RE: Driven: Ford Focus ST

[Chrisw666]

pevin said:

So I have just sat in the new Focus ST and it is a lot more spacious then the old one and sounds like a 1.8 golf when you put your foot down.

Did you drive it or just sit in it?

I'm not sure if sounding like a 1.8 golf is good or bad.

[otolith]

Chrisw666 said:

I'm not sure if sounding like a 1.8 golf is good or bad.

Not sounding like a 1.8 (or 2.0) Golf is the only reason I would have considered buying a previous model ST.

[pevin]

Only sat in the front and back.
That’s why I know you can fit 2 fully grown 6foot men in the car.
Unfortunately i’m not privileged enough to drive the car but fingers crossed i will be taken for a drive in the car next week. 

[craigb84]

Was a huge fan of the previous ST but this is just huge and so ugly. I'm really disappointed. I'd probably have ordered one.

I remember the advert for the old st with the "daydream" song. I was sold on that alone. Looks like I'll be heading for something generically German instead now. Shame.

[PanzerCommander]

otolith said:

Not sounding like a 1.8 (or 2.0) Golf is the only reason I would have considered buying a previous model ST.

The sound of the 5 pot is what sold the 2006 ST to me, didn't even bother test driving any other rivals after the ST.

[dom180]

Global car but not Global price... Good value @ 22k. Better value @ 15k! - In the US these sell for $24,000.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/drives/2013-ford...

Edited by dom180 on Tuesday 19th June 11:22

[oobster]

Some pictures taken at a recent "Performance Academy" in America:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davepinter/sets/72157...

[Ecosseven]

I'll be interested to see what the residuals on this. Could be a bargain at 2 years old.

[thetapeworm]

It's all about the pop-out door protectors for me.

[LuS1fer]

dom180 said:

Global car but not Global price... Good value @ 22k. Better value @ 15k! - In the US these sell for $24,000.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/drives/2013-ford...

It says $24,495 to $28,930. Bear in mind you can have a V6 305hp Camaro/Mustang for $23000 which may not be as dynamically proficient but I know which I would buy in the US.

[ucb]

Dont forget that local state taxes in the US will apply, so the difference is never quite as big as advertised

[oobster]

For anyone on this thread that has a new ST on order the cars are starting to come into the UK -there are pictures on the ST owners forum of cars on the back of transporters and there is one person who has his car already (a blue ST-3 hatchback with privacy glass and style pack). Looks nice.

[toppstuff]

I dont understand why so many people prefer the looks of the old Focus over the new one.

The new one looks good.

The old one always looked like a bland Korean economy box. I don't get it...

[blackcossiestu]

I drove one today (Im a tech at my local Ford dealer), and actually I quite liked it. The seats were comfy and firm, I found no issues with cabin space (Im 6'2") and visibility was also very good. Induction noise is very much engineered, but its a sound I enjoyed and wasnt too in your face. Performance wise it feels strong given the size, and a little more edgy than the very linear RS. The exterior looked good in the white one I was driving, but Im not a fan of how the ginger ones look (if the old orange was asbo, the new one has to be ginger lol).

[Andy JB]

My brother has the ST3 Estate in elec blue (like Ford RS Blue) for past 2-3 months - I'm not a Ford fan these days but IMO it does look quite nice in the flesh in estate form & colour suits it, interior better but still lacking quality of the Germans.

Dynamically better than previous incarnations although a lot more bloated but 1300 kg isn't too bad these days & combined with 250 hp & 40mpg should be a realistic daily hack compared to 5 pot.

Lets hope its better than my previous mk 1 ST Focus which was complete pants in every dept, I may even be tempted back to the fold with this latest effort.