Just bought the new shape Ford Focus - what a tech fest!
 

First off.... this is the daily driver, so don't worry about my getting THAT old and giving up on Subaru ownership. ;)

I've had an itch for the past few weeks (no, not THAT kind)..... you know the one that means you need to spend some serious money! I've looked at everything.... replacing the Scoob, replacing the current daily driver. Well this morning I came to my senses and thought it made sense to plough any money into replacing my daily driver, since that is the car I need and use every day.

I'm a proper tight git nowadays so I just grabbed my nuts and went down the Ford dealer, did the test drive and did the deal. :D

My current daily driver is a new shape Mondeo 140bhp TDCi, which has been THE BEST car for everyday driving I have ever owned. In fact it is the only car I have owned for over 5yrs.... EVER. It really is great, comfortable (I can do 500mile straight in this and don't feel tired), shedloads of space and I personally think good looking.

I like the look of the new Focus and whilst I love the Mondeo I couldn't wait until quarter 4 of 2014 for the new one to come out.

It's unreal how far the Focus has come on in this latest version..... the tech that you can get in these cars now is unreal.

This is what I have gone for:

Focus Estate Titanium X
163bhp TDCi
18" wheels

That's the boring bit..... now for the exciting optional extras:
Active City Stop
Stops the car if it thinks you're going to ram someone at sub 20mph

Lane Departure Warning
Vibrates the steering wheel if you wonder across lanes

Lane Keeping Aid
Actually steers you back into the lane if you wonder

Traffic Sign Recognition
Reads the traffic signing and tells you what speed you can be at

Driver Alert
Christ knows what that is

Auto High Beam
Turns your full beam on and off

Blind Spot Information System
Tells you if someone is in your blind spot!

As part of the Titanium X trim level it also comes with:
Active Park Assist
It actually parks itself!!!!

Auto lights
Auto wipers
Dual Zone Climate
Starter Button
LED rear lights
Bi-Xenon's
LED day running lights (I love the look of these)
Cruise control
Hill start assist
Dimming rear view mirror
Interior multi-colour LED ambient lighting
Bluetooth sync
Voice control
Heated seats
Electric seats
Folding mirros
Deflation detection system
Front & Rear active parking sensors

To top it all off a top of the range Sony DAB Navigation system.

This thing will be like the Starship Enterprise..... I can't believe the level of tech you can get in these cars nowadays.

This thing will be driving itself to work every morning..... I can't wait!!! :lol1:

The best bit for me, even the basic models have DAB.

I know it seems a little thing, but to get DAB on a modern 'everyday' car is either very expensive or involves alot of aftermarket components which never work properly (which is the current issue on my Golf ). And I like DAB (although internet radio is better). Same with the Bluetooth streaming.

We maintain a fleet of Focii which are driven intergalactic miles (i.e 100,000 miles a year), I have to pick them up and drop them off at their HQ which involves two 30mile round trips. The older fleet were pre-2010 model years and they are horrible, dated inside and flabby to drive. But the 2011 onwards are so much better to drive and sit in. They've just picked up a few new 2013 models which are similar inside, but once again its another step up.

Not serviced a 2013 yet...but I bet they ford are still putting the filters in awkward locations (fuse box blocking the pollen filter, air-filter housing blocking the oil filter etc.). :mad: That's the only thing I hate about them....I blame the French (PSA engine).:lol1: ;)

The LANE KEEPING AID worries me slightly Shaun. So new cars now steer themselves?

Dave

These so called driver aids do make me wonder if the roads are going to be full of drivers paying no attention at all, purely relying on the odd beep or vibration to alert them of potential dangers :eek:

Nik

Thats what i mean nik. Dont mind the odd beep or vibration, but when the computer actually does it on its own. Steering and braking! Scary.

Dave

Ali,
Never had DAB in a car before... so that will be another toy to play with.

Raz,
Sounds crazy doesn't it but yes, the car will alter the steering input to pull you back into the lane. You can obviously turn all this off if you wish.

Nik,
I did think that tbh..... I only see this stuff as a toy. I bet every new person that passengers with me will get sick to death of "You wanna see this **** work.....". :D

All in all, a perfect car for an 80 plus year old. A great idea by Ford, coffin dodgers aren't that worried by the horrendous depreciation ;)

If only I had 'lane keeping aid' in my old car a couple years ago when I had a minor accident... I think it's very debatable whether it's a good thing or bad thing to have. Too much reliance on the car and eventually not enough concentration on the road? Or there to prevent accidents?

:lol1: I'd be exactly the same.

Electric power steering now means the last control to be driver only is out the window. So long as these systems are designed correctly I don't have an issue. My other worry is dealer techs not having enough IT knowledge to maintain these cars.

When I want to act/feel like a 12yr old I just pull the Subaru out of the garage. ;)

You only worry about depreciation when you can't afford it. :lol1:

I think the look of the new fords are amazing - really sharp modern styling

Some of the best looking cars on the road IMO (especially the Mondeo, but focus too)

I bet they drive pretty well too and good value

Nice one

I used to be a VW man for the daily driver, but the quality of the Fords now and the servicing costs far outweigh having a "better" badge on the bonnet imo. I just need something to be reliable, comfortable and cheap to run..... Ford fit the bill nicely there. I normally rack-up 100+k in the main car during it's ownership, so resale value is never a concern to me as they will end up being worthless whatever the badge. :D I always "write off" the cost of the car in any case.

The Focus has a great chassis, but that is nothing new in that area. The Mondeo was just awesome as a "mile muncher".

You can still manually open the door to bail-out though :D

I have the 2012 zetec s, love it. The DAB works really well, as does the bluetooth, can't fault it! I like how the reverse sensor thingy turns the radio down so you can hear it beep, it also has a display on the dash to show which sensor has picked something up :cool:

How does that work exactly - do you know?

I mean, how does it know that you're wandering and not just moving slowly?

It's a Ford: all the electronics will stop working soon, don't worry.

And the dealer will never be able to replicate the fault, so forget warranty:D

I would love to see a copy of 'Practical Classics' from around 2053. Can you imagine the fun people are going to have trying to restore today's cars in future?

However, you've ignored the biggest question - it's very clever, but can it tell Stork from butter...?

With all those gizmo's you could send the car to your work on its own and get the bus :D

Explains and shows some of these features quite well:

Parking assist is amazing isn't it...very, very disconcerting first go though...really good mile munchers; much nicer with 17s though as they are super quiet and less prone to tramlining. I don't like the stall assist though...OK if you can't drive and don't react to the rise and fall of engine revs...

DAB is woeful round my way, only ever picks up Radio 1 (yeah thanks then!), so never use it.

Agreed on the 17's, unfortunately I had to get the 18's with this car as that was the only option available to me.

Are they still using the citroen 1.6 hdi?

Yes I know, my dad is a retired Ford manager so gets a new car every eight months; he had a Zetec while a fault was being rectified on one of the Tit x Focui he was running...I'm trying to persude him to order an ST next so I can have a go :thumb:

I thought it was based on the French lump but twaeked by Ford to be generally nicer?

:lol: So true!

I've only worked on the 12 plate models but they had the citroen 1.6 HDi engines. Ford do make a better job of the finishing touches, ie breathers that fit, nicer intake pipework etc. Just wondered if the latest car had the same engine.

I think i'll stick to something that i can actually drive myself- plus once all this "technology" goes wrong-which it will- then will cost a packet to sort out.
As for the depreciation- well even a multi-milionaire wouldnt fancy sticking 10k plus down the drain but i suppose thats the problem with new cars!

I wouldn't even buy a car with an electric handbrake 'thingy' let alone some of the gizmos listed!