Berita Harian Ford Focus Test Drive

Berita Harian has reviewed the Ford Focus 1.8 and 2.0. It’s in Bahasa Melayu though. Suitable for Merdeka Day consumption :P

Berita Harian noted that the interior is similiar to the Volvo S40’s interior design. Not suprising actually, with both cars being actually based on the same platform.

Berita Harian says the Focus will come in 1.8/2.0 sedan and 2.0 five-doot hatchback variants. Price is estimated to be around the Toyota Corolla Altis price range, about 120,000 ringgit.

For those who can’t afford the S40, get this! :P

Check out Berita Harian’s review. I previously blogged about the Ford Focus here.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • gegaoff on Sep 01, 2005 at 12:04 am

    giss, paul. u read a lot of newspaper though… berita harian?!

    i feel great to know this web site actually. thanks for the info, man!!

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  • DOG THE WAN on Sep 01, 2005 at 12:51 am

    What FORD again!! I will never buy one! Not my interest! BYE2

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  • hfrshah on Sep 01, 2005 at 1:38 am

    cool, finally Ford is back with some interesting cars..

    i sure hope it sells.. Ford MC spent bucket loads of money tuning the Focus to suit Asian tastes and roads.. different suspention set-up, minor styling changes -new grille, rims, tail lamps(sedan), and a sporty bodykit..

    its funny to see that the 5-door variant is marketed as the more 'upmarket' version.. the sedan is not even available in the UK.

    if the estimated price is true, surely itll sell like hotcakes. styling-wise it makes the Altis look very outdated. plus, the cars will come with the Ghia trim, which will make it a real bargain

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  • Baboonz on Sep 01, 2005 at 8:13 am

    Get the Golf GTI MkV. SWEET!!! its much bigger in real life, than you'd think!

    ahhh….I didnt think that there were Fords in Malaysia. Still dont like the new Focus though. Prefer the older one. More hatch back. New Focus, don't know what it is. Sedan/hatch/Gen2-style. hmmmmmm not here nor there, neither fish nor fowl. Bo Tau bo buay. (no head or tail)

    weird.

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  • Hisyam on Sep 01, 2005 at 10:51 am

    wow, what the hell. ford focus has been out for ages.

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  • AlexC on Sep 01, 2005 at 3:34 pm

    The only fault i see with Ford is their part price and resale value… replacement doesnt come cheaply and resale value very low, wouldnt make it a good idea to buy cars from Ford…

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  • willp on Sep 01, 2005 at 5:27 pm

    wow! Price of corolla, but you get similiar to Volvo s40

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  • good for Ford. Every country that has the focus on sale is raving about the car.

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  • cameljoe on Sep 01, 2005 at 6:14 pm

    How much and how good? There's a roadshow this month 10 Sept at 1 Utama. Be there to judge, touch, kick and question the new focus. Is it really focused?!

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  • The dealer who sold the used Ford Telstra to my father told him that this Ford sedan was made in Japan, built by Mazda.

    I would like to know if this latest Ford Focus was built by Mazda or by their own Ford plant in Philipines or somewhere else.If it was built by Mazda, that is awesome. Think about it, with RM120,000 we can have Japanese superior quality and European style exterior/interior. Not much choices that we have if we want European style car at average price(consider the price of Volvo, Renault, or Fiat). I agree with anyone who said it will sell like hotcakes, menacing other Japs models such as Corolla, Civic, or even Mazda6.

    Please, anyone who knows more about this cool Ford Sedan could tell me who actually built it…….

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  • hfrshah on Sep 02, 2005 at 1:12 am

    according to Ford MC the car is built in the Philippines(Ford).. and most of the spare parts will be localised and priced competitively.

    Baboonz, the hatch version is also available here, just slightly more expensive(better specs)

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  • Thank, for the information

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  • Ford owns Mazda and Volvo under Premier Automative Group (PGA). So for small market in SEA, they normally rebadge Mazda car into Ford. Examples are previous models of Ford Laser is a derivatives from Mazda 323, Ford Telstar (Mazda 626), Ford Ranger ( Mazda Hurricane ), Ford Excape SUV(Mazda Tribute) and Ford Laser Lynx (Mazda Tienna) – thus you can use parts between these models.

    The new Ford Focus is developed from S40 chasis and not like before it is a very own new model – as per launch in Europe and US.

    It is a good car. MY miss the Mondeo model – which is a best seller in Europe.

    I am currently drive a 6 year old Mazda-derived Ford Laser. A very reliable car – (touchwood) never breakdown or give me problems. Mileage close to 220,000 kms and still using original clutch plate and pump, water pump, air-con compressor, steering box, gearbox, radiator and I am not thinking of doing overhaul !!! The car still handles very well. It is time to change very soon but with such a benchmarked set, I am not pretty sure which car to choose. Of course my first choice is Ford …. but at RM120K, it is expensive looo.

    If you consider resale value etc, then go for the 3 safest brand la …Toyota, Honda and Nissan …. if you go for driving dynamics, then there is Ford Laser RS 2.0 or Mazda6 … go for the former, Ford Concessionaire is selling it at RM110K.

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  • hfrshah on Sep 02, 2005 at 3:45 am

    Ford Laser is a derivative from Mazda 323, Ford Telstar (Mazda 626), both are true. but the Mazda Hurricane/Fighter and the Tribute are BASED on the Ranger and Escape respectively. the Fighter is a straight port, while the Tribute is a longer version of Escape.

    the Focus platform was originally made for the Focus, subsequently the Mazda 3 and Volvo S40 were built on the same Focus platform, albeit with their own strengths and cons to make the cars drive, look and feel different from each other. why the Focus was launched last among the three is a mystery to me..

    sure it sounds expensive. 120k aint exactly loose cash, but compared to its direct competitors -Altis 1.8(122k), Sentra(112k), Optra5(106k), Civic(121k)- it looks pretty good

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  • Johan on Sep 10, 2005 at 2:52 am

    dont ever buy those continental cars! ( except BENZ and BMW )…cos they will make you cry like a baby when u wanna sell them later! …..thats my personal advice.

    to my surprise, many gov servants like driving continental cars, perhaps their money isnt hard earned or from their 'sweats'.

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  • Rebage car? I think if this from malaysia car maker it wouldn't get this warm welcome.

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  • December on Sep 15, 2005 at 1:35 am

    Oh yes, i drive a Ford, and I'm crying, i cant sell it :(

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  • y2ggy on Oct 17, 2009 at 5:51 am

    How 'bout Ford Ranger XL, it is have a resale value?

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  • mr sakai mamokai on Dec 14, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    pls help ..i want know hw much compresor ac for ford focud 2007 1.8 in malaysia? any1 here cant help me?

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