It is no wonder if you see things like that...
Of course, Consumer Reports had the Ford Focus as their top pick among small sedans (take that Civic and Corolla!), but took away the honor as it didn't pass muster in the side impact test when not equipped with optional side impact air bags (standard on the others)....
When I started looking, I saw that you could get a Focus equipped with what I wanted for $12500 off the lot. The Civic was going to be $18000, and the Corolla about $16000 similarly equipped. The Civic and Corolla have higher mpg ratings, but looking at the owner reports on fueleconomy.gov, I saw that owners were reporting a much smaller gap than the EPA ratings would have you believe. It would take a LOT of driving at 3-4 mpg difference to make up for $5500 difference in purchase price. For the average driver, that difference means about $150 a year extra in gas. I don't think anyone buys a car planning to keep it for 36 years, do you?
Oh, and the Focus comes with a longer warranty, too....
For a large number of consumers, $3500-4500 is a premium worth paying. They know they're getting a car that is far superior in quality, reliability and longevity. In the long run it's worth it.
Oh, and the Focus comes with a longer warranty, too....
Longer, but still not long enough...