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FOCUS ST

WYNAND

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
South Africa
Hi there people

Ford just launched there focus st here in South Africa
and every ford driver here is now beating down on the GOLF5 GTI

I read the article GTI vs focus st here on GOLFMK5 and must say
that the GTI is really the bench mark for all hot hatches

Can't wait for a local car mag to compere the 2

cheers !!!!

Wyns (S.A)
 

Bouston

FIA World Rally Car Champion
Location
Heidelberg, Germany
Car(s)
2006 Subaru STI
I saw an orange one the other day. But I like the Focus RS better.
 

Jeppe

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Denmark
The Focus ST is an obvious Golf GTI competitor and I had the pleasure of test driving it 2 weeks ago - before deciding between that and the Golf.

The Focus has a lot going for it - it looks a bit more aggressive than the Golf and I personally like the engine sound better. My mate who was with me preferred the Golf's sound though. I also love how there is a distinct racing sound from the exhaust when you give it some revs and release the gas pedal (hard to explain and I don't know the correct word in English - maybe it's what's called backfire?). I don't think the Golf had that sound at least I didn't experience it during my test drives. Only in the DSG in S mode you have something a bit similar.

Overall the Focus' engine was brilliant and I could actually feel that it had more power and was 100 kgs lighter than the Golf.

The handling was a tad bit sharper in the Focus as far as I could tell and overall it just felt a little more agile.

The Focus' interior was not as good looking as the Golf's though, and the seats weren't as good either. One thing I especially didn't like was the remote control for the radio which wasn't integrated in the steering wheel, but was a large extra stick below the indicator. That looked horrible.

Some options that I asked for weren't available in the Focus such as cruise control and a couple others.

The gearbox was good, not as short shifts as the Golf, but still good. You felt a distinct click when the lever was in position.

After test driving I thought about it until the next day and tried to summarize the Focus and all I thought about was that awesome engine and engine sound where when I recalled the Golf, I remembered the entire package - seats, engine, gauges, interior, the sublime DSG box etc.

No doubt I would have been happy buying any of the two, but I think the Golf is the car I will be the most happy with most of the time. Plus I was really sold on that DSG after trying it.
 

Bouston

FIA World Rally Car Champion
Location
Heidelberg, Germany
Car(s)
2006 Subaru STI
That was a good write-up/review :clap: . Do you know what size engine (liters) does the Focus ST have?
 

LordNikon

Autocross Champion
Location
.
2.5l Duratec ST, I5 DOHC, 20 valves. VVT, dual mass flywheel; turbo charged; electronic multipoint fuel injection.

~153.9 cu in
 

Jeppe

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Denmark

Bouston

FIA World Rally Car Champion
Location
Heidelberg, Germany
Car(s)
2006 Subaru STI
^Thanx. I wonder if Ford plans to bring the Ford Focus SVT back to the US? Or maybe this ST?
 

swami

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Ohio
Ford shut down the SVT program, so an SVT Focus is not gonna happen. Perhaps they'll bring this to the U.S., looks pretty sweet.
 

herrstreet

Touring Car Newbie
Location
Pittsburgh, Pa
The closest thing you'll be able to get will be the Mazdaspeed 3 that's going to be released this year. It too, will be a little quicker than the GTI, but also a little less refined. I think ultimately what it comes down to is VW put's the motor in a nicer car than the competition seems to at the moment. The Focus is ok, but I don't like how they make the back window sloped, it's not a coupe, it's not a useful hatch, it's more of a sport-hump. Pity as the front end is very sharp-looking.
 

GTI 2.0T

Rally Car Champion
Location
Oman
Car(s)
mkv GTI
The ST is a very nice car, the engine being the best part about it.. a 2.5 turbo with around 225 hp, plus it has unique touch to it, you can change the steering's lightness, using the computer and selecting one of 3 predefined levels.

but after reading several reviews about it.. i have noticed that the chasis isnt as solid as the GTI's, and not as fun and controllable, although you do have a big amount of grip.

the ST isnt even as comfortable as the GTI, or near its practicality... So the GTI wins:clap:

BTW isnt this thread supposed to be in the off-topic section??
 

Brandon

Oval Newbie
Location
Perth, Australia
I personally think the ST is an underperformer considering its 0.5l capacity advantage over the GTI, Megane, VXR, etc. I mean, come on if a chipped GTI motor can acheive the same power as the 2.5 in the ST, can you imagine what a 2.5 VW motor would push in std form?

Jeppe, that engine tone you like is fairly unique to 5 cylinder motors. Is that backfire you're talking about like a burbling sound? I love that sound. A decent freeflow exhaust should give that effect on virtually any car.
 

Slowride

Touring Car Newbie
Location
US
NYDUB said:
This Link

http://www.tuningnews.net/news/050216/ford-focus-st.php

Has some nice FORD pics of the Car. Does look interesting. I always enjoyed the true European Fords. My Capri "S" 1600 did well for me when I lived in England back in the late 70's.

Chris

Thanks for the link. I see another post a few back has a link too that I missed.:frown:

I am not too fond of the front end, but that looks far better than any Focus I have ever seen.
 
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