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My Daily Driver - 2012 Focus Titanium (#2)
2012 Focus Titanium

This is 2012 Focus Titanium #2 for me, purchased February 15, 2012 from Signature Ford of Perry through a dealer trade. 2012 Focus #1 was totaled on February 9, 2012 when a 17-year-old driver turned left in front of me at an intersection as I was driving straight through. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

I saw the preproduction/mock-up 2012 Focuses at the 2010 NAIAS last January. I fell in love, as did many other visitors that I saw. I'm particularly fond of the hatchback, and I love hatchbacks in general.

On October 29, 2010, I pre-ordered my 2012 Focus Titanium (#1) 5-door hatchback in Kona Blue with the Titanium Handling Package, which includes attractive 18" 5-spoke wheels and suspension tweaks. On April 13th, I received my VIN and estimated build date of April 25th. The Titanium Handling Package also includes a full size spare, which is unusual in today's cars. The summer-only tires are an exceptionally wide P235/40R-18 for this class of car. According to Car & Driver, this setup is good for 0.96g of lateral acceleration, which is amazing for a car in this class. That beats my RX-8 in OEM form and it beats the Camaro in OEM form.

This car has Ford's PowerShift dual-clutch transmission with manual shift mode. I had to get my next daily driver with some sort of automatic so that my wife can drive it when necessary. This was the deal I worked out with her when I bought my manual transmission RX-8. As such, I wanted a car with a dual clutch transmission that I could shift myself.

Ford rates the car at 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. Car & Driver recorded a best 0-60mph time of 7.6s with the Titanium (PowerShift). The curb weight of my car should be just a bit over 3000 lbs. According to Ford, the car automatically adjusts timing to take advantage of higher octane gasoline when used. I always fill up with the highest octane available, typically 93 octane.

This version of the 2012 Focus is rated at 27/37 mpg (city/highway). Without the SelectShift, the EPA rates the car at 28/38 mpg, which is apparently due to some requirements they have for what gears to use in certain circumstances during the testing if the car can shift manually. With Titanium #1, I hit as high as 42.5 mpg according to the car's computer in purely expressway driving at 65 mph.

Here's what Titanium #2 has:

  • 2012 Focus Titanium Hatchback in Tuxedo Black
    • Some cool standard features on Titanium:
    • Rear disc brakes (replacing the drums found in lesser Focuses)
    • 6-speed PowerShift transmission with manual shift mode
    • Real metallic interior trim
    • Rear spoiler
    • Dual zone climate control
    • Overhead console storage
    • HD Radio
    • Intelligent Access with Push-button Start
    • SYNC with MyFord Touch
    • SIRIUS Satellite Radio (6-month subscription)
    • Sony 10-speaker sound system with subwoofer
    • Universal garage door opener
    • Power one-touch up/down for all windows
    • Perimeter anti-theft alarm
  • Package 401a (Titanium Premium Package)
    • Electrochromatic auto-dimming rearview mirror
    • Reverse sensing system
    • Rain-sensing windshield wipers
    • Leather seats
    • 6-way power driver seat with manual lumber
    • Rear armrest with storage
  • Titanium Handling Package
    • 18" wheels
    • Low profile summer tires (P235/40R-18)
    • Optimized sport suspension (I have since learned that this includes different dampers, springs, and thicker anti-roll bars)
    • full-size spare tire
  • Power moonroof
  • Voice activated navigation

Additional options I did not want are

  • Parking Technology Package
    • Active Park Assist (the car parallel parks for you)
    • Front parking sensors
    • Rear view camera
  • Titanium Winter Package
    • All-weather floor mats
    • Heated front seat cushions
    • Heated exterior mirrors with security approach lamps
  • Remote Start

The Focus is loaded with high tech features that are rare, if not unique in it's class. Some of them are definite positives, but others may be considered drawbacks by some driving purists. I'm not putting any value on them here, but just listing them as points of interest.

  • direct injected engine with variable cam timing on intake and exhaust
  • Torque Vectoring Control with eLSD. The system uses the brakes to mimic a limited-slip differential, forcing power to the (front) wheel with the most grip. It continually balances torque to the front wheels based on driving conditions and available traction, and while turning, the system applies braking to the front inside wheel to force more torque to the outside wheel, causing the car to turn as intended (i.e., reducing typical front wheel drive understeer).
  • Electric Power Assisted Steering with drift control and active nibble control to weed out unwanted steering wheel vibrations and drift caused by strong cross winds, etc.
  • Ford's Easyfuel© capless filler
  • forward and reverse sensing systems (depending on trim)
  • Media Hub© system allows the car to act like a wireless access point using a passenger cell phone's Internet access
  • MyKey© owner controls
  • rain sensing wipers (depending on trim)
  • 4-wheel independent suspension (with relatively sophisticated rear multilink setup). Many cars in this class today, including the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Hyundai Elantra, have gone with torsion beam rear suspension designs (which is not an independent system)
  • one-touch up and down on all four windows (dependent on trim)
  • intelligent oil life monitor
  • rear arm rest with storage (dependent on trim)
  • aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off (to improve fuel efficiency)
  • smart charging alternator (to improve fuel efficiency by eliminating drag on motor to charge alternator)
  • Hill Start Assist
  • forged aluminum front lower control arm
  • use of hydrobushings in critical locations to help give sophisticated ride
  • intelligent access with push-button start (depending on trim)

I have been hanging out at the FocalJet forums for Focus stuff (and general car information and friends) since April 2001 (when I had my first Focus ZX3).

I don't plan on any major modifications to this car, as I want to keep my daily driver reliable. This is one of the reasons I purchased the RX-8. However, I do have a few things planned, some of them for practical or safety reasons.

CURRENT MODS

  • I got the windows tinted very soon after I bought Titanium #2 (I had them tinted on #1). Hatch and rear door windows are tinted very dark, while front door windows are the lightest offered by this brand (Johnson Window Films). It dramatically reduces heat transmission through the windows, keeping the interior of the car cooler and allowing the A/C system to work less hard to maintain a given temperature.
  • Since my aftermarket winter wheels and tires were on Titanium #1 when it was totaled, I ended up with two sets of the excellent 18" OEM wheels. Since I purchased this Focus in winter, I immediately drove it to Discount Tire and bought Hankook i*cept evo tires in the OEM size of P235/40R-18. I now have two new, or nearly new, sets of the OEM summer-only (Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tires, which were excellent on Titanium #1.
  • On February 21, 2012, I had a protective file applied to the front end and side-view mirrors. It covers a surprising amount of the front end, including the entire bumper cover, headlights, the front quarter or so of the fenders, quite far up the hood (up past the top of the headlights), and the front of the side-view mirrors. Hopefully this will keep the front end looking good as the miles add up. Focus Titanium #1 had significant debris damage and chips and it wasn't even a year old.


PLANNED MODS

  • I may get a larger rear anti-roll bar. This has been a good and inexpensive mod for every front wheel drive car I've owned. The car's Torque Vectoring Control system does a good job bringing the back end around, but the car still feels nose heavy and understeers, especially before the TVC system kicks in. I can actually feel it working, and it would be nice to reduce some of the inherent understeer with a thicker rear anti-roll bar.
  • I want to get a cat-back exhaust for more power and more sound. I will almost certainly go with either a FSWerks or Ford Racing.
  • I will probably want a high performance, but reliable, aftermarket intake system, again, either from FSWerks or Ford Racing. I will not ever do a true cold-air intake that sits low in the chassis again, after shorting the MAF sensor in my Mazda3 by driving through a puddle at high RPM.
  • When the OEM dampers need replacing, I'll look for some good aftermarket spring/damper setup. I would want something that won't drop the car much, if at all. I don't know yet if the Titanium Handling Package includes a lowered suspension. Most likely I will stick with the OEM springs and get some KONI FSD dampers. The KONI Sports I had on my Mazda3 performed incredibly, but were too harsh for our beat-up Michigan roads (at least, when I've now got a separate sports car--I want my daily driver to maintain reasonable comfort).


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