Why i didnt get Focus ST Wagon this year

[Dmitry262]

Just registered at PH after 1 year of reading. Let me share one thing and see what you think. Im Russian living in Holland and i was able to get company car this year. As an expat i pay less tax so it was possible to get smth real and not "blue efficiency green ecoflex 1.1 L hybrid". The company was ok if i get Focus ST Wagon so i went to a dealer.
- Performance Blue color - YES
- Good seats - YES
- Sony Audio + Navigation - YES (its crap, by the way, but its the other story
- Tow bar - NO!!!! What?
Why not tow-bar im asking the guy?
Because the pipes are in the middle...

So i took 1.6T 180 h/p instead. And after all the options ate the end of the day the budget was the same

tow bar? Not a big deal you may say..??
But its a BIG deal for me
Im passionate mtb guy, i have three mountain bikes and i go around with the bikes to Germany, Austria, France and etc when its possible. For that i need estate (fast fun estate) and a tow bar. And im a Ford Fanatic, so ST tiked all the boxes

When i dont have a tow bar i should either put the bikes on the roof (which is crap) or always put dirty bikes inside the car.
When i dont have a tow bar i cant have a trailer to bring a motorbike for a weekend to Germany, I cant have a trailer to bring all the crap from / to the house and etc

ST Wagon is a sport car, Ok. But its not a weekend toy!!! Its suppose to be your only car so it must be practical!!! So who is that person at Ford who has decided to make an estate without a possibility to use it as a proper family car????

Im i the only one who see this problem with ST?

[Don1]

If it's worth that much to you, why not get a custom rack designed with two mounting points either side of the chassis?

[kambites]

Very few hot hatches can tow.

[austinsmirk]

a few years ago I bought an impreza wrx estate as it allowed me to put my racing or mtb bikes in the rear. with only taking one wheel off.

they'll take towbars

and actually I looked at focus'- but they're not 4 wheel drive and they are slower than an impreza.

other option, put them on the roof- but I hate roof mounted bikes- too noisy and I want my stuff locking away in the car- not out on show whilst I go for a meal/pint etc on my way wherever, to/from.

[Baryonyx]

If you want to tow, get a comfortable estate car. More storage space to boot. Or get a motorbike, you'll soon stop pissing around with those pedal cycles.

[ArsE92]

Premise rediculous

[J4CKO]

Man up and get a Road Bike and mix it with the traffic, never mind poncing around on hills, dressed in more armour than an American "Footballer".

[benedwards64]

I agree with the OP here - I want a fun, fast and relatively practical daily and a conveniently placed family member means I could get a decent discount off a brand new Focus ST. But whatever I get will also have to tow my Westfield around... so I'm off to look at Impreza wagons instead. Shame, really like the ST but that's a dealbreaker for me

[budgie smuggler]

I agree with the OP on this.

I have however seen a few pages where people have bodged towbars on.
E.g. http://www.focusst.org/forum/focus-st-accessories/...

[kambites]

benedwards64 said:

I agree with the OP here - I want a fun, fast and relatively practical daily and a conveniently placed family member means I could get a decent discount off a brand new Focus ST. But whatever I get will also have to tow my Westfield around... so I'm off to look at Impreza wagons instead. Shame, really like the ST but that's a dealbreaker for me

The Octavia VRS can tow.

[benedwards64]

Interesting. Are they type-approved for towing though?

[kambites]

benedwards64 said:

Interesting. Are they type-approved for towing though?

Yup, at least the previous generation was. Only rated to 1400kg though.

[benedwards64]

kambites said:

benedwards64 said:

Interesting. Are they type-approved for towing though?

Yup, at least the previous generation was. Only rated to 1400kg though.

Sorry, didn't see your previous reply - I was asking about the Focus. Will have a look at the Octavia though, not something I'd really considered

[kambites]

Ah, the answer for the Focus is "no", I believe. I guess you can still put a bike rack on one, though.

[benedwards64]

Might struggle to get the Westfield on a bike rack though

[turboteeth]

That bodged up tow bar looks dreadful!!!

[kambites]

benedwards64 said:

Might struggle to get the Westfield on a bike rack though

Well yes, there is that.

[vikingaero]

With the Mini Cooper S the centre exhausts = no towbar. With my Clubman S the split pipes = towbar.

[pinchmeimdreamin]

benedwards64 said:

Might struggle to get the Westfield on a bike rack though

you need to think outside the box