2013 Ford Focus ST - The 18 Months Review

"Kate's Dirty Sister" (KDS)
03/12/2015 at 13:43 • Filed to: None

Dear contributors, attention seekers and lurkers.

I've been informed that commenter K-Roll was preparing a 12 months review of the Ford Focus ST.

You can either wait patiently and waste even more time or go straight to point and read my 18 months review right here.

The car :

2013 Ford Focus ST, 25,000 KM. The car is an ST3 trim, so it comes will all the bells and whistles, or as we like to call them over here, more things that will go wrong in 5 years. That's what you get for buying sloppy seconds.

The pros :

Nice inside and out. Recaros are wonderful. Don't let occasional drivers (i.e automotive journalists) fool you. They're good. Good sounds system, MyFordTouch does not sucks, quite roomy, fun to drive, relatively fast, build quality is good, the car is still rattle free.

The cons :

MPG sucks, don't get fool by liars claiming 30 MPG, you'll get 22-23 combined and under 20 full city, at least if you suck as much as me at driving intelligently. Keyless entry system don't work when it's cold or wet. Fuel tank is frustratingly small. Torque steer is bad, the torque vectoring system using the ABS is pure basura. Visibility sucks, I never had so much problem parking such a small car before. Interior design is a bit busy for my tastes, but the ST3 package help unclutter the dash.

Value :

Expensive without incentives, but Ford is likely to throw incentives at you so with 5K off, it's a great value.

Dealership experience :

Poor

I won't waste any more of your time, AMA time below

DISCUSSION (49)

Party-vi > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:46

yugottacalloutcommenterslikedat?

CounterTorqueSteer > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:47

So because I am able to get 28-30 mpg regularly, I am a liar?

For Sweden > Party-vi
03/12/2015 at 13:47

he dun did

TheBaron2112 > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:47

Did you test drive a Fiesta ST and if so, do you regret not buying that instead?

PheeNoIVI > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:48

Do you wish you got the Fiesta ST instead?

Kate's Dirty Sister > CounterTorqueSteer
03/12/2015 at 13:48

Kinja'd!!!

Kate's Dirty Sister > Party-vi
03/12/2015 at 13:49

Who did I called out ?

Kate's Dirty Sister > PheeNoIVI
03/12/2015 at 13:49

Absolutely not

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:50

Will you be selling/crashing/trading it in like the rest of the ST owners here?

Kate's Dirty Sister > TheBaron2112
03/12/2015 at 13:50

No and no.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/12/2015 at 13:51

I will keep the car 3-4 years tops, I don't plan to crash it but shit happens.

Party-vi > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:51

Kinja'd!!!

commenter K-Roll was preparing a 12 months review of the Ford Focus ST.

You can either wait patiently and waste even more time

CounterTorqueSteer > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:52

Kinja'd!!!

After a 100% highway 164 mile drive.

For Sweden > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:52

How many clutches have you gone through? Or are you some wizard who can handle the less-than-forgiving friction point?

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:53

Haha just more a joke at Silverbackestro but it does seem weird to me the number of Oppo's who got ST's and then dumped them about a year later.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Party-vi
03/12/2015 at 13:53

I meant waste time waiting, brah

CounterTorqueSteer > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:53

Kinja'd!!!

After 281 miles of city and highway combined.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/12/2015 at 13:54

Pretty much the same ratio as BRZ owners. Moral of the story, when a car is hyped by Jalopnik ....

buford-t-justice > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/12/2015 at 13:54

I plan on keeping mine until it falls apart, or depending on the cost of the RS

Party-vi > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:54

Kinja'd!!!

O I C

aight. We cool.

Kate's Dirty Sister > CounterTorqueSteer
03/12/2015 at 13:55

NICE PHOTOSHOP

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:55

I guess that is true, Jalopnik probably does influence my tastes more than it should but I still hope to find an ST used at some point.

CounterTorqueSteer > For Sweden
03/12/2015 at 13:56

That's actually the first time I've heard someone talk negatively about the friction point...

PheeNoIVI > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 13:58

You definitely chose the better looking car.

For Sweden > CounterTorqueSteer
03/12/2015 at 13:59

I'm sure it's great after driving it for a while, but I definitely stalled a FoST out a few times when I first drove one.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/12/2015 at 14:00

I wasn't even supposed to buy this, it's our 2nd car, I was looking more for an impreza/crosstrek, but I stopped by the Ford dealer and they made me a deal I could not refuse.

I'm paying mid-level Impreza money for a ST3 FoST and no interest. I hate interests.

CounterTorqueSteer > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 14:00

Sorry, never used the program.

Kate's Dirty Sister > PheeNoIVI
03/12/2015 at 14:01

Yes, it's bigger, faster and nicer.

I don't go ice racing anyways.

vondon302 > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 14:09

I must be old took a test ride in a st 3 and couldn't stand the seats So I got the stripper st not a single option. Lightness!! Radio controls are a ungodly mess though And yes gas mileage Sucks to get 30 mpg you gota be going slow. Also not expensive for the base model especially if you buy it in December. 21000 out the door. The torque steer does try to kill you every ounce in a while. Mechanical diff is the only thing I would change its even good in the snow with the right tires.

Justin Hughes > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 14:25

Still true now. After incentives and discounts, you can get a 2014 FoST for the same price as a FiST. I imagine once the RS is out ST values will drop even more.

Winter is a good time to buy a sporty car, though. I think that helped me get my BRZ for less than an FR-S last March. Hmm, I should write a 12 month review.

nermal > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 14:25

More details on poor dealership experience?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > For Sweden
03/12/2015 at 14:31

That clutch is actually one of the reasons I went to look at a FiST... then the better fuel economy, relative lack of torque-steer, livelier handling, better brakes, and better ride quality sealed the deal.

Kate's Dirty Sister > For Sweden
03/12/2015 at 14:31

It's been a non-issue so far, but yes I'm a clutch ninja.

Kate's Dirty Sister > nermal
03/12/2015 at 14:32

TL;DR : I had to swap my own license plate.

Kate's Dirty Sister > vondon302
03/12/2015 at 14:38

I have Toyo Garrit KX's on it. 16 inchers, barely clear the front calipers.

sefeing, actually bought an E46 > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 14:50

Can confirm on dealership experiences. If you guys remember, I had to get my oil changed thrice in a day once because they just kept fucking up, and then left a mess when they got it right.

sefeing, actually bought an E46 > CounterTorqueSteer
03/12/2015 at 14:55

I'm getting the same today dude. Mainly highway, but with some serious pulls. MPG in this car is dope.

sefeing, actually bought an E46 > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/12/2015 at 14:56

LOL @ this. Currently in the process of selling mine..... :(

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 15:09

I dunno, people tend to keep miatas a bit longer!

CounterTorqueSteer > sefeing, actually bought an E46
03/12/2015 at 15:34

Seriously. I don't understand why some people have such trouble getting decent mpg.

Manic Otti > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/12/2015 at 17:24

Seems like they're hard to find in the northwest (we really like our SUVs here apparently). Every time I do a search I find 2o lesser Focus' and only 1 or 2 STs.

TheOnelectronic > For Sweden
03/12/2015 at 23:14

For real? I've never had a problem with the clutch. Seems like a perfectly normal clutch to me.

Then again, I learned stick on a hydraulic clutch with no feel whatsoever, so maybe I was forged in fire.

For Sweden > TheOnelectronic
03/12/2015 at 23:17

The FiST clutch felt much better to me than the FoST clutch

TheOnelectronic > For Sweden
03/12/2015 at 23:18

I've yet to drive a car with a clutch as bad as my 07 WRX. Everything else just seems like a blessing that shouldn't be questioned for fear of being cast back into the realm of leg-numbing weight and half-percent friction zones.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Manic Otti
03/13/2015 at 08:40

Not sure it's that, I'm in Quebec and there's plenty of Gti's and MS3's but very few ST's (Both). I just don't think the target audience is seeing Ford as a cool brand yet.

citizennick > CounterTorqueSteer
03/19/2015 at 12:28

are you using premium or unleaded? If you're on the stock tune the motor kicks into eco-mode when using 87. Did it once and got well over 30mpg, otherwise I use 91 and don't get anything near that.

citizennick > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/19/2015 at 12:30

as far as gas mileage goes, if you're on the stock tune and run 87 the motor kicks into a more eco-mode. I did it once and got 32-34mpg on the highway going 60. But yeah, I usually fill up with premium and get shitty gas mileage. And I don't skip-shift much anymore, trying to reduce low RPM throttle as much as I can.

CounterTorqueSteer > citizennick
03/19/2015 at 12:54

I usually run 93.

Kate's Dirty Sister > citizennick
03/19/2015 at 13:23

I tried 87, 89, 91, 93 and 94.

No matter if it's -20c or +38C, city or highway, up in the mountains or below sea level

I ALWAYS GET THE SAME POOR MPG