Ford Focus ST (2.5) v's VW Golf GTI Mk5. 2nd hand
Discussion
I had a Focus St for 3 years and it was fantastic fun - the noise and tunebility of the 5 pot is fantastic and provides a real personality for the car with pops and bangs on overrun. It also drinks a lot - on a commute to work i would likely get around 22mpg. The build of the focus always felt very solid and dependable - the interior now looks a bit dated and some of the plastics used lower on the dash are low rent - but that car is about the engine and pace more than anything.
I now have a Scirocco with essentially the same engine as the golf gti 2.0 tsi. Mine is a dsg and with the snappy gearchanges it is almost as fast accelerating (only with less torque) The interior is a mix of Golf and Eos, fit and finish is top notch and it feels like a more mature car. It doesn't sound as good as the Ford but it doesnt sound bad when pressing on. Mpg improves marginally too - commute gets 25-26 mpg.
For the purely fun factor I would say the Ford, however a sedate colour (Silver / Black)rather than orange imo! You would likely get a newer ST with possibly lower miles than the equivalent Golf.
Saying that the GTI with the diamond cut 18's looks great and overall a nicer classless car - depends what's important to your choice I guess!
I now have a Scirocco with essentially the same engine as the golf gti 2.0 tsi. Mine is a dsg and with the snappy gearchanges it is almost as fast accelerating (only with less torque) The interior is a mix of Golf and Eos, fit and finish is top notch and it feels like a more mature car. It doesn't sound as good as the Ford but it doesnt sound bad when pressing on. Mpg improves marginally too - commute gets 25-26 mpg.
For the purely fun factor I would say the Ford, however a sedate colour (Silver / Black)rather than orange imo! You would likely get a newer ST with possibly lower miles than the equivalent Golf.
Saying that the GTI with the diamond cut 18's looks great and overall a nicer classless car - depends what's important to your choice I guess!
Edited by ST270 on Monday 29th April 14:20
I'd take the Focus ST every time preferably with a Mountune kit and aftermarket exhaust (but i'm biased). Fuel economy is rubbish but that misses the point of these cars.
Mine never had any issues in the 20k+ miles i did although i purchased from new. It never developed any odd noises or rattles despite being driven fairly hard.
The only issues i had where due to the bluetooth connectivity which is common with all Ford's i believe.
Mine never had any issues in the 20k+ miles i did although i purchased from new. It never developed any odd noises or rattles despite being driven fairly hard.
The only issues i had where due to the bluetooth connectivity which is common with all Ford's i believe.
Bitzer said:
ST270 said:
Mpg improves marginally too - commute gets 25-26 mpg.
My Golf GTI would easily hit 35/36 on my commute (of anywhere between 50 and 120 miles), not OBC, but measured between fill ups. Pushing on a bit would still see low 30s.
Focus ST every day but as others have said in less lairy colour choice, mines in Sea Grey which sets it off nicely IMO. I can get 31/32 mpg on a run and about 25 mpg around town. Could get a higher mileage facelift for that money just about or a nice lower mileage pre-facelift.
You will want an aftermarket exhaust however, the noise from the 5 pot is addictive!
If going for a pre-facelift check for any whistling from the oil diaphragm, common fault on these. Budget £200 to replace with labour. Facelift had a revised unit that is much stronger. Also if mapping check it holds strong boost, the boost solenoid is another weak point although a cheap fix.
You will want an aftermarket exhaust however, the noise from the 5 pot is addictive!
If going for a pre-facelift check for any whistling from the oil diaphragm, common fault on these. Budget £200 to replace with labour. Facelift had a revised unit that is much stronger. Also if mapping check it holds strong boost, the boost solenoid is another weak point although a cheap fix.
PizzaPeas said:
Which one, for about 8k, would you plump for. Ideally for the most laughs/enjoyable driving exp.
Best thing to do is go and drive both and see which one of the two you prefer.This thread is bound to descend into a VAG vs Ford slanging match
I've never owned an ST so can't comment on it, but my MK5 GTI was my commuting car for 20K. Good MPG, good steer, 100% reliable. I can highly recommend it.
If you're thinking of a MK5, then check for rattly suspension, aircon (compressor failures at ~5 years old), cambelt/waterpump around 5 years/70K and whiteworm on 18" monzas alloys.
bodhi said:
After some careful consideration, I have decided that I would go for.......a 130i. Faster than either, better noise, drive comes from the correct wheels.
This. Unless practicality is important then, not this. Golf is a great all rounder, although the engine isn't very excitng (have the same engine in my car).Edited by Sten J on Monday 29th April 15:09
Best to take both out for a drive and also think about how much money you want to spend on fuel.
I find the ST a good all rounder. It handles well although you can feel the weight up front. It is nicely damped and reacts well over the s
tty uneven roads we have.
There is some torque steer but overall the steering is nice with a decent amount of feel.
The engine is the best part of the car. I would likely have looked elsewhere if it had a 4cyl lump. It pulls nicely from low revs but still feels strong across the rev range. The sound is addictive as well. You can also remap it very cheaply although you may have to end up buying a new clutch.
The gearbox is easy to use but I have found it feels a bit loose. It is not positive.
Reliability has been good. I bought mine off a family member and over 60000 miles it has cost very little. The oil diaphragm did go but that was not too expensive to change, so look out for that. Also the sony stereo bluetooth needed replacing under warranty three times and has just given up again.
The main negative for me is the fuel consumption. I also wish mine wasn't blue and instead was the orange colour, however, I do live in Essex and I'm not a great lover of dark colours on cars unless it is a classic or a muscle car.
If you find a good 130i for £8000 go for that instead and put up with the ugly duckling looks.
I find the ST a good all rounder. It handles well although you can feel the weight up front. It is nicely damped and reacts well over the s
tty uneven roads we have. There is some torque steer but overall the steering is nice with a decent amount of feel.
The engine is the best part of the car. I would likely have looked elsewhere if it had a 4cyl lump. It pulls nicely from low revs but still feels strong across the rev range. The sound is addictive as well. You can also remap it very cheaply although you may have to end up buying a new clutch.
The gearbox is easy to use but I have found it feels a bit loose. It is not positive.
Reliability has been good. I bought mine off a family member and over 60000 miles it has cost very little. The oil diaphragm did go but that was not too expensive to change, so look out for that. Also the sony stereo bluetooth needed replacing under warranty three times and has just given up again.
The main negative for me is the fuel consumption. I also wish mine wasn't blue and instead was the orange colour, however, I do live in Essex and I'm not a great lover of dark colours on cars unless it is a classic or a muscle car.
If you find a good 130i for £8000 go for that instead and put up with the ugly duckling looks.
bodhi said:
After some careful consideration, I have decided that I would go for.......a 130i. Faster than either, better noise, drive comes from the correct wheels.
Far uglier than the other two and perfect for RWD virgins thinking it's the best car just because of it's driven wheels.I'd take the ST in some stealthy colour with no stripes and see if any of the RS's tasty chassis bits would bolt onto it.
I've had ST for seven years, since it was new. Done almost 65000 miles. Everything still works, but it does have the odd rattle which I don't think you'd get from the premium brands. The engine is the defining feature. It sound like an Audi Quattro from the 80s, is dead smooth, and even without any modifications it makes some nice noises on the over run. A mild, inexpensive remap makes it even better. There are a stacks of tuners and parts to suit all tastes if tinkering is your thing.
It has been very reliable apart from two things which they nearly all suffer from, front wishbone bush failure, and alternator failure. Poly bushes sorted the first problem, and the replacement alternator has lasted way longer than the original, so maybe they improved the design.
Clearly, with such a heavy engine, it does under steer, but it also has a startling tendency to lift of oversteer if you are pressing on, especially on corners with negative camber or downhill. So it's not totally boring.
If you're a bit OCD about your engine's health, like me, having an oil pressure and oil temp gauge is brilliant, but I'm weird.
So, nothing like the perceived quality of a Golf, but you forget that when you get to stretch the engine a bit.
It has been very reliable apart from two things which they nearly all suffer from, front wishbone bush failure, and alternator failure. Poly bushes sorted the first problem, and the replacement alternator has lasted way longer than the original, so maybe they improved the design.
Clearly, with such a heavy engine, it does under steer, but it also has a startling tendency to lift of oversteer if you are pressing on, especially on corners with negative camber or downhill. So it's not totally boring.
If you're a bit OCD about your engine's health, like me, having an oil pressure and oil temp gauge is brilliant, but I'm weird.
So, nothing like the perceived quality of a Golf, but you forget that when you get to stretch the engine a bit.
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