Hey.. I drove one of those

Post #346,375 by Ashton 8/19/11 5:51:42 AM Reply	Hey.. I drove one of those last month: friend acquiring a new scooter-car. Focus seemed the best of the lot being auditioned (let's not talk about the $Titanium$ model at the plutocrat-end of the lineup.) She opted for a Fiesta==Ford logo but.. unMurican-by-design, fortunately. Congrats on the er, rise. May all your ~~encounter-group sessions~~ meetings adjourn to a place with darts and Old Manx ale. Isn't that more better than a mere corner office? Nice to hear your 2p. from time to time. Maybe a brief essay sometime ... on the troubled-yout in your neighborhoods? Seemed a bit scary for a while, there.
Post #346,376 by pwhysall 8/19/11 6:08:48 AM Reply	Re: Hey.. I drove one of those The Focus drives very well. Best-in-class for steering, I reckon; the BMW 1-series may have the advantage there, but it's considerably more expensive. I won't be setting any land-speed records in it; the diesel version I'll be getting has a mighty 90PS. But then it does do 67MPG (ha! take THAT, Prius!) and has a DAB radio, Bluetooth, MP3 CD, and the essential creature comforts including the very wonderful quick-clear windscreen. I'm having a red one. The colour range is white, red, and an assortment of tedious, drab blues and greys. Jo's having the 528i. She likes a big car and she somehow gets 32MPG out of it; as her commute is only 7 miles each way, that's more than acceptable. One of the plus points of this change is that I will have even more excuse to leave the office. I don't like the office environment, and much prefer to get out and about with our customer and technology partners. I spent 50 nights away from home last year, and am already up to that number for 2011; 2009 was 80 nights away, which I didn't regard as excessive.
Post #346,379 by drook 8/19/11 7:41:40 AM Reply	BMW 5 series ... "big car" ... Two countries separated by a common language. :-) -- Drew
Post #346,458 by Ashton 8/19/11 10:57:13 PM Reply	D opted for Metallic Candy-Apple Red! great minds.. Q: What is this very wonderful quick-clear windscreen? of which you speak. Something classy in windscreen wipers or ____ other? PS: I liked the [US-version SE] Focus best of these two, plus Honda Fit tried out; VW got a FAIL on (petrol) mileage, while the bitchin TDI was $outta-sight. Alas the extra ~ $2K-USD rendered the Focus just over the line for ROI. :-/ I agreed with [ was it Car & Driver? ] reviewer's assessment of the top-line Focus Titanium: best handling of any US competitors in the niche, plus decent build quality. (Noted there too: the poshed-down suspension alterations for soft-butted Muricans ... were minimal, compared with Euro: a mere tire swap would get 'excellent' rating on the twisties.) Loved the brakes' action/feel. And the lo-speed torque (more cc.s than the teensy Fiesta.) 6-speed 2-clutch automatics rock, in either. The super-diesel isn't on US Ford's marketing agenda [yet], but then---it would have broken the bank anyway. Seems unlikely they'll add it unless people with pitchforks descend on the CIEIO's household (whichever one, in a given month.) Happy hooning! ;^> (OK, that's a joke @ 90PS.)
Post #346,545 by pwhysall 8/21/11 3:13:15 PM Reply	Re: D opted for Metallic Candy-Apple Red! great minds.. Q: Quickclear windscreen - it's like a rear demister, only the wires are much finer, much more closely spaced and run top-to-bottom. Truly a wonder of the modern age.

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