Test drove a ST today.........

[96lasersnake]

and was very disappointment. Have been following this car since the first details started coming out. We have been thinking of having another kiddo and liked the idea of this car, 4dr, 250+hp, nice looking, great interior etc as a nice daily driver that was still fun to drive.

The local dealer finally got one in today. It was oragne with all the options (i think), nav, recaros, sunroof etc. So me and the wife get in to go for a drive. First thing I notice is how uncomfortable the seats are. I am 6-2, 215lbs and could not fit in them at all. Felt like I was sitting on the bolsters of the seat. My wife is 5-2, 120lbs and said they barely fit her. On top of all that the rear seat room is a joke, with my seat back where I could drive the room was not much more if any than my boss.

After getting it on the road I will say that the car handles flat and is tight. But the power just doesnt feel like its there. I was expecting close to a 99-04 gt feeling but it didnt feel close to that. Also hated the shifter, felt vauge and cheap (nothing a aftermarket shifter couldnt fix I guess). Went for a hard first to second shift (not power shift, just a quick shift near red line)and the car sounded like pieces were breaking off from the front end, even my wife asked if it was broke after the shift. I am guessing that a stiffer motor moutn might fix that??? Not trying to bash anyone that has bought one, was just really let down by this test drive. And the price $29K and some change MSRP is more than you pay for a lower model GT. Have heard better things from some friends on the Mazdaspeed 3, which is cheaper and more powerful than this car. Thats my 2 cents and again not trying bash the car to anyone that has bought one!

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

My guess is that there's something wrong with that car, possibly the issue another member had with the vacuum line hanging off the intake? He said that was causing his car to be down on power.

As far as interior goes, I don't think you can count you opinion on the seats as the norm and I'm basing this solely on the fact that the seats are Recaros. Ford put them in there for a reason and just about any car that has them is considered a major plus. Don't have an ST but my parents have an SEL hatch and I never had any issue with rear seat room. Not as tall as you but from what I noticed there was a lot of room in the backseat from what I noticed

 

[96lasersnake]

My guess is that there's something wrong with that car, possibly the issue another member had with the vacuum line hanging off the intake? He said that was causing his car to be down on power.

As far as interior goes, I don't think you can count you opinion on the seats as the norm and I'm basing this solely on the fact that the seats are Recaros. Ford put them in there for a reason and just about any car that has them is considered a major plus. Don't have an ST but my parents have an SEL hatch and I never had any issue with rear seat room. Not as tall as you but from what I noticed there was a lot of room in the backseat from what I noticed

Maybe on the power thing. The one I drove had a different looking intake tube than the other orange one on the dealer floor. Had three different people sit in the seats while we drove it and all said the same thing. I am a huge fan of recaro seats, had them in my 12 boss, 13 gt and now 13 boss. But these in the focus are no where near the same as those cars. They are really narrow. They are not near the same seat as your parents sel. Go sit in one and see what you think?

 

[Bowtie-X]

6'2@215lb you are not technically a small guy lol however, you are not the first guy who I heard say the recaros felt small and narrow. I even know a guy who is thinking about going with regular seats just to accommodate more room. Look like most stock ST are doing mid 14's on average in 1/4 mile so I wouldn't expect anything fancy out of acceleration. Overall I think its a nice car, but too much expectation out of this one might just fool ya.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[96lasersnake]

6'2@215lb you are not technically a small guy lol however, you are not the first guy who I heard say the recaros felt small and narrow. I even know a guy who is thinking about going with regular seats just to accommodate more room. Look like most stock ST are doing mid 14's on average in 1/4 mile so I wouldn't expect anything fancy out of acceleration. Overall I think its a nice car, but too much expectation out of this one might just fool ya.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

I agree with ya. Guess I was expecting a little too much. Still a nice looking car, and thought it handled well.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Maybe on the power thing. The one I drove had a different looking intake tube than the other orange one on the dealer floor. Had three different people sit in the seats while we drove it and all said the same thing. I am a huge fan of recaro seats, had them in my 12 boss, 13 gt and now 13 boss. But these in the focus are no where near the same as those cars. They are really narrow. They are not near the same seat as your parents sel. Go sit in one and see what you think?

Hmm, maybe it's one of their cheaper seats. I wasn't talking about thebseats in my parents SEL, I was talking about the rear leg room of those cars in general. I thought there was plenty of room, but I'm also 5'8 175lbs.

 

[2004Droptop]

I'm 5'10' @ 210lbs and I find the Recaros snug but not uncomfortable. Little snugger than my Cobra. My car had the wrong intake tube (open port) on it with zapped some power... with that behind me I think it does pretty well power wise. I traded a 12 SEL Focus on it which I thought was a pretty nice car but prefer the power and handling.

 

[ArabianOak]

and was very disappointment. Have been following this car since the first details started coming out. We have been thinking of having another kiddo and liked the idea of this car, 4dr, 250+hp, nice looking, great interior etc as a nice daily driver that was still fun to drive.

The local dealer finally got one in today. It was oragne with all the options (i think), nav, recaros, sunroof etc. So me and the wife get in to go for a drive. First thing I notice is how uncomfortable the seats are. I am 6-2, 215lbs and could not fit in them at all. Felt like I was sitting on the bolsters of the seat. My wife is 5-2, 120lbs and said they barely fit her. On top of all that the rear seat room is a joke, with my seat back where I could drive the room was not much more if any than my boss.

After getting it on the road I will say that the car handles flat and is tight. But the power just doesnt feel like its there. I was expecting close to a 99-04 gt feeling but it didnt feel close to that. Also hated the shifter, felt vauge and cheap (nothing a aftermarket shifter couldnt fix I guess). Went for a hard first to second shift (not power shift, just a quick shift near red line)and the car sounded like pieces were breaking off from the front end, even my wife asked if it was broke after the shift. I am guessing that a stiffer motor moutn might fix that??? Not trying to bash anyone that has bought one, was just really let down by this test drive. And the price $29K and some change MSRP is more than you pay for a lower model GT. Have heard better things from some friends on the Mazdaspeed 3, which is cheaper and more powerful than this car. Thats my 2 cents and again not trying bash the car to anyone that has bought one!

You have simply gotten to used to driving one of the best fords ever created..the BOSS! Everything else feel's like shit after you get used to having a BOSS.

LOL...sorry to hear...I was gonna test drive one of those as well. Maybe it's not as good as everyone says it will be....

 

[kcsvt94l]

I agree that the recaro's in the are uncomfortable i'm 5'10" 265(bigger than average) it's was horrible. The power though..... These will dominate a 99-04 GT... and if you're going through twistes, I feel more confident in the ST than I do in my 13' GT Car is sick and the power increase SCT is getting with just a tune.... these cars are going to be STi level. As far as the front end noise, there is a little wheel hop, no where near as bad as my old SVTF though. just my .02

 

[BPatterson]

I'm 6'1, 240, and there's no way I could own an ST. I drove one a couple of days ago, and the Recaro's definitely don't fit a larger guy.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, and it's probably old news, but they tested the ST against the GTI and MS3 in the latest R&T and I was surprised by the outcome. The ST killed both of them overall and was even the faster vehicle running 0-60 in 5.9 and the 1/4 in mid 14s. It was about a half second faster than the MS3.

I think the biggest thing that surprised them and won them over was the lack of understeer compared to the other cars. So it looks like the ST may be the newest hot hatch. Maybe not for everyone as this thread implies but still good for the segment and Ford.

 

[5.0jake]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, and it's probably old news, but they tested the ST against the GTI and MS3 in the latest R&T and I was surprised by the outcome. The ST killed both of them overall and was even the faster vehicle running 0-60 in 5.9 and the 1/4 in mid 14s. It was about a half second faster than the MS3.

I think the biggest thing that surprised them and won them over was the lack of understeer compared to the other cars. So it looks like the ST may be the newest hot hatch. Maybe not for everyone as this thread implies but still good for the segment and Ford.

Maybe faster than an Ms3 to 60 but that's mainly because of the Speed 3 gearing/traction. The speed is beast from a roll.

 

[T.O.Snake]

I agree the seats are pretty snug. I'm 6' and about 190 and lift, so I'm decently broad in the shoulders/back. It doesn't bother me, but I could see how some dudes that are bigger than me might find it bothersome. That said, don't understand how OP's wife at 120 lbs finds the seats confining - they're not THAT tight.

And sure, the car doesn't pull like my Shelby, but it's certainly got decent guts for a small four banger. What I like the most is the level of refinement, both in terms of build quality and the driving feel. I also find the back seat to be perfectly reasonable for a smaller car. There's not a chance it would/should feel the same as a new mustang sitting in the back - I own one of those. Unless you're driving with the seat cranked WAY back, I can sit behind the driver's seat set where I'd have it in the ST, and my shins barely touch the seatback. In the mustang, my legs would be jammed under my chin.

Soft rear motor mount has definitely become a well-known issue with this car already. You can easily provoke a loud bang with a fairly aggressive 1-2 shift as the soft rubber bushing deflects within its metal housing. I'm waiting to see what people are experiencing with the different mounts before making my choice.

 

[MustangMikeKy]

I got my 12' 5.0 base model cheaper than these things. . . its sad really

 

[T.O.Snake]

I got my 12' 5.0 base model cheaper than these things. . . its sad really

You're comparing a stripped 5.0 to a loaded ST3 for that price. Other than a V8 vs. a turbo-4, how do you compare a basic cloth interior car to a fully-dressed car with all the toys? Forget the fact that a lot of people want/need a car that has more practicality (four doors, hatch).

I've already had a good bunch of guys go on and on about how I could've gotten a dressed up V6 with 300+ hp that would be faster. This despite he fact I keep mentioning I don't NEED (another) 2-seater with limited practicality. I also dont need another big, heavy, guzzling, and boring SUV (just dumped one).

For guys like me, the ST covers a lot of categories. I'd say there's gotta be a reason it's already winning so many accolades - hardly "sad", IMO.

 

[MMR]

I sat in a pre-production model at the Geneva Auto show earlier this year and I had no problem with the recaro seats, I don't know if they changed them for the production model though.

The STs have not arrived at the dealers yet here in Denmark and when they do only a very limit amount of them that will be sold here, so finding one won't be easy.

I am 6' and 165 lbs by the way.

 

[MMR]

You're comparing a stripped 5.0 to a loaded ST3 for that price. Other than a V8 vs. a turbo-4, how do you compare a basic cloth interior car to a fully-dressed car with all the toys? Forget the fact that a lot of people want/need a car that has more practicality (four doors, hatch).

I've already had a good bunch of guys go on and on about how I could've gotten a dressed up V6 with 300+ hp that would be faster. This despite he fact I keep mentioning I don't NEED (another) 2-seater with limited practicality. I also dont need another big, heavy, guzzling, and boring SUV (just dumped one).

For guys like me, the ST covers a lot of categories. I'd say there's gotta be a reason it's already winning so many accolades - hardly "sad", IMO.

^^ Agreed. ^^

 

[Ducci]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, and it's probably old news, but they tested the ST against the GTI and MS3 in the latest R&T and I was surprised by the outcome. The ST killed both of them overall and was even the faster vehicle running 0-60 in 5.9 and the 1/4 in mid 14s. It was about a half second faster than the MS3.

I think the biggest thing that surprised them and won them over was the lack of understeer compared to the other cars. So it looks like the ST may be the newest hot hatch. Maybe not for everyone as this thread implies but still good for the segment and Ford.

Apparently alot has changed with the 2010+ MS3. R&T posted a 5.9s 0-60 for the 2007 MS3.

 

[Sn95Snake]

You're comparing a stripped 5.0 to a loaded ST3 for that price. Other than a V8 vs. a turbo-4, how do you compare a basic cloth interior car to a fully-dressed car with all the toys? Forget the fact that a lot of people want/need a car that has more practicality (four doors, hatch).

I've already had a good bunch of guys go on and on about how I could've gotten a dressed up V6 with 300+ hp that would be faster. This despite he fact I keep mentioning I don't NEED (another) 2-seater with limited practicality. I also dont need another big, heavy, guzzling, and boring SUV (just dumped one).

For guys like me, the ST covers a lot of categories. I'd say there's gotta be a reason it's already winning so many accolades - hardly "sad", IMO.

I believe this explains the STs pretty well. I would expect them to be fun to drive, handle well, be comfortable, get decent mileage, and carry most everything I need to carry. Too many people are expecting them to be a full on sports car.

 

[zilla8]

I have not driven the ST yet but I did not care for some of the interior appointments I saw at the car show last year.

I'm a simple guy and hate gimmicky looking things on any car.It just seems to me the performance does not live up to all the hype.

I feel like we always get a watered down version of hot new cars in the US
I know this is a world car and all but for 30K I'll pass.

If you remember the little Dodge Omni GLH it ran 14 sec 1/4 and that was over 25 years ago.I'm sure the aftermarket will take care of the performance upgrades but I'm still dissapointed with Ford.