Focus or Civic?

the deftone

My old car has packed it in. Need a new one. Iv narrowed it down to a 2017 honda civic or a 2020 ford focus.

Quite different cars I know, but they are the two I like the most. Which would you go for?

I know Honda's are very reliable but I heard the 10th gen civic has a costly timing belt repair needed every few years.

Thanks for any advice.

THE_SHEEP

Basically, avoid ( if possible) the 1 litre turbo engine variant in both the Honda + Ford ( jokingly referred to as Eco- Boom in the Ford ) .

The issues in both involve the timing belt , known as a " wet belt " system ( simple terms , belt runs through oil / gets coated in oil . Was supposed to help with longevity of belt , ie belt was supposed to last lifetime of vehicle, circa 150k miles , instead of change every 50k ) . Has been discovered that the belts in these systems can degrade, resulting in pieces of the belt getting lodged in the turbo etc ( hence the Boom nickname on the Ford ) .

If purchasing either , make sure to check for regular service intervals / oil change ( as with all cars , but above all, these ). Also check has belt been changed / checked for degredation .

( P.s Ford in USA issued recall on the 1 litre ecoboost engine to correct above mentioned issues , due mainly to class action law suit + low amount of these sold in USA ( cheaper fix ) . Ford coming under increasing pressure in EU + UK to recall engine model and provide fix , but due to numbers sold , looks highly unlikely ( cost ) . I'm currently unsure as to what the situation is with warranty / good will ?????? 😬😬😬) .

GPoint

Newer Ford eco boost engines use chain now not sure from what year. 2020 diesel in Ford is a better engine and has plenty of torque. Mated to an 8 speed automatic box is a nice drive overall. Only issue is a bit noisy before you get up to speed if accelerating hard.

Most Ford focus second hand should have extended Ford warranty which is 7 years , this was paid option but dealers were encouraging it for new car buyers. So if buying 2020 focus you will have warranty until 2027.

Test drive both but consider running costs and popularity of the model and mechanics available to work on them.

Flinty997

I'd avoid both 1.0 L for the reasons above.

Are you doing mainly long or short journeys. If it's short journeys avoid a diesel.

Henry Ford III

I had a Focus Active 1.0T. It had a timing chain. The wet belt version hasn't been sold for years. If serviced properly and regularly they are fine too.

125bhp version has decent performance and economy.

GPoint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121921182#Comment_121921182

Does Active hatchback have independent rear suspension setup ? Estate def has independent nut sure about hatchback

ec18

I've a 2018 civic 1.0L, owned it since new and the only issue I've had is an alternator pulley went and was pain....otherwise though it's a great car no complaints it's done us up to two kids

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121921283#Comment_121921283

I don't think so, but the ride and handling are still very good.

bodonnell

Can't speak for ford but I'm on my 2nd 10th gen civic, 1.5L. Have had zero issues with either

Hellrazer

1.0 litre Civic is just a failure waiting to happen - Worst engine Honda ever built. So much so they extended the warranty on the engine if Im not mistaken.

Focus Ecoboost with the chain is what Id go for and Im a big Honda fan.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923402#Comment_121923402

The 1.5 is bulletproof. Never gave any problems.