2009 Ford Focus SES

Sporty coupe gets 35 mpg on the highway

By Nina Russin

2009 Ford Focus Coupe

The Ford Focus should be on the short list for car buyers who are watching their budgets, but don’t want to sacrifice fun behind the wheel. The upscale SES test car has a MSRP of $17,570. In addition to its peppy engine and smooth-shifting five-speed manual transmission, buyers get a high level of comfort and convenience features.

On the flip side, two key safety systems- antilock brakes and electronic stability control- are a $745 option. The Focus comes with standard front disc and rear drum brakes: drums don’t stop as evenly on wet pavement, and are harder to service.

Power comes from an inline four-cylinder engine rated at 143 horsepower, and 133 ft.-lbs. of torque. The gear shift lever for the five-speed manual gearbox looks more like a truck shifter: taller than it needs to be. But it shifts smoothly and crisply. Gears have enough range to make the gearbox viable in stop-and-go traffic.

Fuel economy is 35 miles-per-gallon on the highway; 24 mpg in the city. Its good gas mileage protects the Focus owner from the fluctuations in gas prices car owners have come to dread. Read the rest of this entry »