Focus Titanium vs Cruze SRi-V

[Rodge]

Doesn't the new Focus Titanium get adaptive cruise control and the fancy self parking technology ? Looks like a top pick in the small car segment to me.

[warpsp33d]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Cheers. Taking the Titanium for the weekend, this will be the car we get if all goes well. Optioned with the Sport wheels.

Please post your thoughts back, very interested to hear.

I'm in the market for a Titanium TDCi Sedan with Sports Exec pack. I'm trying to hang out till production moves to Thailand in the hopes that:

(a) they add the 8' touch screen,
(b) they fix the turning circle
(c) offer 17's instead of 18's and
(d) swap the frigging indicator and windscreen wiper stalks around to where they should be!

[Nichol]

I really don't know if they'll add the 8' touch screen when the production shifts to thailand. I don't think they'll switch the indicator and wipers stalks around aswell - possibly to keep the european in it. When production of the Fiesta moved to Thailand, they didn't switch it around which makes me think they won't do it for the focus.
This might not help alot, but this is what was said in an article about the focus production shifting to Thailand.
"The move is likely to be accompanied by a small specification upgrade for selected models rather than a price reduction."

Not too sure what models will get the spec upgrade. They might add the convenience pack as standard on the trend models or even make some models to have a manual transmission aswell as the auto.

[warpsp33d]

Originally Posted by Nichol

I really don't know if they'll add the 8' touch screen when the production shifts to thailand. I don't think they'll switch the indicator and wipers stalks around aswell - possibly to keep the european in it. When production of the Fiesta moved to Thailand, they didn't switch it around which makes me think they won't do it for the focus.
This might not help alot, but this is what was said in an article about the focus production shifting to Thailand.
"The move is likely to be accompanied by a small specification upgrade for selected models rather than a price reduction."

The 8' touch screen is definitely coming this year, just a question of when.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/107709/f...12-ford-focus/

They already have it in the U.S. so it's hardly much of a re-engineering effort.

The switch to Thailand would be the logical change point, unless they wait till they announce the 2013 model.

That could also be classed as being an increase in specifications rather than a price reduction.

The indicator thing is wishful thinking... I doubt they'll change it too, but I can live in hope. It's such a cop out not swapping it over. IMHO ADR should force all manufacturers to oblige.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by warpsp33d

Please post your thoughts back, very interested to hear.

I'm in the market for a Titanium TDCi Sedan with Sports Exec pack. I'm trying to hang out till production moves to Thailand in the hopes that:

(a) they add the 8' touch screen,
(b) they fix the turning circle
(c) offer 17's instead of 18's and
(d) swap the frigging indicator and windscreen wiper stalks around to where they should be!

I've also thought about waiting, but how long? My wife told me tonight that she's over it, thaat means I'll probably be ordering it in the next couple of weeks

Not sure it's possible to fix the turning circle without major modifications.

[1TUFFUTE]

ive read evry comparo under the sun and the cruize is nearly a whole gen behind the ford. On a side note my wife has both cars at her work and all the chics love the focus styling as the cruize apparently has horrible interior compared..but the biggest complaint they made was the vision out the back and sides...and they all hate it....go figure.Its the second least driven car behind (the dangerously quiet prius). I love hearing all these office girls talking car shop...with no respect to the brands..haha its sooo funny.
Oh and im sure the dealers not pushing black cars is purely due to the fact that they mark and dirty up alot faster. I have a friend with a black 2010 focus who is not a car buff by any means...and its rooted already....

[ConradP]

[QUOTE=1TUFFUTEOh and im sure the dealers not pushing black cars is purely due to the fact that they mark and dirty up alot faster. I have a friend with a black 2010 focus who is not a car buff by any means...and its rooted already....[/QUOTE]


I intended on getting mine in black, but the dealer, who I also personally know said not to get it so I listened, and I'm more happy with this.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

..but the biggest complaint they made was the vision out the back and sides...and they all hate it....go figure.....

It's true, my wife and I noticed straight away. The North American reviews have also noticed, but their version gets 'blind spot' mirror inserts on both side mirrors.

A lot of interesting reviews on You Tube; just type in 2012 Ford Focus.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by johnydep

It's true, my wife and I noticed straight away. The North American reviews have also noticed, but their version gets 'blind spot' mirror inserts on both side mirrors.

A lot of interesting reviews on You Tube; just type in 2012 Ford Focus.

i havent driven the petrol turbo cruze, only the diesel's...best choice.
and the 6 speed auto is a clutch to clutch unit,, a joint venture with GMNA and FORD to spread the development cost.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by burnz

i havent driven the petrol turbo cruze, only the diesel's...best choice.
and the 6 speed auto is a clutch to clutch unit,, a joint venture with GMNA and FORD to spread the development cost.

Strange that Holden & Chevrolet don't push that in their advertising like Ford and VW do.

The petrol Cruze uses a full Automatic, designed by their GM division; Hydramatic - the 6T40

Actually, while typing this I just remembered that I saw the specs for the Cruze transmission (maybe the GMH sales brochure), all the Autos are a Hydramatic 6t4? in either 40 or 45 and possibly a third one, the last two digits indicates different codes for different gear ratios.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...vl-x-A&cad=rja

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_6T40_transmission

Unless GM have changed very recently, I think they're still using the full auto trans.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by burnz

i havent driven the petrol turbo cruze, only the diesel's...best choice.
and the 6 speed auto is a clutch to clutch unit,, a joint venture with GMNA and FORD to spread the development cost.

at first I thought you meant the dual clutch manual/auto trans, I now think I know what you mean; the auto trans uses clutch packs only for gear changes, rather than the clutch and band process. If so, this has been a GM Hydramatic and Aisan Warner method for years.

Good on Ford and GM for working together.

[burnz]

http://www.autotrends.org/2008/04/23/transmissions/

General Motors and Ford teamed up a few years back to begin building a six-speed automatic transmission, a project neither automaker could tackle individually. By sharing costs, each automaker has been able to provide an important engineering component to keep pace with the competition.

it probably the only way to beat the competition, pool resources..

[burnz]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Strange that Holden & Chevrolet don't push that in their advertising like Ford and VW do.

The petrol Cruze uses a full Automatic, designed by their GM division; Hydramatic - the 6T40

Actually, while typing this I just remembered that I saw the specs for the Cruze transmission (maybe the GMH sales brochure), all the Autos are a Hydramatic 6t4? in either 40 or 45 and possibly a third one, the last two digits indicates different codes for different gear ratios.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...vl-x-A&cad=rja

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_6T40_transmission

Unless GM have changed very recently, I think they're still using the full auto trans.

the last two digits typicly designates torque limit ..
4L60= 4 speed logitudanal 600nm
6T45= 6 speed transverse 450nm

[SaCrow]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Doesn't the new Focus Titanium get adaptive cruise control and the fancy self parking technology ? Looks like a top pick in the small car segment to me.

Adaptive cruise is an extra pack with sunroof & turning lights etc .
I got it on mine ! Don't think I would buy another car without it ! It's my favorite bit of tech on the car !

[kevino]

What is adaptive cruise?

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by kevino

What is adaptive cruise?

Uses a radar based system to detect vehicles in front, then maintains a safe distance between you and the other vehicle; no having to apply brakes.

[johnydep]

Looked at a Panther Black Focus, mmmmmm very nice. But damn it would be a lot of work to keep it looking so nice.

Swaying towards another colour. Silver has always been a favourite of ours, but I don't like the Focus's "Moondust Silver" it's too light a silver.

We've given up on our usual dealer; Stillwell Ford Medindie. Purchased our Territory Ghia new from them with options, and this time around they miss out due to attitude issues (also still waiting for a promised phone call).

www.maughanthiem.com.au are very nice to deal with, and we will be buying from them.

Edit: Grammar

[wombat66]

We got Ink Blue. Looks great in the sunshine.

[jjw]

Originally Posted by wombat66

We got Ink Blue. Looks great in the sunshine.

did you drive it to Queensland to check?

[wombat66]

The sun does shine here occasionally......

[blatchie]

no compairision. Both sedans look lame. Focus Hatch in ink blue is the best

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by blatchie

no comparison. Both sedans look lame. Focus Hatch in ink blue is the best

Thought about a hatch for 30 minutes.

It's time for a sedan, haven't had one for over 20 years and we miss it. Plus the sedan's have stiffer bodies (Focus sedan up 16% on hatch), makes for quieter ride over bumpy roads, and better handling. Almost forgot, the sedan is also lighter.

[SaCrow]

Originally Posted by blatchie

no compairision. Both sedans look lame. Focus Hatch in ink blue is the best

Personally!! I don’t like the look of the Hatch; from the side it looks ok! But from the rear just looks strange! The light colours look better too

[wombat66]

Originally Posted by blatchie

Focus Hatch in ink blue is the best

I agree.

[johnydep]

Will Ford Australia introduce this option - Ford Focus – pop-out Door Edge Protector
http://www.crashzone.com.au/2011/09/...dge-protector/
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=fo....,cf.osb&cad=b

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Will Ford Australia introduce this option - Ford Focus – pop-out Door Edge Protector
http://www.crashzone.com.au/2011/09/...dge-protector/
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=fo....,cf.osb&cad=b

Here's a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr7S_fp0xVc

I'm more interested due to my tight driveway, and the way the kids love to swing the doors open

[johnydep]

Picked up the road test Titanium yesterday for the weekend. Had a bit of a drive last night around the burbs, it's nice but....

Turning circle is shocking for a car this size, the ride is very sporty but too bumpy. Nice if that's what you're after, but we prefer a smooth drive.

We'll be taking it on the highway and through some towns tomorrow.

So far I'm convinced that we'll be changing to the 16in rims.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Picked up the road test Titanium yesterday for the weekend. Had a bit of a drive last night around the burbs, it's nice but....

Turning circle is shocking for a car this size, the ride is very sporty but too bumpy. Nice if that's what you're after, but we prefer a smooth drive.

We'll be taking it on the highway and through some towns tomorrow.

So far I'm convinced that we'll be changing to the 16in rims.

I'm at work, just spoke to my wife who is running around with the Focus; she informs me that "it's noisy" and "bumpy". That's the tyres,I heard it last night. At first I thought it was a gearbox whine, but after a bit more driving realised it was the tyres.

We're not fussy, we drive a Territory and it is smooth, quiet and has a better turning circle than the Focus with 17inch wheels.

The Sport was fine, but I'm wondering whether the Titanium with 16in wheels will have a better turning circle than the 17in. The problem I see is that the dealer changes the wheels over, but it's the factory that adjusts the steering to stop wheel scrub with the 17's.

Will the dealer be able to re-adjust for the 16's?

[wombat66]

The specs on the Ford website list the turning circle as being 11m in all models. We have the standard 17" wheels on our Sport and find the turning circle is fine.
I find that the ride is a little bit too hard and bumpy in ours. But that's just because we are used to something a bit softer. I'm already starting to get used to it.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by wombat66

The specs on the Ford website list the turning circle as being 11m in all models. We have the standard 17" wheels on our Sport and find the turning circle is fine.
I find that the ride is a little bit too hard and bumpy in ours. But that's just because we are used to something a bit softer. I'm already starting to get used to it.

From what I've read, the Focus was designed around 16 inch wheels. By increasing the wheel size the lock to lock turn has to be adjusted to stop the wheels scraping. According to Wheels Magazine the 18 inch wheels has increased the turning circle by up to 1.4 meters.

After reading testing the Sport and now the Titanium the difference in turning is noticeable. The Sport is fine, the Titanium can not do the same turn.

My wife noticed the poor turning circle last night, and commented that our Territory has a better turn.

I suppose it's what your used to; I like a tight turning circle.

The Yanks Focus has an 18 inch wheel option, the turning circle on that model is 12.2m

EDIT: Sorry getting all confused. The 17's are fine it's the 18 x 8in wheels that are the problem!