Used 2017 Ford Focus SEL for sale 

There are 4 trims namely S, SE, SEL, and Titanium, all of which come with extensive features introduced in each successive model. The S is only offered as a sedan while others are either hatchback or sedan. Some of the features offered as standard in the higher trims are provided as optional on the Focus S.

While mostly offering a tweaked powertrain as standard or optional, the Focus offers different expansive features as we go up the ladder in the trims. The Focus S offers basic features like cloth upholstery, 15-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, and so on, whereas when you go higher the ladder, you'd find the Titanium offering well-stocked features like more premium upholstery, heated mirrors with puddle lamp, bigger 17-inch aluminum wheels, and so on.

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Sedan buyers will go for the SEL trim as it offers some amazing goodies like an upgraded SYNC 3 infotainment interface, which gets smartphone integration, an 8-inch touchscreen, HD Radio, and a 10-speaker audio system. Priced at $21,975, the Focus SEL sedan also gets dual-zone climate control, an automatic transmission, a moonroof, and rear parking sensors.

The Ford Focus S comes with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine which puts out 160 horses of power and 146 pound-feet of torque. The drivetrain is a standard front-wheel-drive while the transmission comes with either a standard 5-speed manual package or an optional 6-speed automatic transmission, provided only on the high-end Titanium trim.

The engine performance of the Focus sedan is enough for normal driving albeit it gives a feeling of wanting more. It performs smoothly with no hiccups and drives well on the manual transmission. The automatic transmission, however, does not react in a responsive manner. The gears don't seem responsive to the corresponding speed and seem more of a hit-and-miss. The manual gears seem like the better choice here.

The Ford Focus is the most powerful sedan in this competition with 160 horsepower in the pocket. Just below it is the Honda Civic with 158 horsepower while the Chevrolet Cruze fills in the last place due to low power but is high on torque compared to its rivals. While the Focus and the Cruze stay in the $16000 mark, the Civic starts with $18,740. Also, the Focus stays behind the competition by offering a 5-speed manual transmission.

How quick is the Ford Focus from 0-60 MPH?

The Ford Focus sedan accelerates quickly with all that 146 pound-feet of torque, reaching the 60 mph mark at 6.2 seconds. But, reaching the quarter-mile takes a good 16.3 seconds, which is just about average from the engine performance.

Although the Focus zips away quickest in reaching 60 mph, its rivals take just about the same time in the quarter-mile distance. It is interesting to note that the Cruze utilizes a less powerful and smaller engine while producing a lot more torque when compared to the Focus S, yet the Focus S seems like a better choice when comparing pure acceleration.

While the Focus sedan takes around 6.2 seconds to reach the 60 mph mark, the Civic and the Cruze take a full 2 seconds more than the Focus S to reach the same. However, they catch up on the quarter-mile distance. The Ford Focus wins the performance round here. It is faster and more fuel-efficient compared to the lot here.

How does the 2017 Ford Focus handle?

One thing that the Ford Focus sedan does extraordinarily well is handling. The ride is very well-composed and the suspension is very well-sorted. It doesn’t ever feel upset over potholes or at corners. The Focus sedan is an easy-to-drive vehicle with quick and responsive steering and excellent maneuverability.

The car is well balanced, with a great chassis and quiet driving. Comfortable, entertaining, and sporty - the car delivers on all fronts. The Focus is more of a "made for all" car so zipping on the highway, coasting on a freeway, or just trying to get out of traffic, the Focus S feels like a pleasure to drive.

How are the brakes on the 2017 Ford Focus?

The Ford Focus sedan has 10.9 inches front brakes while measuring 9 inches on the rear. With a curb weight of 2935 pounds, the car when braking from 60 mph comes to a stop within 117 feet. While this isn't too bad, it is still average. The brake pedals feel good and responsive while maintaining a solid feel to it.

Comparing the stats in the table, the Cruze stops a bit later while the Civic has the worst braking, taking a good 127 feet to come to a standstill. Despite being a heavy car, the Focus takes the shortest braking distance in this segment and climbs to the top of the table.

The Ford Focus sedan, powered by a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine gives around 25 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and when looking at the combined economy, it manages 28 mpg. For its price segment, you can find better numbers out there. With a fuel tank capacity of 12.4 gallons, the driving range offered is 366 miles. While these are estimates for the manual transmission, the Focus S with automatic transmission gives out lower results.

Looking at the Honda Civic and the Chevrolet Cruze, both the cars provide better mpg on all fronts when compared to the Focus. As seen here, the Civic provides a better overall fuel consumption per gallon while the Cruz bags second place for its decent fuel economy unlike the Focus.

The interior of the Ford Focus sedan is high-quality, sleek, and contemporary in design. It rather looks like an expensive car, unlike its price segment. Although the Focus is an economy class, the interior does not look or feel any cheap or poor in quality. The dashboard is a nice and clean design.

The front seats are comfortable and spacious. The rear seats, though are small and stuffy, making it less of a place for adults to sit comfortably in while not proving to be the same for children. The head and legroom in the back seats are way less when compared to the front seats.

Unlike its rivals, the Honda Civic offers class-leading head and legroom in both rows. In terms of interior quality, the Focus beats its rivals. The rest of the interior features are homologous with the rivals. Some interior features include:

• Steering wheel with audio control
• Rear heat vents
• Tilt and telescoping steering wheel
• Power front and rear windows with driver one - touch down
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Heated steering wheel
• Cargo area protector

How intuitive is the 2017 Ford Focus’s infotainment system?

When it comes to the infotainment system, all the features are nicely distributed to all the trim levels. The S and SE trim comes with a 4.2-inch infotainment screen fitted on the center of the dashboard. It features voice recognition, AM/FM stereo, etc.

While a four-speaker setup is standard on the S trim, the SE trim comes with six speakers. Features get upgraded from the SEL trim. Both the top trims get a SYNC 3 infotainment system that features an 8-inch touchscreen display. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. The music system also gets upgraded to a ten-speaker Sony audio system. Some of the other features include:

• Two USB ports
• A 12V power outlet
• HD radio
• An optional five-year subscription to SiriusXM Travel and Travel Link
• Voice recognition
• Applink connectivity

How much cargo capacity does the 2017 Ford Focus offer?

The Ford Focus sedan is 7 inches longer than the hatchback and all of that goes right to the trunk. A 13.2 cubic feet cargo volume seems decent yet falls short of the average volume offered in the class segment. One thing to note is that you do get bar-style hinges for the trunk but they are pressed all the way to the outside edges of the trunk area.

The Honda Civic offers the most boot space with a nice 15.1 cubes while the Chevrolet Cruze offers a tad less than it. The Focus has the smallest boot space when compared to the Civic and the Cruze.

Ford has barely changed much of the Focus' design since 2012, but while a traditional refreshed model has been annually updated, the design has not seen much of any significant changes, apart from a new grille added on the Focus models. The Focus sedan is a nicely-designed vehicle and well-built. The car is quite compact for a sedan. It is clean and stylish without appearing to try too much. 

While Ford has not done much of an update in the past years, it is refreshing to see the design still works today. Different trims get different wheel options. The low-end S trim sits on 15-inch alloy wheels while the SE gets upgraded to 16-inch alloys. The top trims upgrade to 17-inch alloys. Also, the lower trims get halogen headlamps while the SEL and Titanium trim gets LED headlights with LED daytime running lights and fog lamps. 

The car measures are slightly short in length but wider in comparison to the Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze. It also appears slightly taller in its segment. On the other hand, the ground clearance and wheelbase are both higher and longer respectively, as compared to its rivals. The Focus S is the heaviest in its segment, with the Honda Civic weighing the lightest. Overall, the sedan is a well-built vehicle capable of driving on just about any street without a hassle.The Focus comes with some of the following standard features:

• Automatic quad-beam halogen headlamps
• Mirror with integrated blind spot
• Rear window defroster
• 18-inch Alloys
• Front upper-grille with gloss black
• Heated mirrors
• LED lighting with daytime running lamps
• Rear spoiler

Ford has always been one of the top pioneers in the country when it comes to safety. The new Ford Focus sedan was well-received by the safety agencies. NHTSA gave a total of five stars while the IIHS gave ‘Good’ ratings on all the tests. The Focus comes with seven airbags including dual front, front side, side curtain, and driver’s knee airbags. It also comes with a list of safety features like:

• Airbag Occupancy Sensor
• Rear Child Safety Locks
• Back-Up Camera
• ABS And Driveline Traction Control
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Lane-Keeping Assist
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Rear Parking Sensors

Ford Focus vs Honda Civic

With prices starting at $18,740, which is $2,000 more than the Ford Focus, the new Honda Civic offers a great overall package. It offers a much better engine performance, more spacious and comfortable, better fuel efficiency, and just as enjoyable to drive as the Focus. It even scores much better in the NHTSA and IIHS rating, even to the extent of being rated top safety pick by IIHS. The interiors are much better in quality and the standard trim looks more luxurious. It even provides better boot space when compared to the Focus.

The Honda Civic proves far better in value when compared to the Focus. That is not to say the Focus is a bad car in comparison, it is still a great car and offers a lot that Honda does too. For instance, the SYNC 3 infotainment system, which is far more advanced than what Honda offers. But if $2,000 doesn't burn a hole in your pocket, then Honda seems far more feasible at this point.

Ford Focus vs Chevrolet Cruze

The Chevrolet Cruze starts at 16,975, almost at par with the pricing of the Ford Focus. In comparison with Ford, the Cruze comes with a lesser powerful engine, nice interiors and exteriors, much more legroom and headroom on the rear seats, a top-quality cabin, and better fuel economy.

The car is well balanced and offers good drivability. While the car is pretty much on a similar scale and offers similar features to the Ford Focus, the latter seems like a wiser choice when compared to the former. The new Focus seems to perform better in almost every endeavor.

While there are other better options in the class segment, the Ford Focus truly does deliver for what price it offers. It offers great performance and a comfortable driving experience, gives decent mpg, comfort, looks good, excellent handling, and maneuverability. While Focus sedan does have many competitors in the field, and most of them do outperform it, the car still offers a great deal for its price.