2013 Ford Focus ST vs 2013 MazdaSpeed3 Comparison 

The MS3 has been out for 3 years. Of course the ST is going to be "better". And for the record, I'm an MS3 owner and get dirty looks from ST drivers all the time lol.

the full racing suit was a bit much..

test drove both and i loved the speed 3. overall it is a better car and a little bit faster. both nice cars!

The parts that really get me about the Focus are the lumpy tailpipe, the wheels, and the front grill/fascia. I think the 2nd gen MS3 is a beautiful car, grin and all.

both good DD and grocery getter that can make civic si fan boys to cry.

Nice review and video editing.

This is a great review. Back in the Fall I purchased a Speed3 after testing the ST, Speed3, WRX and GTI. The GTI was by far the weakest link and the Speed3 (at under $23K) before tax/tags was a great deal and fit my daily needs. With that said, I really like the ST but felt the price, # of potential mods and the history (IE not a new car) made the Speed3 the right car for me. If Ford supports this down the road I may pick on of these up, too!

First time driving a speed3, I was like fuck it no power and then I realize I was below 3k rpm...above 3k rpm it was a different story.

Blah blah blah...understeer, oversteer, blah blah blah, 99% of people driving these cars will never constantly corner enough to even worry about it.

good job on this reviews guys love the fact that u have ur subject review and then track times thats awesome! if u guys only do a lil.instrumented trating like 0 to 60 1/4 mile brakong it would be perfrct

I love a good unbiased report. Well done guys you left the choice up to the potential buyers.

Excellent question. You can not turn off the electronic diff. Even with stability control off it continues to work.

I looked at the Subaru, Ford, Volkswagen, and Mazda. I liked the WRX the most but the dealer said he could add money to the price and sell it. The Golf was slow and under powered. The Speed and ST were about equal. But the Mazda dealer sold me the car $4000 less than the Ford dealer. Cobb airbox/intake, TIH, downpipe, fuel pump, and tune so still under the ST cost. Added a good 40-50 whp

This has been really consistent with my experience so far with my Focus ST. The ST encounters brake fade over a long drive, which I blame on so much front brake bias.

"... has MyFordTouch, which still sucks..." I just died from that.

2013 & 2014 focus st have an ugly front end imo, but 2015 & 2016 is absolutely amazing

I'm a ms3 owner and I'd say this is a pretty good review. Hits all the right things that I think people would care about. Comes down to what your end state and budget is with the car. The st is new but the same companies making ms3 parts are making theirs too now. Only drawback is the STs turbo. Not much more power to be had on that tiny turbo after mods and tuning. Good review though

I like the Mazda for the interior. And the real LSD

I agree. I put Falken 245's on mine and now most of the torque steer is gone. The rear motor mount took care of most of the rest. I think when I get the two other engine and trans mounts on all of the torque steer will be gone. And that is with several mods. Corksport short ram and turbo inlet pipe, corksport catback, custom front mount intercooler, and access port. Fuel pump internals, CNT downpipe, springs and rear sway bar are next! (Now, if only the race track would open back up.)

ive only seen two focus st one this year and 1 last year, in canada, ontario lots of people have the mazdaspeed 3 more 1 gen then second gen. as i am the second person in my city who has a 2nd gen speed 3

Absolutely beautiful comment. Thank you.

Good review

As an owner of all 3 cars in this segment... the MS3, GTI and Focus ST, here's my 2 cents. 2 years ago had a 2011 MS3. Loved it at first, but over 12 months of ownership decided that the torque steer in the winter in Oregon is almost deadly on cold wet roads, really missed not having a sunroof option. Super narrow power band. Last summer traded it for a 2012 GTI. No torque steer, had sunroof and touch screen, super wide power band. Traded the GTI in last month for Focus ST. Simply amazing!

As for a daily driver, the ST wins in my book. Have driven enough of both of them to get a good feel.

They're both really nice cars that are very quick with great handling/braking & they get great gas mileage when you're not beating on them lol. Also, both can easily be modded for better performance which is a nice bonus IMO.

MS3 has better looks

I've got a 2nd gen, I hear guys all the time talk about the grin looking silly or ugly. It's really one of my favorite parts of the styling. I agree with you about the 1st gen though. It is a beautiful car, and one hell of a sleeper.

The mazdaspeed 3 just has that raw fun personality that cant be matched : )

Was this a commercial for the Focus ST?

Mazda and Ford went their seperate ways in 2010 and Mazda redesigned the 3 and 6 from the ground up. The engines are now manufactured by Mazda and it's 100% Mazda. It's good stuff. I could be wrong, however, but from what I've read online and such. :) No hard feelings. Just pointing that out.

the mpg on the ST is simply too attractive. ignoring the performance numbers from these guys, i guess i would expect justifiably more performance from the mazda with 2.3L and that fuel efficiency rating, but i'm not seeing it. as far as looks, i think the ST should be a bit more aggressive, while the mazda feels a bit over the top should pull it back a notch. paint and mods could take care of that for the ST. without test driving either vehicle, I choose ST myself. test driving is 75% of the game, though.

I'll take the Mazda before any Ford .

The 2010 MS3 Gen2 was rated higher when it first came out late 2009, but after few months the EPA forced Mazda to report lower fuel economy. The guys in my local speed 3 group and I all notice about 3mpg better on our stock cars for both city and highway, so it is mystery as to why the lower reported number. Now with my mods and a richer fuel tune I get about 25 city and 33 highway. This according to doing the math at the pump and the data logging in access port.

Gen1 ms3 are the best. There lighter and look so much better. Faster than a ST too

Dustbuster / Catfish vs The Joker. I went with the larger factory turbo - there's not much left on the table with a K03. The MS3 makes an easy 300whp/350tq with some mild tuning, and a rear sway bar upgrade sets you back a whole $120.

That ST engine noise is epic and worth the money alone for that sound.

Mazdaspeed 3 gen1 is way more funbtobdrive then gen 2.gen 1 is raw and a true performance hatch

If you're gonna do a comparo, please show the stat/specs side-by-side.

Better interior, handling, fuel consumption, cabin sound, price?

What's with the gap between the hood and bumper on the ST?

I take part in Mazdaspeed 3 (Mazdaspeed AXELA） in Japan. I'm interested in the value at the foreign countries, but I think it's a wonderful car personally.

This car starts at $23,700 not $24,495 like they say.. Focus st is cheaper, faster, gets way better mpg! The obvious answer for me is choosing the focus st.

0:15 was that a lawn mower or a vacuum noise?

I am still surprised that nearly no one realizes these two cars are both riding on the same Ford/Mazda global C1 platform jointly developed by both companies. Chassis wise, they are clones.

"... but that's because it's happy about being pissed off" THE best comment about a Speed3 ever!

Best review

given up trying? what happened to the gti?

Definitely a true story about the brakes smoking after a good track session

You are correct brother!...

I like the way the mazda looks but I would want the ford due to the newer nicer engine!

im not sure if he is right about the mods having a greater effect then the ford, but the Mazda has had the same engine, nearly unchanged since 2006 and tons of enthusiast support, meaning you will have much more resources, and you will know what works and doesnt work.

speed 3 is still a nicer car hands down!! To bad they don't compare an older model with the ST, yes they are quicker than the new ones stock for stock! The upgraded torque management slwos them down 0-60 and 1/4

Wow, I wrote my previous comment before I saw the fuel economy difference between the two... The Focus ST is rated at +5 mpg City & +7 mpg Hwy. I wonder why it's such a big difference? I know the Mazda has a bigger motor, but I didn't think it would be that much different mpg wise. Still, 18/25 under the post 2008 fuel economy ratings is still good. That 18/25 would have been 20/27 before 2008. The ST would have been 25/34 mpg though.

Love that ST!

I think the Focus looks awesome, not anonymous!

so basically if you want a fun car, get the mazda. If you want something thats more normal and kind of 'generic' get the ford.

Let's see here... The Focus ST is faster than the MS3 in every section of the track as well as having a faster top speed on the FRONT STRAIGHT. Hmmm....

It's very important in this price range. These are going to be daily driver commuter cars for the vast majority of purchasers. It's luxo-boats where you can say who cares, since the buyer has a significantly higher income level where mileage costs don't matter.

Actually if you look in the video the base model ST is $500 cheaper... so put the same mods into the ST and it'll beat your MS3 and have $500 left over to put another mod into it as well. And how does it not mean anything that they're on a track? Isn't that the best place to show what cars are good at and where they need improvements?

I actually like the steering wheel in the Mazdaspeed3 better, I just wish it's a bit smaller more like the one in MX-5.

There's something so indescribably awesome about a white MS3. Gimme.

Have you driven the Focus?

Funny thing about that mpg. I get 27 in the city and like 31 on the highway 2012 speed 3 stock so definitely under rated mpg on paper. If you know how to drive manual you can definitely save more gas then it says on paper

I am sure that the ford focus will get a bump in mpg with basic mods like a catback exhaust and better intake. Most turbo cars benifit significantly in power and mpg from these mods.

This is old but whats up with that racing suit also i watch the channel your on now race suit man 🇨🇦

yes i actually have don't get me wrong its a great car but while me & my step dad took a trip to London ( to see his sister) i had a chance to drive the focus rs it was mind blowing. while the st we have is fast its just not on the same caliber as the focus's the UK has to offer & i just personally like the Ms3 better but thats just my opinion

I think lots of people forget that the ST pedigree came from Europe. ST/RS cars have been around since the 70's. The Focus ST has earned it's stripes before the MS3 was even a thought.

That's why my speed3 has never lost to a ST Focus... I like the ST but lets be honest, 90% of races are straight line. We know what the speed3 continues to being to the table.

Did Colum lose some height and hair?

i want drag race between them

@ Rieksfier : um I own a ST and approaching the limit on my drive to and from work is very easy. Most all people that buy a ST compared to the focus are obviously enthusiasts. You don't spend

The MS3 is a beast. For a car that has been dominating for years, Time was the only thing that could unseat it. That and the evolution of its engine. The engine inside the Focus started in idea as the DISI MZR engine. It’s time for Mazda revamped their line up to take back their rightful place in the hot hatch line up: first place.

I love both cars. But what the hell is up with the racing suit ?? LMFAO

i like the focus st its really good at what it does but the ms3 is just a better car in my opinion because once you get used to it its like a glove but the most depressing part is that i get the feeling ford held back a lot on the st because the old rs500 & other high performance focus's seem to have that raw edge that this 1 is lacking

So glad the editor Column wood is not narrating

I wish we did

I like the Ford Fcous st, so far cuz of good gas mileage but not a huge fan of sun/moonroof

Awesome REVIEW! I'm so happy that the guy with the lisp isn't doing the review... I can't stand hearing it every second.. No offense to him... I just think the original reviewer and these two guys should do the reviews.....

Both great cars, but at the end of the day most people are going to go with the Mazda.

MazdaSpeed3 is a good car but the shifter is clumsy and I don’t care for the styling either. I recently bought a 2013 Ford Focus ST because it’s more fun than the GTI and the engine sounds really good (I own a GTI too). But the Focus ST is very noticeably more powerful (Ford Focus ST, 252 HP and 270 TQ versus GTI, 200 HP and 207 TQ).

yet go to any mazdaspeed3 car forum and they will tell you that if you hit WOT in a tall gear like 5 or 6 in the speed3 the fuel pump doesn't send the correct amount of fuel and causes engines to fail. This has been a problem since gen 1 speed3. All car have problems.

Both are mod friendly cars, so if something is lacking in either one, just upgrade it. Of course the Mazdaspeed is going to be quicker, it has a bigger engine and a better turbo. I wouldn't say the ST is a strong competitor, but it definitely is close to the same class as the MS3. The MS3 is more of a competitor to the STi or Evo than the ST, I've ran both and kept up quite well. The RS is basically the same car as the ST, you just spend $10k more for AWD lol. Ford definitely has been "trying" to improve, especially after Chevy embarrassed the crap out of them with the new Camaro lineup, but they definitely need to leave the hot hatch market to the Japanese. The ST is becoming more common than the Mustang, you see dozens of them on the road daily. I prefer a car that is unique and rarely seen. I can see the ST being a good first car for any teenager, although I'd prefer my son's first car to be a WRX, just because they're safer cars.

Wich is best? I would say the Renault Mégane RS, the Opel Astra OPC and the Seat Cupra :-)

"My ford touch which still sucks". Love it

Focus ST has a handling advantage because of its tires

The engine in the speed 3 is still the old DISI engine. A lot of those cars came with an oil filter that said FOMOCO on it. So no not entirely new.

I guess you guys for about the 2009 Cobalt SS Turbo. Which was way better than the Mazdaspeed 3!

Drag race!

Yep, it's pretty weird. And when Ford released the first pictures, it was even bigger. Pretty weird design.

Both are great cars, but I would still go for a Golf R or WRX STI instead

VW and Honda started the segment either way :P

Not likely considering the Speed 3 doesn't sell much. I've already seen half a dozen ST's in my city.

Better looking?!?

Good hatchup

Those cars are so fast they need helmets /sarcasm

The new focus is different. And the next 2014 mazda is a clean sheet design by Mazda at which point they will be completely different.

235 tires and a stiffer RSB and your at what the Focus feels like

Luckily this review did not concluded which is better. Otherwise, those mazda fanboys would've been furious as for some reasons, those fanboys are narrowminded....I meant really passionate about their 3s!

white ms3 with the black rims looks seeexxxxyyy as fuck

So the USA own the compact sports record and the sports coupé, American engineers has been doing their homework