your thoughts on the Ford Focus ST-3
- Thread starter TriedandTested
- Start date
Kingy said:
its not just about the power, it's about the delivery, the ST is quicker than the GTI around a track, and will be quicker than a remapped VRS.
The car as a package is an excellent car, any one who has been in the car will agree. People form this forum: Merlin, Drex, Freefaller and the rest at the RR.
Off to sleep, will be around tomorrow to carry this on if needed, any more questions then ask away
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Kingy said:
Not true.
400 miles of:
a) Plymouth to Southampton. Although I cruised on the dual carriageway bits at 75mph, I also had a GREAT time on the single carriageway bits by overtaking everything I possibly could. Woohoo!
b) The Southampton Motors meet. Ask anyone who had a ride how economical my driving... wasn't
c) Southampton to Plymouth. As above, but no traffic to hold me up. Woohoo..
32.7mpg.
hilly said:
The power delivery is a valid point, and no doubt it would be quicker than both lower powered cars mentioned. Certainly if I'd had a £20k company car budget with a fuel card and no mahooosive tyre budget worries, then a silver ST would be right up there at the top of the list, but for my own money, then the ST is no direct competitor to the cars it's pitched against in my eyes...
I'd expect something more nutter than an ST for those running costs personally, and on that note the track time argument would lead it to be compared to the Imprezza etc...
What's WillGill's fuel consumption like?
I'm yet to see an average of more than 23mpg over an entire tank of fuel with normal driving in my ST. 26mpg is possible by sitting at 60mph in 6th using minimal throttle, but if you do that the ST just isn't for you. Push the car hard and it'll happily guzzle fuel at a rate of 12mpg.
My complaints about the car are:
*phew*
I won't go on about the good points of the car. Read some reviews and go drive one, that's my only advise. The car overall is great, regardless of all my moans. Everytime I get in the car, it makes me smile. Everytime I floor it, I smile. Even just looking at it makes me feel warm inside. It's a superb car, and I'd happily buy one again. Great value for money.
My complaints about the car are:
- Fuel economy is shocking, regardless of how you drive it
- Xenon headlights are very low
- Creaking door seals
- Creaking driver + passenger seat
- Rattling boot lid
- Buzzing from rear of car
- Steering wheel shaking issue. Still unsolved after 11 days being spent at the dealer. I gave up.
- ESP is overly keen in the wet
- Paint quality in places is shocking. Paint runs, dirt under paint etc. I'm very picky though.
- Fuel tank is too small given the rate it guzzles it
- Submarine lighting is crap
- Seats don't remember the position they were in when you let people in the back. They remember the back tilt part, but not the forward/backwards part. Supposedly they do, but I've tried all of the suggestions.
- Paint chips extremely easy
- Paint match on front bumper is poor
- Oversteer can catch you out in the wet
- Engine seems to bog down in hot weather
*phew*
I won't go on about the good points of the car. Read some reviews and go drive one, that's my only advise. The car overall is great, regardless of all my moans. Everytime I get in the car, it makes me smile. Everytime I floor it, I smile. Even just looking at it makes me feel warm inside. It's a superb car, and I'd happily buy one again. Great value for money.
[TW]Fox said:Not true.
400 miles of:
a) Plymouth to Southampton. Although I cruised on the dual carriageway bits at 75mph, I also had a GREAT time on the single carriageway bits by overtaking everything I possibly could. Woohoo!
b) The Southampton Motors meet. Ask anyone who had a ride how economical my driving... wasn't
c) Southampton to Plymouth. As above, but no traffic to hold me up. Woohoo..
32.7mpg.
La La La La La...
Not listening!
I tend to cruise at 90 on the motorway, so I wouldn't achieve those figures anyway, and that's before considering my 6 cylinder perversion...
When you talk about overtaking, are you talking about planting your foot in 5th at 60 and letting the torque do the work, or dropping to third and really going for it?
Kingy said:
It doesn't have any torque (300nm for the lose) so I drop it to third and nail it. It's ridiculously addictive and I've really got to be careful becuase the rate at which you can... 'in theory' shatter speed limits when you drop into 3rd at 40-50 and nail it is shocking..
[TW]Fox said:
I can't comment on the VXR, but I'd imagined the Golf GTi, with 20bhp and 200cc more than my vRS, while retaining a lower weight, single cylinder lighter lump up front than the ST would be significantly better than the fuel and tyre consumption figures quoted by hilly, and not massively disimilar to my car...
[TW]Fox said:
How does NM convert to pounds and feet? Mine has a touch over 170 lbft and feels so much er, torquey than my old Rover...
I don't know the comparable weights between yours and mine, but I'd expect a 3.0 straight six to produce more torque than a blown four so the ability to pick up quickly in top must be pretty decent...
[TW]Fox said:
No offence intended, I enjoy reading your posts on cars in general, but a 330i/530i nailed in 3rd is, well..."nice" but not really shocking at all in the way that either exceed a posted limit from 40-50 onwards or in the way it delivers that speed.
Perhaps I read it wrong though. If you mean it's a suprise at what speed you are actually doing compared to what it "feels" like you are doing then I apologise.
Kingy said:
I understand it is relative, I just thought that an adjectives like "shocking" and "addictive" was a bit of a stretch.
Fuel on the scoob? Overall ~21 mpg. Bear in mind I rarely hit a motorway or DC around here but I've had better (~29) to Cambridge and worse (~12 on a Denbigh Moors hoons). Tyres still have plenty of life after 9k, Michelin Pilot Sport 2's.
Fuel on the BM? 39.2mpg atm and that thing gets hammered by myself and my partner. Tyres are another issue though...sub 11k on the back and Michelin are having problems supplying them. There are at least 3 cars at my dealer waiting soley on new rubber. The joy of big run-flats, eh?
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Fett said:
This is my point regarding the Focus, I'd expect fuel economy like this from a 300bhp turbo nutter car, but not a hot family hatch. I'm not doing down the ST as a car, it's very nice (in silver) and no doubt pulls like a train etc, but as an ownership prospect, the running costs mean that you have to consider it against cars like Fett's instead of it's original target market.
Fett said:
I know what he means though, I'm 20+% down on Fox's torque figure, but after the Rover I'd use terms like "shocking" and "addictive" as well...
No offence but 3rd gear in the 530i is very flat imo, 1st and 2nd it re-arranges your internal organs, 3rd is flat, 4th it's off again like a startled stag.
That's exactly how my bugeye Impreza was - 1st, 2nd great, 3rd WTF is going on, then 4th got it's breath again. Very frustrating. PPP on the blobeye sorted that problem out nicely though.
That's exactly how my bugeye Impreza was - 1st, 2nd great, 3rd WTF is going on, then 4th got it's breath again. Very frustrating. PPP on the blobeye sorted that problem out nicely though.
Kingy said:For what's marketted as the hot version of a famiily hatch, those figures are unreal...
Unfortunately a 2.5l 5 Cylinder Turbo is never going to be light on fuel. And when you add in its fwd its no surprise it eats tyres.
Having just looked at two (Blue and ASBO Orange) about 30 minutes ago at a dealer its easy to see where the appeal comes from.