My new 2014 Focus ST! Yes, another one...
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:14
Not too long ago, I picked up a new 2014 Focus ST (ST1)! I was coming from an Infiniti G37x, so technically, it's a bit of a "downgrade" per se, but I have to say, the bang for buck the ST offers is impressive and thus far I'm really enjoying it! Here recently, my financial situation changed a bit (long story), so my original intention was to cut down on monthly expenses and overall debt level. With the incentives Ford is giving out right now and a little negotiating on my part, I ended up getting the new Focus ST for a whopping $19.7k!! I honestly would have had no idea Ford was giving out the FoST's for this kind of cash if it weren't for Tim- thanks to you sir!
I shopped the Focus' main competitors and none of them could come close to the bang for buck this car offers for the money! Buying the ST allowed me to meet all of my objectives without a problem:
-Drive a new warrantied car.
-Cut down on my monthly payment drastically.
-Reduce my overall debt level drastically.
-Significantly reduce my other monthly expenses with the combination of lower insurance and significantly increased fuel economy (the ST is rated at getting much better mileage- 26mpg combined vs 20mpg combined for the G37x).
-Meet all of my personal needs- 4 doors, decent enough cargo space to use as a daily driver, ect.
-Drive a fun car while I'm at it!
There will be a few things that I miss about my G37x, as it was equipped with considerably more features... but for the money, I really couldn't ask for more! It's also nice to get back to a daily driver that is considerably more fun to toss around in the corners! Living on the west side of Denver (Kipling/Hampden), a car that handles this well is a huge bonus for playing around in the mountains! As is the low-end torque from the quick spooling little turbo! Being boosted at our elevation is also a plus.
The car has economy car roots, but to be honest, for a $19k car with these moves (power and handling), it's actually much better than I expected it to be! Shockingly enough, I really like the shifter- good positive engagement with the "right" amount of effort- and the clutch is just the right weight as well IMO. I've also never driven a [street] car with a steering rack that was so quick and responsive. Probably not the greatest for long road trips (certainly not the worst I've driven by a long shot), but the turn-in is amazing for quick transitions! Very fun to say the least! The suspension also has a really nice balance of being sporty/planted and relatively compliant on the freeway. I didn't get the optional Recaro's, but to be honest, even the base seats aren't that bad and offer a decent amount of bolstering- significantly more than my G37x's old seats!
In my lifetime, I've probably owned ~15 cars or so and this is my first American car. That's saying something. Bravo, and hats off to Ford for stepping up their game in recent years and building a line-up that attracts an audience that might not have looked their way ~10 years ago! 'Merica!
Thus far, I only have a few minor complaints about the ST:
-Torque steer. Honestly not nearly as bad as some high powered FWD cars I've been in, but it would be nice if it was non-existent, or more tamed like it is in a new VW GTI.
-A LSD would be nice. Especially one like VW is putting in the new MK7 GTI that can transfer power to the outside wheel under hard cornering.
-A larger fuel tank would also be nice. Going from a 20 gallon tank to a 12.1 gallon tank will take a bit of getting used to!
-In order to take advantage of all of the rebates Ford was throwing out, I unfortunately had to finance through Ford Motor Credit and their ahem "less than stellar" rates. I generally keep around a ~800 credit score and have been spoiled by low interest rates for many years... but, that's not a big deal, I'll likely be refinancing through USAA ASAP, so it's really negligible long term- just more of a short term hassle to refinance due to FoMoCo's poor rates.
^^^But homestly, for $19.7k, I really have no right to complain haha! For the money, there's nothing on the market that can touch it at that price. And that fact puts a serious smile on my face.
I've owned a MK6 GTI in the past and have also driven the new 2015 MK7 GTI... and I'll be honest, if they were at the same price point, I likely would have went with the GTI.... but they weren't. Not even close. Not even with all the incentives VW is giving out to try and get the old 2014 MK6's off the lot, it's still not even close to the price paid for my FoST. I would say that the GTI would likely get the nod from me as being the overall daily driver, but only just slightly. Not nearly enough to justify the significantly higher real world cost! The local left over MK6's are going from around $23k and no one is letting the MK7's go for under sticker (maybe $500 off here or there), and at those price gaps (vs the $19.7k I paid), they don't offer anywhere near the bang for buck that the FoST does! Since I was shopping on a budget, Ford made my decision pretty easy.
I also test drove the new 2015 WRX... I won't lie, that car is good. Very good. Much better than previous iterations IMO- especially in the building quality/materials, lack of turbo lag and handling departments. If I had to choose between the FoST, the 2015 GTI and the 2015 WRX, with money being no issue, I would have likely picked up the WRX. Although the clutch/shifter would be rough for a daily- I actually preferred the CVT! Yeah, it shocked me too; Subaru did a very good job. But again, with current prices, the ST was WAY cheaper than the Subie and got significantly better fuel economy to boot. Great car, just more than I was looking to spend... Maybe in a couple years when finances are a bit more relaxed, we'll see... in the meantime, it would give Subaru time to re-think their "no more hatchback WRX" policy.
Well, that's enough of this short novel. Here's a quick pic of the new car:
And here are a few I just took of my FoST sitting next to my '04 Mazdaspeed Miata:
For the record, I have no intentions to mod the FoST as it will remain my daily [warrantied] driver; with the exception of picking up a set of winter/snow tires/wheels in a few months. If I feel like tinkering with something (and have the funds to do so), well, that's what the [paid off] turbo'd Miata is for. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my FoST as well as my less strained bank account.
Cheers!
-Brandon
I shopped the Focus' main competitors and none of them could come close to the bang for buck this car offers for the money! Buying the ST allowed me to meet all of my objectives without a problem:
-Drive a new warrantied car.
-Cut down on my monthly payment drastically.
-Reduce my overall debt level drastically.
-Significantly reduce my other monthly expenses with the combination of lower insurance and significantly increased fuel economy (the ST is rated at getting much better mileage- 26mpg combined vs 20mpg combined for the G37x).
-Meet all of my personal needs- 4 doors, decent enough cargo space to use as a daily driver, ect.
-Drive a fun car while I'm at it!
There will be a few things that I miss about my G37x, as it was equipped with considerably more features... but for the money, I really couldn't ask for more! It's also nice to get back to a daily driver that is considerably more fun to toss around in the corners! Living on the west side of Denver (Kipling/Hampden), a car that handles this well is a huge bonus for playing around in the mountains! As is the low-end torque from the quick spooling little turbo! Being boosted at our elevation is also a plus.
The car has economy car roots, but to be honest, for a $19k car with these moves (power and handling), it's actually much better than I expected it to be! Shockingly enough, I really like the shifter- good positive engagement with the "right" amount of effort- and the clutch is just the right weight as well IMO. I've also never driven a [street] car with a steering rack that was so quick and responsive. Probably not the greatest for long road trips (certainly not the worst I've driven by a long shot), but the turn-in is amazing for quick transitions! Very fun to say the least! The suspension also has a really nice balance of being sporty/planted and relatively compliant on the freeway. I didn't get the optional Recaro's, but to be honest, even the base seats aren't that bad and offer a decent amount of bolstering- significantly more than my G37x's old seats!
In my lifetime, I've probably owned ~15 cars or so and this is my first American car. That's saying something. Bravo, and hats off to Ford for stepping up their game in recent years and building a line-up that attracts an audience that might not have looked their way ~10 years ago! 'Merica!
Thus far, I only have a few minor complaints about the ST:
-Torque steer. Honestly not nearly as bad as some high powered FWD cars I've been in, but it would be nice if it was non-existent, or more tamed like it is in a new VW GTI.
-A LSD would be nice. Especially one like VW is putting in the new MK7 GTI that can transfer power to the outside wheel under hard cornering.
-A larger fuel tank would also be nice. Going from a 20 gallon tank to a 12.1 gallon tank will take a bit of getting used to!
-In order to take advantage of all of the rebates Ford was throwing out, I unfortunately had to finance through Ford Motor Credit and their ahem "less than stellar" rates. I generally keep around a ~800 credit score and have been spoiled by low interest rates for many years... but, that's not a big deal, I'll likely be refinancing through USAA ASAP, so it's really negligible long term- just more of a short term hassle to refinance due to FoMoCo's poor rates.
^^^But homestly, for $19.7k, I really have no right to complain haha! For the money, there's nothing on the market that can touch it at that price. And that fact puts a serious smile on my face.
I've owned a MK6 GTI in the past and have also driven the new 2015 MK7 GTI... and I'll be honest, if they were at the same price point, I likely would have went with the GTI.... but they weren't. Not even close. Not even with all the incentives VW is giving out to try and get the old 2014 MK6's off the lot, it's still not even close to the price paid for my FoST. I would say that the GTI would likely get the nod from me as being the overall daily driver, but only just slightly. Not nearly enough to justify the significantly higher real world cost! The local left over MK6's are going from around $23k and no one is letting the MK7's go for under sticker (maybe $500 off here or there), and at those price gaps (vs the $19.7k I paid), they don't offer anywhere near the bang for buck that the FoST does! Since I was shopping on a budget, Ford made my decision pretty easy.
I also test drove the new 2015 WRX... I won't lie, that car is good. Very good. Much better than previous iterations IMO- especially in the building quality/materials, lack of turbo lag and handling departments. If I had to choose between the FoST, the 2015 GTI and the 2015 WRX, with money being no issue, I would have likely picked up the WRX. Although the clutch/shifter would be rough for a daily- I actually preferred the CVT! Yeah, it shocked me too; Subaru did a very good job. But again, with current prices, the ST was WAY cheaper than the Subie and got significantly better fuel economy to boot. Great car, just more than I was looking to spend... Maybe in a couple years when finances are a bit more relaxed, we'll see... in the meantime, it would give Subaru time to re-think their "no more hatchback WRX" policy.
Well, that's enough of this short novel. Here's a quick pic of the new car:
And here are a few I just took of my FoST sitting next to my '04 Mazdaspeed Miata:
For the record, I have no intentions to mod the FoST as it will remain my daily [warrantied] driver; with the exception of picking up a set of winter/snow tires/wheels in a few months. If I feel like tinkering with something (and have the funds to do so), well, that's what the [paid off] turbo'd Miata is for. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my FoST as well as my less strained bank account.
Cheers!
-Brandon