2.5 Litre Focus ST

Jimbob 83

What are these like to live with ?

Saw one pass me in traffic today and made a sexface if im honest especially at the sound :pac:

Compton

Ive heard they eat juice quite well. The tax is off putting too.

Agent_47

Thought it was a 2.0 litre 5 cylinder engine?

Supposed to be 7.5L /100 KM combined economy so around 37.6 Mpg

Jimbob 83

Haha 37mpg combined i think not and no the second Focus ST is deffo 2.5

ShadowHearth

Keep in mind it goes in to 2.6 bracket, which is even way more then 2.5 as its on that jump bracket.

I was thinking of getting one, but it's really not that great package. 2.6 tax, pig on juice and only 225hp... Meh

MidlandsM

Hard to fuel, hard to tax, hard to insure for some, hard to sell on, but to balance things - cheap to buy now, lots of fun, good owners club etc....

lookitsme

Agent_47 wrote: »

Supposed to be 7.5L /100 KM combined economy so around 37.6 Mpg

my brothers 1.4L petrol focus does 7.0L /100KM so I think that 7.5/100 is a bit fictional, unless you spin around in 5th gear doing 60kph

ian87

Drove one recently. The torque steer was horrific in it and that was in the dry.. I'd say in the wet it would be fairly lairy...

BArra

torque steer?

its through the front wheels yes, but its one of the best hot hatches you can get, its handling is excellent

Jimbob 83

Just pondering as i have had to save abit longer than i would have liked to get a CC loan (Have perfect repayment record but seems CU have changed alot) for my MK V GTI and thought they might be worth a look, 2.6 Tax would be crazy tho tbh so i tihnk thats out

Nice looking car in Orange tho, made my day listening to it burble past

BArra

1204e per year
668e 6 months
340e 3 months

pre 2008 ST tax rates

Alanstrainor

What kind of money are these going for now? I'd imagine the cost of them has taken a hammering recently. The added tax, means they're cheaper to buy, being a pig on juice is to be expected though.

Jimbob 83

I have seen 07 examples for under 8 grand, is reason i was snooping about

thecomedian

I thought about one of these too, but with a 2500+ cc the tax was a little over €1200.
Was a bit put off by it, unless it was very good value

afatbollix

You can get them for about 5-6k in the UK very tempted myself at the moment.

As I live in the UK tax is only £215 a year! I can't say no.

qz

Fcuk the tax

Jimbob 83

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Ford/Focus/ST-2.5-3/14413402063316990/advert?channel=CARS

Not bad colour is boring though

Need some of This

ian87

BArra wrote: »

torque steer?

its through the front wheels yes, but its one of the best hot hatches you can get, its handling is excellent

Yip, I put the foot down and it slithered around the place on me.. Only thing I didn't factor was the tires, they could have been past their prime or something like that, which may have given a flawed experience....

Agent_47

LIGHTNING wrote: »

No chance in hell you will get 37.6mpg in a ST. Admittedly the only time I drove one was around a track but even taking it handy it was thirsty.

2.0 litre and 7.2l/100 km according to this times article today unless they too have it wrong.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2012/0620/1224318247938.html

Jimbob 83

Agent_47 wrote: »

2.0 litre and 7.2l/100 km according to this times article today unless they too have it wrong.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2012/0620/1224318247938.html

3rd generation Focus ST which is a brand new car.

I cannot afford a new car

dar83

ian87 wrote: »

Yip, I put the foot down and it slithered around the place on me.. Only thing I didn't factor was the tires, they could have been past their prime or something like that, which may have given a flawed experience....

Definitely a shoes issue there. Even an aggresively remapped ST won't do that in the dry with proper rubber on it.

Jimbob if it helps, get about 450km per tank with mixed driving, 1/2 city half Motorway. Boost a lot and you'll lose some of that.

Tax is a problem for some, but you don't drive an ST if you're worried about tax (or insurance somewhat, but thats not as bad as you might think).

bazz26

They have higher running costs than a Golf GTi but the initial purchase price kind of counter balances the higher running costs. The sound track from the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder engine is unreal. I think there are one or two current/previous owners around these parts too.

Mazda 3 MPS are going cheap these days and are more understated than the Focus ST or Golf GTi:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201217207882924

MuppetCheck

Compared to its rivals it is considerably cheaper. The running costs will be more but if you look at the overall cost of ownership there isn't a lot in it. Plus an ST2/3 has a very decent spec. Plus I don't think there is another hot hatch that gives a better sense of occasion with the engine sound. They are also very tunable

Matt Simis

LIGHTNING wrote: »

That`s the brand new model which has just come out. It runs a Ford 2.0 litre block unlike the old model which used a Volvo sourced 5 pot.

The old one has lots of character and sounds awesome. It doesnt drive like a small engine with a big turbo (unlike the 3/6 MPS, TT, GTI etc) 'cos it isnt, its a decent lump of engine with moderate turbo like a car should be. They remap to over 260bhp no problem.

I cannot stand the very Irish (tax comes first, platform comes second) little 4pot big turbo brigade. The Mk2 ST avoids this nicely, its a sensible starting point.

galwaytt

Matt Simis wrote: »

I cannot stand the very Irish (tax comes first, platform comes second) little 4pot big turbo brigade.

It's real simple. Paying a fcuked up State €24 a week+ for nothing - NOTHING - even if you have that to throw around, is a bitter pill to swallow.

And, as someone who's gone from a 240bhp 3.0 to a 225bhp 1.8, I'm not exactly losing a lot of sleep over it now. But I did before, @ €30/week.

Henry Ford III

ian87 wrote: »

Yip, I put the foot down and it slithered around the place on me.. Only thing I didn't factor was the tires, they could have been past their prime or something like that, which may have given a flawed experience....

Sounds more like wheelspin.

ShadowHearth

Matt Simis wrote: »

The old one has lots of character and sounds awesome. It doesnt drive like a small engine with a big turbo (unlike the 3/6 MPS, TT, GTI etc) 'cos it isnt, its a decent lump of engine with moderate turbo like a car should be. They remap to over 260bhp no problem.

I cannot stand the very Irish (tax comes first, platform comes second) little 4pot big turbo brigade. The Mk2 ST avoids this nicely, its a sensible starting point.

I have a little 4 pot with turbo and it is awesome. Sounds sexy, drives great, tax lower, looks better ( you can't argue on taste ).

ST was on my list of cars, but over all as an Irish driver I can't see st being a good competitor. Yes, we suck here, we do look in to tax bracket, but in Ireland you can't go to extremes, you have to be a bit more sensible. I did bought car as a petrol head and went for extreme: 2.5 tax, way less then 20mpg, huge insurance premium, expensive parts etc. yes it was fun to drive it, but after a years driving I was forced to go on 500eu shiet ford, because the damn extreme enthusiast car robbed me. I was choking for more then a year with bland shiet box and only now I managed to get my head up again and sit in to something nice again. It's still enthusiast car, but it's not so extreme anymore, it's sensible. I don't need to work, just to pay car bills anymore.

So where am I going with this? Well ST is a lovely car, but it's not sensible. For same money that you spend on it, you can buy way more fun stuff, which won't kill you with running costs receipts!

Henry Ford III

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I have a little 4 pot with turbo and it is awesome. Sounds sexy, drives great, tax lower, looks better ( you can't argue on taste ).

ST was on my list of cars, but over all as an Irish driver I can't see st being a good competitor. Yes, we suck here, we do look in to tax bracket, but in Ireland you can't go to extremes, you have to be a bit more sensible. I did bought car as a petrol head and went for extreme: 2.5 tax, way less then 20mpg, huge insurance premium, expensive parts etc. yes it was fun to drive it, but after a years driving I was forced to go on 500eu shiet ford, because the damn extreme enthusiast car robbed me. I was choking for more then a year with bland shiet box and only now I managed to get my head up again and sit in to something nice again. It's still enthusiast car, but it's not so extreme anymore, it's sensible. I don't need to work, just to pay car bills anymore.

So where am I going with this? Well ST is a lovely car, but it's not sensible. For same money that you spend on it, you can buy way more fun stuff, which won't kill you with running costs receipts!

Each to their own and all that.

2.5 ST does have higher fixed and variable running costs than some rivals, but they are cheaper to buy, and are easy and inexpensive to service.

They also drive pretty well, are safe and reasonably comfortable, and the 5 pot warble is great.

ShadowHearth

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Each to their own and all that.

2.5 ST does have higher fixed and variable running costs than some rivals, but they are cheaper to buy, and are easy and inexpensive to service.

They also drive pretty well, are safe and reasonably comfortable, and the 5 pot warble is great.

They are not as cheap as you think. For last month I was looking in to cars and a nice clean 06-07 st goes for 7-8k. For 7-8k there are way better options. Been there, done that.

bf

I has a 2008 one a while back. Good bits:

- A joy to drive
- Brilliant exhaust note
- Practical
- Different to a Golf GTI
- Brilliant handling (no torque steer - essential to have the right tyres on it)
- Cheap to service & not too bad on insurance
- They can be got for great value now

Bad bits:
- Tax, but you don't look at an ST if you can't afford it
- Thristy, I averaged about 25mpg but it could be a lot worse if you have a heavy foot

dodzy

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

http://www.autotrader.ie/search/Ford/Focus/ST-2.5-3/14413402063316990/advert?channel=CARS

Beautiful. You can almost hear the snatch of knicker elastic from 50ft.

I've seen this, i'm sure, at b & Q in tallaght a while back. Sexy registration IIRC. There were only 2 digits after the county ID, and they were 57. Owner had it manipulated nicely to what more resembled ST. Verrrry nice:D

Matt Simis

galwaytt wrote: »

It's real simple. Paying a fcuked up State €24 a week+ for nothing - NOTHING - even if you have that to throw around, is a bitter pill to swallow.

And, as someone who's gone from a 240bhp 3.0 to a 225bhp 1.8, I'm not exactly losing a lot of sleep over it now. But I did before, @ €30/week.

You pay tax once a quarter and it sucks (though come on, at least we arent even talking 3.0+) however you pay the price of a tax special small boosted engine everytime you turn the key.

Im not saying they are terrible, but put on an engineering hat and look at it from the outside, remove tax and look at both platforms.. a 5pot 2.5litre is clearly a superior starting point. Given its going in the hot hatch, it may well be the perfect size, not too big and heavy, but provides the low grunt and response you only get with some CC backing you up. I have long been against the very boards.ie practice of quoting bhp/litre, its not seeing the woods from the trees.
I for one could not stomach the idea some fat politician has made the decision for me regarding engine size.

Atomic Pineapple

ShadowHearth wrote: »

They are not as cheap as you think. For last month I was looking in to cars and a nice clean 06-07 st goes for 7-8k. For 7-8k there are way better options. Been there, done that.

Thats extremely cheap for what you get.

ShadowHearth

draffodx wrote: »

Thats extremely cheap for what you get.

For -8k you can get hawkeye 06-07 impreza wrx saloon or hatch. And that will be way better then ford st

I should be a bit more clear: it's not cheap, when you look at alternatives. Otherwise it is cheap fun car to buy.

Henry Ford III

ShadowHearth wrote: »

For -8k you can get hawkeye 06-07 impreza wrx saloon or hatch. Amd that will be way better then ford st

As I said earlier, each to their own.

Those Subarus would also be relatively thirsty, and need more frequent and expensive servicing.

4wd is great when needed, but it's heavy - like carrying 4 sets of golf clubs full time when it isn't.

dar83

ShadowHearth wrote: »

For -8k you can get hawkeye 06-07 impreza wrx saloon or hatch. And that will be way better then ford st

Not being an ass, genuinely interested, can you show me where you can find one of these?

Tea 1000

Matt Simis wrote: »

I have long been against the very boards.ie practice of quoting bhp/litre, its not seeing the woods from the trees.
I for one could not stomach the idea some fat politician has made the decision for me regarding engine size.

True, but when you talk about something like a Golf R32 with something in the region of 240-250bhp, despite the lovely character of the engine and the nice responsiveness it may have, that's not a lot of overall grunt considering you're lumbered with the running costs of an engine of that size. Why not get more bang for your significant buck outlay? An R32 is one of only 2 Golf's that I'd ever bother with, but if I did own one and was looking at forking out €1600 a year, I'd keep thinking that for the same outlay I could also have an E39 540i or E36 M3 Evo and get a lot more return.
I get what you're saying about the boards attitude of "Why buy an R32 when a Leon Cupra R has the same bhp from a 2 litre?", it's missing the point, but an extra €1000 a year is a bitter pill to swallow. People tend to want to see something more than character in return!

Atomic Pineapple

ShadowHearth wrote: »

For -8k you can get hawkeye 06-07 impreza wrx saloon or hatch. And that will be way better then ford st

I should be a bit more clear: it's not cheap, when you look at alternatives. Otherwise it is cheap fun car to buy.

Way better in what way?

It's a half second quicker in 0 - 60 but that's about it, everything else is pretty much the same bar the running costs and reliability being much worse on the WRX.

Matt Simis

draffodx wrote: »

Way better in what way?

It's a half second quicker in 0 - 60 but that's about it, everything else is pretty much the same bar the running costs and reliability being much worse on the WRX.

Yes, Im confused on the comparison. The ST is a livable easy going car when you want it, Scoobies are not. Presumably Insurance is as levied as the maintenance on a Scoobie too. The Impreza hatch is a dire looking yoke too.

ShadowHearth

dar83 wrote: »

Not being an ass, genuinely interested, can you show me where you can find one of these?

Sorry I am on my mobile, try this link

http://isdc.ie/discussion/index.php?topic=32144.0

corktina

its on my list of future cars...making do with a ST170 in the meantime, which is a hoot, and does about 33 to the gallon (would do more if i was a bit more sensible-no chance) €660 to tax as its a 2 litre.

ShadowHearth

Matt Simis wrote: »

Yes, Im confused on the comparison. The ST is a livable easy going car when you want it, Scoobies are not. Presumably Insurance is as levied as the maintenance on a Scoobie too. The Impreza hatch is a dire looking yoke too.

It's not more of comparison, but more " with that money I would do this better", and I did. With lots of more money left over and not dare insurance and lower tax with same if not better mpg.

Why scooby is hard to live with? I drive my one to work everyday. Shoping and big trips are great in it. It's very easy to drive slow and fast. I got every single extra possible, even leather heated seats which are very comfortable. Its nicer to drive them clk200 I had amd that car was made for comfort! If you buy Subaru and mod the shot out of it, with aftermarket suspension, that only good for race track then yes, then it's not easy to live with, same would be with ST.

Amd why people say that wrx running costs are way higher then ST? It's not focus 1.4 we talking about, it's st, so running costs for that won't be any bit better. Reliability? If you are **** at looking after cars, then even corolla will be not reliable.

I did not said st is very bad car ( at least I did not wanted ) amd as Henry said, each to its own. For me, st is not worth it with all the running costs attached to it. If it would be in uk, I would be talking differently.

ian87

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Sounds more like wheelspin.

This was going from a 50km zone into a 100km zone... Ill put it down to tires alright for the sake of an argument

dar83

So it really just boils down to the tax then for you, that's the main issue.

That's the only real issue keeping people away from the ST in reality, unless you do Diesel mileage, then it's obviously not the car for you either. But the Scooby will definitely cost more to maintain and insure, and the daily running costs won't be too much less either, so it really boils down to tax.

For the sake of €25 a week, I don't mind paying it for the orchestra under my right foot and the smiles it gives me to drive. I could think of worse ways to "waste" €25 a week anyway, it's one mid week evening of light pints in your local, or three packs of cigarettes, neither of which are essential really.

But as has been said, each to their own, if the tax holds you back that much then I guess all you can do is accept it and live with smaller engined cars. It just rules out a whole world of bigger engined fun for you on the grander scale of things.

dar83

ian87 wrote: »

This was going from a 50km zone into a 100km zone... Ill put it down to tires alright for the sake of an argument

Was it wet?

Were you in third?

Was the car remapped?

You can wheelspin in 4th in a remapped ST pretty easily in the wet, and in 3rd in the dry if you really want to.

ShadowHearth

dar83 wrote: »

So it really just boils down to the tax then for you, that's the main issue.

That's the only real issue keeping people away from the ST in reality, unless you do Diesel mileage, then it's obviously not the car for you either. But the Scooby will definitely cost more to maintain and insure, and the daily running costs won't be too much less either, so it really boils down to tax.

For the sake of €25 a week, I don't mind paying it for the orchestra under my right foot and the smiles it gives me to drive. I could think of worse ways to "waste" €25 a week anyway, it's one mid week evening of light pints in your local, or three packs of cigarettes, neither of which are essential really.

But as has been said, each to their own, if the tax holds you back that much then I guess all you can do is accept it and live with smaller engined cars. It just rules out a whole world of bigger engined fun for you on the grander scale of things.

Tax is part of it. Why would I even consider st if I can have impreza? 4wd with better platform and way more potential. Better looking car by far ( for me ), better performance, cheaper to tax, cheaper to run ( still no cheap compared to 1.4 focus ),my insurance on wrx is only 700eu, so I don't know if I would get even cheaper for st.


I always wanted Subaru and skyline, why on earth I would buy st if I can have impreza for less and more of a car.

Sound wise, boxer engine sound is only bested by V8 for me. So I don't even care much about st v5 that much.

I sort of considered an ST when I bought my GTI but it had too many negatives for me personally to really consider.

Tax is twice that on the golf, I cant understand people poking fun at wanting lower tax, I have the golf taxed and insured for the year for the price of the tax alone on the ST

Its is heavier on petrol and that's compared to the golf which isn't great itself.
Personally I prefer the look of the Golf and I think the interior is nicer, especially the tartan seats which are just class.

The ST even in standard guise is faster then the Golf and can be remapped to much more and there is no doubt its sounds great and is very nice car but for me the Golf just ticked more boxes.

The other option was the Astra opc/vxr but the interior alone would be enough to put me off that.

tossy

dar83 wrote: »

You can wheelspin in 4th in a remapped ST pretty easily in the wet, and in 3rd in the dry if you really want to.

Is this a plus point? this is why i say 4wd all the way,i'm not a drifter,when i put the power down i want it to stay down

ShadowHearth

tossy wrote: »

Is this a plus point? this is why i say 4wd all the way,i'm not a drifter,when i put the power down i want it to stay down

+1.

i did not wanted to say a thing about that as people already think i am a prick .

my old car had a wheel spin on 4th gear while doing 80-100km/h if there was some dampness and i pressed pedal small bit harder then i should. that did not made it a fast/good handling car. fun and scary though

Henry Ford III

tossy wrote: »

Is this a plus point? this is why i say 4wd all the way,i'm not a drifter,when i put the power down i want it to stay down

It's a negative obviously.

p.s. I ran a Focus ST from new in 2006, and it never lost traction in 3rd or above even when it was wet.

Idbatterim

thats some jump between the 2.5 and 2.6 litre rate, E199 exactly!