2013 1.6 ambiente focus A/T vs 2012 Accent CRDi Hatch A/T

**Mikemike07** · March 24th, 2013 09:26 PM

Id get the focus between the two. Maspractical ang accent no doubt about that pero Di naman siguro gas guzzler ang focus. I bet its about average. I dont have actual figures though so feel free to correct me. But picking a car is usually a balance between what you want and what you need. I think the focus is right in the balance. Good looks, good feel, etc. if i were driving the focus, id feel that i have a more luxurious ride compared to others. And since ive only seen 2-3 in the road, its a guaranteed head turner and it will have some sort of exclusivity which is a big plus for me.

About the wheels, dont worry too much. I recently changed my wheels to 18" from stock 16" i didnt feel any difference. But that can be attributed to the weight of the rims. Stock rims are known to be heavy so im guessing even though i upgraded to 18" its just slightly heavier. But this is for japanese wheels ah. Ewan ko lang baka magaan mga ford. Fuel consumption is the same for me. So if ever youre going to change your rims, search for designs that tend to be lightweight. Para kahit copy rims magiging masmagaan din compared to heavy designs. I recommend ROTA wheels. Its more durable than taiwan copies so you can have some assurance that it can take on the typical roads here. My car is a 1.6l engine too, fyi. Dont let being ideal lessen the fun. Focus na! You seem to want that car over the accent anyway.

**Mikemike07** · March 24th, 2013 09:37 PM

My quick impression to other compacts. No offense meant, its all opinion so sana walang magalit.

Mazda3 - i like it but its overpriced at 999k
Civic - one of the best in the segment kaya lang looks is overshadowed by its predecessor. I used to own a civic FD. side by side id pick the FD over the new one if looks lang ang basis.
Altis - most reliable but boring
Cruze - too expensive to maintain according to their thread tsaka i dont like the management and the chevy optra has a lot of problems. I have a friend who owns one. So bad shot na ang cruze sakin when it comes to reliability
Lancer ex - my car. Love your own syempre. This is my pick. Good looks, good FC (for the 1.6 variant) good price (829k AT with standard discount) no luxury feel though so for your criteria focus is the best choice.

**coolhyperion** · March 25th, 2013 04:15 PM

I doubt if Ford SAs can resolve the HPAS vs EPAS issue since most of them can't even tell Focus variants from one another lol. My theory though is that all the 1.6 models are HPAS and only the 2.0 are EPAS. It doesnt make sense for a manufacturer to build nearly identical models (i.e. the Ambiente and Trend) with different steering systems, and in Australia - the Ambiente is listed as having HPAS while all the rest of the line up all of which have 2.0 engines have EPAS. I suspect this is more accurate plus the Ambiente MT that I drove seemed to have a weightier steering feel than the Sport or Ti though I did not really pay attention since I was busy rowing my own gears and playing with the clutch.

As for the other choices in the segment ...

Altis - will be replaced soon and judging from the mundane reviews of the Auris ... it's still a Toyota. Reliable, adequate ... but boring.
Civic - ugly, worse than its predecessor inside and out
Mazda 3 - needs to be replaced by skyactiv version with a lower price to be competitive
Cruze - I like the masculine appearance, dont like the interior, is just as heavy as the Focus but has a bigger engine and a softer ride
Lancer Ex 1.6 - a good choice, and can easily be dressed up to look like the Ex 2.0 which otoh is 5 years old
Elantra - the best competitor - lighter, more spacious, easy to drive (love its MT version too), and cheaper too. Sprung softer than the Focus though and can feel floaty at high speed, and NVH suppression and suspension are not as good in absorbing road imperfection.

**sabaw** · March 26th, 2013 01:29 AM

Regarding the altis and civic, those somewhat echo my sentiments. I believe the altis is a good car, heck, probably even a great car, but its just too damn boring. Same with the civic for me. Its like i look at it, and i dont think "I want to drive" i think "I need to drive".

I really like the masculine appearance of the cruze as well, i hear theyre already clearing the stocks though since theres an incoming replacement (2013/14 diesel turbo variant?)

Im also agreeing on the probability that its most likely hpas. I was just able to look at another brochure and it lists the 1.6s as hpas cars. Its wierd that theyre all different. I think they shouldve fitted the 1.6s with epas though to put less load on the already strained engine and save a bit more gas.

**sabaw** · March 27th, 2013 12:44 AM

Was discussing our options earlier and it seems that the 2.0 sport "might" make it into the list.
Now im looking at the 2.0 sport and the 1.6 trend.

Have there been more in depth fuel consumption comparisons between the two? Especially in city driving.

Thanks!

**Mikemike07** · March 27th, 2013 02:11 AM

I read somewhere that the 2.0 has an even better FC than the 1.6. I forgot where though. And it even stated that the 2.0 focus has one of the best if not the best FC among the same displacement. It has a lot of goodies too. Talagang sulit. But be warned cause more tech = possibly more maintenance/problems