RE: Ford Focus ST: Driven
Discussion
Looks like the discounts/finance offers will make or break this car for Ford.
As mentioned by other posters, the discounts on the facelifted mk3 ST were substantial - easily 20% off list for the average punter and more if you qualified for their Privilege discount. On top of that they were offering 0% PCP finance. For someone who got in to a mk3 a few years ago and were looking to change their PCP over to the mk4, they could have a nasty shock when they get the finance quote.
If Ford can't retain those existing customers, I'm not sure what will draw in first time Ford Performance customers.
As mentioned by other posters, the discounts on the facelifted mk3 ST were substantial - easily 20% off list for the average punter and more if you qualified for their Privilege discount. On top of that they were offering 0% PCP finance. For someone who got in to a mk3 a few years ago and were looking to change their PCP over to the mk4, they could have a nasty shock when they get the finance quote.
If Ford can't retain those existing customers, I'm not sure what will draw in first time Ford Performance customers.
WhiteBaron said:
hmm added decent paint (800) and the track pack (250) and its north of 33k. lots of competition as stated arounfd that price point
Yep. Nutty money.
Rather get an a35 .that can do the exec side of the coin as well as the hot hatch remit.
Meg and focus need to be 5 k cheaper than BMW Audi merc etc.
Nobody will pay list for a Focus though, whereas with stuff like the A35 I would imagine there's a lot less scope for discounts. My wife has a new Focus ST-Line X; list price almost £30k, we paid £23k as we are eligible for a Privilege discount, but even without that you could get one for £25k. Perhaps the ST discounts won't be quite so generous, but after a few months I'm sure it won't seem as pricey as it is now.
ZX10R NIN said:
It seems like this is the same as all Focus ST's which is that they're very competent but never a class leader even the 5 pot wasn't the best but that engine added a bit of character which made me buy one rather than the better RS250.
The price is a sticking point but they'll be discounts a brand new i30N 275 is 2k cheaper (although you can get a brand new one for 25k) & from what I've read above it's a better car, in reality the ST will be between 27-29k mark at which point it'll attract buyers.
You can get them now for 31k once supply comes on line they'll drop a bit more.
There are some great deals on the i30N Performance at the minute. The price is a sticking point but they'll be discounts a brand new i30N 275 is 2k cheaper (although you can get a brand new one for 25k) & from what I've read above it's a better car, in reality the ST will be between 27-29k mark at which point it'll attract buyers.
You can get them now for 31k once supply comes on line they'll drop a bit more.
There’s one local to me with a dealer, 2019 car with less than 6,000 miles on it for £23k.
There’s another scrolling down auto trader with 500 miles for £24k, 2019 car on 19 reg.
Fastback with 5k miles at 24,500.
It doesn't look much different to any other model in the Focus line up, such as the ST Line X, and to me looks rather dull.
At least with the mk1 and mk2's you had a 3 door option and with the minimal side skirts and spoiler you could easily tell that it was the performance model from the rest of the range.
The Mk3 range all started to look the same and this does even more, I suppose the 5 door only option doesn't help, but looks wise the range seems to have all mushed into one very generic looking warmed over family car, rather than an instantly recognisable hot hatch.
At least with the mk1 and mk2's you had a 3 door option and with the minimal side skirts and spoiler you could easily tell that it was the performance model from the rest of the range.
The Mk3 range all started to look the same and this does even more, I suppose the 5 door only option doesn't help, but looks wise the range seems to have all mushed into one very generic looking warmed over family car, rather than an instantly recognisable hot hatch.
Face it, the whole car looks like a dog's dinner. There's nothing 'sporty' or 'fast' coming back at you from looking at any of those pics. It's a generic cooking spec Ford with a small handful of token plasticky bits stuck on which makes it indistinguishable from some cheap and boring Korean model. At least the mk 3s and older actually had a decent covering of extra plastic to easily identify them as the ST and RS (excl. mk 3.5) models and stand out from the crowd in a sea of dull white goods cars.
Dull dull dull ZzzzzzzzzZzzzzz.
..and that huge lump of nothingness bulging out of each door for no reason annoys the f
k out of me. Once seen cannot be unseen.
Dull dull dull ZzzzzzzzzZzzzzz.
..and that huge lump of nothingness bulging out of each door for no reason annoys the f
k out of me. Once seen cannot be unseen. Edited by Lemming Train on Wednesday 3rd July 03:16
I think Ford run the risk of diluting the appeal of their ST models by selling the ST-Line models that look so similar to the mainstream cars. Yes I understand people want a "sporty" looking car, when they're in a lower powered car, but you genuinely can't tell the difference close up.
This focus looks good, not in any way outlandish but merely in a good smart looking car approach.
This focus looks good, not in any way outlandish but merely in a good smart looking car approach.
Big Robbo said:
I think Ford run the risk of diluting the appeal of their ST models by selling the ST-Line models ....
It's an approach that works will for BMW with their M-Sport trim and Audi with S-Line. Upselling a sporty bodykit and wheels that cost little more to make than the base models ones is Money For Jam."a 0-62mph time that bests the Escort Cosworth".
You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
jbforce10 said:
"a 0-62mph time that bests the Escort Cosworth".
You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
0-60mph is fairly irrelevant for a fast front wheel drive car, they are all the same due to traction limitations. That it happens to be better than a 4wd cossie is not very interesting indeed. More interesting is that they almost weight the same irl...You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
treeroy said:
i hope the mk4 Focus RS actually looks good, the previous one was far too dull in styling. Make it crazy like mk2.
Highly unlikely, as the RS is now designed and sold for international markets and needs to match their tastes. Bolting on extra body kits / making the car wider than the standards model costs time and money, hence why the MK3 was only available as a 5 door and therefore why the MK3 visually is nearly identical to the ST and the ST identical to the base model.Edited by Baileyk on Wednesday 3rd July 11:31
Hitch said:
The price is of course ridiculous, but it allows them to position the next RS at £40k against the next A45, 1M etc. Wait six months and they'll be throwing these out the door.
Expect the next A45 to be well into the 50s especially with options, the sport edition RS3 with paint and normally ticked options is 53kcar prices have gone nuts
Onehp said:
jbforce10 said:
"a 0-62mph time that bests the Escort Cosworth".
You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
0-60mph is fairly irrelevant for a fast front wheel drive car, they are all the same due to traction limitations. That it happens to be better than a 4wd cossie is not very interesting indeed. More interesting is that they almost weight the same irl...You'd like to think so with >50 bhp more, >80 lb ft more and over 25 years of engine development to offset the slight increase in weight between the two.
5.7 secs to 62 mph seems sluggish these days, especially when Escort Cosworths, Lancia Integrales etc were matching that with comparatively laggy boost nearly 30 years ago.
HumanSteamroller said:
GTEYE said:
And yet....Autocar seem to rate it highly- I’ve not seen other reviews yet....
Maybe PH got an iffy hotel room on the press launch!
Reviews are just opinions, hence why they're not all the same. Hence why aggregate scoring and gathering opinions from multiple sources is the most sensible approach. Otherwise, you're just hoping that people tell you what you want to hear.Maybe PH got an iffy hotel room on the press launch!
Thanks,
Matt
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