America has a hit with this one

The background:  The family and I decided to spend spring break in Alaska this year where we had rented a Ford Focus at the airport.  During the week we drove from Anchorage to Fairbanks about 12 hours round trip and we also drove "The road to Seward" from Anchorage to Seward twice (about 6 hours round trip) so over the course of the week, we spent alot of time in the car and put about 900 miles on a car that already had 20k on it.

The basics:  First, I am not typically a fan of Fords as I fancy myself a Chrysler products guy, but I must admit that this car is a great car, an all round performer I must admit.

The exterior:  The rental car that we received must have been the uguliest burnt pea soup color of green that I have ever seen but I somehow was able to overcome that in all of its gruesome glory.  The shape is a nondescript shape, nothing, fancy, nothing flashy either, jaust a plain jane car, not ugly, not pretty, just functional.  The qality of the paint and body are very good for a car in entry level price range

The interior:  Again, nothing fancy here, just plain and nondescript. It is functional, very functional in fact.  Controls are well placed, well sized, and well lit.  They are easy to function and feel good to the hand.  The interior as a whole is spacious for an entry level car, and the seats are almost form fitting and soft, like a good rocker/recliner sitting by your tv.  The rear seat is roomy enough for two teenagers who were able to ride hours in comfort.  The fit and finish was very good, and I did not find that the materials used felt or looked cheap.  The 4 doors open wide to allow easy entry and exit from the car, the seat height also helps with entry and exit, they were at the perfect height, not to low or high

The performance:  The car is quiet, little wind and road noise to bother you on long trips.  The little 4 cylinder engine is much peppier than I would have imagined based on the in car computer mileage numbers of 30.2 while driving at speeds of 70-80 mph.  The traction control was used alot in the mountians as it was snowing, it has a different feel to it than the Chrysler or GM traction control but worked just fine.  Rather than the breaking feeling that you feel on Chrysler and GM cars/trucks, this traction control felt and sounded more like you were riding the clutch in a manual transmission car.

The verdict:  If I were a young couple starting out, this would be great car, good mileage, inexpensive to operate and presumably insure.  Rear doors swing open enough and rear seat is high enough to easily put a kid in / take a kid out of a car seat.  The trunk is roomy enough to carry a weeks worth of groceries for a small family or a stroller and diaper bag for the kids.  The interior seems as if it would be easy to clean or hide those places that cant clean so well.  The ease of entry and exit would make it ideal for an empty - nester couple as well.  As for the middle aged family with preteens or teens, it would be a good car as well, but you know how kids in that age group want somethig to show off to their friends so for that, this is not the car.