2005 Ford Focus

10,000-Mile Ford Focus Road Test

A common question that I've been asked, 'What four-door, four-cylinder car do you recommend?' Whether you are a foreign or domestic fan, this can be an easy or a very hard question to answer. Hopefully, after testing a base model Ford Focus for 10,000 miles, maybe I will have answered some of your questions.

Since I tested a base model, I will be leaving out power windows, door locks, and other features. I will concentrate the road test on appearance, handling, performance, and reliability.

The stereo system sounded fantastic with easy navigating through its features. An annoying problem with a loose face kept shutting off the power, which may be caused by loose terminals. It usually only happened when going over large bumps in the road. I wouldn't let this get you down, you can always amuse yourself with the audio volume control setting. Just be careful if you are quickly accelerating, since it gets louder with speed, it could scare the crap out of you.

Along with the comfortable seats, the handling made it easy to tolerate long trips. Besides the hard shifting in the automatic, I really don't have any complaints about the handling. New tires, perfect alignment, and strong acceleration made for enjoyable long and short trips in the Focus. Also, the RPM's in overdrive kept the sound level low at higher speeds.

The 2.0 Liter, 130 horsepower engine provided enough ponies to compete with everyday traffic. I recommend keeping the overdrive on, unless accelerating up a steep hill. If the typical 2600 lb body is weighted down with more people, or the weather conditions are having a temper, I even suggest dropping it down an entire gear. Overall, keeping up with the preferred oil and air filter changes, the Focus delivers a performance to my standards.

Finally, I'll cover reliability. Sometimes problems can be costly or just more annoying than anything. The first problem was getting a flat tire at over 60 miles per hour. Goodyear was needed to replace the severely damaged flat and cost just slightly over $100. A few weeks later, the water leak previously mentioned and a cracked windshield didn't help my wallet any. Only after a couple days with those repairs made, the engine light came on. The cost of the 'test' cost more than the parts and labor combined. Total costs in repairs after 10,000 miles? Over $520. Some can blame on Mother Nature, others are errors Ford needs to work out.

I look forward to continue driving the cars people ask most about. Hopefully my experience can help you with your decision-making.

Kyle McMullen