Comparing Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport and Ford Focus 1.6 H/B

[Deathsythe]

I would like to compare the abovementioned models.

1) Pricing

2) FC

3) Handling

4) Size

5) Appearance

6) Maintenance Cost like spare parts.

 

I like both the car design especially Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport. Was considering of Toyota Altis and my friend strongly reccomend on Ford Focus in terms of handling.

 

The pricing is higher than Altis if I'm not wrong. But how much higher? Astra got all the cost rebate, free insurance, etc. So in the end not sure of the selling price. Too confused.

 

Can anyone enlightened me on the pricing as well as commend on the cars.

Thks alot.

[Felipe]

think u should leave Altis out of the equation. its a totally different ball game compared to focus and astra. it may be abt 10k cheaper, but that's irrelevant as it belongs to the point A to B car, totally devoid of character. as for astra and focus, imo i find the astra's design more appealing. everything else to me is not really important as the differences between them are not significant. for me, i will go for the one that i feel for more. Hey, ure paying tens of thousands so don't compromise just for a few grand. Also, i like the astra's unique appearance. Focus to me is just like those bread and butter look. & with astra at only 66k, its a steal.

[Eacs]

Hi there,

 

My own comments is that bothe car handles well. But the focus handle slightly beta.

 

If you are looking at the astra, i would like you to consider the 1.8L. It kind of give you the extra power when you need. I like the astra consol. It's really kool. Test drove both ride. And i should say that is you can compromise slightly on the handling(which focus is slightly beta) why not?

 

I used to drive a focus hatch and loved it. But now, its time to move on.

 

2 Cents worth.

[Felipe]

just wondering, there is a 1.8L astra. it comes in both 4 door and coupe? same performance?

[Magfocus]

Yeah, same engine and tranny i believe..

[King]

the only drawback for focus is the engine....not enough power....

remind me of my 146.

[Acemundo]

i hv tested both. on comments

 

1)definitely astra at this juncture

2)Astra, hands-down

3)Focus better

4)i u comparing both hatch versions, i think focus has a slight edge

5)i prefer the looks of the stra

6)difficult to conclude at this juncture but i suspect focus will be slightly easier and cheaper as ford traditionally sells better than opel in sg market.

[Seansene]

Coming from a Focus owner, I'd say of course...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Astra. Seriously. It looks great, has a wonderful transmission, and drives nearly as well as the Focus. If you don't push the dynamic limits too often, I'd say it's a no brainer. The Focus' engine/transmission combo let it down most of all...

[Acemundo]

haha...same same.

[Deathsythe]

Does anyone got a clearer picture of the pricing for the cars at this moment?

[Acemundo]

i think astra is around 66k, focus around 70k. omv shld be pretty close.

[Jack_jack]

OMV figures (from http://app.lta.gov.sg/motoring_vo_omv.asp):

 

Opel Astra 1.6A 5Dr - S$19,664

 

Ford Focus 1.6A 5Dr - S$16,311

 

That's a HUGE difference there. Factor in the Astra's lower selling price, and its choice becomes a no-brainer.

[Acemundo]

wah...i tot the first batch of focus omv was around 19k.....if 16k definitely will choose the astra anytime over the focus.

[Zombie]

I have not driven focus b4 thus no comment.

 

But to compare Astra vs Altis, I would say Altis is totally "no fight". The handling on Altis is pretty bad, which I think my humble Jazz is a better drive.

 

Of course, it is a total different ball game if you want to compare a Conti with a Thai-made Jap car..... price wise should differ quite a fair bit too.

 

Interior wise, Astra is not that fantastic, but Altis is terrible.

 

I almost fell in love in Astra, which I begin to understand why there are these pple who insist that contis are more superior. Go for test-drive, you would know what I mean. Actually, if I were to choose a Borneo Motor Toyota, Vios makes a better choice.....

[Jack_jack]

The OMVs for past Focus models have always hovered at around the Altis' level. The replacement model wouldn't be too different.

 

This is not to suggest that the Focus' OMV is low. Rather, the Altis' OMV may have been over-inflated, especially since it's a Thai-made car.

[Acemundo]

i know the past focus was also around this level.

 

but i tot i heard during the new focus launch that it was 19k omv. well maybe the se was trying to give me more reasons to buy their focus.

 

actually omv is but a aggregate figure. not 100% reflective of the quality of the car. for instance, look at the omv of the vw cars pre and post taking over of import by VW from C&C. i ever read also that marketing costs get factored into the omv calculation. and u know how much marketing costs can snowball to

 

that is what leads me to believe that opel offers more value as it doesn't advertises as much compared to other dealers.

[Tribeca]

hi,

 

I was in the market looking for a new car, test drove abt 5-6 1.6L cars, jap & conti

megan, astraH, ford focus mk2, scooby...etc

 

Lets zoom in on the two u asked.

Using scale of 5 pts(more the better)

 

Looks

Astra 5/5

Focus 3/5

 

Interior space

Astra 3/5

Focus 4/5

 

Handling

Astra 4/5

Focus 5/5

 

Transmission(gearbox)

Astra 2/5 ( Its not a true autobox, the easi-tronic is brought over fr corsa, jerky)

Focus 5/5 (Easy to use, with "triptronic quick shift" & 3 setting modes, sports/adapative/Econ)

 

Safety

Astra 4/5

Focus 5/5 (5 euro star ratings)

 

Plus

Astra for the way it looks

Focus the way it drives will make u smile

 

Minus

Astra, the easi-tronic is a let down, rear space smaller

Focus the engine is a tad under powered, look wise not so cutting edge

 

Final words

Astra (New dec 05 will get down graded specs, no sensor alarm, no ESP, no auto wipers, onli 15" rims...etc, but its cheaper)

Focus has 100K 5 yrs warranty

 

Go drive both & see which rocks for u

 

Edited October 31, 2005 by Tribeca

[Mojoe]

it depends... on the euros... i got mine at 18k+ in feb 2004 when euros was high

 

the old ghia would have command about 21-22k.. but car costs then of course higher...