Focus ST or Dart RT or VW GTI??

[blank102]

If MFT is not to your taste then get the GTI.
I've never determined my auto choices by the crap that has nothing to do actual driving.

[DEREKC]

The Focus ST is by far the best among the three choices! Their are no problems with MFT. I did my homework before receiving the car, and my Blackberry Torch 9800 has been a perfect match. Please pay the extra for the HID headlamps and leather Recaro seats.

[pozi240]

Originally Posted by MyThIc3LiTe

Really?

Jesus.

The Si has the fit and finish? LOL WHAT THE ?

The Veloster still beats the Si in interior fit and finish, trim, and build quality.

Why am I surprised, people on the internet thinking they are so knowledgeable. Go drive one and you'll see how bad it makes the Civic look, and it may just be a Accent with a body kit as you say, which is also a sad statement, but its a pretty good car.

And apart from not receiving the suspenion upgrades along with the turbo, the Veloster still managed to hang in with the actual hot hatches. Yea it will suffer in outright handling because its not as beefed up, but its 0-60 and top end aren't lacking and nor is the fact that the forced induction motors are a hell of a lot more exploitable then any NA motor can dream to be.

And if you want to know how the cars actually are, the Si is hardly a player in the segment anymore. Its gotten fatter over the years, it currently sits at 2900 pounds - 3000 pounds depending on coupe or sedan, its lightness bonus has gone out the window when everyone else especially the WRX, ST, MS3 and now MK7 GTI come back with more firepower. For reference, the Veloster Turbo only weighs 2800 with the manual and I believe only 2900 with the auto. The regular Veloster embarrasses every car in the class in terms of weight too.

And it may just be an Accent with a body kit, your words again, yet its interior cargo space and dimensions only pale the Elantra GT by upwards of a few inches in most areas, so its hardly a small car inside. It is in the same segment as our cars and its actually one of the better ones.

Unless you are a badge whore or something, I can see how that would mess with your view that Hyundai sucks, Honda makes the second coming of Jesus, and VWs always break down.

Oi vey!
I can certainly tell by the way you post numbers and stats in a lot of your threads, that you're young and relatively inexperienced in cars in general (that's ok, we were all young once). Stats and numbers from car magazines are one thing, but, its the overall package and how it drives that tells the real story. I've owned and driven more cars in my time than I care to recall, from many, many manufacturers, including Hyundai (a newer Elantra years ago that I actually liked and I worked for VW Corporate for many years before taking a position with the military), so, you can take back the "badge whore" comment (and really, would a "badge whore" even drive a "Blue Oval"...). Before I bought my Focus last year, I actually waited to try out a Veloster (even though the looks were a bit out there), and couldn't believe how poorly built it was (tiny sounding doors, LOTS of road noise, cheap looking interior, etc. even the leather inserts look shoddy). And I never said it was an Accent with a body kit, it IS an Accent (drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc. are ALL from the Accent). Even the Fiesta is a much better car than the Accent, so, how in the world you could ever put in a comparison with a Focus ST, GTI, WRX or yes, even an Si, is beyond me... but, you carry on with that delusion. A salesman who works at a local Hyundai dealer put it best recently, he said, "the Veloster is this generations Pontiac Aztec".... I couldn't agree more...

[oritpro]

What about a Mazda 3 or Subaru?

Chrysler doesn't have a very good rep for reliability and they've been passed around like a cheap whore over the last decade. Their new owners aren't exactly known for building reliable cars either.

[craigsfocus]

I haven't seen anyone mention the VW Golf R. I know it costs more than a ST, but its still a nice car and its AWD.

[pozi240]

Originally Posted by oritpro

What about a Mazda 3 or Subaru?

Chrysler doesn't have a very good rep for reliability and they've been passed around like a cheap whore over the last decade. Their new owners aren't exactly known for building reliable cars either.

The Mazda is a great car, I traded a 2010 3 Sport GT and it drives and handles very similar to the new Focus. But the 3s interior paled in comparison to my new Focus (and they both had leather). Road noise is also more prevalent in the Mazda since they don't use much insulation under the carpeting.

[MyThIc3LiTe]

Originally Posted by pozi240

"the Veloster is this generations Pontiac Aztec".... I couldn't agree more...

Well, if you and the salesman are blind then sure, I can see how the Veloster is a 'ugly' car.

And of course, highlighting how I'm 'young' somehow makes me opinion worth less is a great way to bolster your side, especially when I didn't ask for your credentials.

Lets go back on topic, more for your sake then mine.

[Edgar]

Pick up a copy of road and track, in this issue they did a head to head of the ST, GTI, and MS3.

Check out the forums, You've had a bad experience with your last car so you want to be well informed. The Gti forum has a lot of good info but also tends to have many biased fanboys. Ford ST nation is a forum dedicated to the ST and there's a sub section on any issues people may have already had with their new ST. Plenty of good info on there.

Lastly, test driving is going to tell you a lot, try to drive both of them on the same day.

Good luck, both are great cars!

[xpartmgr]

Thanks everyone. I did go look at the ST again this evening. The wife is not so happy because it is only a stick shift an she can't drive one! I think that is ok with me though. ;-) anyway I also looked at the new fusion. Kinda like a James Bond type car. Not as sporty as the ST but the titanium seems like it might be nice. I do think test driving several will be the key. I am gunna miss the focus though. I know it had issues, but I still loved it. I wish ford could have worked out the problems.

[MyThIc3LiTe]

Originally Posted by xpartmgr

Thanks everyone. I did go look at the ST again this evening. The wife is not so happy because it is only a stick shift an she can't drive one! I think that is ok with me though. ;-) anyway I also looked at the new fusion. Kinda like a James Bond type car. Not as sporty as the ST but the titanium seems like it might be nice. I do think test driving several will be the key. I am gunna miss the focus though. I know it had issues, but I still loved it. I wish ford could have worked out the problems.

The 2.0EB Titanium drives like a dream.

It also makes the Lincoln MKZ 100% redundant when you can get a fusion that nicely done.

But this is all a surprise to us, the European Mondeo has always been this upscale and well done.