Girlfriend Road Trip with Ford Focus

Written by Carol Cain on 31 October 2011

A couple of weekends ago I was heading out on a road trip to the annual Blogalicious conference. I was going with one of my closests friends Issa (of SingleMamaNYC.com). No kids, no husband (mine), just us girls, on the road, to DC. Except it wasn’t DC, really. It was a new area near DC called National Harbor, MD, which I have to say is beautiful, shiny, and new – but still unrecognized by most navigations systems.

I was also traveling with a New Yorker…like me, but even more so. My friend Issa is what I call a New York-New Yorker, the kind who doesn’t own a car (cause why would you need to, and you don’t need to) and doesn’t have a license (again, the car). So, I was doing all the driving, which was fine with me cause I love it.

And, I was loving it even more because in this drive we were testing out the new 2012 Ford Focus, the same one I briefly got to test out during the Ford Hispanic Challenge this past Summer. I even got my loaner in that beautiful “Race Red” color.

So, some of the features of this car that popped out at me right away, some of which I mentioned before but are worth repeating here:

The keyless operation – a touch button on/off feature in the car. Took a bit of getting used to at first, but I fell in love with each time I used it. Easy to operate and really soft engine too.

Parking technology, including rear-view from the screen panel as well as a soft sound to indicate if you are too close to an object or another vehicle.

Voice operated navigation system, as well as Bluetooth option and other features. This one was tricky actually. Entering the information on the navigation system to go to MD was complicated because it just wasn’t an option (we later found out that it was the case for almost everyone who drove there). Trying to do so via voice was impossible for me, the system just didn’t understand me – but in all fairness, I didn’t understand the system all that well either yet.

Rain sensing wipers – is a very cool option, though I didn’t have a chance to test it out as the weather was beautiful.

Other special touches were heated seats and sattelite radio – both which we actually didn’t discover till at the end of the trip, and actually it was my husband who did.

The biggest problem we had with the car was that we didn’t know the car and didn’t have anyone to really ask about it. But once my husband, Issa, or I eventually found out what this little car was capable of we were pretty impressed.

Not to mention that I had a full tank when I left NYC and it wasn’t till a little after I left MD on my way back that I needed to refuel. The fuel efficiency on this vehicle is incredible.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the pick up on the car, but my husband absolutely loved it. For a small vehicle, it felt really secure and reliable even. It didn’t feel light or fragile. It was a confident ride and a comfortable one.

Since Issa and I could never figure out how to make the radio work, even after reading the manual in the glove’s compartment, we just talked for 5 hours there and for 5 hours back. It’s a miracle we have talked again since and still have things to say and to love each other!

But a road trip with a girlfriend is exactly what we both needed to get away from every day hassles and demands. The route was scenic, the sunset spectacular, and the destination of National Harbor, MD was also a great place to visit. We got a few looks in our shiny red car, it complimented our style and really provided us with a comfortable experience.

Thanks to Ford Latino for the ride and thanks to Issa for the wonderful company, good laugh and endless conversation.

For more information on the 2012 Ford Focus, please visit the Ford website here.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. The Ford Focus was a complimentary loaner for the purpose of this trip and this review. No request that I express any particular point of view was made. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.