TDCI Focus

Franco Cozzo · 12-12-2010, 07:05 PM

Hey guys, I'm looking at upgrading from my WS Fiesta hopefully before the end of this month and I'm looking at trying out turbo diesel, the TDCI Focus has caught my eye, does it have the same features at the Zetec one? Its about the same price.

I'm curious as to how good the aircon is, as the WS it barely exists, anything above 25 degrees and you have to start the car 40 minutes before you drive it to cool it down to a comfortable level and keep it running while you're driving.

Also how do they drive? I'm after a manual one.

If you could all share your experiences, that would be great, thanks much.

Loris · 12-12-2010, 07:41 PM

what model? LT (07 - 08 i think) are all manual.. the LV model is auto\manual

The aircon on mine also takes a while.. not 40min, maybe 5-10min before you really feel it.

great car to drive, puts a smile on my face when in 3rd or 4th and u put ur foot down.. they really pull hard through those gears, lot of torque

Franco Cozzo · 12-12-2010, 07:54 PM

Yeah, the WS Aircon is hopeless, it struggles badly in our climate it seems.

I'm looking at new, so LV I assume, I've never driven a turbo diesel car before, so the feeling of torque will be interesting.

Turbodiesel · 12-12-2010, 10:39 PM

The TDCi is the same spec as the LX, you pay a premium for the diesel engine so don't expect to make any savings on fuel.

Other than that it's a top car and would probably still buy one today.

jumbuck · 13-12-2010, 10:27 AM

I have had my LV suto diesel for about 18 months now. Can't say I have too many complaints but I suppose the best thing is the way it drives. If it wasn't for that it would be just like any other car. Haven't had any major issues and the air con is adequate (I'm in Perth) but certainly have seen better.
The combo of the diesel/6 speed auto is excellant although like most auto's it does sometimes pick the wrong gear. Well worth a comparison to the manual.
It does suffer from road noise (like all Focus do) and if you do a lot of city driving I wouldn't bother with the diesel at all. These cars love to cruise on the highway.

Franco Cozzo · 13-12-2010, 04:59 PM

All I do is cruise on the highway, my driving is 95% 100km/h country highway. I'm doing about 6.7L/100km in my Fiesta at the moment with its pathetic aircon on most of the time.

I'm not considering any autos as I don't like them.

kevino · 13-12-2010, 08:02 PM

Big Damo
I changed from a WP (07) Fiesta manual last November to a 6/08 TDCI Focus 6 speed manual.
The air con is fine-I live in Qld and it copes fine.
Just some positives and negatives
If you havent driven a diesel you will find it very different.
Yes it has bags of torque particuarly when past the burbs...but unless you boot it and it will wheelspin in 1st and 2nd its slow off the mark.
Fuel economy is great mine is 5.2 mainly freeway runs with aircon on.
However it does not handle corners that great and if you are a windy rd driver it wont cut it..doesnt handle as well as a petrol focus.
Mine has the crap Goodyear NCT original tyres showing little wear at 44000 but gee are they noisy.
Mine also has a bit of rust around the left hand hatch area.
So if you want one make sure you like the engine!!

Franco Cozzo · 14-12-2010, 07:17 PM

Anyone here looked into an ECU remap for one of these babies? I've seen this blufin thing, its pretty much down to this or the diesel i30 now, a company in Adelaide does an ECU remap which gets the I30 from 85kw at the engine to 90 at the front wheels and a big improvement in torque, 0-100km/h in 8.22 seconds and mid 15 second quarter mile.

I'd be interested in what this blufin thing can do, as the i30 and the Focus are about the same price drive away.

Turbodiesel · 14-12-2010, 08:04 PM

I disagree with kevino about the handling, I've given mine a bit of a rap and even had the back step out a bit on a corner. I read a lot about the car before I bought it and the front springs are actually stiffened to conpensate for the extra weight.

If you're in the wet it will wheelspin a lot but that just comes with the torque, Damo just take one for a test drive and see if you like it.

The Focus will blow the i30 away

jandj · 14-12-2010, 08:24 PM

My partner has a LV diesel auto focus.Great car to drive,had sum issues with the car.Yaw sensor that changes gears had to be replaced,and bearing in front wheel hub let go and had to be replaced.Great on fuel about 2 weeks out of a tank of fuel,and the torque of that engine puts a smile on my face everytime i drive it

.Just find yourself a good dealership to get it service.

kevino · 14-12-2010, 09:09 PM

......................I30
1.6ltr, 86kw 255nms torque standard from memory.
.....................Foci TDCI
2.0 ltr , 100kw, 320 nms torque.

The I 30 competes with the Peugeot 1.6 turbo diesel ..the Foci has the JV 2litre Peugeot/Ford engine....the 2.0 ltr will just destroy hills, the 1.6 not quite so good, as the numbers suggest. (had a 307 1.6 diesel in 06)

Back to handling well the WP Fiesta would accelerate around tight roundabouts just glued to the road, guess its a bit tough to compare the TDCI to little WP.

jumbuck · 14-12-2010, 10:29 PM

I also would disgaree that the diesel doesnt handle as good as the petrol model. I drove both and thought the diesel felt a bit more secure on the road and into corners. Maybe it's the extra weight in the front. Might just be me though.
Interesting that someone elses LV did a wheel bearing. Mine did two. They replaced the hub on the second failure and all good since then. The car basically shuts down when this happened and is damn annoying.
In regards to the i30, even if you could get the extra power out of it I certainly wouldn't want to throw one around too much. I have driven one and while it is probably good value it certainly doesn't have the handling of the Focus. Chalk and cheese imo.

Franco Cozzo · 25-12-2010, 10:18 PM

Hey guys I've pretty much decided on the TDCI Focus, I'm already looking into this Code:RED ECU tune for them once I've ran it in, they claim 130Kw and 400nm, has anyone got any experience with this sort of stuff?

Anyone here done any sort of mods to them?

Also I've never ever driven any sort of torquey car, the most torquey and powerfull thing I have driven was an 07 manual Lancer with the 2.4L 4 cylinder, haha. Whats it like?

elgreko · 27-12-2010, 03:20 PM

I have a tunit box in mine I really dont think its worth the money you pay for it, I also have a K&N filter in mine! Let me know how you go with the RED ECU tune, very interested! Has anyone else suped up a TDCI?????

Franco Cozzo · 31-12-2010, 02:25 PM

I just put down the deposit for a 2010 TDCI Focus, Ocean and 6sp manual! $25,990 drive away, i couldn't be bothered negotiating.

I hear the OEM tyres are pretty average though and I dont like the space saver spare, so I'm going to see if they can sell me another alloy or steel wheel and put that in the back, looking at what tyres I should replace the OEM ones with.

kevino · 31-12-2010, 06:01 PM

Whoa. Let us know what you think about it?
OEM Tyres -well yours might be ok-give them a try first. My NCT OEM,s have done 46000 hardly worn although 2 are out of round -I just put up with it maybe will thing about it at 60k.

Let us know what you think about the TDCI. Dont stall it-it will let you knw it doesnt like stalling and I want to hear about you wheel spinnning in 1 st and 2 nd, dont forget about not turning trh key until the glow plug light goe sout at start up.

Franco Cozzo · 31-12-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevino

Whoa. Let us know what you think about it?
OEM Tyres -well yours might be ok-give them a try first. My NCT OEM,s have done 46000 hardly worn although 2 are out of round -I just put up with it maybe will thing about it at 60k.

Let us know what you think about the TDCI. Dont stall it-it will let you knw it doesnt like stalling and I want to hear about you wheel spinnning in 1 st and 2 nd, dont forget about not turning trh key until the glow plug light goe sout at start up.

Is it easy to stall? My Fiesta is quite easy to drive, seems to be very progressive the clutch, if you let it out slowly at idle it'll just creep along in first gear no problems.

Glow plug light? Sorry, I'm new to diesel so I don't know how they work.

I'm waiting on delivery, they don't have one the dealership, tried to palm me off this black one with 50km on the clock. Though I think I might want to change the colour to Frozen White, it looks pretty cool on the book.

kevino · 31-12-2010, 07:50 PM

The white shows the dirt real quick, mines white , but I bought a demo and was only concerned with changeover price not colour.
You will soon master the clutch/accelerator take off -just a driving adjustment-I came out of a wp Fez.
Get the dealer to explain the glow plug light, you turn the key on, have him point out the glow plug light -it goes out after about a second-then fire it up, easy to forget though-if you just attempt to start it straight away it wont fire up.
The six speed gearbox is a honey.
Let us know how you go.

**Mechan1k** · 31-12-2010, 08:19 PM

As for glow plugs ... you need them to pre-warm before starting with diesel engines. Not the same setup as spark plugs on petrol. Hence waiting for the glow plug light to go out before kicking it over.

looking forward to your review on it ... a mate of mine has had his TDCi Focus for a bit (previous model ... sorry not up on the model designations) ... in manual ... and he drives it like he stole it ... hahahahaha. Takes a hell of a lot and still runs like a dream for him. Stock tyres do protest when pushed. If you are one for pushing around windy roads ... when the OEMs run down look for something much better on the stock rims, it should be a nice upgrade without having to change rim/tyre combos.

Franco Cozzo · 31-12-2010, 10:17 PM

Interesting on the glow plugs, i'll defo keep that one in mind.

My Fiesta come with Continental tyres on it from factory and they're pretty bloody good, its either the tyres or the fact that the car only weighs just under 1090Kg, you can throw it into any corner and it just goes around with only a touch of understeer and body roll. I don't go past the limits of the law, myself or the car though.

I'm happy with the tyre size though, looks to have a lot of sidewall on it, compared to my Fiesta anyways, should be a nice cushy ride over our crap country roads.

They gave me a 6 year warranty on the car, too bad its going to be void when its run in, hehe.

I think they're getting me a MKI though, so no bluetooth or ipod compatability... Not too happy about that but I'm sure it can be fixed.

**DJM83** · 31-12-2010, 10:36 PM

Diesel Focii are a great car indeed, i have an XR5 and i bloody love it. Although the XR5 is built in Germany whereas the others in Belguim the quality is tops as you would know having a Fez. IMO the LV is the best shape of the lot

burnz · 31-12-2010, 10:47 PM

damo i own a diesel cruze, and if anything to go by you wont be dissapointed in a diesel ford..
the torque alone sell's it self..

at 2000rpm you basicly have the grunt of a V8 with less fuel usage 250flbs..

if you buy a manuel be shure to short shift as they run out of go very quick.
keep it around 1200~2100 rpm's and you will enjoy what a diesel has to offer..

**Mechan1k** · 31-12-2010, 10:50 PM

Another work colleague has a Golf 2L TDi 6-speed manual.
And it's a dream to drive as well ... on highways ... leave it in top gear ... and when you come to a hill ... just lean on the accelerator and let the torque do the work ... no need for downshifting really.

It's amazing when punting along in 6th with low revs ... and if you want to overtake ... just lean on it ... and it really responds.

Franco Cozzo · 31-12-2010, 11:10 PM

This is great, everyone is giving top reviews and experiences, its going to be good, I live about 10 minutes away from a mountain, torque test, the Fez had trouble getting up there if you where under 4000 RPM in any gear. I also do about 95km of freeway work a day to and from work with some hills here and there.

I've never ever driven something with that much torque before and from that low, so this is going to be a new experience. I didn't even test drive the car before I bought one, oh the excitement from just looking at paper figures haha.

What do they sit on at 100km/h in 6th? My Fiesta sits on 3000 RPM in 5th.

Interesting about the short shift, as my Fiesta doesn't start moving along with haste before 4000 RPM, its sweet spot is between 4000-6000 RPM, thats the difference between petrol and diesel I suppose, but hey I have 6 gears so thats no problem.

burnz · 31-12-2010, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

This is great, everyone is giving top reviews and experiences, its going to be good, I live about 10 minutes away from a mountain, torque test, the Fez had trouble getting up there if you where under 4000 RPM in any gear. I also do about 95km of freeway work a day to and from work with some hills here and there.

I've never ever driven something with that much torque before and from that low, so this is going to be a new experience. I didn't even test drive the car before I bought one, oh the excitement from just looking at paper figures haha.

What do they sit on at 100km/h in 6th? My Fiesta sits on 3000 RPM in 5th.
Interesting about the short shift, as my Fiesta doesn't start moving along with haste before 4000 RPM, its sweet spot is between 4000-6000 RPM, thats the difference between petrol and diesel I suppose, but hey I have 6 gears so thats no problem.

the cruze sits @1250rpm at 120kph ..
it working torque is 1100~1950rpm by feel only..alltho the book says differant.

kevino · 01-01-2011, 09:36 AM

Diesel 2.0ltr Focus sits on 1900rpm at 100km/hr and just over 2000rpm at 110.
And you can rev these buggers out but over 3000km your are just burning fuel .
I,m surprised the diesel cruze sits on 1250rpm at 120km/hr sure thats not 2150rpm?
Damo it doesnt handle like a fez my fez was the best handling car I have ever had, but it handles good and its a FORD !!
How has the Cruze been reliability wise-I think the styling is great on the cruze but fail to understand how people buy and live with a 1.8 litre asthmatic petrol engine dragging a reasonably heavy body round.

kevino · 01-01-2011, 09:40 AM

Damo you didnt test drive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also mate when you get it before signing just check the body thouroughly esp under the hatchback -mine got a bit of rust there- the South African assemblers are a bit slack on some things.

burnz · 01-01-2011, 09:42 AM

1900rpm in 5th, 1250 in 6th..
i did test the petrol took the diesel for ovious reson..
reliability wise i've had it six months with 18 dealer k's put 27,000k's on it and zero problems..

kevino · 01-01-2011, 12:15 PM

Yes I like the cut of the Diesel Cruze. Its great to hear its been good for you.
Whats your fuel economy like?

burnz · 01-01-2011, 12:45 PM

yeah the central coast is hill climb, i ave 6.2 around town, 5.9 to and from work that is 97k round trip per day.
and 5.2 on open roads..

my commo ls1 cost $235 per week for fuel, the cruze is $38 per week..(work use only)
so the commo come out only on sunday.