Summary: Ford Focus Wagon SE aptly fills the void between gas guzzling Ford minivans and undersized hatchbacks.

We bought this car because...

We bought the Ford Focus Wagon SE because we had "Ford Dollars" that expired June, 2000. The Ford Focus was really the only Ford that had come along in a long time that interested me. The previous Ford small car Wagon, the Ford Escort Wagon, was adequate, but I wanted more. I'd rented a Windstar on a long vacation trip, and was impressed with the room and comfort, but highly unimpressed with the gas mileage. This was before gas prices went up 50%, as well. For a daily driver, and a long-commute car, I needed something small, but comfortable. I was also sold on the Wagon style, because I had such good experience with my 1990 Honda Wagon. We ordered anti-lock brakes and the side impact air bag, as well, expensive options, but worth it.

What I love:

1) Solid body structure. Almost like a Volkswagen, except with about 50 pounds less noise insulation. Also, unlike the Volkswagen Passat, the Focus has so far been extremely reliable, in the 40000 km I've driven it (that works out to about 24,000 miles).
2) There's enough trunk room for a large baby stroller and tons of groceries.
3) There's plenty of headroom. You can wear a stetson or a foam Liberty tiara if you're heading off to a sporting event.
4) The driver's seat goes up and down by turning a well-placed dial under the seat.
5) The radio is above the climate controls, and is easy to read.
6) The steering wheel feels solid and thick.
7) Handling and gas mileage are superb.

What I hate:

1) Shopping bag hooks.

This is sort of a love/hate feature. I love the shopping bag hooks for grocery bags on the walls of the rear cargo area. I hate the shopping bag hooks, because you almost have to cut the bags off to release them from the hooks, especially after a bumpy driveway ride has seated them more firmly on the hooks.

2) The cruise control.

When engaged, the cruise control accelerates roughly 4 km/h and then locks onto that speed. When you get used to it, you can actually use this to your advantage, but it does take some getting used to.

3) Turn signal colour

I don't especially like rear turn signals that are red. I prefer yellow. The Focus Wagon's are red. Que sera sera.

What I'm unsure about:

1) Power.

I'm not sure I like the power of the car. It's relatively underpowered compared to my 1988 Toyota Camry, even though they have the same size engine (2 Litres). This is still the case, even after 40,000 km.

2) Odd humming.

The front tires have developed an odd droning sound at 82-86 km per hour, and again just above 120 km/h. Maybe the rotation at 25000 km will take care of that. [Note, it has not taken care of it. Check back here when we replace the tires after a hundred thousand kilometres or so]

3) Fluid leak?

There's a slight burning fluid smell when I do the usual sharp turns in our driveway. This has mostly subsided, although there is still the occasional scorched smell.

4) Coffee grinding.

The anti-lock brakes work, although it sounds like you're grinding coffee with your brakes when it does engage. Hey, anything that helps me stop in slippery weather is fine by me. I think I'm leaning towards "liking" this feature.

The Recall:

Part I

A lot of Ford Focuses were recalled a few months back, for three things. # 1 was interior trim corrections. # 2 was brake related, in that brakes would lock up and wheels fall off. # 3 was cruise control related, in that the throttle would jam open occasionally. Check with your dealer to see if your car is affected.

Part II

Our car was the subject of a recall about 3 months ago (in February), to fix a possible safety failure in the rear seat hinge. If the back seat was folded down, and weight put on the forward part of the back seat, the hinge that holds the rear seat down might become disengaged (we've never experienced this ourselves). When the rear seat is reclined again, and in the event of a crash, the rear seat might fly forward. The recall service called for is the replacement of the rear seat hinge. The repair takes about half an hour.

What it's like to drive:

No one will stop you on the street and ask you where you bought your car. It's not like you're driving a Ferrari, or one of those new swoopy Celicas. You're driving a Ford. It looks nice. Lots of people are going to drive them soon. Ford has always put a little extra effort into the styling of their station wagons, and I like it. The handling of the car is very forgiving. Take a turn too sharp, and you'll get plenty of warning before the car does something evil.

Driving this car quickly, because of the high seating position, feels like you're going about 10 km/h faster than you are. Adjust. Slow down, relax. Not a lot of tire noise coming from the wheels, except for the aforementioned droning at certain speeds. It handles bumps well, exhibits the typical wagon bounciness in the back end, a casualty of a flat loading floor, and corners well.

You should buy this car if:

- You want a practical car that carries a lot of stuff, but don't want to spend a lot of money on gas.


You should not buy this car if:

- you've hit the mid-life crisis. If that's the case, go for the sportier engine option.
- you've always wanted to trick up your car with an exhaust the width of a beer can. I suppose it can be done, but why?
- you need a *lot* of space, a lot of the time. Buy a minivan.

Conclusion:

We're happy with our purchase, so far. I expect to put about 300,000 km (180,000 miles) on this car, so I'll give updates every once in a while.

Service update March 26, 2001 after 33,000 km (8 months of service)

Sway bar bushings

We took the Focus Wagon into our dealer because of a vibration in the wheels at speeds exceeding 80 km/h. Also, in between us making the appointment and taking it in, I noticed a rattling in the front of the car when going over bumpy roads (we have a lot in our area). The vibration was as a result of dirt and small pebbles that had built up on the rims of the wheels (I'll be washing off those with a hose in the future) and was easily fixed. The rattling noise was harder to diagnose, but eventually, we found that there was excessive play in the sway bar bushings. These bushings are plastic, and are not normally required to handle high loads, but in our country dirt roads, we occasionally hit a bump when the bushing is under load. The bushings were replaced under warranty. I'll be looking into getting an extended warranty, I think.

Engine, performance, fuel economy

After 33,000 km, the engine is as tight as it was when delivered. There is no excessive noise coming from the engine bay, and acceleration is better than when first delivered. Fuel economy has improved, and we regularly get 450 km from a tank of gas (we could probably get more, but I get nervous when the gas gauge indicator gets below the E).

Service update May 6th, 2001

I have started noticing a hesitation in the transmission, on startup, when shifting out of park and into drive, or after switching from reverse to forward. It feels like the transmission is slipping a bit, and then it catches. If this persists, I will bring it in for a checkup.

Other than that, the car is chugging along well. Fuel economy slightly improved. I get about 500 km from a tank of gas (this may be consistent with warmer weather as well, however). There is a ticking noise under the hood at idle that I don't recall being there last year. I will keep an eye on it.

Service update: February 28, 2003

We're coming up on the 3 year mark for our wagon, and have weathered a few more glitches, but in general, I remain pretty pleased with the performance with the wagon. Turns out, I had a chance to own a second wagon (our Vanagon caught fire) and turned it down for a slightly older Taurus wagon. One of the deciding factors was the slightly out-there green colour of the Focus Wagon I looked at. And of course, the desire for a bit of variety.

In any case, here are the additional problems that have cropped up over the last few years:

Rear door misalignment

We noticed that the driver's side rear quarter panel was experiencing some abrasion on the side in front of the rear tire, to the point where bare metal was showing. The dealer pointed out that it was likely due to the rear door being slightly out of alignment. I asked it that would be covered under warranty (we were over the 60,000 km mark at this point, technically out of warranty) and were told "No". They adjusted the door, and now it's difficult to close, sometimes requiring 3 slams to get it closed. But hey, there's no more abrasion of gravel on that side of the car.....

except for:

Paint chips missing from behind front wheel

I don't know if a particularly energetic touchless car wash, or our attempts to extricate ourselves from getting stuck in our driveway, or just poor paint quality is responsible, but the paint on the lower body panel directly behind the driver's front tire is chipping badly. I may invest in mudguards, after I get it repainted.

Faulty fuel sending module causes stalls after sharp right turns

In a technical service bulletin read to me at the dealership, Ford says that some drivers of the Focus may encounter loss of power if:
a) the car has less than half a tank of fuel
b) the car has just finished a sharp sustained right turn, and/or
c) under sharp acceleration

This has happened to us. The official explanation is that the fuel sending module has debris in it. My unofficial explanation is that there's a faulty part in there, and Ford should be offering to replace it. In my mind, it's a clear safety concern, and should be replaced under recall with no cost to us, the consumer. In waiting for this to happen, I make sure, as much as possible, that I take right turns slowly, accelerate smoothly, and keep the tank over the halfway mark.

Update on the fuel sending module - May 11, 2004

"To ensure your satisfaction", Ford is now paying for replacement of the Fuel Sending Module (Fuel Pump in lay-speak) for certain 2000 and 2001 Focus models. Basically, your model is eligible for replacement if you are having the hesitation/stalling/loss of power noted above. I plan on getting a refund for the money we spent last year. If you're buying a used Focus, find out whether the fuel pump has been replaced, and if it hasn't, do it. You have up to 10 years after the model hit the road, so there's plenty of time.

Major repairs to date

- Some major brake work, at the 100,000 km mark required about $600 US in parts and labour.
- Replacement of 4 tires. This happened at just over 100,000 km. Not bad. I replaced them with cheapies that have given good service over the last 20,000 km.

and that's it, other than oil changes. The ignition wires were inspected at the major tune up at 100,000 km, and found ok, so they were left in there.

This winter has been especially cold, and the block heater's been used many times, successfully. The only drawback of this car in the winter is the lack of obvious towing hookup points for tractors to grab on to to get you out of ditches.

Final Update - May 11, 2004

February 13th, the car hit an icy patch of road and slid off the road, unfortunately into the back of a 1974 Ford Crown Victoria, which had slid off the road shortly before. The Crown Vic won, the air bags went off, the front-end smooshed, the frame damaged, and the Focus Wagon was a write-off, after 175,000 km. I replaced it the same week with.....a 2001 Ford Focus Wagon SE.