2006 Honda Civic 1.8s or Ford Focus Ghia 1.8?

[niky]

Ford lost money because they continue to focus(pardon the pun) on selling trucks in the US and not because of technology. Most of the money they lost was in the US where sales of full size trucks and SUV's went down. In the mean time Honda introduced the Ridgeline in an attempt to enter the truck market and it has been a failure in terms of sales also. Does that mean Honda can't compete in the market also? These are two different makers with different plans on what they want to sell and how to go about doing it.

The Focus is a european design and is widely known for it's very good driving dynamics, heck it even competes in the WRC in awd form. Just because a manufacturer has special offers does not mean the vehicles are bad, it could also be that they are trying to sell the previous years models to make room for newer ones. Honda and Toyota has the same offers here also just like any manufacturer.

You say you're not paying for the name but would you buy the Civic at that price if it had a diffrent H on it like Hyundai?

Word! Gospel!

To add... Would you buy the Focus, AFI if it had the "Mazda" or "Volvo" logo on it? Considering it uses a chassis co-developed with Volvo (safety/rigidity) and a Mazda-sourced engine (the MZR... oops... Duratec daw... :lol: ).

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99% of Ford's problems are due to the truck market in the US, and nothing else. Ford's European arm, which, among other things, developed the Focus, is doing relatively well.

Oh... Toyota lost money on the MR2 and Celica, thus, they're dead (or dying... the sportscars, I mean...). I guess that means Toyotas can't compete, either...

[number001]

For the two specific models, I'll go with the Focus Ghia 1.8L.

The Civic variant that makes sense is the Civic 1.8V. The 2.0V is priced too high while the 1.8S lacks a lot amenities for its price.

Actually its the other way around. The Civic 1.8V is the bare-bones variant, while the 1.8S has more equipment installed for a reasonable few tens thousands (pesos) more than the 1.8V.

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Having test driven all three variants of the Focus, the car exudes a nice euro touch and feel to it. Its suspension seem to hide road imperfections. I did notice a bit of understeer while tackling the pylons. But what is ultimately, keeping me from buying it is Ford's ridiculous decision of not including a bonnet and trunk switch inside the cabin area. This means if you want to open the hood, you got to go out and insert the key in a key hole hidden by the Ford badge on the front grille. If you ask me those inconveniences are really not acceptable. The rear passenger space seem to be on the tight and cramped side also. It comes with a "donut" spare tire.

Notwithstanding all the supposed defects being posted here in tsikot.com, I like the FD Civic, alot. I dont have to mention that it has a very stylish and futuristic design both in and out of the car. The rear passenger space has more space, thanks in part to the flat floor. Front corner visibilities maybe impeded a bit by the humongous dashboard. But alas, I have yet to drive a FD Civic, so I cannot comment much on its road abilities and capabilities.

[pixelparadigm]

i dont believe n brand nlng ang binabayaran mo s honda, not bcoz im driving a honda. Ford lost $3 bill., which only means one thing, they cant compete sa market industry. why? is bcoz natatalo n sila ng mga japanese manufacturers when it comes to technology. And i dont know if u noticed, ford has lots of goodies n ino-offer s market compare to honda, toyota or whatever.

Ford knows best in delivering the most balanced driving dynamics to the masses. You could almost experience euro-class handling and comfort but still at an affordable price.
Even in the high end segment, the Ford GT is hard to beat in terms of supercar comfort and handling.

Still, I can't say anything bad also for Honda, for making good and spirited engines and drivetrains.

[niky]

Actually its the other way around. The Civic 1.8V is the bare-bones variant, while the 1.8S has more equipment installed for a reasonable few tens thousands (pesos) more than the 1.8V.

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Having test driven all three variants of the Focus, the car exudes a nice euro touch and feel to it. Its suspension seem to hide road imperfections. I did notice a bit of understeer while tackling the pylons. But what is ultimately, keeping me from buying it is Ford's ridiculous decision of not including a bonnet and trunk switch inside the cabin area. This means if you want to open the hood, you got to go out and insert the key in a key hole hidden by the Ford badge on the front grille. If you ask me those inconveniences are really not acceptable. The rear passenger space seem to be on the tight and cramped side also. It comes with a "donut" spare tire.

Notwithstanding all the supposed defects being posted here in tsikot.com, I like the FD Civic, alot. I dont have to mention that it has a very stylish and futuristic design both in and out of the car. The rear passenger space has more space, thanks in part to the flat floor. Front corner visibilities maybe impeded a bit by the humongous dashboard. But alas, I have yet to drive a FD Civic, so I cannot comment much on its road abilities and capabilities.

RE: Understeer: It's the tires and the weight. Relatively low grip tires and a higher curb weight make it feel a little more understeery than the Mazda3. But take it into a corner hard and it'll respond in a linear fashion. The 1.6 TRS Focus point to it being a terrific handler if unburdened by the weight of luxury (no mods except lowering springs... even the tires are kinda low-grip).

Civic Handling: bump suppression isn't as good, and the ride is a bit floatier (1.8 variant)... steering light and kind of numb (but I guess I've said this already)... as for blind spots... the dashboard is even longer than the Mazda3's... and though you can actually see and place the hood of the 3 if you crane your neck, you can't even see the hood of the Civic if you butt your head against the ceiling. The near-horizontal A-pillars aren't the easiest to look around, either. The rear window is small, but Volvo's mail slot rear windows are much worse.

Still, ergonomics in the Civic are great, and the driving environment is probably the best in the business right now... but the driving experience, except for those wonderful engines, is kind of underwhelming.

[wanderer]

I drive a focus... and i took a civic for a test drive last week... hmmmm although the civic is quicker...my focus drives little bit better than the civic...and i just hate the way the civic looks... there's only one complain on my focus... when the brakes get hot, they make noise. it produces a humming sound when u release the brakes after a full stop... yun lang...

[AFI]

oh well, we all have different views.

[batang_raon14]

oh well, we all have different views.

Which helps guide the thread starter to what car suits him best.

Anyways, personally I'd choose the Focus over the Civic. Speed-wise, Civic wins kaya nga lang sa daily route ko eh panay heavy traffic, so unless I have a plan to crash on to the cars in front of me, it's not one of my deciding factors.

Being more on the softer sides of things (aka ride comfort) when it comes to a car that I'll be using for daily driving in our beloved Philippines, the Focus 1.8 wins on my boat. But if I'll be using the car for track driving, then there goes the Civic.

Looks, Focus. No brainer on my part. It's been some time na rin na narelease ang Civic pero di ko pa rin magawang matripan ung taillights niya. Although the speedometer and gauges orientation really appeal to my eyes, the wide dash ruins it. And if we talk about paint, well, ehem ehem... Maam Devin? Man, how can I enjoy exterior detailing if I have a car that I can't clean in the open due to chances of having bird poops? hehe..

And lastly, dealership-wise, well... we have individual issues with our dealerships when it comes to services especially periodic maintenance and warranty claims. We have no records yet of having hassles in having our company Focus serviced in Ford pa (although I know maraming may issues sa Ford Alabang ata?), but Honda, well, although we had hassle issues in Honda Alabang before, we just sticked to it. Naayos din naman. Heck, the lame excuse of bird droppings causing paint defects sure was enough of a reason not to have our vehicle serviced in another close Honda dealership from our area. Hmm... san kaya ung dealership na yan?

[niky]

Which helps guide the thread starter to what car suits him best.

Anyways, personally I'd choose the Focus over the Civic. Speed-wise, Civic wins kaya nga lang sa daily route ko eh panay heavy traffic, so unless I have a plan to crash on to the cars in front of me, it's not one of my deciding factors.

Being more on the softer sides of things (aka ride comfort) when it comes to a car that I'll be using for daily driving in our beloved Philippines, the Focus 1.8 wins on my boat. But if I'll be using the car for track driving, then there goes the Civic.

Looks, Focus. No brainer on my part. It's been some time na rin na narelease ang Civic pero di ko pa rin magawang matripan ung taillights niya. Although the speedometer and gauges orientation really appeal to my eyes, the wide dash ruins it. And if we talk about paint, well, ehem ehem... Maam Devin? Man, how can I enjoy exterior detailing if I have a car that I can't clean in the open due to chances of having bird poops? hehe..

And lastly, dealership-wise, well... we have individual issues with our dealerships when it comes to services especially periodic maintenance and warranty claims. We have no records yet of having hassles in having our company Focus serviced in Ford pa (although I know maraming may issues sa Ford Alabang ata?), but Honda, well, although we had hassle issues in Honda Alabang before, we just sticked to it. Naayos din naman. Heck, the lame excuse of bird droppings causing paint defects sure was enough of a reason not to have our vehicle serviced in another close Honda dealership from our area. Hmm... san kaya ung dealership na yan?

For track racing, the Focus is a much better car in stock form, and should be more benign at the handling limit. The Civic is a better drag racer, though, hands down, and is pretty quick, whether in 1.8 or 2.0 trim.

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Ford Alabang, so far, is okay. The "dealership" issues we've heard include one guy who complains his Everest "rides like a jeepney" (search for Everest "lemon", very funny issue), one who hydrolocked her escape (the lovely Phoemela B.) and one guy who just couldn't accept the difficulty of paint matching if you're not giving the car a full washover (don't know if that was discussed here, but it was discussed on the fordclubph.com boards... the guy was basically an irritating perfectionist bumped to them by another casa)... not really things that are the fault of the dealership. Not that they're perfect, but so far, no horror stories have been verified as an oversight on their part.

We used to hear complaints about Ford Global City, but no recent ones...