(Author’s Note: These are responses given to the rental company after they sent me a customer satisfaction survey. In retrospect, I’m concerned I have may aimed my constructive criticism the wrong direction. Oh well.)
What lead you to rent from us?
My Buick was down with an engine computer that had retired. My F-150 pickup had what turned out to be a freak vacuum leak that was affecting the four-wheel drive system.
I had an appointment in St. Louis for personal business (255 miles round trip). My options were to drive my wife’s damnable Ford E-150 van or my 1963 Ford Galaxie. I opted to drive neither due to chronic dislike and road salt, respectively, and to rent from you instead.
Your outlet being within eyeshot of where I work definitely oiled the gears of my decision.
What prompted your decision on the size of rental you chose?
I have been quite curious about the current generation of Focus. Having last driven one, another rental, in 2004, the changes over a decade should be considerable. I distinctly remember the ’04 being revved up like a chain saw when driving down the interstate and was curious if Ford had gotten their shit together in how to better gear a compact car. They most certainly have.
I must disclose I am not a fan of four-cylinder engines. The vast majority of the ones I have experienced made me as happy as Captain Hook if he had jock itch. Frankly, I would rather pay a slight mileage penalty and know there is power afoot than experience the opposite. Yet as I am trying to appear kinder and gentler these days by giving some lip service to the environment, I thought I’d give this novel little puddle jumper a try.
Were there any sounds or sensations about your rental car that you found troublesome?
Yes, there were a few that flummoxed my brain, although I think all was well for a car having only 4,600 miles on the odometer. When I picked it up late in the afternoon, I took it home to leave early the next morning. My mailbox is at the end of a long driveway and I left it idling as I crossed the road to get my mail. The exhaust made a weird “poo, poo, poo” with distinctly wet, flatulent intonations. You need to know, since you own several thousand of these puppies.
To its credit, the Focus could quickly extinguish my disdain for four-bangers; please note my saying this is as uncharacteristic of me as is Kaiser Wilhelm referring to Queen Victoria as “Granny.” The Focus, with 160 horsepower, was at no shortage for power anywhere in its power band; yes, there was still a bit of the inherent four-cylinder buzziness, but it has been much improved.
How was the overall comfort of your rental Ford Focus?
Had I experienced the misfortune of losing my right leg at some point in the past two to three decades, this Focus would be nearly ideal; the tilt and telescopic steering wheel is certainly a nice touch. Please note I had to seriously contort myself to take this picture showing the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and that lovely and attractive console.
Alas, I have been so fortunate as to keep my right leg. And that $&*#ing console interferes with my leg. To make the experience even more joyous, the lip of the console would worm its way underneath my kneecap.
It’s quite fortunate that the weather was cool and I never wear shorts; upon the return of warm weather I envision your employees finding hair sticking from this console after ultra-casually dressed men rent one of these little chariots. Just saying.
Lest you think I am one of those overly cornfed, red meat eating Americans whose blood cholesterol rivals that of a stick of butter, I am 5’11” tall, weigh 180 lbs, and have a 32″ inseam. The average American male is 178.2 cm tall (5’10.2″) and about 195 pounds. So in other words, I am in the fat portion of the bell-curve–that’s the only fat thing about me.
For comparison, the average male in the United Kingdom is 176.8 cm; the average Australian male is 178.4 cm tall; and the average New Zealand male is 177.0 cm tall. France and Canada? Still in this same close neighborhood. Regardless of how you slice it, I’m still well within the standard deviation should I stay here or move to Oxford, Victoria, or Wellington. I can only imagine how this car would fit taller, longer legged men. As my wife did not ride in it, I cannot comment how women of 5’8″ manage in this interior.
In any of these locations, there will be people of the same height as me driving a Focus. And that damned console will likely still be in the way regardless of which side of the cabin the steering wheel is located.
There is an Abe Lincoln in my hand for this kid to deliver his product to whomever designed this console. Part of the reason I rented a Focus was for an extended test drive as I had been considering a purchase of one. Due to the console, the odds of my purchasing a Focus ranks right up there with hogs producing beef.
Did you enjoy the features of your rental Ford Focus, such as the available bluetooth?
The bluetooth worked finer than frog’s hair. It was also quite easy to access as it was stuck inside that damned, idiotically invasive console. Admittedly, the door lock control being beneath the radio knob was quite handy and the radio controls had the same delightful, tactile feedback as found in a Hewlett-Packard calculator. All the niceties still don’t make the console in which they are warehoused any less obscene; asking this question is like asking if the police officer who just tazered you had pleasant breath and called you “sir.”
I suppose this car being presented as “efficient” applies only to its fuel mileage; this console is not an efficient use of interior real estate.
Would you rent from us again?
Yes, and I’m sure it will be quite soon. First, renting from you cost me $37.50 after taxes plus another $22.05 for fuel; that is within $2 of what fuel alone would have cost me had I driven my pickup or that insipid van. Second, you gave me coupons for a free size upgrade the next time I rent. You can rest assured I will be using them. Do you still have any Panthers left in your fleet?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Ford sells this car all over the world, but with spiffier sounding trim names, like Studio, Trend, and Ambiente. Many of them are right hand drive. Have you thought about sending some of your right hand drive units over here for resale? Rural letter carriers are clambering for fuel efficient right hand drive vehicles; hopefully that god-awful console isn’t as repellent to them. Despite my insinuations of displeasure stemming from the console, I was actually pretty happy to rent from you as you are handily located and give great discounts. Plus, apart from that wretched console, the car was a true pleasure.
Lastly, here is a picture of a happy leg in a compact car. Please forward this to Ford so their ergonomists can begin to alleviate their plastic, sales stifling, femur shattering ode to inefficiency.
I really, really hate consoles on automatic vehicles. Such a waste of space. Yet with all that dash space Ford still can’t find enough real estate to place stuff out in the open instead of behind the shifter. The Escape is the same way.
I sat in every one of their current offerings a few weeks ago while in for service. Every single one had significant Ergonomic and/or space utilization issues. And I’m a Ford fan.
Same here. I was seriously considering buying an Escape or Focus hatch, until I rented an Escape for a 2 week/3k mile road trip. My right knee was seriously sore from bashing that console for 2 weeks. The rest of the Escape was phenomenal, fantastic power from 2.0 turbo, great ride, and it handled better than any CUV should.
It’s just a shame they let something so easy, and obviously annoying ruin a great car.
When I feel console-hate coming on I just remind myself that a column shifter would just make it easier for car companies to eliminate manual transmissions altogether.
Why? I grew up with column shifters and there were still manuals for those who wanted them, both on the column and floor. And this was when most automatics were pretty damn reliable.
I can’t explain why, but there is more than one console design for the current generation of Focus. I have the other one (in which the handbrake is positioned farther forward), and while my leg does rest up against it, it’s not uncomfortable.
The most surprising and disappointing thing I have found about the front seat accommodations is that the passenger footwell is not as deep as the footwell on the driver’s side. Which means the passenger seat needs to be moved farther back to provide a comfortable portion of legroom for the front seat passenger. Which bites into the already inadequate rear seat legroom on the passenger side.
That said, I fly solo most of the time in my ’13 Focus, and I find the driver’s seat accommodations very comfortable for my typically overweight middle-aged American male frame.
Jason, in your last legroom shot. . . . . mid eighties Buick Century ?
My 1993 Century with its new engine computer.
I had a 1984 Century Custom, the corner of the ashtray and that black strip containing the map light (the first one GM EVER put in a USEFUL location) were the dead giveaway. I am amzed that they never changed the dash in nine years !
A darned nice dash design too. it’s our mail-carrier’s favorite vehicle partly because of the nice flat top on the passenger’s side.
Lol @ the happy leg. Let us know if you hear back from the rental agency on your feedback.
I think that I’ll hang on to my 2005 Focus for a while. The console on my car isn’t as intrusive & that screen thing in the middle looks rather complex, although I have to say that the interior looks like it’s made of higher quality of materials than mine.
Nice review. The 2015 Focus just debuted at the Geneva show. The console has been made slightly smaller, which should make the car more comfortable.
Well….fwiw, I tried a Mazda3 a few years ago, and the console was just as bad.
The Focus is receiving some updates for 15. New carp mouth shaped grill, which is spreading all over Ford’s line, and a redesigned center stack. Those slanted, look alike buttons for the radio are gone, replaced by a more conventional layout. The shape of the console appears to be unchanged though.
I may be in the minority but I love the snug, closed-in “sportscar cockpit” feel of a lot of these small cars. I grew up driving a 1991 CRX Si so that might be part of the equation. When I have too much room around me I feel like I have less control of the vehicle, especially when driving with any kind of authority. I don’t like sliding around the cabin.
I respect how you feel about this, and imagine you aren’t alone. On the other hand, I do not appreciate being encapsulated as if I were still in the womb.
My wife looked at a Prius. Since she would be driving the car, I insisted she do the test drive; I test drove the passenger seat. My impression of the car: sealed in a submarine. Guess she wasn’t impressed that much either, since she drove home a Camry Hybrid.
I never understood the center console being associated with sports cars. To me it’s just dead weight and it’s usually (especially in C segments) the most clearly cheaply made piece of molded hard plastic junk in the interior, dragging the rest down with it. You bang your leg on the hard plastic sides and rest your arm on the vulcanized rubber arm rest… Hmm sporty….
Personally I put much more emphasis on the seats contributing to a snug closed in “one with the car” feel. Yeah, bench seats and no console = Not sporty. Buckets and a console? VERY sporty! Worked just fine for Ferrari back in the day.
Err, I meant to say “Buckets and NO console? VERY sporty”
That type-o really defeated the point I was trying to make lol
How about Buckets, no console AND column shift? Most ’68-’72 Buick Skylark’s were so equipped. Strange and definitely Not sporty.
Would the same Buick really be sportier with the console though?
Column shift = not sporty 😀
It’s the one thing I dislike about my Mazda3. I’ve gotten used to just leaning the side of my knee against the console, but it gets uncomfortable on long drives.
It’s not such a problem with RHD. After 70,000km in my 3, I still have to keep reminding myself there’s a footrest for my left foot waaaaay across there!
The infirmities of old(er) age have gotten me a new appreciation for bench seating, which I eschewed in my youth, but now that it is basically gone from cars I have now appreciation for.
My Father (and I sometimes) have mobility problems which make it easier if there’s no console in the way, I can reach over and “pull” him into the car (he’s in a wheelchair, we put a towel down so I have something he sits on that I can pull on to move him to the center of the car…fortunately he still has a bench seat on his ’06 Impala, but if he needed a new car replacement, no such bench is available.
I had a problem a couple months ago where I couldn’t bend my knee (or rather it hurt like heck if I tried to bend it)…unfortunately my car has a center console, and I tried to pretend I had a bench seat and had my torso all the way on the opposite side of the seat from the door trying to pull myself in the car without bending my knee (it wasn’t easy).
I’m thinking as the population ages, there will be a need for more accomodating features to deal with such infirmaties…now an old 70’s sedan which sits up higher that today’s low slung seating (and with the slippery vinyl seating and bench seat) start sounding pretty good…so now I know why my Grandfather liked these types of cars (duh).
I drive a ’12 Focus SE with the stick, and it’s an all right car, for an appliance. It gets good mileage, has plenty of power, and decent front seat room. I am, however, 6’0″/175…
The back seat, on the other hand…..not so much.
How did you like Ford’s automated manual transmission? Discounting the people that hate all automatics of any type, there seem to be people of only two mindsets on it: Either the sky is falling and it is the worst thing on earth or it is just fine. I have an aging 2003 ZX3 that it is getting close to time to replace and a Focus hatch is one of the main candidates but it will have to be an auto because it is the wife’s car.
I travel on business about 8 times a year. I nearly always rent C level cars…like the Focus. My right leg is wedged against the console on nearly every car I have rented. Mazda 3 is worst IMHO. Of course, moving the seat back a notch or two can alleviate the bind, but then it feels as though my arms are over-extended to reach the steering wheel.
–Car buyers tend to like consoles. Ever noticed how old muscle-cars equipped with consoles are more highly valued compared to their non-console brethren?
My wife drives a Mazda CX9 crossover. The console on that thing is enormous, and my right leg was pinned just as mentioned with the Focus. Mazda does provide a steering column adjuster that extends length–this allowed me to roll the seat back…and bring the steering wheel with me. Nice job Mazda!
I think a solution would be for manufacture’s to move the console off-center–like Ford has done with Econoline vans—let the driver have more room at the expense of reducing room on the passenger side. Ah…but then again there is that “world car” thing about RHD….damn…..So many design compromises are needed in today’s world…!
I wish car companies would go back to putting the gear shifter on the steering wheel column and getting rid of that wasted space crap accumulator, thus opening the whole thing up for sweet, precious leg room. All of the new vehicles with that damn middle console make me feel like driving the wife’s base model 2003 Impala a positive joy.
I really wanted to like the new Impala/Lacrosse/XTS, I really did. Then I got in all three of them. Nope. Why should a car so big on the outside have the feel of dropping yourself into a bobsled or old WWII fighter plane cockpit? Complete bullshit.
I need to get to the Ford/Lincoln dealer to try out the Taurus/MKS but I have a feeling I’m going to be similarly disappointed…
Prepare for a huge disappointment. The Taurus console is bigger than some banana republics.
I just rented a Taurus. Not only is it wide, but it’s ludicrously high. Great for keeping that pimply kid’s hands off your daughter in the passenger seat (or vice versa), but that’s about it.
@C its funny you mentioned that. I used to hate how our 2002 CRV has no center console, just armrests and a flip up cupholder tray thingy… until my wife showed me how much more fun we can have on a long drive with the armrests flipped up and the tray folded down. Now its my favorite car to take on trips.
Damn it. I figured that would be the case, though. I suppose its the same way in an MKS too.
Why should a car so big on the outside have the feel of dropping yourself into a bobsled or old WWII fighter plane cockpit?
The styling trend the last few years has been ever higher beltlines. Remember when you could comfortably rest your elbow on the window sill? Not any more, the sill is too high. I keep seeing this Hyundai ad and noticing that the window sill of the car is at the same height as the top of the shoulders of the man and woman driving the cars. The Camaro is routinely criticized for giving the driver the sensation he is sunk down in a hole, peeking out through a slit of a window.
The Germans seem to be resisting this styling trend a bit better than others.
I know, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what kind of pinhead ever thought this was a good idea. I suppose that styling looks more “aggressive” or somesuch but why would you want that on the successors to the old luxobarges and their more downscale equivalents?
I drive an old ’04 Deville for work sometimes and positively love the way it sits. I’ve rode in the back as well, and its not bad at all, especially if there is no one in the front passenger seat and its adjusted to fit someone the size of a 90 lb. 90 year old woman. The inside is not perfect (the column shifter oddly impedes access to the volume knob, I suppose that is one way to make people use the wheel mounted buttons…) but a big guy like me fits into it easily and comfortably. It feels like I’m rolling in my living room, albeit on a fancier coutch. I’d buy one if I wasn’t so afraid of the Northstar blowing a head gasket.
WIth that big feel, it also projects the idea to me the driver that I own the road and I am not in a hurry for anyone or anything, not that I’m pretending to drive the Indy 500 in everything from a craptacular subcompact through the supposed luxury cars.
I am getting anxious that the old style is quickly fading away from the kind of cars I could make my next daily driver. With the Towncar production ending in 2011, I see those years ticking by too quickly with nothing similar in the foreseeable future.
It’s the return of Chrysler’s Fuselage look. After 40 years it’s finally gone mainstream!
I’m not holding my breath waiting for Exner’s ’62s to come back though. 🙂
There has been a lot of discussion about getting rid of shifters and just going to push buttons. Easy to do as signal sent to transmission is electronic anyway. Some of the benefits of using push buttons are cost, weight, and space savings. Also the possibility to improve ergonomics. However, all the world knows how to use the console shifter we have now and with push buttons some ding dong will get all confused, have a big wreck, and sue everyone in sight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LmXgpVkOaU
Now imagine push buttons.
Wow, and this from our resident Ford homer! 🙂
There is nothing more disappointing than being really ready to like a car, but having that car make a good relationship impossible. Ford seems to be doing a number of things that make their cars hard to love these days.
Thank you! It must help emphasize my disgust.
Right now, I’m thinking I may rent a Fusion next. After sitting in a Fiesta last summer, I can then say I have ruled out all three of the Ford F-bombs.
Don’t worry, JP; I have a ode for the (former) wonderful world of Fords in the can plus I’m working on another.
The Fusion steering wheel without a telescoping feature requires you to add another 6 inches to the length of your arm.
Jason, amen and amen. Spent a long weekend with my dad in his ’12 Focus last year and the center console was too intrusive in the passenger seat too. I’ve seldom been so happy to get out of a car.
The happiest exit I’ve ever made from a car was a friend’s (BMW) Mini. And we drove a total of four blocks!
Classic, Jason! Just classic.
Being from, Missouri, any chance you’re related to Mark Twain?
Maybe you’d consider changing your avatar? 😉
To my knowledge, I’m not related.
However, I did live in Hannibal for 5 years (where Twain grew up) and I did just finish reading “Tom Sawyer” to Spawn. So maybe there is an influence?
Mr. Shafer,
Please write more rental car reviews.
Sincerely,
CC Commentariat
Stay tuned. I was checking prices this morning. Enterprise is two doors down, Avis and Budget are just across the street from Enterprise.
PLEASE do! Wonderful reading – I’m just glad I finished my breakfast first! 🙂
I remember the hype surrounding these in early-mid 2011. It was finally the first all-new Focus in North America in eleven years! At long last, Americans (and Canadians) wouldn’t be shortchanged anymore! Everyone was impressed with the interior quality and suspension tuning. When I finally got a chance to sit in one, I was disappointed at how intrusive the center console was. The whole interior was cramped.
I don’t have anything to add to the console hate other than by now I’m used to them impinging upon my space. The only thing I might add is that rear wheel drive cars with consoles are even worse; the one in my 2011 Mustang takes up a lot of room and doesn’t even provide much storage room. I agree that automatic transmissions don’t need the shifter on the floor; either a rotary knob or Chrysler style pushbuttons would be fine.
My BIL had some of these as company cars my sister took one for a drive and hated it, not exactly sure why but she refused to drive one again, mind you she didnt like the Mondeo either but bought a Mazda 6 and they are essentially the same car under the skin.
Jason,
Thank you for your help in the crusade against center consoles. I’m also now convinced you are a fine civil engineer by your appreciation of the HP calculator. I cringe every time I see an engineer not using one – in SC it indicates they went to Clemson and are not to be trusted in their judgement.
Next up, this daylight saving time has to stop God *******.
Best regards,
Patrick
Thank you for the kind words.
You are quite correct on daylight savings time. My disappointment in its continued use is formidable.
Good review. The comments regarding the console are spot on, as well as comments in the thread regarding the Taurus. For such a large car, it is also quite cramped and the console is ridiculously oversized. I also possess a right leg on a 6’1″ 195lb body. Large cars should fit me without a problem.
I own and drive a ’12 Focus SE with the five speed manual, currently with apx 12K miles.
I have no objection at all to the console however I do drive with the (manual) seat pushed back as far as possible; I like my arms out.
My issues with the Focus are two, and both powertrain related: 1) not enough gears; 2) not enough power starting out in first from 0-10mph.
Since Ford and Mazda had parted ways, the next generation Ford Focus will no longer be related to the Mazda3. The Mazda3 will now be based on an entirely new platform based on skyactiv technology starting in 2016.
Jason,
I totally understand where you’re coming from. As an owner of a ’13 Focus who stands at 5′ 6″, the car suits me just fine. But for bigger people it just can’t work.
You should definitely try out a Fusion when you get a chance, that should solve your front seat woes.
In my opinion, center consoles are useful places for the shifter, storage and an armrest if the vehicle cannot effectively sit 3 across in the front, which I would say is anything narrower than about 70 inches. In vehicles wider than that, I think they should still be optional, but not standard as they are coming to be now. I understand the appeal of a console in something like a B-body Impala SS, but not a Caprice. I can’t say I’ve ever driven a car where the center console intrudes noticeably, though.
I imagine the reason that carmakers are getting rid of bench seats is that it’s more challenging to design a dash that can accomodate buckets or a bench, including having column and floor shifter variants. Electronic pushbutton gear selectors would help with this, but they rub me the wrong way in the same way that drive and steer by wire systems do, no discernable fail-safe backup.
We probably will never get rid of consoles, until people get over wanting to have a cup holder “fall readily to hand” as R&T might say. Then there is all the other stuff people want room for, like cell phones and iPods. Every car I have had since 85 has had a console, and none of them bothered me. Only thing I don’t like about the later console designs is the cup holders are aft of the shifter, so a tall cup, or center armrest, would interfere with rowing the shifter. The 98 Civic and 02 Escort both had the cup holders forward of the shifter, so cups were out of the way, and neither had an armrest.
As for the leg interference issue, I had not noticed in the new Jetta wagon, so I took a look today. Nope, no problem. There is at least half an inch clearance between my right leg and the side of the console.
Why do front wheel drive, transverse engine cars have consoles at all? What is behind all that plastic? Since many, if not most cars sold in the US do not offer a manual transmission, why not put the gear selector on the dash, like my old Dodge A-100. It should be even easier, since today’s gear selector is really just an electrical switch.
Ford DOES sell a good chunk of US Focuses (Foci?) with manual transmissions – the ST is manual-only and the take rate for the other models is higher than Ford expected. Whether that has to do with the bad ink PowerShift’s gotten or the fact that aside from the revised Mazda 3 it’s the “driver’s car” of its’ class is debatable (probably a combination of factors).
OTOH I can’t imagine why Toyota gave the thirdgen Prius a console since the second did without and it’s auto-only and by no means a sporty car.
The average Kiwi bloke is 177cm tall? Well, at 173cm I now feel very inadequate; thank you Jason, thank you very much… 😉
I must admit I’m a fan of nice centre consoles. I equate console-free cars with cheapness (sorry) – insofar as if the controls for all the features can fit beside the instruments, then clearly there aren’t enough features!
Having said that though, that Focii console/pedal placement looks hysterically bad and would stop me wanting a Focii. Although, to be honest, I’m more put off by the over-busy ugliness Euro-Ford dashboards have had for several years now. Ford used to do great dashboards once…
Our Kiwi Focii have mirror image dashboard/console, but the pedals aren’t of course, so the accelerator’s over by the door and the footrest resides adjacent to the console. So there’s your answer Jason, c’mon over to the land of New Zea, experience the unbridled delight of accelerators unconstrained by consoles!
It is quite interesting how early experiences form our preferences, isn’t it? I always equate consoles with less costly cars and those with sporty pretensions.
I have had two cars with consoles, a ’96 Thunderbird and an ’89 Mustang. Neither was unsavory in the execution (Thunderbird interior seen below).
On a side note…a co-worker was stationed in New Zealand when he was in the military. He said its one the most beautiful countries he has ever visited. Even he told me I should go there sometime.
Actually, my first car was my 1994 Cougar, still have it, and I still don’t like consoles. I’d actually like to delete it when I put new carpet in to cover the holes. To me it’s the cheapest feeling thing in the interior, creaks the most and constantly looks dirty since the top is black and is a tactile magnet for dust.
FWIW I think the 89-93 MN12s had a better center console design, especially on the 5-speed SCs since they’re low around the shifter (the top of the console is only an inch or so above the carpet) and high at the armrest. Too bad the dash is such a letdown on them though. 85-88 Turbo Coupes had nice consoles too.
I would have thought that RHD was worse for console intrusion, seeing as your accelerator leg is normally more ‘straight’ than the resting left leg.
I regularly drive a Toyota Corolla hatch, or Auris as they were called in Europe, which has a raised ‘bridge’ that brings the gearshift lever closer in height to the steering wheel (it actually has a storage tray underneath), that really impinges on lateral knee room. It has a fairly smooth, if hard, surface to rest against. The other ‘feature’ is that at the joins between the bridge & dash panel you can feel the flexing in the car’s body!
Wow, that gearshift lever angle and position reminds me of same in the Alfa 105 coupe.
I had one of those Corolla hatches new as a rental back in 2008. Hated, hated it. The console was awful and I lost count how many times I pinched my fingers on the stupid anti-ergonomic handbrake. Lousy hard ride, and yes everything flexed and squeaked or rattled. I actually took it back after a week, told Avis it was awful and asked for something – anything – else. They gave me an ’07 Mondeo, which had the world’s most pathetic cupholder but fantastic seats and the most wonderfully plush ride.
You don’t need a floor console nor a fancy bridge for a gear shift lever, as this Renault 4 proves. As you can see the lever sits as high as the steering wheel. Also, in several modern vans the lever is not on the floor anymore, like in a Mercedes Vito and Sprinter.
as this Renault 4 proves.
As does the early 2000s Civic Si.
As does the Toyota Martix and Pontiac Vibe
As does the Citroën Traction Avant, before WW2. And the 2CV, just after WW2.
I remember that basic trim levels of a car model didn’t have a console, just the gear shift lever on the floor. Only the higher trim levels had a console. And now all cars have one. Well, most of them.
Maybe I’m prejudiced because my last car without a console was my late, unlamented 75 Monarch, but I like having some storage space where I can reach it, for stuff like laundry tickets, and a cupholder to hold my sunglasses (where do you put those things if you don’t have a console?). I’m average height, and I’ve never had a problem with my leg rubbing against the console. I just checked on my 09 Mazda6, and there’s a couple of inches between my leg and the console.
I’d argue the minimum width to even consider putting a bench seat into a car is Panther-width (~78″). Anything narrower and the space is only useful for a 5 year old. Anyway, how often do people drive with six people in the car?
My ’05 and ’08 Mazda6s both had handy sunglasses fold-out pockets on the lowerpart of the dashboard adjacent to the door. The ’06 also had a roof-mounted sunglasses pocket. They weren’t big enough for all sunglasses designs but fitted the ones I like.
I hate all the crap they put into new cars. All the entertainment systems, GPS, touch screens, etc etc etc. I don’t even want power windows (never had a car where they didn’t fail sooner or later) or AC.
I’m wondering if a day will soon come where all you can get is an automatic with every creature comfort and bell and whistle they can think up.
I drive a 1990 Celica Alltrac as my DD and have a 2001 MR2 Spyder and that’s about as high tech as I want a car to be.
I really miss the days of driving my dad’s plain jane 74 Nova, his no options whatsoever Dodge Shadow, or my Miata with manual window winders.
Seriously, I can’t be the only one who does not want all that extra crap when buying a car? Even sports cars today are all decked out. I suspect I’ll spend the rest of my life driving vintage cars because I can’t stand all the crap on new ones.
@Jason – I am with you on some stuff but not others. I like power windows and locks, AC… and I have become smitten with bluetooth connectivity, but just for making calls, I don’t need streaming music. But all the “infotainment”, touch screens, cameras, etc, no thanks don’t need it. Well GPS is nice but I have it on my phone!
We have a 2001 MR2 too, fun car!!
Unless there’s a compelling reason for me to do so, I won’t be shopping for any current/late model car in the forseeable future for the same reasons. MPG and safety propaganda aren’t going to lure me into payments on a car I otherwise feel disconnected from due to my lack of input on how it should be equipped.
I like power locks/windows though, but we could spec our cars to our tastes in the good old days.
I agree with you on some things however when I buy a new car one of the things that i look for and is a deal breaker is a lack of a USB port to play my MP3 player through the car radio. It does not have to be a fancy dancy system that has so much power that somebody in the next zip code can hear my music but it must have a USB.
That may seem shallow and that I should be worried about more important things about the car BUT I drive a lot during the week and regular radio is not acceptable as all they do is talk in the morning. Plus the fact that most car makers integrate the radios into the HVAC or other system(i.e. Onstar and warning buzzers etc) replacing the radio with aftermarket is hard to do.
tsk tsk tsk
And “loyal Americans” wonder why I purchased three new Hondas in a row. And now a Toyota.
I happen to have a 2004 Focus ZTS with the 2.3L engine and 5spd. I kind of took a flyer on buying this in 2004 after having a 1986 Mazda 626 go 350,000 miles. Have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the car. Speed, agility, nimble and quickness all rolled into one. Takes curves like it is on tracks. Quiet compared to the previous 626. Inside a little plasticky but since I care for my cars no problem. Think 2004-2005 were some of the best years for this car. No teething issues as in 2000-03 and no toning down the suspension as in later years. Not sure I’d buy another one 10 years later but don’t have to with only 120,000 on my 10 year old one. Oh, not one issue with it.
I’m way in the minority I’m sure but I thought the last generation was better. They were stark and even dull but they had character and were practical, never had issues with their narrow center consoles either. I don’t like the shift schedule on the current automatics, way too much hunting for the WRONG gear(that may have changed, the rental I drove was 2012 IIRC), I’m not a fan of the looks, I’m not a fan of it’s girth and especially it’s weight over the last ones either. But thems the times we live in.
Consoles really defeat the purpose of FWD to me. Whole benefit is the flat floor, These Focii have more leg intusion than my RWD Cougar!
Directed towards Jason Allen , you will find me in that minority also. My daily driver for the last two years has been a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country. While I love its cupholders and power everything, I just can’t help but cringe at the thought of something in the electric system going kaput. Last week , I bought a 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup, Silverado interior extended cab short box. While a Silverado is known as a “Cowboy Cadillac” this one was optioned weird. Two wheel drive, 262 cubic inch V6, and a five speed manual transmission. I wanted something old and simple enough to work on myself. Imagine my dread when I discovered it has throttle body fuel injection !
Don’t even get me started on the digital climate control !
You can thank the 1961 Ford Thunderbird for “console” mania!
This is why I love my xB:
I was concerned about the big console in our new TSX wagon, but it doesn’t interfere with my leg; it was one of the first things that I checked the first time I slid behind the wheel.
That is an ideal interior for a vehicle with a manual transmission.
Here’s something else that consoles prevent: Sometimes when driving you just want to rub your lady’s leg. It’s a lot harder to do when you have to reach over something.
+1
“Apart from that, Mr Shafer, did you enjoy the car?”
Yes, thank you, I did. The heat worked fabulously and the color of the car was quite nice. Plus it was a flex fuel model, so I was able to fill it up with E-85 (ethanol), saving me about $0.50 per gallon.
I wholeheartedly agree with your disdain for the centre console when done incorrectly. I am only 5’7 and have a 30 inch inseam and I still bumped my knee on the gigantic console/ furnace cover in my Volvo 240. You could forgive this, as it was designed in a country known for having short people. Flat floors are a highly underrated design feature. Following a Saab 900, which had a very thin console which did not intrude at all, my current car- aMer;cedes 190e- is to me an ergonomic masterpiece. The floorboards are totally square, with a very thin console that is below the level of the seats- much better done than the Volvo, or anything out there today. Handily, the console even has a storage tray tailor made for a galaxy note- automakers of today look backwards!
I agree about the intrusion of center consoles on cars nowadays but oddly enough I have never had the issue with my foot banging against the console on ether the focus(which I have rented a few times this year) and the Fiesta(which I own) and I am not a mall dude (at 6ft 1in and 270lbs) I think you are spoiled with the copious amount of room the Century has. Which is rightly so since roominess was a big big selling point. In my 1989 Century i had gobs of leg room but on my folks 1996 Century(last of the classic 82-96) I found that it has not as roomy in the drivers seat. It could have been the seats did not go as far back as the 89. It did have that lame manual seat with power recliner. The 1996 also had an annoying humped panel under the drivers side part of the dash(unlike the flat panel on the 89)
I do like having a center console with places to store stuff as my previous daily driver(2010 Ranger single cab had no inside space at all(a glove box so small that putting the owners manual back into it was a chore etc)
I am quite happy with my 2012 Focus, although it is at the other end of the spectrum from the rental spec one you had and it is a more practical hatchback. I get about 29 mpg in a mix of NYC and highway driving. When shopping, I had it narrowed down to the Volvo C30 and the Focus, as I wanted a European car so no GM or Japanese brands were considered. Plus my car has been on TV.
Hillarious write-up, Jason!
I agree, on cars like this, why WOULDNT they just put the shifter on the column? Its a sedan, its not a sportscar…its not even a ‘sporty’ car. Personally, the column shift on my ’05 Ram is one of the features i actually DONT like. Having an automatic is the real culprit though, but with the Hemi you just don’t get any other choice. If your purpose in a car is to be coddled in comfort and you care nothing for the actual driving experience then column shifts, bench seats, etc etc are fine for that demographic. But that’s who actually buys sedans in the first place. The console and floor mount shifter are great for the ST. Im a big guy myself but in a sporty fast car I want to stay planted in my seat. The sedan version of the Focus should carry little to nothing in common with the hatch which is more performance oriented in the first place.
Seems to me that the carmakers are always trying to make something into something it isn’t in some lame half baked attempt to please everyone. During the malaise era, we saw coupes broughamified into comfy land barges. Now, we see sedans trying to be sporty. I say, decide once and for all what direction you want a car to go and go whole hog. GM had midsize sedans sorted out pretty well with the Cutlass Ciera, Century, and the others. That’s why J.S.’s leg is happy…its a comfy cruising car, sacrificing sporty pretensions for just that. An automatic is NOT sporty, so why even try to put the shifter in the floor?
On the other hand, sporty cars should be just that. Strip em down to what you need to go fast, carve corners and look good. Ill happily sacrifice day to day comfort in order to satisfy my lust for style and performance. 2 different personality types, driving preferences, attitudes….should make for 2 distinct vehicles.
I hate consoles. I recently rented a 2014 Impala Limited with bucket seats/console for a week while visiting LA. I couldn’t wait to have my ’09 Impala with bench seat/column shift back when I got home.
I’ve had several Focus rentals and I like the cars but Jason is correct about the console. It’s simply too large for the car. Consoles are popular to house HVAC ducts and electronic gear.
Very colloquially known as a cop out (by disabling comments) on your Toyota Corolla Review today (April 30, 2014) I won’t say what I wanted to type on your Corolla review. Sir, you are just biased against Japanese cars. Like the old C.H.I.P.s’ episode where the staunch American car guy vandalized and bullied Japanese cars and their owners.
The mass market car that pretty much started the console thing in the United States: 1958 Thunderbird.
Looks like the parking lot at Chesterfield Mall…
I too have an aging Ford ZX2 that my teenage kids are trying to kill, and I have considered a Focus as its replacement. I have driven the previous generation Focus and really like it (compared to the ZX2 at least) but have no first-hand experience with the new Focus.
My wife is a Honda fan, so we may wind up with a Civic. So, which is worse, the oddball automatic in the Ford, or the CVT in the new Civic?