2012 Ford Focus Titanium Video Review 

*I’m from the future* The DCT transmission in these were made incorrectly and caused a class action lawsuit in which people didn’t receive anything from dealerships. But a fix can be done by fixing the grounding wire.

Love my 2012 focus SEL after 100k still running like new.

Based on what I've learned about the 2012 Focus, I have no regrets in deciding to get the 2011 Focus instead. No recalls on it so far, but the 2012 one already has had a recall. I'm fairly certain the 2011 is more reliable than the 2012 as well.

I got the same car in 2019 for 3800usd, hella great car

Love the way, the feul door is designed, beside the rear lamp! ;-)

You’ve come a long way, Tom!

I have an '08...this '12 is making me want a new one! Good job Ford!!!

@DrivenCarReviews I completely agree!

i've got an '08 Focus and that car is great. Quiet, peppy, fun, it has SYNC, and solid. I wish i could get this one. Idk which i think looks better cause i actually like the styling of the '08 but the '12 is definitely a great-looking car.

A mini luxo-car here. Phenomenal job by Ford, kudos for a fine vehicle. This is surely the new standard for compact cars.

I got the 2008 european model, very happy with it. Excellent car, best I've got yet.

It's unbelievable how many features and options this car has! All it's missing now is xenon lights, traction control and at least 50 HP...At least it has stability control. You would think it would also have traction control available. If I'm wrong and it is available, please correct me. Thanks

I had a rental car for a day, the transmission didn't feel much like a dual clutch, especially compared to a DSG like the reviewer said. The power is under what im used to as its naturally aspirated but I guess not bad 160 for the displacement. One of the biggest negatives however that stood out more than anything is the WIND NOISE at highway speeds, awfully loud. The interior lights and buttons are the opposite of logical, and thats coming from someone who deals with computers all day long

@sanghyenlee the U.S. market Focus is not equipped with BLIS, only the optional Parking Technology Package which gives you front parking sensors, rear view camera, and active park assist...it also has rear parking sensors which are bundled with the Premium Package (you MUST get the Premium Package in order to get the Parking Technology Package)...I'm ordering a Titanium in a few days, hope this helps :)

Not to mention the dealer markups thanks to the gasoline crunch. It's making me consider the Mustang V6.

yeah me too . it seems a killer car in the street and fun to drive can not wait to get one :)

I like working on these actually. Fun to drive too.

25 % is our VAT, but I'm not familiar with the import duty. When you buy a new car over here, then the VAT is calculated from the total price of the car, minus the car tax. The latter is calculated from the car's weight, the effect of the engine, and emission of CO2, NO + NO2. For the aforementioned Focus, this amounts to approximately 11,000, 6,000, 3,000 and 500 USD. Then there is also a "scrap tax" of $300. You pay the same if you import the car, but less if the car is older.

@guyNbluejeans If someone was inclined to steal gas (via hose, etc.), having or not having a cap is not going to deter them either way - having a cap is just one extra step. Ford does have a lockable cap you can get as a very cheap option on this and all capless vehicles.

Second person to mention that the transmission seems to read your mind in sport mode.

@mlps93 it's something called a convinience feature, even good drivers would struggle to park in a space 1.2 times the cars size. thats where this feature comes in handy. and you don't have to use it.

I have this exact car!

The best new Ford for years! That THAT Chevy!

I paid $25,093 USD out the door for a 2013. I looked at the focus ST but I could not justify spending close to 30k USD for a focus. Granted it did have NAV and a really nice interior and 60 more HP but, I drove the GTI and instantly fell in love.

im not 100% sold on the style, but i have a feeling its going to be realy good

And who would have known a few years later Ford would discontinue all cars except the Mustang, and sell trucks and SUV’s only in the US. Nice interior here.

@flipfloplogic Europe hasn't had THIS Focus. While they did get a new platform in 05, this one is a brand new a different platform for the world.

A great strategy. There are a lot of people who have been burned in the used car game though. Those people want the security and warranty of a new car. Different strokes...

If you want plates, then you have to pay the tax. I don't know if it's possible for a resident of Norway to buy and register a car in Sweden, but even if it is, there are also restrictions regarding driving foreign registered cars in Norway. I do believe the system is pretty watertight. I have ordered a BMW 120d which is downtuned from 184 to 163 hp. I save $3.5k on this, but I CAN change the ECU to get 200+ hp and just not register the change which would cost $8k. That's kind of a loophole.

@mlps93 Yeah. The hatchback its not fiesta small but is preety small so every passenger can keep they're legs atached when entering the car :P

@GK1123 The CT also gets better fuel economy. I'll play devil's advocate though- Focus is faster, roomier, better equipped for less money, and it can argued looks better too (obviously subjective). The Lexus badge is good for showing off to friends, Focus owners can do that with a self parking system that actually works well and a killer Sony sound system. Frankly, I see the Ford matching up quite well with Lexus. Doubtful they'll be cross shopped though.

My neighbors '12 SE Sport Hatch had one of its camshafts seize up causing complete engine failure.

You must be driving the 5 speed manual. This automatic has many issues!

u just got to love the US,ORANGE blinkers ya baby !

@te3f That's the Tuscany trim, I don't care for it either. Luckily you can get all the red touches in white instead.

And in recent years used cars have gone up in relative price to the point they may not make long-term sense. Certainly not enough savings to justify the risk and hassles of repairs.

@DrivenCarReviews but when you get a lexus you get all the good customer support etc.. You get special dealerships and much better "support" than if you buy a ford. For that price, I would get a midsize sedan or a used luxury car though

Why would you spend that much on a focus? I just don't get why people spend so much more on add-ons from a base model, rather than spending a little more and getting an entirely better platform.

It's a shame how good this car was at launch to have Ford U.S.A. basically neglect it because fuel prices stabilized and now the F150 and crossovers get the attention from the company. It's scared a lot of people from owning another Ford because of the horrible PowerShift transmission problems. My 2012 Titanium has had three clutch pack replacements in four years since I have owned it (I bought it pre-owned at the end of 2014) I don't think I'll buy another Ford product again even though the rest of the car, other than the transmission, has been pretty reliable. I wasn't happy with my first dealer, but I wish my current dealer sold anything but Ford because I'd totally give them my business again. They document every time I have a clutch slippage problem, because I'm going back to Ford (after the seven year warranty ends on the clutch pack) to have Ford replace the clutch pack again. Ford keeps placing band-aids on the transmission and doesn't seem to fix anything long-term. It's ludicrous that Ford will force customers to pay to fix a design flaw. Even the dealership has had enough. I remember the first clutch pack replacement in July 2015: I was told "This should be the fix". In January 2017, (with yet another clutch pack and seal revision from Ford) the story was "We hope this will be the fix". Even the service department doubts that the new clutch pack and oil control seal revision will fix the problem! All those Focus/Fiesta owners with transmission problems and the dealer isn't helping: GO TO A DIFFERENT DEALER. Some of the experiences I've heard from owners are totally related to the dealer and not Ford.

@mustangmikeca It's an automated manual, but a real manual will come with the ST version.

I have this car, had to get transmission fixed bc it had recall on it. it's still a little goofy on shifts, going to get a fusion in the near future...

I agree with mlps93. If you need these driving aids, then you really should not be in charge of the vehicle. The driving test is there for the candidate to show he/she can use the necessary skills to deal with various situations and these driving aids will allow drivers to loose these important skills. Auto brake and park assist could result in more harm than good, as drivers will become all too dependant on them and one day, may need to use skills they have long forgotten. Pretty worrying.

That's crazy. I just looked it up. It says Norway, Denmark, and Sweden all charge 10% import duty and 25% "sales tax", which probably means VAT paid by the dealer. Then you probably pay local sales tax on top of that. So are they trying to get people to buy Volvos or something? : ) With tax numbers that high, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a black market in cars over there. Do people ever manage to avoid the VAT or import duty?

Norway does, and possibly also Denmark.

The ST looks sweet

Interior is great! If only they would pay attention in the interior of the mustang, especially the center console. It looks like a 2002 focus' centerconsole.

Great car. Great review. But with that gas-cap being the way it is, does that mean someone can steal from the tank when no one's around?

@KatiushaVN4 Actually, your TSX uses a dated 5 speed transmission compared to the Focus' 6 speed dual clutch automated manual transmission. Also, the Ford Focus features torque vectoring to reduce understeer. At this price point the Focus also includes leather, it parks itself, it has heated seats, and it has automatic climate control with a sunroof. What feature does your TSX have that the Ford doesn't? I love Honda, but they've been sucking lately. Prove me wrong.

@GK1123 I would have to take Focus over Ct200H considering Focus is loads better value fo money and drives a heck of lot more fun and predictable. This gen Focus was developed in Germany and it comes with it German road manners. I test drove an SE sedan and fell in love, now I want the ST model.

Also, there's no way around this tax when you buy a new car, as the dealer will register it for you. If you import it yourself, then I suppose you COULD lie and say your Focus ST is a 1.0 EcoBoost, but I don't know if that would work. To my knowledge, Swedes only pay VAT, so the more powerful, heavy and polluting a car is, the bigger the price difference between Norway and Sweden is. A Mustang might cost $70,000 in Sweden and $320,000 here.

I realllllyyyyy hope they'll fix the dual clutch problems in the 2014/2015 models. I'll be buying one of these in a few months and I want the titanium because I want the premium stereo, but they don't offer that in any trim other than titanium and the titanium doesn't come with a manual so i'm stuck with the auto, which i've heard has had nothing but problems.

what wrong with the transmission? did you try to get it fix?

@flipfloplogic Charger wasn't the point, the point was it was $27k FF. you will be known as a FF driver as long as you own it. I wouldn't mind paying $25k for a ST.

unlike its predecessors, the 4-door sedan looks good!

@IrishChris1979 It has traction control.

$33000 for the S model in Israel (37K for the Titanium), let alone that the gas is almost $8 per gallon. Both are due to more than 50% of tax. So... 27K is not so bad

@MooseheadDrinker For the best car in the class?

love the new foci

Lexus for 30K, I don;t think so. For 30K you get way more with the Focus. Great car, well done Ford! Super reliable, well laid out vehicle and the handling on this car is really excellent, leaves most of the competition in the dust. Love the rims on this hot looking sport hatch, way nicer than the grossly overstyled offers from Hyundai and the like, my opinion, best choice in class.

Does the rusty muffler come standard?

that interior looks waaaaay awesome

@IrisMG Carmax is a good place to buy the used car, at the new car price.

@InEXII you are not serious, are you?

Tuscany Red ($450 extra plus the 401a package)

haha I'd get the manual still, though the new transmission does sound sweet

27k wow that's a lot for a small car. Well like he said better to have a small premium car w good gas millage than a sedan w less. But still I think the Elantra gives the same features not the remote parking but everything else for cheap

I went from a Volvo 240 (It won't die), Ford Escort (crappy car), Focus SVT (Awesome Handling Car) I really want the Focus ST Wagon.

do anybody like their dual clutch transmission????

yea good point, but ford is just showing their technology to the world, and the first place to start is the small sedan/hatchback market, this is a very common family car in europe

Do you know the colour of first hb car?

love this

parking is technically not driving either...but if you want a better example...automatic vs manual...manual drivers say the same about automatics...but its just convience...

Does the 2011 FORD FOCUS Titanium have Heated Seats and WiFi

I've had to have my 2012 transmission fixed 4 times already, finally got it up to 72k miles, and I need a new transmission. HORRIBLE CAR, nothing but problems. Got it in when it was 3 years old, of course the dealers kept saying theirs nothing wrong with it. Their was a lawsuit against Ford for these cars for faulty transmissions

I like it! If you don't want to pay 27K for the Titanium then get the 17K one. Or better yet wait & get one secondhand from Carmax. Options!

I have a good idea, FIRE THE OLD DESIGNERS and hire new younger people.....

WT....?! Did the previous "American" Ford Car model really looked like in 1:03 ?! ô.O

Dont buy a focus with the auto trans. That was the only downside. I went with a Volkswagen GTI. I love it. =]

Does this car even have the sport suspension? I thought it had the 5 spoke 18" wheels.

Actually, you can't go wrong with a GTI but what VW Canada is asking for the GTI on a finance term, I rather look elsewhere, namely the Focus ST. Nothing against the GTI, but for the same monthlies, I can get into a Ford Mustang GT. The GTI is head and shoulders more refined but it's a hard sell for that kind of money.

Great car

Bit of rust there at 1:55 ??????

That transmission is over $4,000 plus labor....of course, the Civic and Elantra automatics cost $6,000. I bet many will be junked come time to replace that transmission.

THE WAGON LOOKS SOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER FUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!

@TheTimelessTitle someone disliked it

Ford really needs to release a new version. The world car model doesn’t work as each area has different tastes to just us models and visas versa, there was a time where this was the best selling car in Europe, now it feels old

@rahulchavan2k1 Well Norway is the most expensive country in the world, so $60k is about right for the Norwegian market.

Just got a 12 Titanium HB 5 speed 50K miles for 11K Bow Tie dealership just wanted it of the lot lol got all and I mean all the bells and whistles

Agreed.

i think ford gonna add TITANIUM in all their models

its part of the test to get your license

operating your window is not part of learning to drive

Ford's got GM by the balls on this one. See what not taking a damn dime from the Government can do for you!!! You see GM? You see?

Type in ford focus carbuyer and you'll see Matt and his review.

What country puts a $30K tax on a Ford Focus???

Most people do oppose these taxes, but's it's not like we'll overturn the government over it. I can afford to buy a decent car, but I can't do it without being annoyed by the fact that I pay so much more than I would have liked to pay. It's a slight comfort that the money I pay in car taxes contribute to making this a better country in which to live. I hope I get really sick so I can actually see my taxes at work! Haha!

@pretty00lights so, you're stock apparently, you think your focus is a race car, and you have no idea what the mods I listed do. blaming understeer on the driver is like blaming dual exhaust on the driver. back to my original point; this reviewer guy just uses buzz words to sound like he knows what's going on. That's all I'm saying. As for you you like to be smart and type "uhhh" to sound like you know what's going on. Smart.

@berker4700 I disagree, Roadfly.com and a few others is pretty good.

Gotta love how he says $27,500 as if it was a lot. You americans should have a huge smile on your faces when you buy cars. The Focus I'm about to buy has a retail price that is the equivalent to $74,600, of which appr $30,500 is taxes. And that's just a regular 163 hp diesel without leather interior.

@orenyt GOD , its expensive. Your close , sort of . Come to us (Romania) your only about 3000km away, could drive it back home :P.Surely it wont be the other 10.000$ the gas till home. Here the premium still 25.920$