Focus ST

MikeHiow · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:20

[TW]Fox;17097334 said:
If it has plastic handles to operate windows and manual on/off aircon it sounds to me like it has just about nothing.

So a car needs climate control and electric rear windows to be considered 'specced'?

I for one, dislike climate control - it just annoys me, but then I'm a window down person.

I also have no reason to open the back windows from the front.

Other than that, it benefits from auto-dim rear view mirror, 6CD in-dash CD changer, auto lights, auto wipers, xenons, heated front screen, rear window and mirrors, full heated leather etc.

The only thing it doesn't have that I'd like is auto electric folding mirrors.

Andy100 said:
My 5 door ST (XR5) has electric rear windows and heated leather seats.

Not sure why they decided to make the Aus spec one better than the UK spec one. (and I have no idea why it has the heated seats in this weather)

Rear electric windows were a spec option on all five door Foci, its just most British drivers realise its a waste of money, as the person buying the car never sits in the back!

mjt · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:22

That spec makes it even more bizarre!

It's like seeing a full spec E46 only to notice one set of window switches by the gearbox

MikeHiow · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:24

I must say, I found it incredibly amusing when I found the rear hinged window switch on my friends E46 M3. Its a bit of a commodity though really.

St0rmer66 · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:26

How anyone can not like climate control I don't know.. my new work van (Caddy) has it and it's a revelation compared to the old one with manual A/C. I was forever adjusting it before, now I haven't adjusted it even once since I got it and I'm always comfortable

. Had it in the car (ST170) for over a year now and loved it in that too (but I, unfortunately, do more miles for work in the van than for pleasure in the car!).

Janesy B · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:28

You have to be a bit backwards not to get on with climate.

Dangerous Dave · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:28

mjt said:
I suspect I was spoiled in my 8 year old Leon, it even had an auto-dimming rear view mirror.
I must say I do miss it though..

My car has an auto-dimming rear mirror and wing mirrors. I find these very useful as you can easily be dazzled from the wing mirrors aswell as the rear view mirror. Oddly VW dropped it as an option shortly after I got the car.

Iceman · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:28

Went to look at an ST-3 the other night, very very nice cars just cant decide between this or a VXR??

Type_R · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:28

Peerzy said:
It still amazes me that cars like the Focus ST don't have rear eletric windows. It's something I noticed about a year ago when shopping for a hatchback for my mum. Literally no one spec'd them, or you had to pay stupid money and get a top of the range spec just to get rear eletric windows

VW Golf GTi

Ev0 · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:30

[TW]Fox;17097334 said:
If it has plastic handles to operate windows and manual on/off aircon it sounds to me like it has just about nothing.

Even my cheapo jap box has climate and electric rears

mjt · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:33

MikeHiow said:
I must say, I found it incredibly amusing when I found the rear hinged window switch on my friends E46 M3. Its a bit of a commodity though really.

I think 'normal' Coupes with electric rear windows are very rare.

Dangerous Dave said:
My car has an auto-dimming rear mirror and wing mirrors. I find these very useful as you can easily be dazzled from the wing mirrors aswell as the rear view mirror. Oddly VW dropped it as an option shortly after I got the car.

The only problem on certain cars with dimming wing mirrors is that sometimes they dim at night in town, which means you can't make out what's behind you.
Annoying when it could be a police car

Still very useful.

MikeHiow · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:39

Janesy B said:
You have to be a bit backwards not to get on with climate.

Or you just have to prefer to have windows open?

Its also not that I don't get on with it, I simply do not like it. The Mondeo has it, and its set at Low and Fan2, its never on auto so its just a more annoying interface to what I'm otherwise happy with.

Ev0 said:
Even my cheapo jap box has climate and electric rears

Does it have auto-dim rear view mirror, 6CD in-dash changer, auto lights, auto wipers, xenons, heated front screen, rear window and mirrors and full heated leather, though?

[TW]Fox · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:41

Andy100 said:
My 5 door ST (XR5) has electric rear windows and heated leather seats.

You live in Australia and you chose a Ford Focus? Epic, epic fail. Hang your head in shame. So many fantastic and great value Fords and Holdens and you picked the damn Focus!?

MikeHiow said:
So a car needs climate control and electric rear windows to be considered 'specced'

Thats right, yes.

Peerzy · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:43

Type_R said:
VW Golf GTi

Exactly, she wanted a slow family hatchback. She'd have to have doubled her budget and got a 2.0 turbocharged engine to get rear eletric windows.

Dangerous Dave · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:51

mjt said:
The only problem on certain cars with dimming wing mirrors is that sometimes they dim at night in town, which means you can't make out what's behind you.
Annoying when it could be a police car

Still very useful.

Not had that problem however the garage warned me the mirror glass is over £200 a side !

mjt · 5 Aug 2010 at 22:59

That would explain why a replacement mirror cost hundreds and hundreds on our V50.
Couldn't understand why it was so expensive..

Granted the indicators and heating elements push the cost up, but the glass must have been a few hundred on top!

Saytan · 5 Aug 2010 at 23:17

mjt said:
I think 'normal' Coupes with electric rear windows are very rare.

all the 3.0 sports i tested had them.

Ev0 · 5 Aug 2010 at 23:29

MikeHiow said:
Does it have auto-dim rear view mirror, 6CD in-dash changer, auto lights, auto wipers, xenons, heated front screen, rear window and mirrors and full heated leather, though?

Say all you want windy window man

According to Fox I'm the one who's specced (just ignore all the other poo wih my car)

I do have heated rear window and mirrors though lol (doesn't every modern car now??)

If I'd have bothered to wait for an SL would have got heated leather plus a sun roof, ooh posh. And a Hawkeye would give me the Xenons as well.

Joshy · 6 Aug 2010 at 00:36

MikeHiow said:
Or you just have to prefer to have windows open?

I'm with you a 150% on this one, but surely it'd wind me up immensely if I owned a car that was available with Climate control, but it wasn't fitted.

Same goes with the rear electric windows - I never sit in the back, but it'd still annoy me.

Fr0dders · 6 Aug 2010 at 00:43

MikeHiow said:
Rear electric windows were a spec option on all five door Foci, its just most British drivers realise its a waste of money, as the person buying the car never sits in the back!

it's not a waste of money at all

you can tell your kids havent grown up yet !

Kids have a great desire to play with windows, especially wind up ones. Rear electric windows are great because you just flick the switch to turn them off. When theres a handle the only way to stop them is to have an argument and tell them off. Not what you want when doing 70 in the fast lane !

Andy100 · 6 Aug 2010 at 02:13

[TW]Fox;17097882 said:
You live in Australia and you chose a Ford Focus? Epic, epic fail. Hang your head in shame. So many fantastic and great value Fords and Holdens and you picked the damn Focus!?

It's a company car.

I could have had an SV6 or an XR6 but neither would fit in my tiny garage (I tried). I live right on the beach in Sydney so finding a parking spot in the street is a pain. Garage space wasn't a priority when choose a place to buy.

I like it anyway. Great fun to blast up and down the motorway in.