Ford Focus ST-3 Estate: PH Fleet
Navigational disputes aside it's domestic bliss in the Focus still
Tons of room for PH-worthy load lugging
And having said I wanted to set the pricing debate on one side I've probably just reignited it. Ho hum!
To the car itself though and a couple of niggles first, reported from the driver's seat by Mrs Trent. First up the sat-nav, whose tiny screen and apparent lack of a 'proper' north-up plan view are minor irritations to its occasional total loss of position. It seemed to have lost signal - not for the first time - and then 'lost' us too, hence bonkers instructions like 'turn right' when joining motorways or 'make a U-turn' half way down the M1. But once your faith in a navigation system is shattered it's next to useless.
Flaky nav doesn't inspire faith
And while we're moaning the 'evens' only speedo is a pain too; OK, it's not that hard to fill in the gaps but given 30, 50 and 70 are numbers you really need to keep tabs on in UK driving it can be frustrating.
In all other respects the Focus continues to impress and dazzle with its all-round ability and seamless combination of fun and practicality. It's just such a pleasing balance and the fact that, as collection date looms, I'm facing household pressure to open negotiations with Ford says a lot. Ford tried before with the ST170 estate - a car I'd snap up in an instant - but our man there says the market wasn't quite ready and sales were unfortunately sluggish. This time around the aspiration is for the estate to eventually account for a fifth of sales; it's currently sitting at around a tenth but the usefulness, Q-car appeal and looks mean it deserves to reach that goal.
Reports from the driver's seat all favourable
What the Mountune upgrades announced recently, driven by Harris and retrofittable if you're already an ST owner, will do to that remains to be seen but Matt's a fan of the engine straight out of the box.
"That 2.0-litre Ecoboost is what some might call 'brawny'. It pulls from very few revs but still feels keen beyond 5,000rpm, all whilst accompanied by an appropriately boomy induction roar. The gearbox is tight with a positive, short throw and all the controls operate with that slickness we now come to associate with Ford. Perhaps if I clean it some more I can actually take it out properly!"
He, and the unfortunate bloke coming to pick it up in a couple of weeks, have a fight on their hands though. Mrs T isn't about to give up those keys without a scrap...
FACT SHEET
Car: Ford Focus ST-3 Estate
Run by: The Trent household, Matt when he's allowed to
On fleet since: April 2013
Mileage: 10,133
List price new: £29,055 (Basic list of £26,595 plus £750 for Sony DAB Navigation System with Rear View Camera, £900 for Driver Assistance Pack, £200 for privacy glass, £85 for door edge protectors, £525 for Spirit Blue Metallic paint)
Last month at a glance: Enough on price already, let's talk about the driving!
Previous reports:
Fords estate/hot hatch Focus joins the fleet
The Focus goes up in Alex's estimations
Dan nicks Focus, gets it all 'lifestyle'
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Sad to see that manufacturers still can't get satnav right every time nowadays. If a £50 aftermarket jobbie can manage it, why can't they with the advantage of aerial and power integration?
Sad to see that manufacturers still can't get satnav right every time nowadays. If a £50 aftermarket jobbie can manage it, why can't they with the advantage of aerial and power integration?
Never realised how expensive the Calibra was!
Here's my mate's ST170 estate getting praise from the original supplying dealer when he recently got it serviced:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=5169568650...
What has been PH's 'real world' mpg, please?
As it's not me driving I can't really comment though. But we'll make a point of doing something a little more exhaustive and quantifiable with and without the bike racks in place before it goes.
My impression from peering at the trip computer on occasion is that it's quite sensitive to driving style. So short-shift it and sit in the torque band and it'll sup quite gently. But it starts gulping if you rev it out. Nothing on the old five-cylinder though!
Like I say, we'll rule on this in more detail in due course.
Cheers,
Dan
I have been using that Shell V-Power fuel (or whatever they are calling it now) recently though.
I know what you mean about the torque steer though, I had an 11-plate Focus RS before I bought the 2012 ST & it was SO much more stable. Thats not to say I regard the torque steer in the ST as an all-out nightmare, it's not great but neither is it REALLY bad. Livable-with.
What has been PH's 'real world' mpg, please?
As it's not me driving I can't really comment though. But we'll make a point of doing something a little more exhaustive and quantifiable with and without the bike racks in place before it goes.
My impression from peering at the trip computer on occasion is that it's quite sensitive to driving style. So short-shift it and sit in the torque band and it'll sup quite gently. But it starts gulping if you rev it out. Nothing on the old five-cylinder though!
Like I say, we'll rule on this in more detail in due course.
Cheers,
Dan
Interesting comment re driving-style/mpg: "Short-shift it and sit in the torque band and it'll sup quite gently." Forum 'experts' tend to opine that "revs not boost", albeit using light throttle, is best for a petrol turbo's mpg - seems the 'experts' are wrong. How unusual.
Cheers
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