Ms. D and I have a running point of, er, discussion regarding, of all things, remote keyless entry. I say it's an absolutely must-have feature in terms of the next vehicle that we decide on, and that I'm willing to consider spending an extra $1,000 for a power package in order to get it. (As you might expect, our 1986 Toyota Tercel 4WD does not offer such a feature. To me, keyless entry still seems like The Future.) Ms. D has a different take. "It's unchivalrous. You don't open my door when you use it."

I remind her that aside from the possible exception of H.R.H. Jill Conner Browne, the Sweet Potato Queen, Ms. D is widely assumed to be the most raging feminist in the Magnolia State.

"Well," she says, "I'm a Southern feminist."

I stammer back that it is chivalrous, particularly on warm days, to climb in the car and start the AC first; using remote keyless entry, I'm able to get in the car more quickly and unlock her door without delay.

"It's 70 degrees out," she replies.

Which it was on the morning that we took a Ford Focus station wagon for a little jaunt around town to get a sense of whether or not this was the vehicle for us. I've read great press on the Focus, and Ms. D wants it known that she's on record as technically preferring a station wagon to a SUV, unless the SUV is small enough to make a statement. (It can't just be fuel efficient, mind you. It needs to look fuel efficient as well. In fact, an SUV that looks fuel efficient is more important than an SUV that is fuel efficient. Sorry ... this one is a point of, er, discussion as well)

The Focus is both fuel efficient, and it looks it. Just a little bubbly in overall design, with some space-age, sharp-angled headlamps that I could have done without, most Focuses are a bit harsh on the eyes. It so happens that an artist had tried his hand at the particular Focus station wagon model that we drove, adding some interesting accent stripes to the sides and front bumper of the car. To my surprise, it improves the look immeasurably, turning the wagon into something that looks little like a European sport mini-bus. I really like it with the stripe—I even like it in white, which is saying something. I generally hate white cars.

Having said all that, the Focus is definitely a wagon. (At least, the wagon version is, if you follow. The sedan is not a wagon. Props to Ford for naming things more clearly than I'm writing this paragraph.) If you look around at the Focus' competition, you'll find some poseur wagons—the Mazda Protege5, for instance, one of my favorites in the segment, offers 19.8 cubic feet of luggage space, while the Focus offers 37.5 cubic feet. (The Ford Escape SUV, by comparison, offers 33.1 cubic feet of luggage space with the seats folded up. In other words, the Focus is a serious hauler.)

Of course, you don't have to get a wagon. The Focus comes in tons of configurations—two- and four-door sedans, three- and five-door hatchbacks. With a hatchback, the Focus is a little sportier and very Euro-compact looking. It also drops down to 18.6 cubic feet of luggage space—function sacrified to form. (In their hatchback forms, the Focus is rather sprightly, up through the Focus SVT model, boasting a 170-horsepower pocket rocket of an engine.)

Driving the Focus wagon reminds me of a Ford Escort station wagon I had once as a rental. It has a good, solid feel, a comfortable ride and nothing fancy. You sit relatively close to the road and have comfortable control over the experience. The Focus' 2.0-liter ZETEC four cylinder offers 130 horses and does a fine job of pulling two people and some bundles of magazines up an Eastover hill, and it can get you on the interstate. Mileage is a very respectable 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

In my opinion, the Focus has a better interior quality than the Mustang we drove a few issues back. The dash is somewhat needlessly angular but the quality of the materials seems good, and the dials make decent sense. I found it odd, even in an automatic, not to have a tachometer, but the seating position was good for me, and I felt like I had armrests in the right places.

When I asked her if she found her seat comfortable, Ms. D flopped around once or twice in the seat and then settled back in. "It's fine," she opined. Ever the wordsmith.

If I bought one of these things—I'm serious—I'd want the accent stripes.

This is good, solid transportation, with room for luggage and split-down rear seats for extra hauling. It's affordable, too, at the base price of $16,860 for a manual transmission and $17,675 with an automatic. Power and keyless entry are included to boot.

Southern gentlemanly manners are extra.
Todd Stauffer is publisher of the JFP.

Previous Comments

ID

84272

Comment

I thought Southern gentlemanly manners were standard - I know they are at my house and I bet they're standard at yours also.

Author

Fielding

Date

2003-10-13T10:23:20-06:00