[Closed] New Ford Focus ST (Estate) looks fun...

not going to be much fun if you don't want to break the law.

Alright Captain Sensible, thanks for your input.

not going to be much fun if you don't want to break the law.

Back to the Allegro, Grandad.

I think, in a couple of years, when someone has taken the hit on the depreciation then this will be my next car!

Interesting. They've just appeared on the Ford management car scheme. I've had the Focus a few times but boot is quite small so am on a Mondeo now. Prefer the Focus as Mondeo, although it drives beautifully, is a bit dated inside.

An estate ST would be ideal.

I'd have one. Just what I've been looking for (Unless anyone has a £3.5k RS4 Avant for Sale?) 😉

Not sure they'd allow it in the car park at Peaslake.

Have the Volvo engined ST and thats what makes it. But if time passes and Mountune get sensible power out of it, yes, I'd have one. Stuff the greenies.....................

Subaru BRZ has fold down rear seats and is the same price.

HoratioHufnagel - Member

Subaru BRZ has fold down rear seats and is the same price.

Coupe though, hardly comparing like with like.

Just got a Titanium X estate diesel and it's a real nice car but that is nicerer by far

The new 328i for me 🙂

Ford will be good value second hand though 8)

I've just got a titanium x 1.6 turbo estate, which is a lovely car, had I known about the ST (which I can't afford anyway...)

Back to the Allegro, Grandad

on my 3rd Alfa actually...

but it is well overpowered for todays roads - it is like riding a 6-7 inch travel bike round swinley and then complaining that it is too tame - why not ride something more suitable for the conditions that provides appropriate feedback and fun, like a Soul or Anthem.

That looks cracking...would be very tempted if I had cash to waste on a new vehicle.

but it is well overpowered for todays roads

I agree with you TG. A proper fast car would frustrate me enormously - even in my 140bhp Passat I find it hard to back off at 80mph.. especially after living in Germany.

Has that Passat not got cruise control? That'll take your finger off the trigger so to speak..... 🙂

That said, imagine what it's like having something that'll do 60mph in first gear.... 😉

Fast cars aren't just for exceeding the speed limit, they get you there faster too. Which is quite handy if you're, frinstance, driving from Glentress to Edinburgh and stuck behind one of the endless 40mphists.

Hopefully my Mondeo'll last a few more years and I can make do with 180bhp and 60mpg til then 😉 but I'll definately want to try the new ST next time... But having driven other recent Foci they don't feel like as good a car as the early ones, my Mk1.5 was slow as continental drift but it was a really well sorted, well thought out car, lovely ergonomics inside, amazing use of the space... Not convinced they've nailed that as well since.

Fast cars aren't just for exceeding the speed limit, they get you there faster too.

Nahh they don't. All cars do the same speed: stopped in traffic. 😛

Nuh uh, all of mine spend quite a lot of time broken down as well

they get you there faster too

True, but if your burnout to 70mph is over in a flash, you can't enjoy it!

Which is quite handy if you're, frinstance, driving from Glentress to Edinburgh and stuck behind one of the endless 40mphists

Not as useful as a relaxed outlook and sense of perspective 🙂 Much more expensive too!

Nuh uh, all of mine spend quite a lot of time broken down as well

😀

they get you there faster too

don't talk guff - are you saying that you need all that power so you can hug the speed limit a bit more, and that normal cars aren't capable of that. Or are you like that idiot instructor on that braking distance thread that was aggressively overtaking on country lanes ?

Saves you a couple of minutes on your arrival time I suppose, well worth the risks, to you and everyone else on the road.

Saves you a couple of minutes on your arrival time I suppose, well worth the risks, to you and everyone else on the road.

Overtakey Mr Fandango boy racer doesn't do it to save time, of course - he does it because he enjoys it.

molgrips - Member

Not as useful as a relaxed outlook and sense of perspective

I can do that too- my old car wasn't really capable of swift overtakes. But when you can overtake safely and proceed at your own pace, why not do so?

TurnerGuy, I can only suggest you read my post again (or, rather, don't quote it out of context, as I suspect you did that intentionally)

Like it, although a new Octavia (including vRS) should be out early next year too.

Love the hidden door protectors on the new Focus - really neat design feature.

Which is quite handy if you're, frinstance, driving from Glentress to Edinburgh and stuck behind one of the endless 40mphists

I've just done some maths:
Edinburgh to Peebles is according to google maps, 23 miles.
At 40mph average (realistic) that will take 34.5 minutes
At 60mph average (unrealistic) that will take 23 minutes
At 80mph average (impossible) that will take 17.25 minutes

I reckon, realistically, you might just average 60mph for half the journey, even pushing it hard. So best guess, giving it lots of beans in a fast car on a good day, you'd save 5.75 minutes.

Just saying, like.....
🙂

But yeah, overtaking IS fun, so stuff it, why not eh? 🙂

But when you can overtake safely and proceed at your own pace, why not do so?

Cos the required car costs more to buy, service, tax, fuel and insure, wastes precious fuel that we all need and fks the environment up that little bit more.

So it's a bit like owning more than one bicycle, or making unneccesary trips driving places just to ride a bicycle? Or for that matter, wasting electricity posting on internet sites?

Yes, but more vanity orientated.

Note I'm not complaining about actual motorsport. Just boy-racerism.

Today everyone was driving along at 70-80 on the M5. Some of us using twice as much fuel as others. Bit of a waste.

Cos the required car costs more to buy, service, tax, fuel and insure, wastes precious fuel that we all need and fks the environment up that little bit more.

Bollocks!
My £400 Omega/mobility scooter is just fine for that! 114bhp I'll have you know! Overtakes pretty rapidly in sport mode! 🙂

not going to be much fun if you don't want to break the law.

I though bombing through red lights is ok if your a member of this forum??

Oh, and I'm always pleased that
A) I've overtaken a car worth 40 times as much
B) It's still in one piece and mostly functioning when I pull in

🙂

Sorry. I bluddy LOVE my old shed. 🙂

molgrips - Member

Today everyone was driving along at 70-80 on the M5. Some of us using twice as much fuel as others. Bit of a waste.

True, but this is no mad sports car, it'll still deliver 40mpg if asked. Could be better o'course but it's not too disgraceful. There's a lot worse out there for people to go and be sanctimonious about.

(this is why I own a 2.2 diesel mondeo not a fast petrol one... It's not as quick, but it's still quick enough, but will still return 60mpg with a little less foot (and no doubt much better if driven for outright economy). Nice balance. More economic than my 80bhp focus was, in fact)

Hmm. On that subject- Ford have traditionally done diesel ST mondeos to go alongside the petrol ones... Wonder if they could squeeze the 2.2 diesel into a Focus? The 2.0TDCI fits...

on my 3rd Alfa actually...

I bet sitting on the hard shoulder in a cloud of steam makes you a bit jealous of cars that go.

I bet sitting on the hard shoulder in a cloud of steam makes you a bit jealous of cars that go.

I'll let you know when it happens...

I took my first 156 in for a service once and there was a guy with a 2.5l V6 156 there for some work - I asked him if he'd had many problems and he reeled off a list of just about every problem possible.

Then he said it was a company lease car and he was going to buy it when the lease ended shortly...

I am already planning ahead to getting a lightly used one of these when my trusty Honda finally expires (assuming they prove reliable)...

True, but this is no mad sports car, it'll still deliver 40mpg

That bad? Dear me!

I drive a 2008 Focus ST-3 (albeit with a few performance tweaks taking it to circa 320bhp & lsd, uprated shocks/springs) but having just had a baby in July I could do with 5 doors and the extra boot space.

I'd have been looking at the new ST, possibly the estate but £25k+ with no options ticked... cmon!

Maybe in a year or two for £15k, the prices of new "regular" cars is just silly.

It looks like a great car for the twisty and interesting roads. Sadly this probably only makes up less than 1% of my driving and hence it's the diesel auto estate for me still.

I really don't get people who buy cars like this. If you need a pratical estate, buy a cheaper pratical estate, and then buy yourself an Elise/Westfield etc with the change which would leave something like a Focus ST standing in the fun stakes.

Possibly because those people don't leave in some magical world where whenever you're going somewhere and find a fun empty road your boring diesel estate transforms into a sportscar... Mind you, I don't get people who buy new cars but I'm glad they exist!

I really like it. Always liked quick estates, possibly due to groing up watching these beasts:
[img] [/img]

Cos the required car costs more to buy, service, tax, fuel and insure, wastes precious fuel that we all need and fks the environment up that little bit more.

The Alfa Giulietta I had as a hire car when back in Blighty did 50 mpg whilst having 170 bhp, which solves the fuel and environment bit of your rant. And frankly, it's none of your business how much it costs the driver to tax, insure, service and buy. HTH.

EDIT: For reference, I briefly also had a Corsa SRI as a hire car whilst back too. That struggled to do 35 mpg whilst also struggling to move faster than the lorries in the inside lane.

I really don't get people who buy cars like this. If you need a pratical estate, buy a cheaper pratical estate, and then buy yourself an Elise/Westfield etc with the change which would leave something like a Focus ST standing in the fun stakes

I had both Elises and a Westfield. Now have a 300 bhp ST. Difference? Actually the ST is quicker than the wheezy Elise midrange and also I have 3 people in the family so the westie and Lotus were no use. The Focus is a jack of all trades. Goes to the tip, bikes go on the roof and upsets many german wagons. Everyone has a choice. if we didnt, we'd all be in the same boring bland cars. Insurance cost me sub £300 because its a ford, all mods declared. Road tax is the same as our mini cooper s. Service cost me £120 last year all stamped up. new discs and pads are under £200. All not exactly expensive. The only pain is fuel economy, but have seen 32 mpg on a run, but the rest is cheap to run, so fuel costs are its only blight. In fact its really cheap to run, as most of the time I go riding out the back of my mates vans !!

Owning a (semi) powerful estate, my next car will be a slightly less powerful but hugely more economical one. I admit myself, I tend to drive more like a dickhead in my Octy than I did in my old Mondeo ST. Much nicer to drive with the cruise on in my Mondeo seeing the MPG at 55mpg+...

Without a doubt in the next few months I'm getting one of these:
[img] [/img]

Anyone want an 06 plate Octy vRS wagon with 75kish on the clock?

That bad? Dear me!

You know when you realise that there's some people you're just never going to agree with....

Here's some maths for you. Based on diesel being 1.42 a litre and petrol being 1.39 a litre and the Focus doing 40mpg and a generic diesel doing 60mpg the total additional cost of running the ST Focus over a Diesel Mondonkey over 10k miles would be just £503.

So £503 for a car that goes faster, looks better, sounds better and doesn't stink. I know what I'd rather have....

And I know what I'd rather you had 🙂

I went to swap my rs4 for something cheaper and more efficient. I came back with another rs4. 😯

You bought the new one Col?

Lol, this entire thread reminds me of why I'm indecisive about trading my 330i Saloon, when what I really want is a fun estate (read RS4)

I only do 2500pa so Petrol/diesel economy is neither here nor there. The Beemer (its an '52 plate) has had all the wear & tear bits done. But most poignently:

a)Its the semi auto, and on the odd work journey is excelently comfortable, smooth and acceptably economical on m/way with cruise (32mpg)

b)Thats ^^ with a bike carrier on the roof. A recent journey to Afan with all my gear and 1 bike on the roof averaged 28.5 from start to finish (M25 / A40 / M52 / twisty roads to Cwn Carn then to Cymmer)

c)I can get all the camping / bike gear for two bikes on the roof and still have room for 2 passengers - I've done that to CYB.

d) It can be a hoot in sports mode with the T/C off if you want it to be.

As much as I'd like an RS4 or acceptably performing diesel, in my circumstances the minute I have to borrow more than £100 to get a similar car in estate form it just isn't economically viable.

i love the look of them and in 3 years when all the out of warranty ones appear in my price bracket i think i'd get one.

better MPG than the old ST engine and high kit levels cant go wrong really, not one for the badge snobs i guess though 😉

Everyone has a choice. if we didnt, we'd all be in the same boring bland cars.

molgrips - Member

And I know what I'd rather you had

One that chucks out cancer causing particulates and has injectors/dmf/dpf so expensive that you may as well scrap the car when they fail? Not to mention having an engine that sounds like a skeleton having a Thomas the Tank in a biscuit tin. Or is it the kind which use rare-earth metals and require the owner to be smugger than Alan Partridge?

sounds like a skeleton having a Thomas the Tank in a biscuit tin.

Have you been in the new focus yet? Its a crap place to be in compared to the old one its replaced. ( I spend hours in various fords including the new focus through my work )

The dash might look all fancy and swooshy, but its quite impractical. The old dash has spaces to put things in front of the gear lever etc, the new one just has this slope sided pocket thing which isn't big enough or the right shape to even hold a small phone.

The dash also swoops towards you just at the side of the doors. Making the knee space greatly reduced when getting in and out ... I've hit my knees off those sharp edges countless times.

the front doors are smaller ... making it harder to get in and out if you 6ft or taller.

the interior space feels much smaller than before in general. Its like theve narrowed the whole cabin and the roof lines feel much closer in on you.

All round, cant really stand it. Despite being the newest cars, they are the last set of keys to be picked by folk. The older design was much better.

One that chucks out cancer causing particulates and has injectors/dmf/dpf so expensive that you may as well scrap the car when they fail? Not to mention having an engine that sounds like a skeleton having a Thomas the Tank in a biscuit tin. Or is it the kind which use rare-earth metals and require the owner to be smugger than Alan Partridge?

As opposed to one that forces the owner to resort to knackered old cliched nonsense to justify it? 🙂

Shame it looks like a Peugeot.

That dash is an abomination. It looks like an 80s Alba Midi Hi-fi system

Flange - no, not here until feb next year. Someone wanted my Avus silver wagon so I swapped it plus a few grand for a black one with half the mileage and under warranty as mine was about to go out of silver service. Basically for the warranty price difference 😀 would like a new one but will wait for them to get 6 myths old and pick one up then.