Once upon a time, Ford sold sedans and hatchbacks in America. The Fiesta and the Focus were two entry-level options that delivered good value and solid fuel economy, at the cost of catfish-like looks. Throughout the 2010s they stood as fantastic commuter cars for millions, while enthusiasts reveled in turbocharged, ST- and RS-badged performance models. I owned one, and I absolutely loved it.
But as the 2020s approached, a singular problem reportedly began to plague a great many of these otherwise pleasant hatchbacks and small sedans. Unless you were smart enough to opt for the stick shift, your Fiesta or Focus was equipped with a six-speed “Powershift” dual-clutch automatic transmission.
This gearbox was allegedly faulty, leading to a class-action lawsuit involving nearly two million current and former owners. Here’s how it went down.
The Legend Of Ford’s Economical Dual-Clutch Emerges
Ford’s intentions with the Powershift were pure, of course. Because there’s no torque converter to spin, dual-clutch transmissions often deliver slightly better fuel economy and quicker shifts versus a traditional automatic gearbox—the type of things you’d want in a car like a Focus.
Except, the Powershift also felt like a dual-clutch, rather than a torque-converter automatic. It slipped the clutch to get the car moving, and it shuddered when you crept in traffic. Sometimes, you’d have to put your foot on the gas to get rolling. It was like you were driving a Porsche with an early PDK with a lot of miles on it, except you were in an economy hatchback.
The transmission used a dry-clutch setup instead of a wet-clutch setup to keep efficiency up. That means the clutches operated independently of the transmission oil in a—you guessed it—dry environment, which means there was no fluid to dampen the gears’ engagement. This simply exacerbated the dual-clutchness of it all, leading to owners voicing concerns.
Where It All Went Wrong
I have an unusual amount of first-hand experience with these first-generation Powershift transmissions. My dad bought a 2014 Focus hatch new from the dealer, and while he liked the car, I slowly saw the joy from his eyes fade the more he drove it. He complained constantly about the transmission, noting its shuddering and rough shifts, especially at low speeds. I probably put around 1,000 miles on the car myself and had similar complaints. It often didn’t react how you wanted it to, and wasn’t ever consistent with its shifts or delivery.
And it’s not like replacing parts or changes in the software did much to help, at least according to Car and Driver:
Owners have reported replacing clutches, output shafts, and entire transmissions. They’ve come back for software updates. More often than not, as described by owners we’ve spoken to and on forums across the internet, the problems reappear even after service technicians claim the transmission is within normal factory limits.
All of this culminated in a 2017 class-action lawsuit affecting roughly 1.6 million current and 400,000 former owners of 2011-2016 Fiestas and 2012-2016 Focuses equipped with the Powershift transmission. Ford eventually settled in 2020, giving beneficiaries the option to sell their car back to Ford, receive a cash payment up to $2,325, or receive a discount certificate of up to $4,650 on the purchase of a new Ford, depending on each owner’s situation, according to the settlement’s official website. The Detroit Free Press reported back in 2020 that the settlement payout could eventually exceed $100 million, depending on how many people step up and make a claim.
And as Car and Driver points out, this wasn’t the only lawsuit Ford had to deal with regarding the Powershift. The company also had to pay out 291 owners in Thailand a combined $720,000 over the same problems. Unlike the settlement in America, Ford issued a formal apology to its affected Thai customers, according to Detroit News:
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the Powershift transmission problems and we reiterate that we will work earnestly to take responsibility for fixing them according to our customer service procedures.
Though Ford never formally admitted fault for the transmission’s problems, an investigation published in 2019 by the Detroit Free Press claimed the company knew of the gearbox’s flaws, yet continued to sell them anyway. From the report:
A high-level, confidential analysis by Ford in 2012 acknowledged rushing the cars to production, taking shortcuts to save money and apparently compromising quality protocols instituted with fanfare by then-CEO Alan Mulally. That review, obtained by the Free Press, also said the transmissions would be phased out and a different technology used going forward, but that didn’t happen. The Focus went out of production after the 2018 model year; the 2019 Fiesta is the last of the line.
By the time of the 2012 review, which was labeled “Lessons Learned,” Ford had sold more than half a million of the cars.
“There is no fix at this time,” system testing engineer Tom Hamm wrote separately in an October 2012 email to four colleagues. “We have a task force working on the issue but they haven’t identified any fixes at this time.”
By then, Ford had known for some time that the transmissions had significant problems.
So What Happened to These Cars?
Of course, because there was never a huge recall or crushing campaign, many of these Fiestas and Focuses still exist on the roads today. Ford sold hundreds of thousands of each model, and a quick perusal of Facebook Marketplace in my area lists dozens as running and driving just fine, despite a real, concrete fix never being issued.
I get asked all the time about beater car or commuter car recommendations, and oftentimes I want to recommend something like a Focus or Fiesta of this era. They look fine, and the interior is a perfectly nice place to spend an hour-long commute. Plus, they’re small, maneuverable, and fuel-efficient. With prices (at least in my area) hovering between $4,000 and $7,000 for Focuses and Fiestas of varying miles, they’re super tempting. But knowing this transmission issue exists, I can’t possibly tell someone it’s worth the trouble. And that’s a shame. An otherwise lovely duo of small, affordable cars made essentially useless.
Years after my dad sold his Focus, my uncle picked up a version of the same car, just in red instead of black. While he never complained about how it drove, he remarked about having a tough time selling it because people would constantly try to lowball him over the perceived transmission problems. In the end, he ended up keeping it. I wonder how many other owners have faced the same hardships.
The Best Solution Is Also The Most Enjoyable
By now, I’m sure you’re screaming into your screen about how whoever wants one of these cars should just buy a manual version. I agree! I learned to drive on a friend’s five-speed 2012 Focus sedan; it was an excellent car. I’ve also spent some time in a base, manual Fiesta, and it was lovely. But this is America, which means most people don’t want to row their own gears. Manual versions are slightly harder to find, and because they don’t have the Powershift’s issues, they’re usually priced slightly higher. It shouldn’t be that way.
There’s another side to this coin, obviously, if you are willing to row your own gears. The base cars are great, but personally, I’d always spring for an ST model. I bought a Fiesta ST new and drove it throughout college. I took it to autocross events, rallycross events, track days, and even ice racing. Not only was it great to drive, but it never once gave me even a hint of any problems (being a new car, I didn’t expect it to).
These days, used Fiesta STs and Focus STs are dangerously affordable. Clean, later-year cars painted in a cool color with the desirable Recaro buckets can be had for around $15,000. If you’re the type who doesn’t care about the number on the odometer, clean-title, running Fiesta STs can be had for as little as $6,000. Focus STs are similarly priced. This one has just 78,000 miles on the clock, and it can be yours for under $9,000. For being world-class hot hatches, these prices are enticing. From a fun-per-dollar perspective, I’d wager the STs are right up there with most Miatas.
There’s also the Focus RS. The all-wheel drive super-hatch ended up dealing with a manufacturing debacle of its own involving incorrect headgaskets, and while most of the cars were fixed via a recall issued by Ford, it still carries the weight of that reputation. Still, they’re excellent cars. For around 20 grand for an average example with 100,000 miles on the clock, the Focus RS isn’t nearly as affordable or value-for-money oriented, but I wouldn’t dismiss it if you were in the market for a proper, supercar-hunting canyon carver.
My whole point here is, if you or your loved one is considering a used Focus or Fiesta, buy one with a third pedal. Otherwise, you may regret it.
Top graphic images: Ford
Bought a 2014 Focus hatch and got 80k trouble free miles out of it until one day…
Then it spent five months at a dealer waiting for a TCM. Ford corporate covered a cheap rental the whole time (mostly in a Nissan Kicks) so it wasn’t a hardship.
Now at 110k and handed down to my son as a first car it’s looking OK. He’s a capable wrencher, so stuff like the engine mounts, PCV, spark plugs w/ new grommets have been done pretty inexpensively. The engine is tight and leak free (the 2.0 is a solid engine) and when we had the head off there was surprisingly little wear signs.
At this point the plan is to drive it until if/when the tranny goes again and do a manual swap. Between the two of us it smells pretty doable. It’s a comfortable, safe and paid off car, so its perfect for that kind of project.
Ford should have treated Focus owners right instead of having to get sued over it. By the time the lawsuit settlement happened a lot of automatic Focus owners probably had already traded in their cars while having a bad opinion of Ford.
Luckily the manual Focuses are nice little cars with tight handling.
I really, really, liked the Focus hatch when it first came out. Then I drove one…
I got one as a rental in Vegas, I was actually excited to drive it. That didn’t last long. Even with only a few K miles on it, that’s the wirdest perfromang trans I’d every driven.
That cured me of liking those cars.
Thanks for this overview Brian. 🙂
I always liked the look and size of both the Fiesta and Focus (especially the hatchback) but Ford’s well-earned reputation for significant after-purchase problems gave me pause, even back then. Despite this, me and a buddy did go test drive the early Focus hatch (Kona edition I think it was called: with a manual transmission, metallic brown paint and textured door rub strips, etc…) and it was absolutely a decent, fun car to drive, though even new, it wasn’t as solid-feeling or rattle-free as either the Golf or Volvo C30 that we drove around the same time (admittedly, they both cost more than the Focus).
Though it has no pretense of sportiness, nor does it have the practicality of being a hatchback, I think I’d recommend/prefer the Scion/Toyota iA/Yaris iA to either of the small Fords. It’s actually the generation of the Mazda 2 that was made after Mazda stopped selling the 2 in America. The snout ain’t pretty, but the car drives like a smaller Mazda 3, with good steering and brakes, an actual/regular automatic transmission, and build quality that puts the Fiesta and Focus to shame, judging by the tight, quiet interior. I never drove a manual version of the iA, but it likely rocks, given my experience with other small Mazdas.
The Kona package Focus predates the PowerShifted generation by at least 10 years, and was not contemporaneous with the C30, so that wasn’t it.
Apologies for my fuzzy memory… I didn’t mean that I drove the latest/last Focus/Fiesta… I just drove the early Focus that I mentioned, and a few of the cars it competed with (small hatchbacks) around the same time.
If you opted to get this in the Ecoboost 3-cylinder, you got a standard six speed automatic, not the PowerShift. Just a little life hack for the seven people on the planet that are looking for a used Focus.
I may be confusing Ford’s turbo threes (is there more than one around that time?) but the sheer number of catostrophic failure/engine teardown videos about them on Youtube is sufficient to keep me from considering one. And that’s despite my perverse affection for three and five cylinder engines in general. 😉
Odd cylindrical engines make me horny.
I’m too tired to be actually horny anymore, but I get what you mean.
Another “bad car” that’s actually good with the manual transmission is the Nissan Versa hatch.
I know it’s not epic in any sense, but I still think the Versa Note hatch was quite appealing for the price.
I like the 1st Gen Versa, and the early ones sometimes had conventional automatics.
Eh, the manual that came in these cars is certainly an improvement over the auto, but I wouldn’t say “good”. Horrible rubbery shifter, feather clutch, numb engagement. I’m no Versa hater though, I think they were a fantastic bargain for how much car you would get for your money. I did have a Note with a CVT as a rental, and it was quite possibly the second worse transmission I’ve ever used in a car, first place going to the Smart Fortwo.
The Autopian is in my brain, I was thinking about these cars just two days ago and I was going to send some information to the tips email. In Mexico we like to repair cars, and for these cars there are shops converting them to manual ! They charge around 2K including parts.
This is some information related to what you need: https://www.focusfanatics.com/threads/manual-transmission-swap.814989/
That is really cool! I love seeing that sort of thing instead of junking an otherwise servicable car.
(Also, love the Beetle in your avatar. God bless our neighbors to the south for their love of the humble Vocho.)
The Autopian is always in my brain, especially that darned Jason dammit! 😉
If you do have a Fiesta, pay attention to the cooling fan. Mine started to have bearing rumbles., and then it caught fire
I have a 2014 Fiesta SE 1.6l, 5 speed which I like. Thanks for the warning, one should always be on the look out. Fords don’t take kindly for the “running badly for ever” approach and need quick attention when something seems not quite right. Be mindful of the oft repeated slogan Fix Or Repair Daily.
Another Fiesta tip, ever wonder why the cabin humidity seems so high? Check the hatch back rubber seal for leaves, they can allow the passage of water creating a pond of the spare tire well, which is hidden by the carpet. This won’t likely cause a fire until the electrics corrode.
I had the wetness in my ’11 as well. I noticed the day of the fire, which would have dried things out nicely if not for the 500 gallons from the fire department.
The most reliable and practical Focus came incognito, under an assumed name. The late Ford C-Max of 2013-18 shared everything with the Focus chassis. It assumed the place of the Focus wagon in Europe for a decade before it was given a hybrid powertrain and sent to the US. All Focus ST suspension parts fit the C-Max (AFAIK, because I know of nobody who’s tried.) The C-Max rolls on the same size tires and wheels as my previous ride, a MkV GTI. The Ford’s steering is as crisp and tactile as the GTI’s. And its 8 sec. 0-60 time equals that of my 1988 GTI, pre-turbo.
My 2017 C-Max Energi hits the sweet spot between economy, utility, comfort, driving enjoyment and value. It has 190 HP, with performance on par with the latest, greatest Prius. Unlike the Prius, though, you have room to wear a cowboy hat.
Pertinent to this discussion, the C-Max had a poorly named E-CVT transmission that has nothing in common with the dreaded CVTs on ICE cars. Early C-Max (13-14) transmissions wee trouble, but after that they proved reliable.
Can confirm the C-Max is a great car. Lots of storage space in a small footprint. Our specimen may have been mildly cursed (2013 with persistent minor electrical gremlins finally done in by the transmission) but looking at the overall model line they’re solid.
Although they do have a weirdly huge turning circle, something I noticed is shared with the hot Foci and the Escape.
It turns like a Greyhound bus! The new Escapes are the same way. I think it’s the result of fitting wide tires inside a cramped engine compartment.
Yep the manual cars are really good buys cause the problems with the auto depreciated the cars so hard, that and being small American cars. Also though watch out for the 1.0t cars, a decent number of manuals have that engine and as cool as it sounded on paper it turned out to be its own terrible nightmare, timing belt running in oil…between that and the dry clutch power shift Ford really couldn’t seem to understand where fluid was supposed to be…
Thats a shame to hear about the 1.0T. I remember when those came out, I almost started the process of looking into one as it just seemed like such a fun little car.
Yeah the belts fail early (before the overly long change interval) cause you know, running them in oil was a bad idea, and Ford’s never really come out with a legitimate fix. I agree, I thought it was a really neat engine when it first came out.
Transmission issues kept me away from a used CMAX. It really would have been the perfect car for my short commute that has work-provided private EV chargers.
Those problems were well documented. The transmission was fixed in mid-2014, however. I’ve run a 2014 Hybrid and a 2017 Energi for a combined 140,000 miles with no significant problems, transmission or otherwise. Consumer Reports still recommend the last model C-Max as a Used Car deal.
That’s good to know, if my commuter dies within the next year (it very well may) I might start looking at those again.
Here’s how much we like ours. My wife got to drive her brother’s car, a new Ford Escape PHEV. She appreciated the larger touchscreen, and a few other details. We’re tempted by the end-of-EV times deals happening this month. I like a deal, and I like new cars. But after seven years of C-Max ownership, we couldn’t find any good reason to trade up, even before considering the price.
BTW, it’s averaged 65 mpg over 82,000 miles. It’s lost about 25% of EV range, but the cumulative mpg figure is holding steady.
My commute is only 10-15 miles each way. I’ll have to start keeping an eye out for a Blue Candy ’15 or I guess a Kona Blue 16-17.
I think it was in ’16 when the C-Max got a mid-life revamping. It got detail improvements in the interior, a better infotainment system, better headlights and cooler wheels. Look for the Titanium package, with many luxuries like power leather seats (“from the Lincoln,” I’ve been told), foot-operated tailgate and a nice Sony 9-speaker system.
Your online resource is the fordcmaxhybridforum. It’s a small and quiet place, compared to VW Vortex. Nobody mods the cars, and few have problems to report.
You have three weeks to claim a substantial federal tax credit on used PHEVs like the C-Max.
“You have three weeks to claim a substantial federal tax credit on used PHEVs like the C-Max.”
Of course the expiration of the credit might result in the resale values of those cars dropping several thousand dollars overnight.
Do you know if the C-Max was ever available with adaptive cruise control?
No, it wasn’t. Not something I’ve ever wanted. The only advanced safety aids available are Blind Spot warnings and parking lot radar, including rear side alerts
Bummer, but thanks for the information!
VW’s DSG of the same era faced many of the same problems too. It just seems like an issue with these early twin-clutch systems in mainstream cars.
Man, Fiesta STs are still at $15k?! I bought a “used” one with 500 miles on it in 2016 for that.
That’s $20k in today’s money according to the gov. 33% inflation over 9 years.
Ford’s hot hatches have traditionally done pretty well in retained value. The first gen Focus SVT commanded a significant premium even 10 years old. From what I can find, all but one currently listed online go for $5500+, with a really beat example asking $3500. Not bad for a 20 year old econo box with 100k+ miles.
I mean I know inflation is nuts but them still being at $15k is crazy to me. The newest one is 9 years old now and I assume most have over 75k miles.
This comes back to what the used market wants diverging from what the new car buyer wants and buys. The division between groups is only getting wider.
I had a 2013 Fiesta with the PowerShit. It went in for all the recalls and was reprogrammed three times, but I never had any issues with it until the TCM went out at 131k during the pandemic. My mom complained about it a couple times, but I only remember it shifting hard or shuddering once or twice in the 8 years I had it. Would probably still have it if it hadn’t taken so long to get parts. It sat on the lot of the dealer who still gave me 4k in trade for it for a year and a half total until parts came in. I assume they only kept it that long because an employee wanted it, likely for their kid.
Car never gave me any problems outside of that. Got like 40 MPG, brakes lasted me 75k (front) and 128k (rear), did plugs at 100k, and other than oil changes and tires it needed nothing. Was honestly a great car, especially for the massive discount I got it at. Was a new 2013 model in mid 2013, so got Ford’s 0% financing and since my dad was the salesman and the finance guy was his buddy, I got it cheeeeeap. Kinda miss it sometimes. Never left me stranded and ate highway miles like they were nothing.
“I never had any issues with it until the TCM went out at 131k during the pandemic. My mom complained about it a couple times, but I only remember it shifting hard or shuddering once or twice in the 8 years I had it. Would probably still have it if it hadn’t taken so long to get parts. It sat on the lot of the dealer who still gave me 4k in trade for it for a year and a half total until parts came in.”
I’m surprised it was that hard to get a replacement. My Mazda’s TCM failed a year or so before the pandemic with similar mileage. The MZR engine in car was aka a Ford Duratec and many other parts were also in cords so it wouldn’t surprise me to find my TCM was a Ford part too.
Anyway I found a few options available; have it rebuilt for about a hundred, buy a used one for twice that or a new one for about $500. Being a cheap bastard I took the cheap option, but the rebuilt one was no better. No problem, I got a refund, however I lost a weekof time which sucked. The next cheapest option, a used part from EBay worked great. Both times I did the work myself, about 20 minutes with hand tools. So from failure to being back on the road was maybe two weeks.
Mine would have been done under warranty, courtesy of the lawsuit and them having extended it. It died in 2021 when parts and cars were pretty much unobtainium. I wasn’t really in a position then to work on it myself; the HOA at the time tried to tow my car when I was changing the oil one day because it was “inoperable.” They evicted one of my neighbors for having his work-provided service van parked in his driveway. So doing anything myself essentially stopped being an option.
Mercifully I live elsewhere now and the only thing the current HOA does is trash pickup. There are so many project cars in the new neighborhood. Someone was doing an engine swap and had what was left of the donor truck parked in the street for a day and nobody batted an eye.
That timing sucks. I hope you found a more reliable replacement.
It’s sad that Ford has been having quality problems for the last decade, because the otherwise, among all of the hundreds of rentals I’ve had in that time, they were the best of the Big Three.
Dodges felt dated 7 years ago, and I never drove a GM product that didn’t feel like they phoned it in with two tins and a string
I feel the same way…dissapointed. In my book, Ford had, in the last 40 years, usually represented a slow but steady across the board refinement of stuff that started reasonably good. Chrysler had a moment of really good in the 90s, but then stopped moving forward, and GM has been seemingly constantly hit or miss.
Ford frustrates me. When they’re good they’re very good, but when they screw up they really screw up.
The Ford Focus Electric of that era appears shockingly long-lived and I’ve seen many examples pop up for sale with well more than 100,000 miles. With a starting range of 75 miles (except for the 2017 which took that to 115) that is a lot of journeys.
This is blatant slander of a great transmission known for smooth-shifting and indestructible reliability. It is disappointing to see a great website such as The Autopian buy into the anti-Powershift propaganda created by those who spread the lies of the CVT.
I implore everybody who reads this article to look into a Powershift-equipped vehicle for their next car purchase. The joyous shifts of the manual combined with the bullet proof reliability inherent to all DCTs are a great combination.
Has the Jatco evolved?
Na, it gained competition. A race to the bottom.
This is either Jatco or it’s meant as a direct parody of Jatco. Not 100% sure which, leaning towards “is Jatco”
No one has brought up the low-hanging-fruit “PowerShit” moniker that the Australian motoring press loved to use?
I’ve had one car with a DCT. A Kia Rio GT line – a 1.0L, 3 cylinder turbo mated to a 7 speed dual clutch. When it worked well (99% of the time) it was riotously fun to drive. Despite the tiny engine, the rapid shifts and many ratios made it feel way faster than it had any right to. It would blip the throttle on the downshift, grunting like a pissed off bull terrier.
The 1% of the time it didn’t work well? It would lurch forward violently from a standstill, kangaroo hopping like a learner driver in a manual. It would shift into third at 90km/hr going down hills, redlining the engine. It never actually broke, and overall was a great car, but these annoying DCT idiosyncrasies were enough to swear me off dual clutches for life.
I wonder if shifting into 3rd going downhill was some kind of attempt at engine braking to maintain speed?
Sure was a long way to the obvious.
FoMoCo has been building cars since 1903 and automatic gearboxes since the 50’s. I don’t want to hear “I’m sorry” and “lessons learned” anymore. Kiss my rear end with your mia culpa mulligan BS, Ford.
They knew about this long before the owners even took the keys.
The mass market DCT seems to be a problem, the Chrysler DCT in the Dodge Dart is almost as problematic. Mazda made the right decision. The Mazda 3, CX-5 and some other models use the same global platform as the Focus, but Mazda chose a conventional 6 speed automatic and the normally aspirated Skyactiv instead of the turbo motor and DSG.
I’m also very glad North American Fiat 500s got an Aisin automatic instead of an automated manual
European Fiats get very small engines so they were probably forced into sourcing the automatic to handle the torque of the bigger NA engine
It looks like all the 1.4 Multi-Air applications got an automatic or manual, the 1.2 and the 2 cylinder Twin-Air got the single clutch Dualogic automated manual, which has issues, but not as bad as the FPT635 DCT used in the Dodge Dart and similar sized Fiat and Alfa products.
Perfect timing, I’ve got a 15 year old who will be 16 next year and I’ve been tossing around the idea of picking up a used Focus or Fiesta. My preference has been to find a manual, but they just aren’t common. Had no idea about the auto issue.
The C-Max is a good alternative, pretty much unknown so demand and thus prices are low. Other than the 2013’s and early 2014’s which had some transaxle issues they are very durable and cheap to run being Hybrids. I think my daughter and MIL’s are at 160k~170k and they are both 2013’s as most of those that are still on the road got the upgraded trans when the original failed.
If you’re on a budget, the 08-11 generation looks hideous but is solid, especially if you live in an area where rust isn’t an issue. A lot of old people bought them, so there are good examples to be found. Do the maintenances on time, and watch YouTube videos to learn how to change engine mounts. The car is very easy to DIY and there’s a YouTube for everything.
Yeah, I miss my commuter 2013 Focus SE 5-door hatch with the 5 speed manual. Decent power, good handling, comfortable, low-mid 30s mpg. No mechanical issues.
Had to let it go after just three years with only 86K on the clock due to circumstances beyond my control–for a few months I wasn’t sure I’d be able to drive any car, let alone something with three pedals.
While I wound up with a way better 5-door hatch (2019 Volt FTW!), I do see Focii of that vintage on the street sometimes, and wish we’d not had to part.
In the Yurp, since 2015-6-ish, the Ecoboost (if with auto) had a traditional hydraulic box, 6F15 according to the wikipedia. But of course the 1.0 Ecoboost has the wet cam belt problems…
Anyhow, there has not been as much noise about Powershift issues here. Could it be that people used to manuals tend to drive the dry clutch dct more like a manual than an auto? For example, the dry clutch DSG has clear shift points and seems to try to avoid slipping (250 Nm torque limit). In a way, it teaches the driver to its behaviour. Which was very apparent when trying out an E-Golf: this feels and smells just like an normal Golf, but you do not need to anticipate (slightly ease the throttle) before the immediate 1-2 shift as the car begins to move. It just starts to pick up the speed, no jerks to avoid. Unpossible. You don’t think about it, but you have adjusted your driving style to the DSG.
So, could it be that it is not a really a user error, but if you drive the dry DCT like a traditional slush box or CVT, the mechatronics and the puny low torque rated dry clutch disks might not like it.
People say that the wet clutch Powershift used in the diesel Mondeos ”felt like traditional automatics” and those held up well even as taxis. Or at least as well as VAG DSG with wet clutch… but both of those have regular oil changes. Like a traditional automatic.
I only test drove the DCT, but I noticed no issues with it. I don’t know if that was just luck/it being brand new or that I drove it like a manual (which I had to special order).
I understood about driving a DCT/DCG like a manual but are you meant to put it in Neutral when stopped in traffic – I always found these transmissions awful when in slowly crawling / stopping traffic. The Golf mk6 I used felt like it was ripping itself apart in this situation and putting it in and out of neutral ran risk of accidently putting it into Reverse because the shifter was sloppy. Was a nightmare I’d much rather drive a manual or even a well sorted CVT
You like “well sorted” CVTs, eh?
In Europe base model Focuses and Fiestas were cheap cars, they came with rear drums as standard, no way they’d come with an auto unless the customer specifically picked one.
Circa 2015 automatics started to become mainstream in the golf/focus segment. At least in the Northern Europe. Looking at the local classifieds, over 50% of the 2015-2019 Foci for sale are automatics. I was shopping for a new wagon in 2016, the Focus had special editions with auto that were cheap, but too tight in the back. So a golf it was. Those are 70 % auto in that period. Toyota Auris 85%.
We bought a 2015 Focus SE for my wife after her Skylark died with no warning. It was our first brand new car and we were shopping with zero time or research (I’m so ashamed and have never done that again, we got screwed). That Focus went through three clutches in the 5 years we owned it. Even though we had paid it off, we still got rid of it. Got next to nothing for it as a trade-in, but it was a timebomb that would not be worth fixing.
It is a shame because it was a pleasant little hatchback. The gas mileage was great, it kept up with traffic, I liked the styling, and we could fit plenty of stuff in it.