Review: 2009 Ford Focus

The Ford Focus is Detroit's best compact car, but it still trails the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic in quality and sales

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Fuel economy, price, crisp handling

The Bad: Cheesy interior, mediocre fit and finish

The Bottom Line: The best compact car Detroit has to offer

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

What's the best compact car Detroit makes these days? It's a question much on the mind of the Obama Administration as it bails out the domestic auto industry. The Obama folks believe Detroit can't become competitive without more and better high-mileage models. They have a point.

I'd argue that the Ford (F) Focus, the perennial No. 3 behind the Toyota Corolla and Honda (HMC) Civic, is Detroit's best compact car. In a way, that's an indictment of the Detroit Three because the Focus hasn't been redesigned since its launch nine years ago, though it got a significant freshening up in 2008. (It's also ironic because Ford is the only one of the three that hasn't taken government bailout money.) An updated version of the Focus is sold in Europe, but it won't come out in the U.S. until next year. On May 6, Ford announced a $550 million investment to revamp a Michigan truck factory to produce the new Focus, including a planned electric version of the car due out in 2011.

But you have to wonder: If Ford takes small cars seriously, why didn't it do more sooner to keep the Focus competitive? And why haven't General Motors (GM) and Chrysler taken advantage of the situation by building a compact that's clearly superior to the Focus?

I recently test-drove the '09 Ford Focus coupe, and it's a fun-to-drive little car, especially with a stick shift. Superior handling and the facelift Ford did on the Focus give it an edge over the Chevy Cobalt, its main domestic rival. But the Focus' fit and finish and the quality of its interior just aren't up to standards set by Honda and Toyota (TM). My top choice in this category would be the Civic, followed by the Mazda3 (Ford used to control Mazda but sold its stake last year), and VW Rabbit (soon to be renamed the Golf, again). And if all you want is a cheap, efficient compact, you can't beat the bland but ultra-reliable Corolla.

Ford's Rebate is a Big Help

Despite its shortcomings, the '09 Focus deserves consideration, especially if you want to support a domestic automaker. The entry-level Focus S sedan starts at just $16,215, rising to $18,960 for the top-of-the-line SEL sedan. The sporty coupe, the version I like, starts at $17,095. And through June 1, Ford is offering $2,000 cash rebates on the Focus. Plus, if Congress gets around to passing proposed "cash for clunkers" legislation (which would give rebates of up to $4,500 to shoppers who trade in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient models), inexpensive compacts such as the Focus could become incredible bargains.

The Focus' fuel economy is excellent. With a stick shift, the car is rated to get 24 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway (highway mileage falls to 33 mpg with the automatic transmission). In 512 miles of hard driving, I got 28.7 mpg.

Numerous optional features also keep the Focus from being just another boring econobox, including heated front seats and the Sync system, which lets you control a cell phone and MP3 player via voice commands and will even read back text messages.

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