2006 Ford Focus ST 3 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Trust when I say that the ST for the money is a cracking motor. Take this from someone who knows, I am one of the lucky few who has had the opportunity to drive exotica such as Aston's, Ferrari 355/360/430, BMW "M's", Lamborghini Gallardo, etc etc, cars that I will never own or be even able to afford. That's why I've ordered an ST3, I've tried the VXR, GTi, R32, Megane Sport, Alfa 147GTA, they are all good, but in terms of value for money and as an allrounder its the ST for me!!!

Why don't cosworth do fords any more, anyone?

...and now there is the Mazda 3MPS. I have one of these little rocket ships (as Australia was a launch country), and all I can say is that it puts a smile on my dial every time I drive it!!

The torque steer is very well controlled, considering there is 190kw (256hp IIRC) channeled through the front wheels. It is built on the same platform as the Focus, so it has good handling, plus it is also a little lighter than the Focus. Plus the Mazda 2.3 DISI engine brilliant, very torquey, extremely flexible and can also be very good on the fuel, considering the grunt on offer. I have gotten less than 7.9l/100km without even trying that hard.

At the end of the day, it is useless bickering about these things as the best car is the car that puts the biggest smile on YOUR dial, as that is what owning a 'hot hatch' is all about.

On a side note, the Focus ST (XR-5 here) has a waiting list of quite a few months. Keep smiling and enjoy giving these "hot hatches" a hard time!!! :-)

I think people are slagging off the vxr just because of what they have seen on top gear. We can all agree that it is the best looking and the fastest. Of course Clarkson will be slagging it off he owns a focus (mark 1 on a Y reg) and top gear have never given a positive review to vauxhall. What they didn't make a big fuss about on the review of the vxr was that on its "power lap" it was just over a second slower than the bmw m3. I'm not comparing the two of them just telling you what the result was. As for all this "on the twisties" business you are rather foolish if you are speeding round country lanes. What if behind on one off the blind bends there is a cyclist or a jogger and you smash straight into them and kill them. That would be prison for 10 years for death by dangerous driving.

Focus RS to ST1,2 or 3.

Does any have any comments on their Focus ST having previously owned an RS?

Any regrets?

The VXR is a very fast car. As the guy above says, it was just over a second slower than the M3 on top gear. Also when they reviwed the Golf r32, Clarkson wouldn't shut up about what great handling it had and what a brilliant car it was, and guess what, the VXR had a faster lap. And the Docus was ridiculous, the VXR was nearly 2 seconds faster than it. The VXR time was 1.33 dead, the Focus was 1.34.9. That is a big difference. The VXR isn't anywhere near as bad as people make out. Best hot hatch on todays market by a long way.

IIRC, when the ST was put round the TG track the visibility was awful thanks to fog/mist.

But track times are hardly what hot-hatches are all about. Its the feeling they give you. The buzz. The fun. And in that respect the ST beats the VXR and GTI easily. From the gorgeous warble of that 5-pot engine, to the stand-out looks in electric orange, the other two just don't compare.

What are you talking about? They don't compare. Everyone knows the VXR looks the best. You are one of the only people in this country that thinks the Focus looks better. And as for thrills, the VXR is faster. Need I say more?

'everyone knows the vxr looks the best you are one of the only people in this country that thinks the focus looks better'

Not the only one! IMHO the vxr looks hardly any different to a 1.6 Astra. Unless you can see the big alloys or central exhaust it doesn't look anything special. Wheareas the Focus seems to bulge in all the right places & looks good from every angle.

And no I don't own either car & have no interest owning either. I'll stick to my VXT.

No differences except big wheels and exhaust, not entirely accurate. It's lower, the grille on the front bumper and beneath the bonnet, the back bumpers got a grill, the front bumper is completely different to that on the sport hatch, due to the grill, and also it has a skirt on the bottom of it, and looks a lot better, plus the standard 1.6 model was a good benchmark as that looks good anyway.

You could say the same about the Focus; exactly the same sort of slight body changes from a lesser model; the only difference is that it's in your face with its stupid love or hate orange colour. Personally I hate it.

'the only difference is that it's in your face with its stupid love or hate orange colour. Personally I hate it.'

Orange (or ASBO), isn't the only colour option. Without looking at the Ford website, I can tell you it also comes in silver, black, red, white (i think), & blue (IMHO the best colour for it)

Yes I am aware of that, but the standard car doesn't come in orange, so when you see an orange one you know it is an ST. If you see a black one its exactly the same sort of thing as with the VXR, a few changes here and there. They are both good cars and both look a lot better than the standard model, but the VXR is just a bit better.

The ST is the better looking car. Its the same with all the 'sporty' versions - Ford always get the balance just right. The VXRs are over the top.

A few days ago the vxrs didn't have enough styling over the standard model, now they are over the top. Has there been a face lift model without me realising LOL?

I don't know why people are saying the VXR is crap round a track, just because Jeremy Clarkson didn't like it on Top Gear. Not that I think the lap times tell you which car is better on a track, because they don't, but the VXR was faster than the Golf GTI, Golf R32, Focus ST, Civic Type R, Alfa 147 GTA and the Clio 182, so it obviously isn't any slower round a track than these cars.

I'm in a dilemma at the moment; can't decide what to get out of an orange ST3, a red VXR, a black Audi TT 225 or a Mazda RX8; they are all very good cars.