What does Oppo know about the 1.0L 3-cylinder ecoboost Focus?

"Chuckles" (chucklesw37) 07/17/2017 at 18:26 • Filed to: None

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Is it any good? A friend of mine works at a Ford dealership. Now take this with a grain of salt, but he says that there was a fleet purchasing order and 22 of these were ordered instead of 2, so now they’ve got 20 identical cars on their lot. They’re all white, black cloth interior, with the 1.0L 3-cylinder ecoboost engine and a 6 speed manual. All identically spec’d. The window sticker is just over 19k, but would this be a good deal if I could get them down to maybe 13k? I’ve been looking for a reliable replacement for my 2002 Civic. I’ll still have my Miata as a fun car, so it’s ok if this thing isn’t very thrilling.

At least it has the right transmission.

Now, it’s possible that this is just a sales gimmick to increase the dealership’s numbers, but why would any dealership intentionally order 20 identical stick shift cars and sell them on the cheap? What say you, Oppo?

Disc brakes and 5 spoke wheels instead of hubcaps? Not too shabby.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:31

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Sounds like a cheap way for Top gear USA or whatever to field a football team.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:34

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What poor intern fucked that order up

Cé hé sin > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:35

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Bugger all I’m afraid - live in a world where most Focuses don’t have spark plugs!

Chuckles > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 07/17/2017 at 18:35

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Probably not my friend, considering that he still has his job.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:40

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A Ford dealer did that by us recently. All of a sudden one day they had about 20 red Ford focus sedans that all looked exactly the same. Not sure which drive train they had though but I’m sure it was either a screw up or a fleet deal that somehow fell through after the cars were shipped

Leon711 > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:42

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A friend works at Ford’s Dunton Technical designing the assembly processes for the 3cyl engines. Says they are pretty good, also says once you get them to about 165hp things start to go pop. Do you know what version this’ll have? I think they have 105, 125 and 140hp editions over here. We also have a 1.0l Fusion.

Jetstreamer > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:45

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As I understand it, that engine is the most fun bang for buck option in the Fiesta if you don’t want to go ST. Not sure how it will be in a Focus, I’d imagine it’s a bit more mass to lug around. They still get a respectable amount of power out of that three cylinder though so it will probably be decent enough while getting good mileage. See if you can take one for a drive I would say.

Chuckles > Leon711 07/17/2017 at 18:46

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I’m not sure which version it is, but if I bought it I’d be unlikely to do much modding. I’ve got my Miata as the fun car, this would just be a fuel efficient car to get to work and back, and for the occasional long distance trip that doesn’t call for the Miata due to weather or cargo requirements.

Captain of the Enterprise > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:46

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I’ve heard it’s a good engine but I don’t know about reliability. I know transmission issues are common on the Focus but those aware the automatics so the manual should be fine.

Chuckles > Jetstreamer 07/17/2017 at 18:49

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The dealership is a few hours away from me, but I’ll be making at least one trip in August that will take me right past it. I’m sure I can get a test drive.

Chuckles > Captain of the Enterprise 07/17/2017 at 18:50

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I’ve heard the same thing about the automatic, but I’d hope that the 6 speed manual is better.

UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:50

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Based on my name you could guess I can’t help with the engine, but the 6 speed, non-sync 3, and daily drivability of a focus hatch are great.

Leon711 > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 18:57

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It’d be more than adequate for that, performance isn’t amazing but it’s OK, 0-60 is 10-12 seconds depending on state of tune. That sorta puts it on par with the most common small cars over here. Like you say, it’s just for getting to work and longer journeys.

Chuckles > UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy 07/17/2017 at 18:58

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I wish these were hatchbacks, but sadly they are all identical sedans. It’s certainly not my ideal focus, but if the price is right...

Chuckles > Leon711 07/17/2017 at 19:00

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I guess it’s just a matter of deciding what’s a decent price. At the $19,000 sticker price, I’d be looking at a lot of other things. But if I could get this cheap enough, I’d be interested.

wafflesnfalafel > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:00

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Didn’t that motor win 2016 best motor in the universe or something?

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:00

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It’s gonna be sluggish but for 13k dollars I would at least take a peak, I’m not the biggest fan if smaller engines in cars that already has a underpowered engine but I would assume it’s gonna be worse than your civic based on power to weight. Still would make a nice replacement for your 15 year old civic. I would find one local to test drive so when you make the few hour hike you know if your interested

Chuckles > wafflesnfalafel 07/17/2017 at 19:01

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I think so, but I assumed that was in the smaller, lighter Fiesta.

wafflesnfalafel > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:02

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yep - here it is - http://fordauthority.com/2016/06/ford-1-0l-ecoboost-wins-2016-international-engine-of-the-year-award/

Chuckles > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/17/2017 at 19:07

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His dealership is near where my parents stay in the summer, so I’m actually hoping to take at least 2 trips down there anyway. I’d rather not waste the local guy’s time if there’s no chance I’m buying a car from him.

Most things are nicer than that Civic, considering that it’s got a salvage title from flooding during Hurricane Matthew, and the AC doesn’t work.

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:16

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Waste the local guys time, you’ll be happy you did. Chances are you don’t want such an underpowered pig (this is not an insult to the car but 120 crank hp is not really enough to move such a heavy car) and you could use that time to find a more suitable replacement

jimz > Leon711 07/17/2017 at 19:19

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the US only gets a 123 bhp calibration.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:20

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I can’t speak for the Focus but the 1L Fiesta is a riot to drive.

jimz > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:21

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I haven’t driven a Focus with it, but a Fiesta with a stick. It’s not going to be fast (at 123 hp, you shouldn’t expect it to) but if you drive sanely you should be able to get some pretty decent mpgs out of it.

Chuckles > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/17/2017 at 19:25

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Thanks for the advice. If I have some free time before my trip I’ll look into that, but it’s possible that my next free day will be the day that I’m driving down there anyway.

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:27

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Your welcome, if you do get it I’ll be reading about you experience, seems like a tragic cat that goes against how Americans drive so I’d like to see how it reacts to highways and such

Chuckles > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/17/2017 at 19:32

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I’ll probably make a post even if I just test drive it. I’m usually pretty good about driving efficiently. In my Civic I use a ScanGauge2 that hooks up to the OBD2 port and gives you lots of data that many new cars do anyway, but also things like intake air temp, battery voltage, and dozens of others. I regularly drive about 450 miles from PA to NC, and I’m always trying to stretch the gas mileage a little further. I would think with the bigger size of the Focus it would be reasonably stable at highway speeds.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:44

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“The window sticker is just over 19k,”

Is it for the hatch or the sedan? And is it the SE trim?

That window sticker sounds just like the regular MSRP considering that when I configure a Focus SE on Ford.com, I get a price of $18,500 after $500 of “available incentives”, including delivery, but excluding fees and tax. And those are all MSRP numbers. I would be very surprised if there wasn’t a few grand in wiggle room.

Also, I would be more inclined to get that 1L Ecoboost in a Fiesta, rather than a Focus.

I don’t think you’ll get them down to $13K... that’s 27% off the MSRP... and I don’t think there’s that much margin on these. If they will take $13K, then I say go for it.

I would even say Go For It at $15K before taxes, shipping and fees.

Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:47

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0-60 is measured in months. Compared to my mini which is measured in years

jminer > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 19:53

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I’ve got a manual focus hatch, but a 12 so it has the 2.0 na and a 5 speed. The car is generally ok, I don’t like it as much as my old 01 ZX3 Focus with a 5 spd.

Try a Fiesta hatch instead. I actally talked to a dealer when I bought mine (used) last Fall and the price on an ordered stripped 17 Fiesta hatch was $12.5k without negotiations.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/17/2017 at 19:53

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“(this is not an insult to the car but 120 crank hp is not really enough to move such a heavy car)“

I disagree... while not very fast, it will be fast enough for day to day driving.

I’ve driven cars with much worse power-to-weight ratios... like the Smart CDI... 40HP pushing around 1700 pounds.... or a 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis... 133HP for 4000 pounds.

By comparison, that Focus is around 2800 lbs. 123HP for that amount of weight isn’t that bad.

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/17/2017 at 20:02

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It’ll move yes, but if it so slow it’s unsafe that may be a problem, and while I agree the power to weight isn’t the worst ever, it’s probably high up in production of cars for the usdm.

Chuckles > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/17/2017 at 20:25

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Sorry for the blurriness. It is the SE, and a sedan. Not my first choice, but I’d take it at the right price.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/17/2017 at 20:29

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It does 0-60 in 9.4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 17.2 seconds:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-ford-focus-se-10l-ecoboost-sedan-test-review

Thus, it’ll be faster, handle better and stop better than many or most cars from the 1970s and earlier... and faster than many newer vehicles... like the Ford Excursion, 1995 Mustang V6/auto, 1999 Audi A6 Quattro Avant (2.8L)... and it’s almost as fast as the 2004-2006 Porsche Cayenne with the 3.2L V6!

http://www.autorooster.com/0-60-times/porsche/cayenne/

Chuckles > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/17/2017 at 20:31

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I used to drive a 96 Saturn Sl2 with a slushbox. 124hp and 2421 pounds. It was downright fun. An extra 400 pounds should still be ok.

Needmoargarage > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 20:33

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I drove the 1.0L Fiesta around a handling track once and was pleasantly surprised. I think I’d have a lot of fun owning one.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 22:51

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The dealership must have had to take these dogs in order to get nicer vehicles to sell... not really sure what that would be, but maybe some fancy mustang models.

Chuckles > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 07/17/2017 at 22:57

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Maybe an extra allotment of Focus RS’s?

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Chuckles 07/17/2017 at 22:59

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That would make sense. I remember Chrysler would do that when the minivans were a big deal. The dealership would get a limited, but they had to take two Plymouth voyagers that were strippers to get them.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Chuckles 07/18/2017 at 05:58

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i’d buy one if i had the moneyz

nerd_racing > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/18/2017 at 07:19

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LMAO at being so slow it’s unsafe. My 50 hp diesel 323 didn’t even fit that moniker. I sped more in that thing than my 1 series.

duurtlang > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/18/2017 at 08:53

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Exactly! Calling 0-60 in 9.4 seconds dangerously slow means you either shouldn’t have a drivers license as you can’t drive at all or you have to deal with insanely poorly designed infrastructure. Or very high highway speeds, which the US doesn’t have.

I used to have a 2013 Focus company car. Manual, wagon, diesel, 105 hp . It was absolutely fine, not thrilling in any way, but fine. Almost quick in town due to the turbo and the torque but it ran out of steam at highway speeds. Overtaking at 130 (81 mph) means you have to downshift two gears and you’ll have to use your mirrors, but it wasn’t horrible. I think I got it up to 180 or so on the German Autobahn. The 1.0 Ecoboost will be faster than my Focus.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > duurtlang 07/18/2017 at 09:44

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+1

Note that to me, “dangerously slow” is something that is slower than a 40HP Smart CDi (0-60 in 20 seconds)... which I personally test drove here in Canada... even took it up to highway speeds of 125km/h and it was perfectly adequate and not dangerously slow in the hands of someone who knows how to drive.

The only thing is you had to remember to start accelerating a little earlier when on a highway on-ramp.

And for a vehicle that is “dangerously slow” (something like a Citroen 2CV with the earlier 8hp or 12hp motors), all that means is sticking to secondary/city roads.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Chuckles 07/18/2017 at 09:54

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As I suspected... it’s a bog-standard base Focus SE with the Ecoboost. All those features listed are standard features.

And the pricing is the regular MSRP. And they made no mention of the $500 of available incentives that the Ford website lists.

It’s a shame that it’s the sedan and not the hatchback.

But yeah... if you can get a good deal on it, why not.

For me to consider buying something like that (particularly since it’s the sedan), I’d want to see at least a $3000 discount... but I would push for a $4000-$5000 discount.

And if they don’t want to budge enough on price, I’d wait 2 months and come back... right near the end of the month and retry the negotiations.

Chuckles > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/18/2017 at 10:00

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I have reason to believe that I’d be able to acquire one of the 20 on the lot for 12,995 plus tax and tags. At that price, I could deal with the lack of hatchback.

duurtlang > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/18/2017 at 10:16

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Until almost 5 years ago I used to daily a mk2 Golf with a 54 hp gas engine and a 4 speed manual. 0-62 in 16 or so if I recall correctly. That could keep up with all traffic at all times, as long as it wasn’t overloaded on significant inclines (which we don’t have here). It could cope with 130 kmh (81 mph) highways just fine too, while doing the speed limit. Overtaking needed some planning and using momentum in corners on an onramp was helpful, but the car was never ever dangerously slow. While using your brain it was never more dangerous or significantly slower (from a time of arrival point of view) than a much more capable car. Even today tractor trailer trucks are slower.

I believe the ‘dangerously slow’ quotes come from people who are so used to overpowered cars that they’ve lost (or never had) the flexibility to adapt to the lower capabilities of other vehicles. So, driver failure.

UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy > Chuckles 07/18/2017 at 11:30

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For some reason I thought they were hatches although I have no reason why I should have assumed that. Still, if you have a fun car I’d say do it

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Chuckles 07/18/2017 at 11:30

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The only version of the 1L Ecoboost sold in North America is the 123HP/125ps one at the moment.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Captain of the Enterprise 07/18/2017 at 11:33

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It’s the automated manual “powershift” transmission is to be avoided. The regular manual and regular automatics are fine.

And with the 1L ecoboost, the 6 speed manual is probably the best transmission option.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Cé hé sin 07/18/2017 at 11:35

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But don’t worry... I’m sure the abundance of glow plugs can warm your heart and calm your fears...

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner 07/18/2017 at 11:37

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0-60 measured in 9.4 seconds actually:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-ford-focus-se-10l-ecoboost-sedan-test-review

Which is better than I expected...

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > nerd_racing 07/18/2017 at 11:41

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Torque.

nerd_racing > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered 07/18/2017 at 12:18

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not really. 86 Nm.

Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/18/2017 at 12:25

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Oh. Well than my mini is faster when it was new. 0-60 in 7.5

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > nerd_racing 07/18/2017 at 13:09

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The focus is whatever, it’s going to be slow and I was tell him to expect that. It could feel unsafe without actually being unsafe. And it’s probably unsafe if he lives in Texas where everyone goes over 75 on the highway. I can’t really say here nor there. The biggest reason I’m to stay away is how much stress is on that little engine

xc90v8/I4 :( > Chuckles 07/18/2017 at 17:29

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Which 1.0 is it? I Think there’s 3 different ones with 100, 125 and 150 hp.

My mother has the 125 hp model pre facelift but I guess the engine is the same. It is slow but not too slow for daily driving. It’s also pretty quiet and comfortable on motorways.

I find the interiour to be stupid. Not in terms of layout but you don’t have too much space, there’s just too much plastic instead of nothing, especially in the passenger seat.

As far as reliability is concerned, the car is 3 years old and has 30k miles. Service is once a year and nothing has broken yet except for a leaking water pump that was replaced under warranty.

I’ve spend quite some time in it so just ask...

Chuckles > xc90v8/I4 :( 07/18/2017 at 20:00

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According to others, we only have the one with 123bhp here in the USA.

Would you say that the seats are comfy enough for a 10 hour drive?

xc90v8/I4 :( > Chuckles 07/19/2017 at 03:33

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For me yes. I’ve done about 400 miles in a day and felt fine afterwards. But I guess it depends on your figure and whether you find a good driving position or not.