As you’re shopping for a new compact car, you’ll surely come across the 2017 Ford Focus. After all, Ford is one of the most popular car brands in the nation, and their Focus sedan is one of their most popular vehicles. While you may assume that this “renowned” vehicle should naturally be on your list of targets, you actually couldn’t be more wrong. When you actually begin to explore everything the vehicle has to offer, you’ll quickly learn that the 2017 Ford Focus might not be as alluring as your initially thought.
Below, we’ve explored some of the most underwhelming components of this year’s model, and this information should hopefully serve as a warning before you head into an actual dealership. Plus, while you’re comparing the 2017 Toyota Corolla vs. 2017 Ford Focus, you’ll begin to understand why the latter option shouldn’t even be considered at all…
Underwhelming Color Options
We understand if the available color options on a particular model aren’t all that important to you. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how underwhelming the 2017 Ford Focus’s paint options actually are. After all, with names like “blue candy” and “race red,” we’d assume that the offerings might have actually been planned by a third-grader. Just take a look for yourself to get an understanding of how pathetic these options actually are (with a bit of commentary from myself):
- Kona Blue (I don’t know what a “kona” is, so I’ll let this one pass)
- Magnetic (This isn’t a color, Ford, although I understand what you’re getting at)
- Blue Candy (I’m offended by Ford’s notion that all candy is blue)
- Oxford White (It sounds very sophisticated… but at the end of the day, it’s just white)
- Race Red (First, “race” isn’t a color… second, you couldn’t come up with ANY other object that’s red?)
- Shadow Black (Shadow’s aren’t black)
- White Platinum (I’m not going to get excited about an alternative shade of white)
- Ingot Silver (“Ingot” looks like a typo, and this offering is more gray than anything)
- Ruby Red (A ruby is red, I’ll give them that)
- White Gold (THS IS ONLY ONE INDIVIDUAL EXTERIOR COLOR OPTION. WHY ARE THERE TWO COLORS IN THE NAME?)
Realistically, this information really shouldn’t factor into your final decision. However, if you’re debating various models (like, say, the 2017 Toyota Corolla), this might be an attribute that dissuades you from pursuing the Focus.
Underwhelming Performance
Oh, well done, Ford! You offer customers the opportunity to choose from multiple engine options as they’re shopping for their 2017 Focus. Unfortunately, each of these individual offerings is underwhelming when it comes to either power or efficiency. We prefer a mix of these two attributes, and you won’t find that in any of Ford’s engines.
For instance, the 2.3-liter engine that’s included in the Focus RS may pump out 350 horsepower and 350 pounds-feet of torque, leading to an admittedly impressive top speed of 165 miles per hour and a zero-to-60 time of 4.7 seconds. However, the unit is only capable of delivering a 25-mile-per-gallon highway fuel efficiency, a spec that would have been impressive thirty years ago (but certainly not in today’s day and age). It’s a similar story when it comes to the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine on the Focus ST, which pumps out a respectable 252 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque. Apparently, engineers forget about making the system efficient, promising only a 30-mile-per-gallon highway fuel economy.
Good news! There’s a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, which will presumably produce upgraded efficiency specs. Unfortunately, this unit delivers worse power specs than my decade-old minivan. It’s all well and good that owners can expect a 40-mile-per-gallon highway fuel efficiency, but it’s hard for us to get too worked up about 123 horsepower and 135 pounds-feet of torque. The same goes for the 2.0-liter TI-VCT engine, which counters its impressive 38-mile-per-gallon highway fuel efficiency with a mediocre 160 horsepower and a paltry 146 pounds-feet of torque.
Underwhelming Technology
Several years ago, we would have probably been fawning over Ford’s SYNC3 system. Nowadays, it’s merely ordinary. Sure, we appreciate the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and the inclusion of a backup camera was a nice touch. However, most car brands offer these capabilities, and these rivals touch screens provide customers with a wealth of additional amenities. In other words, the SYNC3 system seemingly only provides customers with the bottom-of-the-barrel options.
Ford is also proud of the inclusion of their “innovative” SmartGauge with EcoGuide, which displays essential information right in front of the driver. Sure, this is an especially helpful feature. However, on the flip side, there are few car brands that aren’t offering this amenity. Perhaps the brand’s most “exclusive” technological offering is the ambient lighting, which proves to be more distracting than aesthetically pleasing.
What’s the best way to emphasize the Ford Focus’s underwhelming technology? The brand is actually touting the inclusion of USB ports throughout the interior. Great! We all love keeping our favorite gadgets charged, but I don’t necessarily need a USB port to make this a reality. Furthermore, most 2017 vehicles also offer this ordinary amenity.
Underwhelming Safety Functions
When you visit a model’s official website, you’ll usually find that the brand dedicates an entire section to their array of safety functions. Well, Ford dedicated a whopping paragraph to the protective and preventative features that are included in the 2017 Focus.
Wow, seven airbags, including the driver knee airbag. I’m pretty sure the government mandates that this feature is included in literally every vehicle, de-emphasizing how important this inclusion actually is. The boron steel body structure is equally as unimpressive, as many vehicles are now composed of some type of high-strength metal. The fact that the model’s third notable safety function is the rear view camera should only emphasize how underwhelming these offerings actually are.
