mmarshall

I've sampled that transmission on both the new automatic Fiesta and Focus. For some reason, It semed to start up from a rest and shift more seamlessly on the Focus than on the Fiesta. The Focus's powerplant, of course, gives it a little more torque.....the Fiesta's smaller engine not only is less-powerful, but, to me, felt like it was running on a lean-mixture surge in the fuel-injection system.....that also affected the transmission some.

chikoo

interesting ....

jwong77

Is it me or do these features, as cool as they are, seem like a bit overkill for this segment? Somebody else mentioned this already, but does anybody know how much a fully optioned Focus would be?

spwolf

i think 27k with factory options... and also their "DSG" type transmission is actually cheaper than standard automatic.

chikoo

Nope.
10 years ago, A Six speed Automatic was unheard of in a Family sedan. Now it is common place.

30 years ago, an automatic was luxury. Now it is standard fare.

Ford is just pushing the bar up.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

27 grand for a focus? Just because you can, doesnt mean you shouldnt, how many focus' like that will really be sold?

spwolf

well you can buy 18k version :-)

mmarshall

Actually, longer than that. Two and three-speed automatics started overtaking 3-speed manuals in popularity back in the 1960s, as suburbs started expanding and traffic started getting more dense. Also, with the post-war prosperity, many people were starting to get more used to work-saving devices, and just didn't want to fool around with clutches and shift-linkages any more.

chikoo

Where I come from, 30 years ago, owning a car meant high flyer.