Competition for Subaru and Mitsu?... I think so!

[madvlad]

I personally don't like Ford and don't think I ever will except for their old school stuff but this Focus ST looks interesting for sure... These guys seem to be wanting to capture the tuning/HP crowds.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...175609359.html

[mdub]

same here....only ford i like is / was the re-design...Thunder Bird.

[madvlad]

same here....only ford i like is / was the re-design...Thunder Bird.

Really? wow dude you are the only person that I know that's ever said that. I mean to each its own but that thing was hideous lol. At least back in the days it mixed up in the shitty designs but Ford could've done WAY better with that thing. Imagine if their current designer would be to re-do the thunderbird, it'd be way better lol

[mdub]

Haha. Honestly the new design that was introduce , what early 2000? That would be the ford I would drive.

[Frankie675]

Woah $40k! Can't you buy an srt4 neon for $5k now? Fwd, 200+ hp, without the shelby sticker....probably faster.

I just don't see the point of a fwd vehicles unless it's for commuting. AWD is a blast anywhere, especially in the snow. RWD lets you have fun when you want to get loose. FWD doesn't make anything exciting. If they made this Focus AWD then it would be a game changer for Ford. They would actually be able to compete against the Impreza's, Evo's, and R's. The fwd turbo'd cavalier ss (or whatever that pos was called) and the twin saturn brother were 20 something new and that didn't end up being a great transformation. Even Hyundai alteast attempted something with their turbocharged rwd coupe...but it still hasn't made a name for itself. America wants awd, turbocharged hatches, or big engine rwd coupes. Fords little focus isn't going to change that.

[Drano]

The hot hatchback is really a European market. Over there, the Focus ST competes with the Vauxhall Astra VXR, Renault Clio, Golf GTI, and the Citroen DS5, to name a few.

In the UK, insurance categories are rated by engine cc. Anything above 2000cc falls into a higher insurance bracket and it gets pricy really quick. Couple that with the price of fuel per liter and its not hard to understand why the majority of vehicles sold are 1999cc and smaller. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Renault 19 and Golf GTI when I lived there. But most of us here are not under the same constraints to purchase based on the price of insurance, so we have a wider variety to choose from.

Why would I pick up a "Shelby" Focus ST for 40k when I can walk a couple rows over and get a Mustang GT premium for $5k less?

[3point5]

I personally don't like Ford

ehhh…neither do I…I did buy an F150 after having company F150s (a 1999 and a 2009) and I drove them pretty hard - it changed my mind…Ford not taking bail-out money spoke volumes to me aswell…

as far as the ST goes…not too impressed…I have a 2003 z - and that engine has set my bar for hp per liter... I'll be impressed when ford takes the 3.5liter ecoboost and makes 600hp+ and stuffs it in the focus and/or fiesta…

as far as the title of this thread…subi and mits couldnt care less…the STi is making 300 on a de-tuned engine and with the help of a boost controller on a oem block a evo can make well into the mid 400whp…

[Wrider]

Ford not taking bail-out money spoke volumes to me aswell…

I always love when people bring this up. Let's not forget the fact that they did, in fact, ask for it, but when the conditions included "no payout of dividends until the loan is repaid", they sought private loans. Mainly due to the fact that the Ford family lives on the dividends of their stock.

[madvlad]

350 is a 3.5 V6. This is a 4 cylinder making over 300hp, that's pretty good. Even the new 3.7 doesnt make that impressive of numbers at only 330hp. These finer tuned 4 cylinders these days are insane. Im sure they could take the ecoboost and make that power you say but emissions standards and such count in there. Ford on their trucks are decent that's for sure.

[sag]

the ST can serve a completely different market than the lancer/impreza platforms for sure. when you break them down extensively and drive each one they become pretty far off comparisons too. i bought a gti over the st for the interior space (headroom) and the dsg. and i bought a gti over the wrx/evo for tons of reasons mostly fuel economy, build quality, nvh/refinement. of course its all personal how a car suits every person. they each strike a unique point of all
combined vehicle factors.

also the 13b should be everybodys bar for hp per liter hahahaha

[asp_125]

I'll wait for the jury to decide. Until Ford puts an AWD drivetrain into the ST, all that power is wasted trying to put it to ground, especially if it's the least bit slippery exiting a corner.

[Mother Goose]

I'll wait for the jury to decide. Until Ford puts an AWD drivetrain into the ST, all that power is wasted trying to put it to ground, especially if it's the least bit slippery exiting a corner.

This. Even my old VR6 Jetta with some mods seemed to be too much hp for a FWD at times. I couldn't imagine trying to put 300hp down through the front wheels going around a corner. With an AWD or a RWD, it's usable (manageable) power.

[Ghosty]

one colossal question remained: “$40k for a Focus?”

My thoughts exactly, and not really competition (in buyers/sales) for Evo/WRX. Horsepower only. They should've made an AWD version. Guess it can compete with the new Dart for competition, lol.

You can buy any of the three newer American HIGH-HP cool looking actual 2door SPORTSCARS for $40k. This is a 4-door hatch that looks like every other similar import, LMAO.

[asp_125]

This. Even my old VR6 Jetta with some mods seemed to be too much hp for a FWD at times. I couldn't imagine trying to put 300hp down through the front wheels going around a corner. With an AWD or a RWD, it's usable (manageable) power.

That was my main frustration with my hot hatchbacks (Civics and Golfs), was the power-on understeer. OTOH trailing throttle oversteer and three wheeling around corners was quite entertaining!

[3point5]

they sought private loans.

so did they take bail-out money?

also the 13b should be everybodys bar for hp per liter hahahaha

valid!!

350 is a 3.5 V6. This is a 4 cylinder making over 300hp, that's pretty good. Even the new 3.7 doesnt make that impressive of numbers at only 330hp.

Add FI and 400 is easily attainable…I believe Stillen/Vortech teamed up on a SC that puts ~550 in the 370z...

This is a 4 cylinder making over 300hp

the ST? I thought it was 252hp…and that's at the crank...

[madvlad]

I meant stock hp, not what you can attain going aftermarket. With that you can make any car have great HP lol, hell my 04' Corolla held up to 14 psi safely on stock internals at this altitude and the tC motors held 18 psi safely at this altitude as well with just a better fuel pump... And yea over 300hp or so it says here according to the article:

Now, however, an engine upgrade is available. The original ST pumps out 252 hp, but Shelby’s overdue renovation boosts the turbocharged 2.0-liter to 275 hp - a rather stout figure for a front-wheel drive hatchback. But when I turned up at the Shelby American headquarters in Las Vegas, company president, John Luft, informed me that the Shelby Focus ST now boasts over 300 hp, and I would be the first (non-employee) to sample its eager bite.

[Wrider]

so did they take bail-out money?

Would you if it meant you had a full time job but no income for months or years?

[3point5]

I meant stock hp, not what you can attain going aftermarket. With that you can make any car have great HP lol

maybed it's a different point of view here, but isnt 'shelby america' the equivalent of 'aftermarket' for this discussion…

[Wrider]

maybed it's a different point of view here, but isnt 'shelby america' the equivalent of 'aftermarket' for this discussion…

Good point, but keep in mind it is a "factory option" so to speak. Keeps the warranty.

That said, for 15K on top of an SRT4, Cobalt SS, Evo, or STi, you can be doing a lot more than 300 HP (even having everything done at a shop) and still have the improved handling that the Shelby Focus offers.

[madvlad]

maybed it's a different point of view here, but isnt 'shelby america' the equivalent of 'aftermarket' for this discussion…

Good point, but keep in mind it is a "factory option" so to speak. Keeps the warranty.

That said, for 15K on top of an SRT4, Cobalt SS, Evo, or STi, you can be doing a lot more than 300 HP (even having everything done at a shop) and still have the improved handling that the Shelby Focus offers.

What he said, I understand companies like Shelby, Henessy etc offer the "aftermarket" option but covered under warranty and under NHTSA AND DOT laws which they still have to follow before a car gets launched into the market. Aftermarket stuff is full on illegal which free the car completely of any restrictions for power and such. I understand what you mean though, not saying you're wrong. Like Jeffe said though, it'd be cool to see the AWD version of this and see how well it does against the big dogs of the tuner world.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

1. Too expensive.
2. Not enough hp.
3. Front wheel drive.

Ford has make some cool AWD pocket rockets in the past, this ain't one of them.