Just spotted a very good looking one of these at a respectable local dealer for a very good price. it's a 5 door too, which is great because of the amount of lugging elderly relatives around I have to do. I've grabbed a couple of insurance quotes and they seem surprisingly reasonable for a hot hatch, which came as a pleasant surprise.
Thing is, I've known two people who've owned these - one loved it and the other believed it was the spawn of Satan, as just about everything possible went wrong with it. I've dug up a few standard things to check including a very interesting built in diagnostic routine and fault code list, but I was wondering if any backroomers had any personal experience of this model?
Edited by Webmaster on 11/12/2007 at 01:10
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Whilst there is no denying the sublime handling of this particular Focus, in terms of being a Fast Ford it is an almost apologetic offering. Performance is little better than the standard 145bhp 2.0 Zetec and the group 16 insurance is somewhat disproportionate, presumably a knee-jerk reaction from the insurance companies. Long gearing does not help matters and the fuel comsumption is pretty poor. If you are into modifying then this model is very adaptable either for various stages of engine tuning or full-on chavtastic bodykitting (or both).
Not sure what year/price you are looking at but assuming £6-8K I recommend you seriously consider the Seat Leon Cupra as an alternative. Better performance, better mpg, huge spec, very reliable and also a dedicated following with an excellent owners forum. Stick with the standard 185bhp Cupra rather than the 225. The latter offers little day to day benefit and is massively over-valued by private and trade sellers alike.
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De Smythe,
The 2.0l Zetec was 128 BHP (PS) not 145 and the ST170 is 170BHP (PS), there is therefore a world of difference in performance and enjoyment. I have owned both and the ST is one hell of a car for the money not quite Type R speeds but significant enough.
Carse
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Also - another anally retentive correction - standard Cupra is 180BHP not 185. The Cupra R is noticeable stronger btw. However, I agree with De Smythe in that the original Cupra is much better value (and can be re-mapped by REVO for £500 which makes it 207BHP and 230lbft).
Either would be far preferable to the ST170 in my opinion, whereas the Ford would be preferable if it was 1.6Zetec versus 1.6SE Leon.
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Most of the reviews of the ST170 that I have read have said the same thing. Superlative chassis, but performance way off the pace. I recall it doing quite well in an Evo group test once who reckoned that for all its faults, if handling was your thang, it was arguably the best hot hatch on the market, but that it really didn't have the pace to cut it with the likes of the Seat Cupra, Clio 182 and the like.
A work colleague ran one and loved it. It had some niggling faults early on, but settled down and went on to become a good reliable car. It never felt that much quicker than a standard 2.0 though which was odd considering the sizeable power advantage.
At the right price, I'd have one.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Agree with comments relating to handling and also its relative performance, on the other hand even a std 2.0 Focus is pretty nippy and the ST170 has an edge at high revs, all in all a very rewarding car if not the fastest 0-100mph.
EDIT: Re Type-R the ST170 does not quite have the top end though is more flexible at low revs and has sharper steering.
Edited by cheddar on 11/12/2007 at 17:42
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I have the 180bhp Leon Cupra - which I love.
From what I've heard... if you like high revs, changing gear a lot and mainly drive on twisty roads you might well prefer the Ford to the Leon. But if you want effortless performance, and/or do most of your driving on normal roads the Leon might be a better bet.
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Much appreciated, thank you!
My first choice is actually a MK1 Leon Cupra, but having narrowly missed two good ones within my price range it seems that the remainder either have poor service histories (accident waiting to happen on these), unrealistic prices or have been tinkered with in various ways. I've also considered the 1.8 turbo Octavias which I find genuinely pleasant cars to live with in the right trim, but the mid sized hatch is more practical for me because of local parking and the like. I've worked out that I could get the ST170 on the road, taxed and tested for around 5k which is the most I can afford to go to.
The Focus isn't a natural choice for me as I dislike the interior styling, but I always reasoned that if it was interesting in other ways I could live with it ;)
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