The Ford Focus competes with the Honda Civic, Chevy Cobalt, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda3 among many others in the red hot small car market, and is available as both a four-door sedan and two-door coupe.
Under the hood, the 2008 Focus is fitted with an efficient 2.0 liter inline four cylinder engine rated at 140 horsepower and 136 foot pounds of torque.
The EPA gas mileage estimates for the 2008 Ford Focus come in at 24 city / 33 miles per gallon (MPG) highway, when equipped with the automatic transmission.
Over a week of driving, we easily exceeded the estimates, as we achieved a remarkable 40.1 miles per gallon on the highway in sixty to seventy degree weather, scoring 32.7 MPG combined. (The vast majority of driving was done with the air conditioning off.)
The Focus clearly rewards those who conscientiously drive with a light foot.
When the need arises to mash the throttle, the Duratec engine delivers smooth and adequate acceleration.
The Focus is a cool ride, geared towards youthful drivers of all ages. Friends will welcome the roomy (for a compact car) back seat and marvel at the color changing LED interior accent lighting.
There’s no question that the Microsoft Sync audio system is the star of the show, providing drivers with complete control over a music library without lifting a hand from the steering wheel.
The Instant MPG dashboard display provides real-time feedback on driving efficiency. With just a bit of practice, you’ll learn how to drive the Focus for the optimum fuel economy. The Instant MPG display’s digital bar graph simplifies the task … maximize the number of bars and you’ll minimize the amount of fuel used at any given moment. The more proficient you get, the more savings you’ll accumulate.
While there are nits to pick — most notably, the lack of four-wheel disc brakes and lesser performance than the European Focus — the domestic Focus remains a solid ride for the economy minded.
All-in-all, we found the Ford Focus to be an solid choice for folks in search of a reasonably priced small car with excellent mileage, trendy styling, and a very cool sound system. With the Focus, Ford is touting the MPGs along with the MP3s, and we couldn’t help but agree.
10 comments ↓
[…] Ford Focus review: […]
My 08 focus is getting me 35 to 36 mpg combined.If I just drive it in the city I am getting 29mpg assuming the mpg display is correct which I think it is.I can go 457 miles on a tank of gas but I fill up when it gets down to a 1/4 of a tank.Best part is it only takes 8 gal. to fill from a 1/4 tank and gas being 3.75 a gal it costs $30.00 to fll compared to F-150 it cost $63.00 to fill.Ford has a fine car here and I recommend it to anyone looking for an economy car.
We are a Ford Focus Family! My husband and I own two, and they are the best running cars that we’ve had. They are great on gas, dependable and look good too!
I would highly recommend a Focus to anyone looking to buy a great economical commuter vehicle that is stylish
too.
[…] Ford Focus review […]
I own a 2008 Ford Focus that I’m very happy with, although I can’t figure why I can’t purchase the Ford Focus with your Diesel Engine. Why is it only for sale overseas? Do I have to go overseas to purchase one, then ship it back? What’s wrong with this picture? 57MPG. American consumers should have a choice.
I hate to rain on Fords parade and I know that this is about MPG .But I would never buy another Focus,The cost of ownership has been higher than any thing I have owned in the past 15 years .Sure it gets 35 mpg as long as I can Keep it running for more than a week without working on it.Wiring problems motor mounts ball joint replacement,throttle body hanging o2 sensors and the list goes on and on.I expect to do normal maintenance on any car,But when you have to drive your Corolla with 309,000 miles to pick up parts for your 100k Focus at least weekly,something is wrong and the Corolla will get 32 MPG with an auto as well,If you are buying for the long haul don’t buy a Focus.I see why ford slipped from the Big three since I bought this car a few years ago
We recently rented a four door automatic transmission Ford Focus for a trip through the Colorado Rockies, topping out one day at 12,100 feet over Independence Pass, but also a fair amount of miles on four lane Hwy 82, as well as I-70. Returning to Grand Junction, after 462 miles, filling the tank required 10.89 gallons. for 42.4 mpg!! By contrast, my last local mountain trip, up to Glacier Point and back, in my 2000 Volvo V70 generated not quite 27 mpg, and that was driving by myself, not with my wife and four suitcases.
The only way I can imagine the Focus getting over forty mpg is if You’re coasting downhill with a tailwind. I’ve got about 6K on mine and I actually hit 39.9 going downhill with a tailwind into Cincinnati at 68mph and getting on the X-way half a block from the filling station.
Yes it does exceed the sticker numbers. I average 32mpg on 18 mile round trip to and from work on secondary roads, and on a trip with the car pretty well loaded, I can manage about 37 mpg, so I’m quite pleased.
I just find it extremely hard to believe the numbers above. I like challenging myself to beat the numbers displayed for mpg from tank to tank, and drive as conservatively as possible in the quest for better mileage. 40 MPG isn’t possible unless You can find a way to drive downhill both ways, with a tailwind in both directions every time You get in the car. Of course there’s always drafting semis at twenty feet. The mythbusters proved that works if You want to get yourself killed.
@Larry - It sounds like you’re rather close to our numbers, but here’s the question that needs to be asked … what percentage of your time behind the wheel is spent with your foot completely off the accelerator pedal? Once you grasp the technique your numbers will climb.
To be clear: I don’t make a practice of drafting in the course of test driving cars. (Although I may get stuck between tractor trailers at times on the Turnpike, the amount of time spent in a draft has little bearing on the final numbers.)
I was driving home today from work and achieved 40.4 miles per gallon. Pretty good. I’m impressed for now but will see if it stays consistent.
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