CTC Review: 2008 Ford Focus SES

[Cord]

There isn't even a place to put them!

Them? The ashcup is a removable ashtry with a lid that fits into the front cupholder.
I took this one out of the cupholder so you can see it clearly.

[wing]

Sorry ashcup, wow that's pretty useless, then you loose a cupholder.  I'll agree someone may have removed it but it certainly is a cheap way out of designing the car.  Look at a Mazda3 with a slot under the dash in the typical location of an ashtray....

[Cord]

Can't say I have much interest one way or the other in terms of making cars better for smokers. As a non-smoker I don't see too much merit in having precious dash space taken up with an ashtry.

[wing]

I use the location for small things like coins / kleenex wires, phone etc

[TopGun]

As a non-smoker I don't see too much merit in having precious dash space taken up with an ashtry.

Ya...smokers don't seem to use their ashtrays anyway.  Constantly, I see people just chuck the ashes and butts out the window.  They wouldn't want to stink up their own cars would they?

[2latecrew]

There isn't even a place to put them!

Them? The ashcup is a removable ashtry with a lid that fits into the front cupholder.
I took this one out of the cupholder so you can see it clearly.

Good thing it comes with a lid. Otherwise all you have in the cupholder would be an ASHHOLE.

[Mitlov]

I'm starting to see these around a lot.  They're FAR more inoffensive-looking in person, though I wouldn't call them attractive.  Still, they're aesthetically nicer than the new Civic, in my opinion.

[Wolverine]

There isn't even a place to put them!

Them? The ashcup is a removable ashtry with a lid that fits into the front cupholder.
I took this one out of the cupholder so you can see it clearly.

Good thing it comes with a lid. Otherwise all you have in the cupholder would be an ASHHOLE.

HAhahahahahahahaahahahahahahah.

[MKII]

CR's impressions,

First impressions. Some of the handling agility and good ride remain, but the revamped Focus seems to have lost the supple yet tied-down driving feel that made the original Focus seem so sophisticated. The driving dynamics are now rather ordinary with reduced agility in corners and less refinement than newer designs such as the Honda Civic and Mazda3.

Interior fit and finish have gained very little refinement, but access remains easy front and rear. It’s clear that a good portion of this partial redesign amounted to little more than reducing cost by eliminating features. The assist grips above the doors are gone, and the seats are flatter with less lateral support. There is no more telescoping steering column, and the wiper controls are now crowded onto the turn-signal lever. Instead you get a new dedicated button that changes the color of the light in the foot wells and inside the cup holders—a paltry compensation for what was taken away.

Standard side-curtain airbags are a welcome addition, but rear head restraints won’t arrive until next year, at which time electronic stability control will also finally become available

CR’s take. We are not convinced that this revamp did much to bring the Focus up to date. (A major redesign isn’t due until around 2011.) We will see how this Focus ranks among such peers as the redesigned Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla when we complete a full road-test report, for the June issue of CR, available online in May.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2008/02/2008-ford-focus-first-look-2-08/overview/ford-focus-first-look-ov.htm

[MKII]

Revised suspension settings further refine the Focus driving experience
Since its North American introduction in 1999, Focus has been hailed for being an affordable car that handles and drives like a car twice its price. For 2008, the suspension has been redesigned and retuned to further improve overall driving dynamics.

The Focus gets its great driving dynamics from a suspension setup that features MacPherson struts up front and an independent multilink design in the rear. The spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars, and bushings are all new for 2008. Generally speaking, the spring rates were dropped and improvements to steering and handling were accomplished by careful tuning and increasing the size of the front stabilizer bar.

Engineers also derived unique tuning packages for vehicles equipped with 15- or 16-inch wheels and tires. Models with 15-inch wheels and low-rolling resistance Hankook tires use a front stabilizer bar only. Models with 16-inch wheels and sporty, responsive Pirelli tires use front and rear stabilizer bars.

The revised chassis settings help improve steering feel and responsiveness over the previous Focus. Changes in body structure also help improve handling. The cross-car beam located beneath the instrument panel has been significantly stiffened for 2008. The steering column is mounted to this beam, which means minimal vibration in the steering wheel as Focus is driven over rough and uneven roads
http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?vehicle_id=1532&press_subsection_id=421&make_id=92