OptiX2K

Obvious there are all sorts of detail changes to the car to remove the 'ST' branding, but I've got pictures of the XR5 Turbo badging. The badging appears on the back of the car, plus on the sides of the car ahead of the rear arches: http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/ ... _70530.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/ ... _45629.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/ ... _59565.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/ ... _16125.jpg

Hmm... on the basis of this feedback, it might be worth my while importing a few badges! :lol:

Which one would you buy? Obviously the branding is a little different, 'Focus ST' somehow seems a bit more sophisticated & 'upmarket'. But Australia gets the XR5 Turbo name instead, though this is basically down to the different model & branding structure in the local market; 'sporty' versions of the Falcon are branded XR6, XR6 Turbo, and XR8. So, which one would you go for: ST, or XR5 Turbo?

The only problem with this plan is that's it's cheaper to just get the ST2 which comes with the 'choice' options already fitted, for less money than adding them to an ST1. Obviously there are a few options that aren't on the ST2/ST3, but loading up an ST1 just doesn't make any sense.

Another review written straight off the back of a press pack & a quick spin in a demo car, not exactly the most thorough review ever is it? I'm more interested in the magazine reviews, as they're more likely to actually give a proper opinion, this review didn't really seem to have one! Certainly they didn't seem particularly enhusiastic overall. And of even more interest will be the group tests, that'll really show how good the thing is, particularly if they compare with the FRS. This reviewer didn't seem to know how it really compared, they just spouted the press release figures (wh

White is good, but I'd let someone else suffer the depreciation first - just like buying a car in a bright colour, you know the market is going to kill the value of the thing. White has always been one of the true 'performance' colours, so in a year or two, I might be tempted by a used white ST. :) Might dump the alloys though, they're just too close to the current whizzpopper ones. :(

'And no, we didn't just say nice things because they pay us to...' ;)

The paint situation on the new Focus is comically bad, you'll find that even the 'show' cars are exactly the same as that and have been since day 1. I'm surprised it's still happening though. I guess it's probably something to do with a different painting process for the bumpers, either an primer type layer is used/missed compared to othhr cars, or the bumpers aren't painted alongside the shells anymore (which ensures the paint match is perfect) and the 'bumper' paint booth isn't properly set up. Stupid thing is though all the bits fitted to the RS shells - spoilers, bumpers, rubbing st

Probably the pedal assembly, you'd have to look at it though to work out exactly whats wrong, probably a mis-alignment, something loose or inadequate lubrication.

Could be the temperature sensor is giving a false reading, so it doesn't realise it's trying to do a cold start. Or the idle control valve/throttle assembly is faulty, though that should show up on a test. Or it could be another bad sensor, cam position, crank postion, a faulty injector or two, a bad fuel pump, bad fuel pressure regulator, faulty ignition system, etc. etc. etc. Even a bad map on the PCM. It's quite difficult to test cold start problems unless the dealer keeps the car and has the chance to test it when properly cold, though they seem to have had this opportunity. I'm su

Haven't looked exactly why the extra reinforcement is there, either the different engine compromises crash performance e.g. small crumple zone deformation before the engine impacts the firewall, or it's related to the other structural improvements which include the struct brace copied across from the higher end T5 S40s. The other change re: the heatshield fixing is probably to just add extra mounting studs to the shell to cope with the twin outlet exhaust, the heatshield needs to cover areas that the rest of the range doesn't require.

Considering the FRP and Focus RS as financial disasters is a very simplistic way of looking at things. The FRP wasn't exactly a financial disaster, there just wasn't a big enough market for it. Hence cutting production, and eventually selling cars for below cost to get the numbers up. The run wasn't big enough for it to lose any significant amount of money, even assuming the write-off of the spare 500 sets of parts - they just got added to the other 200 sets of spares. The Focus RS definitely wasn't a financial disaster, even it it did run over schedule and budget. It was basically f

Adding AWD onto the ST is pretty much a parts bin job to add the Haldex diff, different fuel tank, transfer box & prop shaft + revised rear suspension, but it isn't worth the effort unless you're adding more power at the same time. The biggest problem with adding the AWD components onto the new Focus is that there basically isn't the demand for it, historically all sorts of AWD Fords have been available including the Galaxy and old Mondeo, but no one really buys them. You're effectively paying more, for a car that's heavier, slower and drinks more fuel. Check out the S40 T5 vs. T5 AWD t

The locks aren't all that easy to punch out, certainly no worse than any other style, as the shape of the key has little impact on that. If anything, the wider blade style keys are worse as you can get more purchase with a tool to rip the lock out. I think it was also to do with unifying the key design across all models and brands. Also the 'safety key' design - where the blade is larger, and cut part of the key is on the 'inside' of the key to avoid causing damage to pockets etc. - is becoming industry standard, pretty sure I remember using exactly the same key design on current VAG and

I can't see how you'd get an ST3 with the DVD sat nav system for less than £17.2k on Privilege, unless you're getting a very good deal - in which case I'm interested. :) Also I'd have thought you might want some of the other toys? All pushes the price up, near to £18K if you get all the useful bits. Getting an RS might not be easy, but they are out there. There isn't exactly a rush to order a new ST, unless you really feel the need to be one of the first to have one, which I can't really recommend if you want a problem free car! All depends what you want. I'd be tempted by either

According to my engine spec sheet, max charge pressure for this version of the T5 is 0.7bar/~10psi.

I'd be interested to know how they'd expect to get the car for that sort of price, let alone sell it at that rate (18% discount), I suspect that might be less than factory gate cost. Obviously bulk discounts & sales incentives exist, but I can't quite see how they translate onto a car that won't hit the market for 3 months. I'd suspect they've done the same as others, and slapped the car onto their website with a precalculated discount, without any real idea of how to actually get any. They only list 'broker' as the supplier, rather than a dealer, so i can't really believe it. A

There aren't going to be big discounts for retail customers, there isn't the margin and why would anyone bother giving big discounts on a car that isn't even in production yet? It's not like they've got stock to dump, or they're going to get the car shifted for the end of the month to meet a sales quota - it's going to be at least 3 months before any orders are fulfilled, so the usual incentives aren't really there. Autobytel are probably offering the biggest discount you'll find for now, assuming they can actually honour it. They seem to be knocking off ~7% on the ST, which leaves a bit

The official launch weekend is 14/15th January, all that's running from now (ie. 1st October) is the presales period where you can actually order one. Until this weekend, it hasn't actually been possible to order the car. I don't think customer cars will be around until the actual launch date, though demonstrators will be around earlier.

Could be worth asking about the Commitment program, I assume it still exists. This is the thing that's used by Ford to replace duff cars, FCB are happy for cars to be swopped under this program while retaining the existing finance arrangements - they just change the vehicle they're attached to. The T&C's were a bit difficult to meet, but I seem to remember one of the reasons for replacement was 3 unsuccessful attempts to rectify the same fault, though I think an engineer visit may also have been required. Alternatively 20 days of workshop time are enough to justify replacement.

Quick question - what exactly does this bit of the Privilege price list mean? 'ST-2 and ST-3 prices include options packs at a standard Dealer Margin of **%. The base vehicle only will attract full Dealer Margin.' (The original version includes the percentage, I've starred it out) I guess it's intended for the dealer, and means there's more profit margin on options sold on the base model?? There's only one list of prices for the options, so I'm guessing there's no impact on the purchase price, except maybe the amount of scope for negotiation?

I think you can get away with the stripes on the Fiesta. On the Focus the bonnet & roof stripes just look cr*p to be honest, the styling of the car doesn't suit them. :? The door stripes you might get away with. Overall though I think it's not the sort of car the decals are really meant for, except maybe in certain limited colour combinations.

I think the factory 'sports' suspension is just a change of springs, I think the dampers & ARBs are unchanged. I'd need to check the part numbers to be sure. One thing to consider though - the factory fitted stuff is insurance neutral, anything factory fit doesn't count on an insurance policy as a modification compared to the base car. Dealer fit options on the other hand generally DO count as a modification (as they're fitted to the completed car post manufacture), and your insurer would probably charge you accordingly.

The actual engine didn't have problems, certainly the high revving bit wasn't an issue. Then again, the development was subbed to Cosworth Technology (Mahle Powertrain) who do know their stuff. The manifold changeover control was the only bit that really tended to fail, though the intake manifold pipe clips were another occasional problem due to build errors. Things like the HEGO sensor, PAS pump and throttle cable problems could happen again on another car e.g. the throttle 'buzz' happened on the RS too at first, and that had a completely different design team. The problems came fro

If the original ST is anything to go by, then history suggests that the new ST might have problems with resale after about 12 months. In the period after launch, limited availability of new cars, and the virtual non-existence of used cars holds up the values, but on the other hand you're having to live with all the bugs. There are always bugs in new models, and the more modified versions which introduce new components are worse than most - like the previous ST. After 6 to 12 months, the market might start to saturate with used examples. The previous ST seemed to suddenly be everywhere