I generally have no interest in small cars (rough ride, lack of available features, noisy, mpg not all that much better, slow, etc) but the 2012 Focus really has my attention. From what I've read and watched on youtube it seems like a more upscale small car.
Only downside is still the speed. It'll be interesting to see the actual curb weight. Edmunds says 2948 lbs for the titanium hatch but Ford hasn't officially listed it from what I can tell. That's a power to weight ratio of 18.3... I'm not looking for Mustang GT speed, but something that can hit 60 at or below 7 second is nice (assuming that also translates into decent passing performance, like 55-70). I'm looking forward to see what the ST can do, but I have a feeling it won't have as many available options and won't even be in the US until next year.
Hmm I just noticed C&D said 7.6 seconds for the auto hatch. Not too bad.