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2013 Focus ST, worth it?

232K views 1K replies 219 participants last post by  Remedy 
#1 ·
Got the call Friday from local dealer they've got a few in stock to come look at. Can't argue with the cars performance aspect, and its impressive numbers it puts down, but $34,000 out the door for nav, and Recaros? 27k sticker without nav, and Recaros :screwy:

That said, I'm good! Not really willing to pay to play on this one. Looked on EBay and a dealer in Illinois is selling the gray fully loaded at 29k b.I.n after all said and done ~32k.

Who is buying one, and should I reconsider, I do want one.
 
#220 ·
My closest Ford dealer has 4 of these right now. I just walked around a white one and a blue one a few minutes ago. It might be the over cast day, but I did not like Performance Blue in person...it looked very purple.
 
#221 ·
I test drove a blue one on Thursday. I agree, it has some purple in it, but i'm sure i would've been happy with the color. I test drove an ST1 (base), but also sat in an ST2 with the Recaros. I was very tempted to buy the ST2 (at XPlan pricing), but after i test drove a WRX, i was sold on that.
 
#227 ·
I figure I'll be looking to replace my MKIV dd in a year or two. The ST, is a def on my list. I really like the jcw mini coupe also, but it's way pricey at the 40-45k range loaded. I feel like you get alot for your $ with the st. Is there any aftermarket support with coilovers, tuning etc...

I'll keep my MKI forever as a weekend car, so I won't be turning my back on VW, but I'm going to wait for the MKVII GTI & by that time we should have the def specs on the next gen R if it has the new S3 motor I may jump in that? I don't want to rush my decision so I want to wait to see all my options, but the st is the only american car that I'm interested in, unless the RS came over which it may if the st is a good seller?
 
#243 ·
Drove one today.
it's got a monster engine and that symposer thing makes it sound awesome when you punch it.
The car I drove had the st2 (?) package and was about $28k.

The Recaros are really nice, but I'm not sure they are worth $4k.

The steering is really tight, the torque steer no more pronounced than my regular ole mazda 3's. It was tremendously confidence inspiring to drive hard. I didn't like the battlestar galactica looking dash, prefering the GTI's by far.

I wasn't expecting the car to feel so solid. I was sort of expecting something like my Mazda, a general step up in refinement from the SVT focus, but the ST felt super tight.

This is a serious car and it was a blast to drive. The thing is, at 28k I would rather spend another 6k for the golf R or try to score a deal on a leftover GTI.
 
#244 ·
The thing is, at 28k I would rather spend another 6k for the golf R or try to score a deal on a leftover GTI.
So would I. But that's because we really enjoy the VW brand and see value in VW products.

Objectively speaking, thought, this Ford is a better car than the GOlf R, for cheaper. Yeah, it may lack AWD, but otherwise, it's faster, sportier, newer platform, etc.

Ford really has a success on their hands with this thing. I agree that they should have perhaps somehow made a package with the Recaro's a bit less pricey, but overall, this car destroys the current GTI on all objective tests.

I still like the GTI better, but I am also a VW nerd. For 95% of buyers, this car is a no-brainer in the market segment.
 
#250 ·
Being euro-market only, I haven't sat in them, so I can only relay what has been said in reviews and ad materials. You can see that the upper portion of the Recaro rear seat has some slight increase in bolster compared to the non-Recaro rear seat, and the bottoms aren't much improved from appearances. I personally think they would not be significant enough to even bother consider how well they truly hold occupants under aggressive driving... nothing is as good as a legit bucket. But I would think those bolsters might be welcome during longer road journeys. IDK.
 
#252 ·
Yes, 100% sure, as verified by both official word from Ford and as-delivered cars. Here's a pic of as-delivered ST2 (ST3 has same seats in full leather):




Despite how it may look, the front center most portion of the lower does not extend as it does on the euro Recaros. Damn'd if I know why they didn't/couldn't... NHTSA requirements maybe? US patent infringement issues for Recaro USA? IDK. In any case, you can bet someone will eventually import and convert their NA market ST.
 
#254 ·
How different is the lighting arrangement in the ST? Is it getting the european market head and taillamps (led and hid)? If they do, I will keep an eye on the local salvage yards for swaps onto my car. Some idiot is to wrap one around a tree.







(waiting for the usual Jalopnik "first wrecked ST" thread)
 
#255 ·
How different is the lighting arrangement in the ST? Is it getting the european market head and taillamps (led and hid)?
The ST3 (package 202A) has HIDs with different light clusters from the other models, but they've been delayed and no one knows exactly what they look like, if they're exactly like the euro model or slightly different.
 
#258 ·

Awesome. Thats pretty close to Euro spec lighting, with very minor differences. I could do without the LED strip eyelid but definitely want projectors. The reflector style headlamps in the 2012 Focus is pretty decent in pattern but not impressive in projecting light down the street.

Goddammit it has the black housing. :( I really liked the chrome housing.

This is all pushing me to VW. :(
Because the headlamp housing is black (which will look better than chrome in combination with any color, except silver)?
 
#268 ·
Like? that's an understatement
Ford’s new Focus ST is a starship amongst suborbital dinghies. It backs up its sci-fi looks with an EcoBoost engine that shreds time and space. It dominated every performance category in this test except observed fuel economy, and did so in a way that’s both confident and entertaining. This is the new highperformance standard against which any other mass-produced car with a 4-cylinder engine will be judged.
 
#270 ·
My dad loves Ford, and im partial to them. If i buy american, it would be Ford.
Only thing w Ford, is the resale value. Not sure how new Fords will hold out, but previous car dropped so much so fast.

I guess we will see how these do in actual performance and reliability plus resale.
Another thing, my dads 2004 Ford has more rust them my 83 VW. I hope they fixed this in newer cars.

PS I love competition. Car companies are trying to up one another:thumbup:
 
#275 ·
I drove one tonight. The clutch was a little weird to me...it seems a bit too far to the right and the angle seems very steep. This might have been remedied by adjusting seating, but I was too busy listening to the awesome engine note. I was able to test drive the car all alone, and was told to "just keep it on four wheels", but I didn't beat on it, as the road I was on was 45 mph and it was pretty busy.

I was in a Package 2 or whatever with the recaros. They are very supportive, but I have a pretty wide back and I felt like I couldn't really sink in like I did in the FR-S. I think this would also improve over time.

Seeing as I like to lease, and they do not appear to offer one, I didn't really entertain running numbers, but this car is a serious contender and I would own one without a doubt. This thing pulls hard...and right now.



 
#283 ·
They do look better in person, but yeah, that's a popular criticism. I will say that the "Smoke Storm" grey inserts are pretty conservative and not at all objectionable. It is neat that you can order whatever inserts with whatever exterior color you want... Race Red exterior with Tangerine Sceam interior anyone?:what:
 
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