Associate
Very slow off the line, decent at 6th gear pulls at A-Road or motorway. Had a Golf GTD after the Focus and it felt much quicker in every gear in comparison.
How many Focus ST owners on here
- Thread starter Sparky
- Start date
Very slow off the line, decent at 6th gear pulls at A-Road or motorway. Had a Golf GTD after the Focus and it felt much quicker in every gear in comparison.
Soldato
Did you get a dsg GTD?
I’m mainly looking at estates, I sort of went against the idea but then do need a bigger car. Was there much difference in running costs? I do prefer the looks of the st tbh, plus they’re cheaper. Reliability is a concern but I’ve never really had a Ford go wrong on me tbf.
I’ve got a diesel estate ST3, I’ve had it since new and it’s four years old now with 118k on the clock. It is a little sluggish off the line but it doesn’t take long to pick up and then pulls well and always feels like it wants to keep going. Having said that I’ve had multiple issues with it, it’s going back to Ford on Wednesday to be looked at for a third time for the same issue.
I enjoy driving it when it’s 100%. It handles reasonably well but it’s got a turning circle like a double decker bus.
I enjoy driving it when it’s 100%. It handles reasonably well but it’s got a turning circle like a double decker bus.
Soldato
What issues have you had?
I vaguely recall the turning circle on my ST2s was also laughable.. wonder why?
Associate
Both manuals.
Only issue I had with mines over the 3 years was the rear bulbs constantly blowing. Checked by Ford 3 times with no obvious fault found.
Golf was easier to live with though, always thought the Focus was overly loud and never comfortable on a cruise compared to the Golf.
My ST225 MK2.5 isn't that great either.
Currently the fan runs on full pelt from the moment you switch the engine on to when you switch it off even in cool weather and it sounds like a 747 waiting to take off, the auto stop/start also refuses to work, third time lucky on Wednesday hopefully!
It spent a week off the road while they tried to find an electrical fault which turned out to be a frayed wire underneath the rear seats which never get used.
There was the mystery of the disappearing coolant which ended up needing a part replacing and an overnight stay for the car following a few visits so they could check levels, I can’t even remember what part it was now and since it’s a company car I don’t get any of the paperwork.
Fortunately I don’t pay the bills but the dealership refer to me as a frequent flyer.
Soldato
Quite a few niggles then. Hopefully they get sorted for you?
How has it been for you generally? Decent mpg etc?
When it’s running correctly it’s great, I have to admit that because I drive for work I don’t pay much attention to the mpg but I get roughly 500 miles out of a full tank and I do a mixture of both motorway and town driving. The boot is spacious, they come with a spare thank god or mine did anyway, and it looks the part. If you go for the ST3 then make sure you are comfy in the Recaros, being female I don’t have very broad shoulders but some of my male friends sometimes find getting comfortable across the shoulder blades a little challenging. I shall miss the seats when I’m forced to change the car which isn’t far away now. The ride is a little hard if you have one with the 19s on but it doesn’t trouble me.
Last edited:
My Mk 4 is coming up to 1 year old with 2200 miles on the clock. The Ford app on my phone is reporting just 7% oil life left... Iv'e put my foot down a couple of times but surely not enough to chew through my oil life % that bad....
It's booked in for its first service on Tuesday so i'll see what Yeovil Ford have to say about it.
It's booked in for its first service on Tuesday so i'll see what Yeovil Ford have to say about it.
What do you want to know?
Soldato
General reliability (things that have gone wrong?), average mpg and driver dynamics. How it’s held up etc
Drives well, I have Eagle F1 tyres on it, grips and goes round corners as you would expect, slight tad of understeer pushing out of corners at high speed. The torque is stupid, and will pull to the right even in third if you catch it right.
MPG, I do roughly 550 miles a month travelling to work and back, getting 45MPG on that route, 1/2 and 1/2 motorway and city driving.
Touch wood, not had an issue with it. I came from a 428i, comparing the comfort level, its a slightly harder ride, and slightly noiser in the cab. Everything you need is there though, heated seats, windscreen etc etc, which is what I look for.
Anythign else I can tell you, let me know.
MPG, I do roughly 550 miles a month travelling to work and back, getting 45MPG on that route, 1/2 and 1/2 motorway and city driving.
Touch wood, not had an issue with it. I came from a 428i, comparing the comfort level, its a slightly harder ride, and slightly noiser in the cab. Everything you need is there though, heated seats, windscreen etc etc, which is what I look for.
Anythign else I can tell you, let me know.
Soldato
Currently looking at the new ST. Very tempted but still not keen on the new shape.
It is a better drive though.
It is a better drive though.
Soldato
Im not so sure either. The rear end looks great, face is a bit, well - only a mother could love it.
Fiesta is the opposite for me.
Soldato
- Joined
- 24 Sep 2015
- Posts
- 3,672
I was considering a new Focus ST (to replace my Mk 3.5 ST3) but I absolutely hate the positioning of the sat nav screen. It looks like they forgot to plan where it should go, so in a panic they just nailed a tablet on to the dash. Oh, and it faces straight back and isn't angled towards the driver. It's ghastly.
Soldato
The test drive was limited as they didn't have demonstrator model available so I could only do a couple of miles and the traffic was awful. I did get to the front of the queue at the lights so the 120 seconds that followed put a smile on my face. The extra 30 horses it has certainly show.
It has much tighter steering than than the 3.5 model which is good. A few changes in the cockpit such as the screen as mentioned which i agree with but it does allow more light in.
The HUD is not something I'm used to and the car I tested didn't have it so can't comment on that.
This is the one I'm going for, it has all the options, some of which I doubt I'll ever use (Launch Control)
Excuse the pics, it was so bright I couldn't see my screen.
Having now seen it in the colour I want (Performance Blue as per the pics) it is growing on me. I guess when I'm in it, the outside won't really matter.
I'll say the other option I had was the Puma. Played with it for 30 mins and I didn't like it all. I honestly though I was driving a sluggish diesel with that noise in the cabin. Not convinced by the hybrid engine either.
It has much tighter steering than than the 3.5 model which is good. A few changes in the cockpit such as the screen as mentioned which i agree with but it does allow more light in.
The HUD is not something I'm used to and the car I tested didn't have it so can't comment on that.
This is the one I'm going for, it has all the options, some of which I doubt I'll ever use (Launch Control)
Excuse the pics, it was so bright I couldn't see my screen.
Having now seen it in the colour I want (Performance Blue as per the pics) it is growing on me. I guess when I'm in it, the outside won't really matter.
I'll say the other option I had was the Puma. Played with it for 30 mins and I didn't like it all. I honestly though I was driving a sluggish diesel with that noise in the cabin. Not convinced by the hybrid engine either.
Soldato
I picked up the 2.3 ecoboost back in June in Orange Fury
Love the car so quick and fun
Love the car so quick and fun
Soldato
I picked the car up on Tuesday afternoon (part ex my mk3.5) and managed to get in all of 5 miles at 30mph. Went to Lee on Solent but it was heaving with traffic so swapped seats with the missus and drive home as we had things to do.
Been non-stop since and the car is just sat on the drive. I want to get on the motorway but the M27 has 50mph speed restrictions so will have to go further afield for a quick blast.
A couple of things I have noticed so far though
My driving position doesn't really suit the HUD. I can't see the top line if you like which shows the road name.
The dashboard/steering wheel control options are fairly different and will take some getting used to. The volume control is on the opposite side for a start.
Brakes are softer at slow speeds than the mk3.5
I think the seats are more comfortable, they are no longer all leather, I think 60% now.
Torque steer is reduced, the car wants to go straight so steering feels tighter when cornering.
Still makes me smile
Been non-stop since and the car is just sat on the drive. I want to get on the motorway but the M27 has 50mph speed restrictions so will have to go further afield for a quick blast.
A couple of things I have noticed so far though
My driving position doesn't really suit the HUD. I can't see the top line if you like which shows the road name.
The dashboard/steering wheel control options are fairly different and will take some getting used to. The volume control is on the opposite side for a start.
Brakes are softer at slow speeds than the mk3.5
I think the seats are more comfortable, they are no longer all leather, I think 60% now.
Torque steer is reduced, the car wants to go straight so steering feels tighter when cornering.
Still makes me smile