Ford Focus: 2005 Focus wagon

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 02:32:09 GMT, chet <net> wrote:
 


Better than what? Abrams tank or Kia Pride

Andy

Maybe I should mentioned more in details, I am after a midsize wagon
with the most room and best fuel mileage, I presently have a 96 Cherokee
and that rarly gets 18mpg and a my wife has a 2003 Dodge Caravan with
the 3.3 V6 engine and that MIGHT break 20mpg. I am not into tanks yet!

Chet



Andy Lee wrote: 

"chet" <net> wrote in message
news:JkxMe.1899$epix.net... 

The Focus has decent fuel economy, similar to equivalent cars i.e. Elantra,
Spectra, Corolla, Civic, Golf etc. 2006s will be the same as 2005s in that
regard. Whether they have enough power depends on your tastes, they have
plenty for me and about the same as these equivalent cars. You might want to
consult the official mileage figures (if you're American, the EPA or sources
like Edmunds etc.)

Look at the VW diesel cars.
Both Golfs and Passats come with diesels. That should save at least a third
of fuel.
Focus also come with nice diesels -- in Europe.
/per

"chet" <net> skrev i meddelandet
news:JkxMe.1899$epix.net... 

I think the biggest asset of the Focus wagon is its size. Bicycles,
skis, etc. fit very easily inside and with the split seat, there is
still room for passengers in the back. I've never needed the roof rack
(except for small boats). Keeping stuff inside reduces both vehicle
drag and likelihood of having your gear ripped off. I have transported
several 4x8 sheets of plywood in my Focus (they go in diagonally). You
can't do that in a Vibe/Matrix, Golf, Saturn, or Mazda 3. Honda and
Nissan don't offer anything in a small wagon. Some of the Korean cars
might be cheap and roomy but they don't appeal to me.

You could get the same cargo room from a bigger, more expensive car
(like a Subaru, Volvo, Audi, etc.) but you wouldn't get the same fuel
economy. On long trips, I get around 6.8 L/100km (34.5 miles per US
gallon). In spite of what some people say on this discussion group, I
have found my car to be relatively trouble free and very cheap to
operate. It has seen five Canadian winters with salty roads and -30°C
starts. It still looks good and has not let me down yet. The 2.0L Zetec
on the 2001 Focus is totally adequate power-wise for me. Note: my
previous vehicle was a VW Westfalia so I'm clearly no horsepower
junkie.

I would buy another Focus, although I probably won't because by the
time I need another car, I expect there will be something more
up-to-date. I just hope it can carry the same amount of stuff.

Steve

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 09:42:01 GMT, chet <net> wrote:
 


Hi Chet

I would suggest a Diesel Focus but you don't have those in the States
yet do you? Mine gets around 48-50 miles per Imp Gallon. Performance
is on a par with the 2.0l Zetec petrol engine that seems to average
aroung 30mpg in the UK. From other peoples post it would appear that
you should easily improve on the 18mpg you currently get. The Focus is
a damn good car esp at the price

 

chet wrote: 
I've got the 2005 wagon with the 2 liter engine and automatic
transmission, I normally drive one way to work which is 7.6 miles one
way and with this town only driving I'm getting around 26 MPG so with
the manual transmission you should get much better mileage, I've only
checked in on a trip one time and at 65 to 75 mph I managed to get 31 MPG.

chet wrote:
 
I forgot to mention in my last post Chet that I replace a 92 Cherokee
Sport with the Focus and the forcus has more room in the rear than the
cherokee had.