Another Focus ST1, ST2, ST3 Question

Mate of mine has one - I think it's a great car let down by the following.

1. Fuel consumption - it's very very thirsty even if driven by his mum
2. Tyre consumption - if you're gonna drive it enthusiastically it needs soft tyres to keep it going where you point it - expect fronts to last

Or maybe even a C30...

Now they have a truly hideous arse.

Tim.

There's a lot of Focus STs doing the rounds as Ford/Jaguar/Land Rover management lease cars. Bearing in mind that these cars are changed every 6 months, it results in a lot of Fords (not just Focus STs) hitting the market with under 10,000 miles on the clock.

Biggest giveaway is an Essex registration plate (begins with E)

I did fancy the Volvo V50 estate, until I discovered I couldn't get in the damn thing.

The driver's seat went forward until it virtually disappeared into the footwell, but it didn't go back far enough to accommodate my legs.

I did ask the 'showroom suit' whether the seat rails could easily be moved back, but he didn't know and wasn't interested in finding out.

I never had these problems with my mini in the late 60s. One set of Paddy Hopkirk/SPQR(?) seat adjuster brackets and the job was done, albeit a little crudely and not within today's H&S regulations.

By all accounts, the Megane's chassis is up to it. Good enough to take two seconds a lap out of the Astra VXR at Bedford, in spite of an inferior power to weight ratio. Largely down to the LSD enabling it to put the power down out of the bends.

Life is full of comprimises and smaller cars don't have the same level of comfort as bigger ones - short wheelbases, less interior space and parts designed to save millions of pennies in mass production tend to scupper things. It's why I didn't get a C class, the ride is not nearly as good as an E. Same goes for focus vs mondeo, S40 vs S60 etc.

Tim S Kemp wrote

Talking of ST body kits, etc. - those naff ST silver wing badge things stuck on the front wings of the Focus ST - if I pull them off, will I find a hole in the wing intended for a side-repeater indicator lamp assembly (the ST has the side-repeaters built into the door mirrors)?

True, but the reason I fit into a Mercedes C or E class is because Mercedes realise that long-legged drivers are usually willing to trade the rear seat passenger legroom for a comfortable driving position.

Mercedes driver's seats tend to go right back until they touch the rear seat squab, whereas most other manufacturers leave a pointless 2"-3" gap, which I would sooner have added to the driver's legroom.

It is a rare occurrence when there are more than two people in my car. Usually it's just me on the work run. Consequently I am much more interested in driver comfort than rear seat passenger legroom.

Lucky you. Have you thought about a 2+2 seater or sth like that?

True - it will go to the point where I can't reach the wheel and pedals...

Bet I could... :-)

Sure, but generally they don't offer more driver's legroom. More usually, the bodyshell is shorter and things are even more cramped.

In message , DervMan writes

They don't routinely do the tests that the US magazines do. So no lateral-g for a constant speed circle. They do sometimes record peak cornering g during lap timing, though. The figures they got on a damp track are:

Megane R32 : 1:36.05 0.78g Astra VXR : 1:38.25 0.71g Leon FR : 1:40.00 0.71g Golf GTi : 1:41.00 0.70g Civic Type-R : 1:41.45 0.69g Focus ST : 1:42.15 0.70g

It's funny how people equate grip and handling, and it's also funny how subjective handling is. The new Type-R has been criticised because the handling has been dumbed down. The old car was quite throttle sensitive and felt very sharp, very pointy at the front, interactive, almost nervous. The new one, apparently, isn't. There are plenty of people, however, who describe that inertness as feeling "planted" or "confidence inspiring" compared to the previous model. So because it has shedloads of grip, can't be steered on the throttle and has an electronic nanny waiting in the background, they think it handles better.