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2008 Ford Focus Review

July 23, 2008

STYLING | 6 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Undesirable styling
MyRide.com

Bland interior design
Edmunds

Styling is revised within and without
Car and Driver

Ford's cute child grew into a homely adult
Automobile

The 2008 Ford Focus is the product of a major redesign of Ford’s economy-class hatchback and sedan. In its transformation, the Focus went from a few body styles to just two—sedan and coupe—and in the process, it lost a lot of its handsome lines.

MyRide.com says, "The best angle on the redesigned Focus is probably the profile, which retains the wedgy shape of the original car." The front bumper of the Ford Focus 2008 protrudes in an odd way, and the rear end of the car isn't much better. The taillights are small, the hood sculpting is strange, and the word "FOCUS" on the middle of the lid to the trunk looks a bit misplaced. Adding to the sentiments of the other reviewers, Automobile calls the Ford Focus 2008 a "bottom-feeder that has swapped precocious charm for grown-up deportment." Edmunds says the new look of the Ford Focus is "polarizing" and that "Ford has done little more than reinvent the Escort ZX2."

Along with some wind noise, the supercheap feel of the previous Focus interior is a thing of the past. The new look is more substantial and dimensional, as evidenced by such detailing as the sculpted rings surrounding the instrumentation. Edmunds says "the interior of the 2008 Ford Focus has been reworked with new gauges, a different steering wheel and new seats." MyRide.com adds, "If you can get past the exterior and sit inside the Focus, you'll find a neatly styled interior. The new dash uses a minimum of panels for a clean look that's mostly devoid of cut lines." Automobile wholeheartedly agrees: "The interior trim fits properly and is finished with attractive textures and gloss levels."

Conclusion

The 2008 Ford Focus looks ungainly, but rescues itself somewhat with an attractive interior.

STYLING | 6 out of 10Expert Quotes:Undesirable stylingMyRide.comBland interior designEdmundsStyling is revised within and withoutCar and DriverFord's cute child grew into a homely adultAutomobile The 2008 Ford Focus is the product of a major redesign of Ford’s economy-class hatchback and sedan. In its transformation, the Focus went from a few body styles to just two—sedan and coupe—and in the process, it lost a lot of its handsome lines. MyRide.com says, "The best angle on the redesigned Focus is probably the profile, which retains the wedgy shape of the original car." The front bumper of the Ford Focus 2008 protrudes in an odd way, and the rear end of the car isn't much better. The taillights are small, the hood sculpting is strange, and the word "FOCUS" on the middle of the lid to the trunk looks a bit misplaced. Adding to the sentiments of the other reviewers, Automobile calls the Ford Focus 2008 a "bottom-feeder that has swapped precocious charm for grown-up deportment." Edmunds says the new look of the Ford Focus is "polarizing" and that "Ford has done little more than reinvent the Escort ZX2." Along with some wind noise, the supercheap feel of the previous Focus interior is a thing of the past. The new look is more substantial and dimensional, as evidenced by such detailing as the sculpted rings surrounding the instrumentation. Edmunds says "the interior of the 2008 Ford Focus has been reworked with new gauges, a different steering wheel and new seats." MyRide.com adds, "If you can get past the exterior and sit inside the Focus, you'll find a neatly styled interior. The new dash uses a minimum of panels for a clean look that's mostly devoid of cut lines." Automobile wholeheartedly agrees: "The interior trim fits properly and is finished with attractive textures and gloss levels." ConclusionThe 2008 Ford Focus looks ungainly, but rescues itself somewhat with an attractive interior.  2008 FORD FOCUS STYLING | [6 out of 10] MyRide.com: "Undesirable styling" Edmunds: "Bland interior design" Car and Driver: "Styling is revised within and without" Automobile: " Ford's cute child grew into a homely adult" The 2008 Ford Focus is the product of a major redesign of ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The 2008 Ford Focus is up against tough competition. The 2008 Honda Civic offers great variety, such as coupe and sedan body styles and multiple powertrains, including hybrid and natural gas. The 2009 Toyota Corolla is especially attractive in its top trim level, though less so in the base trim. The 2008 Focus also has to compete against the Mazda3, a perennial enthusiast favorite for its handling. Comparatively, the Hyundai Elantra and Dodge Caliber trail this pack in overall refinement and style, and without a Focus SVT model, Ford has nothing to line up against the 285-horsepower Caliber SRT4.

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See the Ford Focus in Other Years:

2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

Comments (4 total)

  1. By Galen Gareis #1, Posted: 8/12/2008

    Three stars side impact not on 4 door.

    The four door rates 4 stars side impact, only the two door is 3 stars in the side impact, so the car rates right in there with all the small cars on the market at 4 or better all the way around.
    The interior materials are NOT PVC based so they will outlive the soft touch material that everyone covets,to a bad ending. Ethylene and TPE based plastic is MUCH better wearing and resistant to water and organic stains. If you don't drink hydrocarbons inside your car (oil based liquids), the material will hold up like iron. A fine trade-off in my book as I keep my car 15 years or longer.

  2. By George #2, Posted: 8/15/2008

    Difficult to look at...

    What the... they have done with the Focus? I think that this is Ford's solution to raise F150's sales: Build ugly cars to avoid people buy one.

  3. By Milton Oliver #3, Posted: 8/21/2008

    Technical Support Engineer

    I bought the wife a 2008 Focus SE so far she has put about 1500 miles on it. I find the car to be fuel efficient 29.5 in mixed driving a 35+ on the highway of course this depends upon your driving style. The ride is a bit stiff but the car handles well. Overall we bought the car for economy and price as a daily commuter. We are well satisfied with it, it was the best bang for our buck overall.
    If we wanted a luxury or sports car we would have bought one. So be realistic what do you look for when you buy a car price, economy, performance, reliability etc you get what you pay. Most of all do the research and hop to get all of the above.

  4. By Danielle #4, Posted: 3/4/2009

    lovemycar

    Well, someone said this is nothing but an upgraded Ford ZX2, and your right it is... But a great upgrade if you ask me. I had my little ZX2 for 8 years before it got totaled and this 2009 Focus SE is what I bought to replace it. I am very happy with it for the most part, although it has been in the Dealership repair shop for 2 months of the that I have had it. I do get frusterated with it, but it is the first year of the new design and I have to understand that there will be flaws. But I do love the way it rides, I love the SYNC system, it is very roomy even in the back. My boyfriend is 6' tall and can sit comfortably back there. It has a very quiet engine and handles very well. I feel very safe driving it, and it gets great gas mileage!!! I drive 68 miles each way to work daily, and I could not have made a better choice for the drive!!!

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