I just rented a 2012 Focus SEL 5-Door and liked it quite a lot. It was a great semi-luxo compact with leather and lots of extras. The biggest thing to report was one love/hate relationship that could not be avoided: the 6-Speed Automatic Transmission.
Love: It kept the engine at optimum FE range (1500 RPM was the city-cruise target). 55 RPM = 2000 RPM. The vehicle was driven for 1 hour, 10 minutes over 26 miles through the urban streets of St. Louis, with a fillup of 0.528 gallons. This is tremendous FE at a conservative estimate of 48 mpg (taking into account the previous renter's fuel consumption).
Argh Moments: From the first moment of taking my foot off of the brake while in Drive, the transmission shuddered while just at idle. I figured it might be a high-idle problem on cold-start, but it continued.
1st gear has some real problems in average everyday operation. The shuddering continued when starting from a stop, in "D", after releasing the brake. Further, it felt like slipping and shuddering with heavy acceleration from a start -- until it shifted to 2nd. It only had 3200 miles on the odometer, so I chalked it up to "Rental Abuse" -- that was, until I read some owner forums. This is a big problem, and it's common.
VERY common and quite big. How could the engineers let this happen, and make it to the final product??? In my estimation, it's a gigantic design flaw that could sour buyers, owners, and the image of small, fuel-efficient vehicles.
The transmission is VERY busy when accelerating from a start (shift, after shift, after early shift). Again, this is great for FE, but just seems like a real annoyance and prevents smooth operation. The 2-Litre's torque was called upon constantly to pull. Another oddity I noticed, is what I call "Impala TC Effect" -- In full torque converter lockup, in top gear, it will rhythmically lock/unlock while under constant load. It just can't decide what to do. Plus, asking it to downshift to accelerate takes an act of Congress.
I would recommend a 2nd gear start unless the "Sport" mode was selected, or full-throttle downshifts required it (oddly, you couldn't select 2nd to start, in manu-matic mode). Perhaps the ECU can determine inclines on start and perhaps 2nd gear takeoff load until the doors are opened (essentially calculated the number of passengers/cargo and their weight -- which would argue for a 1st gear start).
Speaking of manu-matic, forget downshifting to slow the vehicle -- it just doesn't seem to have the compression to slow it down.
As for the rest of the car -- I love it! This segment needs the injection of design and functionality that this car brings to the market. It is a completely new car inside and out, but carries the "Focus" moniker. Upscale items like auto climate control, leather seating, MS Sync, Bluetooth, multiple steering wheel controls, rear backup sensors, and a whole host of goodies make it competitive and desirable. Those looking for less expensive options can have a base Focus 5-door for $18,500 or the Sedan for $16K.
The 5-door design lended modest cargo space, but plenty of room for passengers. The ride was pretty stiff, especially over bumpy streets, but the reward is taut handling. Controls are easily reached and are intuitive. The radio and multi-function display can get complicated at first, but do quite a lot. There is a slight learning curve with how everything works.
Steering feel and throttle response are both quite numb. American and Canadian drivers may feel that the performance is lackluster (but EM enthusiasts know why). Ford put FE before most other design cues, but retained a chiseled, edgy look.
But there are quality issues at stake. My particular model had the transmission issue and a Windshield Wiper electrical gremlin. The wipers did what they wanted, despite a particular setting on intermittent. Some vehicles alter this with speed of the car, but this happened while stopped.
Overall, it's a great start, with some room for improvement. I would rent it again, simply for the great drive and good FE. I just worry about that transmission...
-RH77