Perception and reality are often very different. If the reaction I got from friends and co-workers is any indication, Ford has some perception issues to deal with with the 2008 Ford Focus.

“Nice looking car. How much? 25 grand? Why buy that when a Civic is so much cheaper?”

When did people get the perception that Honda’s are cheap? In Canada, the base Civic sedan lists for $16,990. Compare that to $15,999 for the entry level Focus. Our tester was far from entry level, having been jammed full of every option conceivable at this level. The msrp on our little silver sedan was a lofty $24,764 before freight and pdi. Just for fun, I decided to do a little number crunching on the Honda site. All I can say is, Wow! To get all the stuff that was in our Focus, you have to begin with a Civic EXL and then start adding options. By the time you have all the goodies the matched up, you have a Civic that sells for $31,175!

Now that we’ve got a firmer grip on reality, we can get on with life with the Focus on the road.
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In keeping with the Chrysler theme of reviews for the past few weeks, we just picked up a brand spanking new 2008 Chrysler 300 Touring. This is quite the change from the trucks we’ve been sampling. The heart of the 300 is a 3.5 liter V6 that puts 250 horsepower through a 5 speed automatic transmission on it’s way to all 4 wheels. With another 5 cm of snow in the forecast for tonight, the AWD will be welcome tomorrow morning. So far the 300 is quiet and comfortable, with just enough road feel to be aware of what’s going on beneath it to stay connected.

With all the recent movements in new car pricing, Chrysler has done more than many manufacturers with regards to pricing parity. The pricing pages online can be a little confusing, but with sales incentives the Canadian price is certainly closer to that of the American market. With incentives, the Canadian sticker has dropped from $36,095 to $32,095 for the 300 Touring with All Wheel Drive.