2012 Ford Focus: The New Compact King

In these crazy times we live in, whether you are in great economic hurt or an eco-hippie, a new car may be the answer to all your questions. Even though a new car could set you back nearly $20,000, you should consider just how much this new car could save you in up-keep. Such as the oil life, the gas mileage, or even the interior and exterior components’ life time. For an example, let’s compare the Honda Civic to the new Ford Focus.

The Honda Civic has for a long time been the mpg king and been one of the lowest cost maintenance vehicles you could own. It has an average gas mileage of  28 mpg city. It also alerts the driver as to the oil life remaining and tire pressures, along with several other instruments using Honda‘s new i-MID system display.

On the other side, and competing with the Civic and other compact cars, is the Ford Focus. It has a history of being reliable, decent on gas and not requiring the buyer to pay out the butt to own it. At base price, it costs $17,295 MSRP. The average mpg stands at 30 and allows the driver to see fuel consumption and tire pressures along with many other conditions through the MyFord Touch.

When considering those basic needs, these two cars are at a dead tie. However, if you consider power and performance a necessity, then Ford Focus wins in this arena. It out performs the Honda Civic by 20 horse power and 18 ft-lbs of torque. It seems the king has lost its throne and the new king comes in the form of the Ford Focus.

* In addition to the new Ford Sync technologies, the Ford MyKey allows drivers to make custom limits for different drivers such as speed limitations, audio level limits, and engine alerts. The theory is that a parent could drive the car to its full potential, while restricting a child’s driving with the same vehicle, but different keys.

2012 Ford Focus

So here’s some other great features included in the 2012 Ford Focus:

Engine:

2.0L Ti-VCT GDI I-4

160 @ 6500 rpm / 146 @ 4450 rpm

Regular fuel

Transmissions:

5-speed manual (std. on S and SE); 6-speed PowerShift automatic (opt. on S and SE)

6-speed PowerShift automatic with SelectShift manual control (opt. on SE and std. on SEL and Titanium)

Interior:

Alloy trims

Leather seats

Acoustic treated dashboard, hood, luggage and laminated windshield.

Dual-zone temperature automation

Ford SYNC

MyFord Touch

MyKey

Exterior:

Moisture sensing wiper blades

104.3 inch wheel base

Independent MacPherson strut-type suspension

Electric power assist steering

Optional four-wheel disc brakes w/ABS

2012 Ford Focus Interior.