN autos might have one since they pull from the same pool as I do.
Alex on Autos Thanks for the response. You are fast! Thanks for your reviews, btw.
Mikei97 could you tell me what a 2014 titanium would be worth now?
I bought a 2014 Ford Focus Titanium, performance blue color, and I just love it, nothing like my previous Toyota Corolla that was a piece of trash. My only complaint is that my Focus came with the 18" aluminum wheels and regular spare tire that took some space from the trunk.
How’s this car holding up, I’m looking to buy a 2014 titanium Ford Focus with 62,000km for $10,870 how do you feel about that?
My friend and I decided to take shots every time Alex said "decent". I don't remember much after trunk comfort... :)
I think I should have a rolling tally of "decent" "relatively" and "attractive" and then maybe a scoring list of which cars hit the highest totals. In an attractive and relatively decent fashion of course.
Alex on Autos That would be totally decent haha. Still love your reviews though. TTAC is becoming a wasteland with the loss of you and some other key writers.
I have the 2014 Focus SE with manual 5-speed and Sport package all for a very reasonable price. No issues or complaints, and the 2015 model is not much different which is a good thing IMO. Why people are so enamored by complicated gimcracks in upscale cars is beyond me; simply more to go wrong and more to distract from the task of safe driving.
gwwayner have a 2016 manual focus think it is quite good for the selections of cars out there today. Get about 43 mpg highway and believe it or not the hp and 0-60 is about the same as a old 240z .
I bought a '14 with the five speed manual. My only complaint is there being only five gears leaving me in fifth gear by 35-40 MPH and at over 3000 RPM at 70 MPH. Great car for the price and has delivered nearly 40,000 trouble free miles. Somewhat fun to drive with 160 HP and low gearing but still up to 41 MPG combined in the summer, 33 in the winter.
Just stay away from the automatic...
Could not agree more…when you get out on the flat or rolling hills highway I really feel like the 2.0l Duratec GDI could use that 6th taller gear. It could REALLY squeeze out some crazy highway mpg of it was there.
The best values will be on the 2014 Focus. Wait for a big Holiday weekend, like Labor Day when the rebates will be more generous, but check Ford's website because some of their deals last for a week, not just the weekend. If you wait until December you may actually get less rebates and much less selection, although the dealers may cut their profits.
I'm very interested in how the 1.0L ecoboost will perform in the Focus.
Those who have driven it in Europe say it is a bit on the slow side. The 1.6 Turbo will be an interesting option I think. The 1.0 should deliver some really good gas mileage though.
***** HP isnt what makes a car move, its torque, the 1.0 ecoboost makes 148 ft pound of torque @2000 rpm or nearly 126 ft pond @1800 rpm so as long as car is above 1800 rpm it moves, its just that it wont accelarate like a 160 HP Focus and the ecoboost 1.0 i3 comes as a manual only
1guyin10 Ford wont bring 1.6 ecoboost to USA, also they have changed the injection ports and turbo of the ecoboost engine and now its a new 1.5l ecoboost engine producing 150 or 177 HP and 178 or 180 ft pounds torque @ 1500 and 1800 rpm, sadly America wont get these gem of engines
Still the 2.0 160 HP aint bad at all, in Sport mode its pretty fast, got 0-60 in 8.6s but in D mode its 0-60 is 9.5s
Hey Alex on Autos. So I noticed something interesting about the 2014 Focus. Just to set the backdrop, near the end of 2012 I briefly owned a 2012 Focus Titanium Hatchback (for a little more than a year). During that time I did seem to experience the lurching feeling that people had complained about in terms of the shifting of the dual clutch auto. Not only that but the gas mileage did not seem to live up the EPA claims. Fast forward to about 3 months ago and I needed a car rental to take me from my home city to Houston TX. As luck would have it the car they gave me was a Focus, a sedan but this one was a 2014. Now I had heard that Ford had been working to improve the shifting behavior of the dual clutch via software updates and other tweaking but I was a bit skeptical. Well sure enough (at least during my 3-4 hr travel to Houston) the car I was given felt like it shifted more cleanly and not only that the gas mileage seemed noticeably better. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience when comparing the 2012 to the 2014 Focus. Have you Alex? :/
The shifting is greatly improved vs the first models but my fuel economy was about the same 2012 vs 2014.
You should do a better pointing system like an Excel Spreadsheet style infographic at the end of the video kinda like Doug DeMuro, because it's gets kinda confusing if you slip that info right in the middle of reviewing the car.
I think that Volkswagen's DSG is much more refined than Ford's PowerShift. The PS was terrible when it first came out, but it's much better now with the new software updates.
Good review, Alex. I'm in the market for a hatchback and am looking at this, the Mazda 3, and the 2015 Golf TDI...any chance you'll be reviewing the 2015 Golf soon?
Hopefully I will have the Golf in two months.
I test drove the new Golf with 1.8 TSI and it just is the best car in the world, the competition like Focus,Mazda 3 etc is mutt before the mighty Golf, If VW improves reliability in USA, Golf is soo good that its even better than some Audis and BMWs and Mercs
Chris - I am in the same boat! But any VW is out of the running. Anyway, what did you decide? I prefer to purchase cars used, and there are a few lightly used 2014 Mazda 3 and 2014 Ford Focus Titanium. Thing important to me include cabin noise, safety, MPG, leather seats. I would be curious to hear what you chose.
I am not chriss but I drove the new Mazda and its cabin noise is horrible,i felt like i am speeding @70 mph when i was just 50, too noisy inside ,
Another problem with Mazda is super stiff ride at slow speeds,if u dont wanna break ur bones stay away from Mazda,its too stiif focus and golf are way better.
MsLuminescence I actually took possession of a 2015 Golf TDI last week. To each their own but I'm curious why VW is out of the running for you? In all the things you listed as important to you the Golf TDI competes with or is vastly superior to the Mazda 3. The one thing is you can't get great deals on used TDIs which I why I went with a new one. I'd recommend you drive the Golf just as a point of comparison to the Ford and Mazda. The gas-powered versions can be had in the low 20s if price is the issue. Let me know what you end up with!
Is the Ford Focus Electric 2014 has the same features and looks as the one you reviewed?
I had a 2013 Focus hatch with the sport package. Loved that car, but after three transmissions I got rid of it. Yikes.
What happened? I'm looking at buying one now. This model in the video.
hUh.. I have a 2014 SE Ecoboost focus
I didnt even know some of these things- the rear seat bottoms fold out?-
the steering wheel comes forwards?
Awesome review!!! Thank you
Any chance for Golf 7 Combi (Sportwagen) test?
I hope to have the Golf in about 2 months.
Excellent review!
How about 2.0 automatic gear ? 120 kw 2014 year, wanna buy this model
If you can get one would you do a review of the 370Z. Some people say good things, others not so much.
Excellent review. I was interested in buying a used 2013 Focus but a bit concern about the dual clutch issue or abnormal shifting during an incline or down hill stop and go. Now, does this post a problems for the car ahead or behind me for slight roll before the clutches engage? Thanks!
No, the car holds the brakes on for you.
Alex I love your reviews but I have to question your 0 to 60 time. My 2012 will always run faster then 8 seconds and most auto mags reflect my experience. As far as comparing the Focus to the Mazda 3 on looks, I'll take the Focus. The 3's front end is tool long and it's proportions look akward. Other then that, thank you for reviewing the 2014 Ford Focus.
The 0-60 time was about 1/2 a second slower than Edmund's time but the test was run twice as usual and both results were the same. Times depend on vehicle specification because that determines the weight. In addition one shouldn't compare one outlet's time with another because we aren't all testing on the same track with the same equipment. It is always best for instance to only compare MotorTrend's times with other MT times not Edmunds time. Likewise compare my times with the other compacts I have reviewed rather than another outlet. We're all testing at different altitudes, different climates, humidities, etc
I agree Alex. There are variables. Thank you for your feed back. Keep up the good work.
I always thought that this was one the fastest cars in the segment
This guy knows his shit
Love your review!!!! one question, do you know how is this car doing in snow?
I have heard some complaints about the dual-clutch transmission exacerbating front wheel slip when starting, but other than that it should be very much the same as any other FWD car.
Alex on Autos you are so fast! thank you!!! We are planning to get 2014 focus titanium hatchback and all the negative review made us really nervous. your video really helps a lot. Thank you so much!
When you said a moderate range of motion rather than a decent range I was like what lol
Hello Alex. Thank you for your detailed reviews. I was curious, which is the quitest compact in your opinion?
Most likely the Chevy Cruze
Agree with Alex here…I have a 2012 Cruze Eco 6spd with 368k likes now…just recently bought a 14 Focus SE with 5spd and the Focus is *significantly* louder inside than the Cruze.
Hello. I own the exact model from this video and was wondering if it was possible to replace the dual clutch transmission with a normal automatic transmission. Would appreciate an educated response from anyone. Thank you in advance.
hope the 2015 will do better...will see
Are you sure the HID headlamps will be on US-spec models?
That's the rumor mill. Optional steering HID lamps, tweaked seats, standard backup cam, optional lane keep assist, optional parking assist. We should know for sure soon.
From what I read we'll be getting halogen reflectors with LED signature lighting on Focuses with the SE Plus package, but HID projectors on Focus Electric and high-trim Focus ST like before
New Ford Focus 2015 is going to be a much better package and the features included for USA will definitely make it more appealing, but if Ford brings the Paddle shifters as optional, that will make it a hoot to own
My biggest problem with ford today is not the exterior design, but the Interior it's kind of how do i say this"Jarring" and probably the one of the biggest turn-offs for me especially in the ford fiesta,also when you turn on the car it makes that "do-de-do" sound,also I hope to see you do a review on the Mitsubishi Outlander but that's just a request.
Curious that you don't list VW Golf as a competitor...I suppose it's that the Golf is a premium hatch and at too high a price relative to the Ford; here in Quebec Mazda 3 and Golf hatches are neck-and-neck competitors with ford I think a weak third. Also a key question is driving on winter roads. Finally the hatchback Ford is more expensive because fewer are sold or manufacturing is more complex....?
It is a competitor but its sales are much lower so I didn't include it in the mix. If I included them all it would take too long. Hopefully I'll have the new 2015 Golf soon.
hey do review on new focus
alex, i'm wondering what is up with the dct people say it is horrible and a deal breaker for sure, could you give us the conclusion wether it is working smoothly or abit slippy or bad, thanks in advance
This video may help you out a bit: th-cam.com/video/cZab3urXfko/w-d-xo.html
Alex on Autos thank you, that explained alot ;)
Best video
I love mine
12:05 Good Good! I can kidnap people! Just Kidding!
I'd only buy the focus or Cruz and I hate imports
You can get a manual Titanium.
Ahhh...yes. I know why TH-cam shows me this now. This car had a Ford special fatal flaw ready to torture its owners...the duel clutch six speed transmission. Mine failed in August 2021 and has been sitting on the back lot at Hudson Ford with 79,000 miles ever since waiting on a transmission control module. If I ever get it fixed I'll sell it for scrap.
Avoid DCT's.
Just bought mine is red hatchback with the 5 speed manual transmission the best car ever and proudly made in Michigan by Americans I get around 40mpg on highway and 32mpg on city all the time. I got as much as 50mpg if I did 55mph. The best looking car ever please buy American support your country send the money to USA not over seas.
Horrendous transmissions, clutches burn up at less than 30k.
Just bought mine is red hatchback with the 5 speed manual transmission the best car ever and proudly made in Michigan by Americans I get around 40mpg on highway and 32mpg on city all the time. I got as much as 50mpg if I did 55mph. The best looking car ever please buy American support your country send the money to USA not over seas.