Looking at something to replace my Leon FR which is getting on for eight years old.

Looking to buy maybe a 3 year old car with about 15K to spend.

Focus ST fall into this bracket and I’ve always quite liked the look of them.  Wife’s Fiesta is a great wee car so I know Ford’s are pretty solid in general.

Does anyone have any real world experience of the Focus ST?

No, but have driven one a fair few times.

Great cars. Sure footed, pretty quick, and modern Fords are decently built. Interior quality is fine, it’s not up to german standards but at the end of the day it’s considerably cheaper than something like an S3.

Fuel is OK (but my yardsticks are a bit skewed), the ride is pretty decent, there’s the same amount of space inside as, well, a focus. So it’s basically a good family car with a pretty engaging set of additional skills.

Sync2 is crap, though. I don’t know when it came in, but if you can get one with Sync3 make sure you do! We have 2 in my wife’s car and it’s pretty horrible,

Would I buy one? No. On the strength of it being a car, I would without a doubt. But unfortunately it’s the theft situation that puts me off. Bodywork getting stripped is certainly not unheard of, as well as the risk of getting the house broken into for the keys (it’s a fast 5 door hatch, it’s ideal getaway material).

Shouldn’t have to be like that, but it is. My wife was choosing between an ST and a Kuga 2 years ago and ended up with the latter for that exact reason.

NB: None of the above applies if you’re thinking of getting the diesel version 😀

Have you not considered another Leon FR?  I have a three year old 1.8 TSI and it’s a lovely car to drive, especially with a DSG gearbox.

It might be worth a test drive…

Have you not considered another Leon FR?  I have a three year old 1.8 TSI and it’s a lovely car to drive, especially with a DSG gearbox.

I absolutely have considered it.  But it would be my 3rd Leon in a row. just really trying to consider something slightly different!

I have the perfume burner estate version.

Mine isn’t quick as such but pulls strongly once moving.

Handling is very good and the driving position, seats and driver feedback is about the best I’ve had in a car during the last 25+ years driving.

For out and out driving I think you’ll love it, but you are also looking for a comfortable ‘nice’ place to be, I’d choose an Octavia vRS first.

Don’t especially like Golfs, but the Gti might also be worth considering if it comes in at the right cost.

Don’t especially like Golfs, but the Gti might also be worth considering if it comes in at the right cost.

I’d probably need to go to a 5 year old car to get a GTI. As much as they are good cars its really difficult to justify the price difference over a Leon or Focus when you are spending your own money!

Octavia is a good shout too

I bought a new petrol ST estate last year. It’s an ST3 which has leather Recaro seats which are really nice but quite narrow. Got Sync 3 which only appeared towards end of 2016.

Mine is the facelifted version which came out at start of 2015.

Friend on mine saw mine and bought one as well!

Lots of gadgets including adaptive xenon headlights, cruise control, sat nav, heated steering wheel etc.

Great car, really good to drive. Even my wife says she enjoys driving on windy roads.

Plenty of power but being front wheel drive does tend to wheelspin if too greedy with throttle in lower gears.

Done about 8000 miles and currently averaging about 31 mpg.

ST3 is keyless entry which can be a problem so keep keys in faraday pouch when in house.

Bought gap insurance for £170 so if it gets stolen in the next 3 years I get full invoice price back. Quite a few around if you look so not that uncommon.

Fuel is OK (but my yardsticks are a bit skewed)…

TBH this is what put me off getting one (albeit and older version) several years back. While the handling was impeccable, the performance and economy wasn’t as good as…

For out and out driving I think you’ll love it, but you are also looking for a comfortable ‘nice’ place to be, I’d choose an Octavia vRS first.

Had a mk1 and now have a mk2 (diesel) vRS estate which is getting on for eight years old. It is a nice place to be and is a brilliant motorway car, but compared to the mk1 it’s definitely a more grown up vehicle.

Don’t especially like Golfs, but the Gti might also be worth considering if it comes in at the right cost.

I was looking at the R32 estate recently as it was actually becoming affordable. I’m not a huge Golf fan for the same reasons above, but this did make me think.

There isn’t an R32 estate, you mean the R? They dropped the “32” nomenclature with the 3.2l V6 for the mk6.

as well as the risk of getting the house broken into for the keys (it’s a fast 5 door hatch, it’s ideal getaway material).

I absolutely get this being a risk with an RS3 or something of that ilk (even the Focus RS), which is a) very expensive and b) very fast, but really, a Focus ST isn’t that quick, cars like that (Golf GTI, VRS, Focus ST etc) are ten a penny. Non issue IMO. Unless you live in Bootle. In which case don’t spend £15k on a car, spend £15k moving out of Bootle.

Civic Type R as an alternative? You’d probably be looking at the late previous-gen one, not the one designed by a 10 year old with an overactive imagination and a penchant for spoilers.

Leon Cupra 300? You know it makes sense especially if you’ve had thee FR

Picked mine up 2 months ago, haven’t stopped smiling since (and not many audi/bmw/merc drivers seem to know the cupras performance!)

Aside from the above what about a Renault Megane 265, falls into your criteria and Renaults arent as bad as people make it (have had a few over the last few years, not perfect but no worse than any German cars I have owned)

A example below,not mine btw

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2015-15-RENAULT-MEGANE-2-0-RENAULTSPORT-S-S-3D-265-BHP-SAT-NAV-BLUETOOTH-CONNECT/282741850849?hash=item41d4ba42e1:g:J3kAAOSwVzRavDPW

Better build quality?  Sharp handling?  Lots of fun?  Better residuals?

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m135i

Back in the day Dave Hill needed a personal plate to make a declaration that anyone can make now. Are they still all puke green or clockwork orange coloured? I’ve never seen one around here, a statement too far for cultured people with a minimum of good taste. There’s sone social housing on the outskirts where there’s a chance of finding one, probably sitting on breeze blocks and trimless though.

I quite like the look of the Renault Megane GT as well, just not sure about depreciation!

https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-reviews/renault-megane-1-6-tce-205-gt-nav-2016-review-two-minute-road-test/

Thanks for that Edukator

How do you think it compares in the Yob factor to something like a a Leon Cupra? I’m looking to get the highest Yob factor attainable for my budget. The new Civic Type R excels but is probably out of my budget.

Putting a balance of performance and practicality to one side for a moment if we can. Which car do you think could upset the largest number of sanctimonious strangers on the internet?

Which car do you think could upset the largest number of sanctimonious strangers on the internet?

Any car I choose to ask a question about next should do the trick.

I test drove GT86, 140i, r, rs and st3 and ended up with the st. Owned for 6 months now and I still absolutely love it. Its a great daily driver, cheap to insure, reasonable on petrol (this depends on your point of reference) fun to drive too – even though you won’t be close to its limit on the road. Steering sets it apart for me, super sharp and precise. The back end suspension is set up a bit looser than you might expect so it moves around on the B roads. More drama than the German cars IMO although the 140i has a nice engine. RS is harsher but I might go for one next time (ST is rubbish in the snow, so I leave it at home).

Which car do you think could upset the largest number of sanctimonious strangers on the internet?

On this bike forum part of the Internet where people are regularly the victims of bad driving then a Focus ST is well up there simply because their whole reason to be is to be driven badly by motoring yobs. The kind of motoring yobs who like to be seen and heard down the high street rather than on a track day.

even though you won’t be close to its limit on the road

True of almost any car driven sensibly, and any car can be driven too and beyond its limits anywhere when there’s a selfish, arrogant, anti-social dick driving it. And lets face it those drivers are more likely to be in a Focus ST than a Leaf, so why make the statement – “I’m driving a yob car and I’m most probably a yob”.

And to anyone who says I’m trolling, posting a thread about the Focus ST on a bike forum inhabited by utility cyclists regularly cut up, fishtailed, refused priority, deliberately blocked, check braked etc. is trolling and I’ve simply responded in the obvious manner.

Which car do you think could upset the largest number of sanctimonious strangers on the internet?

I’m after a new car, if we can work this one out I’ll buy it – in fairness I’d not considered an ST but if the waffle above is anything to go by it’s now high on the list, in “puke green or clockwork orange” if at all possible.

…can be driven too and beyond…

“to”.

“to”.

Fair play –  you made it as far as the 2nd paragraph!?

Lol.

And to anyone who says I’m trolling,

No-one could ever accuse you of that. Meanwhile I’d respectfully suggest that Fiesta STs are the least of your concerns. The really enemy is the Fiat 500, a car driven exclusively by ditzy young women on the phone and old people with the lightning reactions of a drunk tortoise and the piercing vision of a blindfolded bat.

Back to the OP. I have no idea, our plasterer owns one in a hyper-enthusiastic sort of way, He doesn’t seem like a yob, though he does drive a custom-painted Transit with viper stripes.

utility cyclists regularly cut up, fishtailed, refused priority, deliberately blocked, check braked etc.

What’s “fishtailed”?

What’s “fishtailed”?

And what are ‘utility cyclists’ and why are ST drivers targeting them as opposed to recreational ones?

Kryton demonstrates superior intellect and pettiness pointing out a typo, There’s one in almost every post I make, Kryton. Continue to make a bigger fool of yourself pointing them out than I make of myself making them.

Utility cyclists are those who ride a bike as transport as opposed to putting it in/on a car and driving to somewhere the bike can be ridden on quiet roads or off road because roads roads are seen as too busy/unpleasant/dangerous

Fishtailed is “queue de poisson” which must be a false friend that translates badly if you don’t understand..

Type Focus ST into YouTube. Do you really want to be of them?

Or ride your bike on the same roads as them?

 in fairness I’d not considered an ST but if the waffle above is anything to go by it’s now high on the list, in “puke green or clockwork orange” if at all possible.

The RS is available in green, not the ST sadly, clockwork orange definitely an option. Or a very nice blue!

Type Focus ST any car into YouTube. Do you really want to be of them?

A dick? No, not really. But dicks are dicks irrespective of what vehicle they’re in.

Still can’t do quote, but this bit here, from njee20 above:

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>I absolutely get this being a risk with an RS3 or something of that ilk (even the Focus RS), which is a) very expensive and b) very fast, but </span><em style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>really, <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>a Focus ST isn’t that quick, cars like that (Golf GTI, VRS, Focus ST etc) are ten a penny. Non issue IMO. Unless you live in Bootle. In which case don’t spend £15k on a car, spend £15k moving out of Bootle.</span>

Colleague of mine lives in a small village near Cambridge and had his Golf GTi keys nicked while they were having a BBQ in the back garden. Plod reckoned that they are one of the most frequently nicked cars by crims who want a getaway-type car, because they don’t really stand out from the crowd, but are quick enough to get the job done.

He replaced it with  a Leon Cupra, so it’ll probably happen again at some point….

Only one of those is a Focus ST – don’t let that stop you getting your panties in a bunch though.

Put Honda Jazz into youtube and chances are you’ll find one being driven badly… not sure what you’re trying to prove.

Edit – what njee20 said.

Edukator…..

Pointless videos.

Oh look, a Bentley being driven sensibly:

Oh look, an Audi & a BMW being driven sensibly…

STs are absolutely still a theft risk. As said above – fast, 4 door, and relatively common. Ideal getaway cars and also to be stripped for parts to sell to people with lesser models.

Just have a look on eBay at the amount of bumpers on there, for instance.

Can we stop replying to the professional stereotype ‘cyclist on an internet forum’ troll?

Focus ST appeals but am I right in thinking you can’t fit a towbar for bike racks?

I think on that basis I’m down to a GTi or vRS estate for my next motor. 340i touring just too much. My current 325i Touring is costing a small fortune in maintenance lately and think it’s time to get rid.

Have been offered a Leon FR 1.8TSi new for sensible money, great reviews and engine supposed to be great too, but since my first thought is chipping it, I think it’s not the car for me.

Be nice to Edukator.

His body is struggling to cope with the increased levels of oestrogen that come with Renault Zoe ownership.

😈

I think on that basis I’m down to a GTi or vRS estate for my next motor.

I’ve currently got a VRs estate (petrol), plenty of space, reliable, not a slouch but there isn’t anything special or even interesting about it .

The controls all feel a bit wooden/over assisted (possibly a VAG thing?), even with knocking on 300bhp its just a bit meh.

Kryton demonstrates superior intellect and pettiness pointing out a typo, There’s one in almost every post I make, Kryton. Continue to make a bigger fool of yourself pointing them out than I make of myself making them.

Thanks for the advice.  I was trying to make you look good by providing a distraction away from your usual trolling that everyone else has spotted, but obviously its not worked.  C’est la vie.   Oh and by the way you blasted me for “not taking care or quality in things” or words to that effect years ago when you took challenge to my spelling and grammar within forum posts, and then today you post “There’s one in almost every post I make”. A bit hypocritical no?

Just saying, like.

@james,

would you think a GTi had that ‘something’?

Be nice to Edukator.

Ok then, I can’t be bothered even to read his reply, I’m not one for internet arguments these days.

Its the 308gti supposed to be a pretty off-the-radar bet for a rapid hatch?  I keep reading about them but have no experience.

Hyundai i30N?

There isn’t an R32 estate, you mean the R? They dropped the “32” nomenclature with the 3.2l V6 for the mk6.

Yes. My mistake.

The new Hyundai looks great. But I’m going to struggle to get a 3 year old one for 15k!

Peugeot 308 is worth a look I hadn’t even considered it.

My top two are probably the ST and a Cupra 280 / 290 if I can find one I like the look of and can afford.