Ford Focus or VW Golf

jimmydkid

Im changing the car in the newyear and im thinking of buying a Golf or Focus 09/10 diesel, iv driven petrol focus the last 6 years but im not mad about the look of the 09/10 models and thought a golf might be the way to go but then a friend of mine who is into cars told me to stick with a focus cause the cost of fixing vw is higher and focus engine is less troublesome, id like to hear any pros and cons about either car?

Anan1

Have you driven both yet?

jimmydkid

Anan1 wrote: »

Have you driven both yet?

ya iv driven both, i suppose im so used to the focus that i did prefer it to the golf but i couldn't really fault either.
Im no expert on cars so id be grateful for any advise

Nissan doctor

TBH, between those two, its would come down to which one you like the look of or which one comes with the most toys for your budget.

As cars, they are both as reliable and both as well made and good to drive.

I personally think that, in base spec, the focus looks better then the golf on the outside and the interiors of both are much of a muchness.

bazz26

There are others out there too. Mazda 3, Kia Ceed, Hyundai i30, Opel Astra. I would not limit myself to just two.

George Dalton

I wouldn't consider any of those options to be on a par with Focus or Golf to be honest. I think they are definitely the best two cars in the class. OP as Nissan Doctor says above it would come down to which one you personally prefer. My VW bias would steer me towards the Golf

I disagree with the OP's friend who says the VW would cost more to repair should something break. I would say running costs are very similar. The Golf is easier to work on than the Focus if anything and parts for both are priced at a similar level.

bazz26

Depends on what the OP wants from a car but from reading it sound like reliability is a concern for him/her. The Kia and Hyundai will have longer warranties in that respect. Their diesel engines are quite up there with their rivals too.

Of the two I would opt for the Focus, the 09/10 basic Focus were kitted out with bluetooth, air con, alloy wheels, etc whereas the baseline Golf has air con and that's about it.

jimmydkid

bazz26 wrote: »

Depends on what the OP wants from a car but from reading it sound like reliability is a concern for him/her. The Kia and Hyundai will have longer warranties in that respect. Their diesel engines are quite up there with their rivals too.

Of the two I would opt for the Focus, the 09/10 basic Focus were kitted out with bluetooth, air con, alloy wheels, etc whereas the baseline Golf has air con and that's about it.

your right bazz reliability is a big thing, iv looked at a good few different cars in the class but i still keep coming back to golf/focus

jimmydkid

Nissan doctor wrote: »

TBH, between those two, its would come down to which one you like the look of or which one comes with the most toys for your budget.

As cars, they are both as reliable and both as well made and good to drive.

I personally think that, in base spec, the focus looks better then the golf on the outside and the interiors of both are much of a muchness.

Great to hear positive comments about both cars, im getting a better spec focus for my buck so im slightly swayed towards the focus. Would they be equal on fuel consumption?

George Dalton

Which engines are you looking at in each case?

The Tyre Dude

If you are coming from a Golf I suspect you may be taken aback at how much racket you have to endure in the Focus. Suspension bump/thump and road noise are really tiresome, even in the updated Focus post 2008. If you can tolerate that then the Focus is a fine car.

jimmydkid

George Dalton wrote: »

Which engines are you looking at in each case?

in the golf 1.6tdi 105bhp and in the focus 1.6tdci 109bhp

jimmydkid

The Tyre Dude wrote: »

If you are coming from a Golf I suspect you may be taken aback at how much racket you have to endure in the Focus. Suspension bump/thump and road noise are really tiresome, even in the updated Focus post 2008. If you can tolerate that then the Focus is a fine car.

is that road noise just in the diesel focus or are the petrol suppose to be noisy too? im driving a 05 petrol focus at the moment and its a very smooth drive

Saab Ed

Its simple really. If you want what you think is a better image then you buy the Golf. If you want the better car then its the Focus by a country mile

The Tyre Dude

jimmydkid wrote: »

is that road noise just in the diesel focus or are the petrol suppose to be noisy too? im driving a 05 petrol focus at the moment and its a very smooth drive

It's across the board, it's road/tyre noise so not dependent on engine. Smooth roads are fine, coarse roads make for quite a racket.

mustang01

Focus and Golf defo 2 best options, Astra also nice car. all comes down to which you like the best yourself, focus is defo the best drivers car by miles, great chassis , strong engine and to be honest i find the interior far more stylish and pleasing to the eye than the plain golf interior. If its image your after and little bit stronger re-sale value then Golf is ur car.

166man

Saab Ed wrote: »

Its simple really. If you want what you think is a better image then you buy the Golf. If you want the better car then its the Focus by a country mile

Is the Focus really that much better than the Golf?I would doubt it somehow..

PaulKK

166man wrote: »

Is the Focus really that much better than the Golf?I would doubt it somehow..

So would I. I'd have the golf every time.

Nissan doctor

166man wrote: »

Is the Focus really that much better than the Golf?I would doubt it somehow..

As a car yes the focus is much better IMO.

As a badge....most would say no. And the badge is the reason the Golf is top of most people list.

coolbeans

I've owned a mark 1 Focus 1.4 and a Golf GTi Turbo. The Focus had much better suspension (I know the UK mags overhyped it at the time but the first Focus really took the bends like no other comparable car), didn't rattle, achieved a steady 40mpg and was totally reliable up to 140k miles after which I bought the Golf. The Golf was much faster obviously but the interior build quality was crap, it rattled like a rattly thing and the 1.4 Focus would run rings around it in the bends. That said all the ladies liked the Golf and turned their nose up at the Focus. I'd have a Focus over a Golf unless it had the 1.8T engine.

mustang01

and some of the previous comments are exactly why this country is in the sorry state that it is in today, people wanting the supposidely better badge image on what they drove, da better bigger house dan da neighbour and more holidays a year than their friends, they forgot all about reason and sense and pissed all their money away just to keep up da image and forgot about sense and substance !

never ever would i choose a car on image over substance and that is why every car i bought to this day has never let me down or dissapointed me in any way

teednab-el

TBH the golf to me is a very average car with below par specs on baseline models, I was impressed with the 08 focus, took one for a test drive a few months ago and the car is set up nicely. It did surprise me to be fair.

George Dalton

coolbeans wrote: »

I've owned a mark 1 Focus 1.4 and a Golf GTi Turbo. The Focus had much better suspension (I know the UK mags overhyped it at the time but the first Focus really took the bends like no other comparable car), didn't rattle, achieved a steady 40mpg and was totally reliable up to 140k miles after which I bought the Golf. The Golf was much faster obviously but the interior build quality was crap, it rattled like a rattly thing and the 1.4 Focus would run rings around it in the bends. That said all the ladies liked the Golf and turned their nose up at the Focus. I'd have a Focus over a Golf unless it had the 1.8T engine.

Everything you say above is true but it only applies to the Mk5 Golf vs the Mk1 Focus so not really relevant for this thread.

The handling of the Mk5 Golf is superior to the Mk2 Focus in my opinion. Ford really dumbed down the Mk2 Focus compared to the Mk1, which was undoubtedly a brilliant fwd chassis.

gs300

Could be wrong here but would a Seat Leon not be a good addition to the list along with the focus or golf?

I can only give an opinion on the Leon as I have a 08 and I have only driven a 05 focus for 2 days but I think the Leon wouldn't be a bad idea.

Nissan doctor

gs300 wrote: »

Could be wrong here but would a Seat Leon not be a good addition to the list along with the focus or golf?

I can only give an opinion on the Leon as I have a 08 and I have only driven a 05 focus for 2 days but I think the Leon wouldn't be a bad idea.

Leon and golf would come under the same heading IMO.

gs300

Yeh they do but I would have never considered a Leon until I had a rented car,
I think they can get over looked even tho they are virtually the same car as the golf.

And may even have a better spec for the money, I say may as I haven't looked at prices recently.

el diablo

Has to be the Golf every time in my opinion.

WhatCar magazine give it five stars. (Best small family car).

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/volkswagen/golf-hatchback/summary/25456-5

mustang01

George Dalton wrote: »

Everything you say above is true but it only applies to the Mk5 Golf vs the Mk1 Focus so not really relevant for this thread.

The handling of the Mk5 Golf is superior to the Mk2 Focus in my opinion. Ford really dumbed down the Mk2 Focus compared to the Mk1, which was undoubtedly a brilliant fwd chassis.

the mk1 and mk2 Focus have the same chassis so there is no diff in handling, there is a change though with the mk3 that came out this year.

in testing the new MK3 Focus What Car Magazine states - " The Focus is the sweetest-handling car in its clas " so obviously Fords talents on engineering great chassis continues !

but at the end of the day nobody is alike so we look for different things in cars, my no1 is a top class driving experience and dats why id be buying a focus if i was going for that size of car

coolbeans

mustang01 wrote: »

George Dalton wrote: »

Everything you say above is true but it only applies to the Mk5 Golf vs the Mk1 Focus so not really relevant for this thread.

The handling of the Mk5 Golf is superior to the Mk2 Focus in my opinion. Ford really dumbed down the Mk2 Focus compared to the Mk1, which was undoubtedly a brilliant fwd chassis.

the mk1 and mk2 Focus have the same chassis so there is no diff in handling, there is a change though with the mk3 that came out this year.

in testing the new MK3 Focus What Car Magazine states - " The Focus is the sweetest-handling car in its clas " so obviously Fords talents on engineering great chassis continues !

but at the end of the day nobody is alike so we look for different things in cars, my no1 is a top class driving experience and dats why id be buying a focus if i was going for that size of car

I wouldnt take any notice of What Car. They're utterly beholden to advertisers.

Nissan doctor

coolbeans wrote: »

I wouldnt take any notice of What Car. They're utterly beholden to advertisers.

As are the majority of motoring publications and journalists!

The best review goes to the car who's manufacturer gives the best perks/freebies:rolleyes:

166man

Nissan doctor wrote: »

As are the majority of motoring publications and journalists!

The best review goes to the car who's manufacturer gives the best perks/freebies:rolleyes:

I get sick of reading autocar/auto express and all those magazines because it seems the car that handles the best will always be the best. I just love how they complain that a 2 tonne Volvo doesn't handle well. I mean who buys an XC90 for it handling? Autocar has especially gone downhill over the years anyway, with Ford, BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover running the game there too.:rolleyes:

EPM

I'd be more inclined to go with a Golf if I was using it for long distances. It's a bit smoother and quieter than a Focus and more importantly to me has a good armrest. Also there are a lot of factory items that you can retrofit on a VAG car that are slightly more testing on a Ford.

If I wasnt too bothered by it being a bit louder for pottering about the place I'd go for the Focus. They are a nice well planted car and pretty reliable too. Even slightly more so than the Golf in petrol form.

I would look at a Leon but spec is important. Keep the wheels at 16 inch and get a Stylance or Sport Plus model and it should be at least as comfortable as a Focus. The lack of storage space in the cabin is a pain to live with though.

George Dalton

mustang01 wrote: »

the mk1 and mk2 Focus have the same chassis so there is no diff in handling

They may share the same basic suspension design but they don't have the same chassis and there most certainly is a huge difference in handling between the two models. I see both types in work regularly and they are completely different cars both to drive and to work on.

PARKHEAD67

jimmydkid wrote: »

Im changing the car in the newyear and im thinking of buying a Golf or Focus 09/10 diesel, iv driven petrol focus the last 6 years but im not mad about the look of the 09/10 models and thought a golf might be the way to go but then a friend of mine who is into cars told me to stick with a focus cause the cost of fixing vw is higher and focus engine is less troublesome, id like to hear any pros and cons about either car?

Get a TDI Golf imported from the UK with all the extras(not an Irish pov spec piece of crap) You wont look back.Brilliant cars.

Waterford26

Focus Focus Focus.. wont be never beaten by the golf. Have a sit into the golf and look at the boring interior

EPM

Waterford26 wrote: »

Focus Focus Focus.. wont be never beaten by the golf. Have a sit into the golf and look at the boring interior

The Golf interior reminds me of something... Oh yeah, a Focus. Practically identical in layout and looks.

el diablo

Much higher quality materials in the Golf 6 interior.

Ugh, I could never drive a Ford again. :eek:

EPM

Yes, but I'd be more concerned about actual build quality as opposed perceived quality. You'll always get differences when you compare a recently released model to the last of an old model anyway.

el diablo

EPM wrote: »

Yes, but I'd be more concerned about actual build quality as opposed perceived quality. You'll always get differences when you compare a recently released model to the last of an old model anyway.

Not too sure what you're saying here, EPM.

EPM

el diablo wrote: »

Not too sure what you're saying here, EPM.

Basically, the golf might feel more plush but that doesn't mean it's better built. Also, an 09 golf versus an 09 focus is comparing a new model to old so there's expected to be a lower standard interior after 5 years or so.

Henry Ford III

Golf GTI is a fine bus (MkV onwards). The rest of the range falls back either a bit or a lot.