mmarshall

The Elantra, especially in beige/wood, has a more plush-looking (but not necessarily better-quality) interior. Its exterior trim is substantially better. Its warranty is far better than the Ford's (but not transferable like Ford's). The doors close more precisely and solidly, and the fit/finish seems better overall. The outside mirrors are better-made than the Focus and (if I remember correctly)swivel fully...the Focus has rigid, cheaper ones with flimsier plastic.

The Focus has a slightly more peppy engine, nicer paint colors, plenty of headroom, a responsive transmission despite only 4 gears, a nice paint job (but otherwise so-so fit/finish), and dull-looking but durable interior materials. It also, of course, has a far more widespread dealer network for sales/service.

Both cars have rather slow steering response, a relatively smooth ride (the Elantra's is slightly smoother), so-so brakes, and good noise isolation for an economy car.

whoster

If my prayers can bring both, let them bring both.

If not, the Focus is a better fit for the American market than the Mondeo.

LexBob2

Thanks for the information...

RX300-BV

People need to keep in mind the vastly different taste in the Euro and American marketplace. Yes the Euro Focus is superior in so many ways but Americans view small cars as econoboxes in general. Americans aren't likely to spend the amount Eurpoeans do on small cars.

The Euro Accord aka TSX isn't exactly a big seller in the states. I don't know exactly the dimensions of the Mondeo vs Fusion and Mondeo vs TSX, but Ford tried the Euro sized sedan in the form of the Contour and that wasn't exactly a success.