1 Year ownership review of ST3 Petrol (stock) Driving - Very good car in all situations, always has power on tap, lots of fun on winding roads Lots of torque steer from a standing start Good pull from all gears Crap in snow Practicality Would not have got this car when my kids were younger, it does not have the boot space, but has anough boot space for a few suitcases, holdalls etc Fits 4 well -even tall uns have room at back Leg room decent Seats are a bit snug but after a few miles you wouldnt swap them Tech & Entertainment Mixed bag Tech feels old Comes with phone connectivity CD - USB - DIG radio Decent but not amazing speaker system Touch screen, it is slow, laggy and the radio block thing is hard to comprehend Settings accessed via main drivers cluster, which again is slow and laggy, plus would be better served on infoo screen Reliability Mixed bag Have had to have wheels sorted - a corrosive fault in 2 wheels meant tyres were always slowly deflating (acid dip solves this) Parking sensors - constantly report a fault after bad weather even though they are working - meaning lots of repetetive warnings on driver cluster Wiring likes to appear and hang from the edges of the dash Footwell lights not well secured under dash Goes through tyres very rapidly Other issues Magnet for dickheads who want to spoil your car Exhaust is too quiet as stock - easilly rectified, a muffler delete and stright pipe for me soon Wing mirror visibility Expect 23-27 mpg - I was expecting it, but dont think you can tease 50mpg from it, you just cant, get the diesel if you want to save on fuel. My insurance isnt a lot, but I know a few people who pay a fair whack on their insurance because of age/location/history, check insurance quotes before buying Overall A good mix of practicality, fun and reliability, not perfect, but what car is? Expect some higher running costs in tyres/petrol but decent mechanical reliability
I get over 31mpg average daily then up to 50mpg at around 50mph running on 99octane fuel.i haven't had any of the faults you mentioned.. Touch wood.i haven't had any torque steer too running ps4's
Absolutely lovely, I’ve got the same car in the diesel with the 19” wheels and it is probably one of the nicest cars I’ve ever driven and I’ve driven a lot of cars. They look the part, small modifications enhance them no end and even though the diesel feels underpowered, it’s still quite a fun car on the B roads. I’ll be keeping mine for a long time. Love the review, the mk3 focus doesn’t get enough credit.
I never really enjoyed driving the Mk3, just felt a bit like any other car and it just didn’t excite me. On the other hand the Mk2 ST3 felt like a really fun car and looked so much better and I’m still tempted to get another one. The only one I’ve kept since almost new though is the Mk 1 and I still enjoy driving it daily, it’s an 03 on 82K and still has original clutch, exhaust and suspension and drives like new.
I love mine, I can do dad stuff in it, but when I'm on my own I drop it a couple of gears and it makes me smile every time but I'm an old Ford freak so...oh, deep impact blue best colour imo.
Bought me 67 plate ST3 last year after seeing your review on the yellow Dreamscience one. Love it. Still standard with grey paint and black 19" alloys but thinking of a remap. A close friend has an m140 and was massively impressed with the ST and prefers the feedback and feeling through the wheel. Great car and really fun to drive. Yes the 5 pot sounds infinitely better, but it absolutely drinks petrol and is slower. Depends what's important to you, I guess.
@@drasx so what I said wasn't incorrect. I've had standing races with 4 MK 2's and the MK3(.5) has always come out in front by a clear margin. Again, I love the 5 pot engine. It sounds better than the mk3 by a country mile, it's up there with the straight 6 e46 engines. But it's slower and more thirsty, that's what I've found in real world circumstances / views from people that have owned the mk2's 🤷♂️
You might want to revisit this video and do it again because I’ve been after a Focus ST-3 for ages and the prices of these are going up, I’ve seen my local Ford dealership has a 2018 ST-3 petrol with 20,834 miles on the clock and they are asking £20,823 for it 🤔 to me that really expensive for a 3yr old car that they don’t make anymore
I had one for 3 years and genuinely one of the best cars I have had. Pros . Looks great . Comfortable . Responds well to tuning . Practical Cons . Poor fuel consumption . Doesn't sound good (although a mid section delete works wonders) . Needs a diff . Bit sedate standard . Re circ valve is rubber and split easy upgrade to the mountune one Did nearly 30k in mine and mine had the 275 mountune kit and didn't miss a beat eats front tyres though
@Adam same as any other performance cars really take the right precautions and lessen the risk. Where I live Solihull we have far more golfs being stolen now the ford st' s and rs have quietnened down a bit now
I have the mp275 kit too. Good kit. Ive had about 18k miles per set for my fronts so far. Michelin sp4's do help. It should have been offered with a diff from day1 id have specd it. Im realising how much i like the car now its coming to me trying to look for a suitable replacement..... Really struggling to find something. The new ST's are an even better car im sure, but i just think they are at least a couple of grand too expensive for what you're getting. When you can get a pre reg 340i xdrive for just £5k more for example....
One thing I enjoyed about the s-Max is it uses this keyless entry…so handy..also thieves never broke any windows they just unlock & go through it every now & then & I simply clean & put things back on there place afterwards..3 years 5 break ins no damage..nice..
@@butchmeister80 Yeah maybe but still fun. I guess it depends on what you are after? I don't do alot of miles so I'm not bothered by mpg. There are so many cars you can get under £10k that will give you whatever you are looking for. Fun, MPG, family wagon etc.. I love looking at all different sorts of cars. I'm thinking of either an Escort RS Turbo or a 911 as my next play thing.
I'd rather have the 5 pot ST which sounds GORGEOUS, or if you can stretch to it, the RS which is genuinely better all around, as it should be. The Focus ST improves with some mods and a tune but that rear bumper 😂😂😂 I never liked it. Exhaust design is cool though.
i looked at purchasing the mk3, after test driving both i ended up buying the mk2, the sound is just so addictive. not to mention the ££££ saved .2 years later and dont regret it at all, 320 bhp and been that way for just over a year and a half with no issues. cannot beat coming near a mk3 and revving it, they never ever retaliate
Love mine. I've always been a Vauxhall man, still have a Nova as a show car and had a mk5 Astra SRI sport hatch diesel as a daily, however fancied one of these, one local in white came up, had to have it, been just over a year now and yes the handling just invites you to as you say turn in, the brakes ask you to brake later. I'd have another after this one. Lol
Love mine, I've go identical spec to this one in the diesel engine, personally think the diesel version once tuned is a great option for one of these, there's better petrol hot hatches on the market but nothing really equivalent in the diesel market in my opinion. Mines currently stage 2 running 251bhp and 521 nm. Great all round daily.
Nice, I never knew you could get the STs in diesel. Is literally news to me. Would be my next consideration if I need another diesel. I have a golf GTD, which would be a similar car. Only a map away from a GTI, just with over 60mpg 😏
@@richboy900 yeah alot of people get surprised its a diesel 😂, its identical set up to the petrol but with a diesel lump instead. Really torquay motors. GTD's are great cars! Great all rounders. Would definitely recommend having a drive in a mapped st diesel they are great fun!
Had a black xr2 in 1997 which I loved,great little car. Now own a 2015 black ST3 which i absolutely love driving, so so nice to drive and worth every penny
I thought the same , I paid 13k for our old diesel one 2 years ago on a 15 plate , only bought it as it was the cheapest on Bristol street by 2k no idea why
I have the same color, from 2016 , mountune MR300 +full body kit MAXTON and full adaptation of brembo brakes from focus rs mk3 -front / rear 350mm,302mm...there is no day that I did not enjoy being in this car-awesome car
@@chippyturbo8580 Mostly uninformed people that manage that. You just need to upgrade HPFP internals before you start adding flow modifications and start tuning once you add flow mods.
ChippyTurbo I agree it would be nice if you didn’t have to upgrade the HPFP internals. But focus STs (at the least the MK3s) have had issues with pistons melting even on stock engines + GTIs clutches on the manuals are so weak they can go on a stage 1 tune - cars are gonna be cars 😂
Depends what your after, a mk2 will sound better no matter what, but will be worse on fuel tax insurance and very dated inside, the mk3.5 has nicer seats more toys inside ( heated steering wheel is a life saver for me ha) faster stock for stock and can still sound good with an exhaust obvioisly
Cheap because the mk4 is finally establish themselves and coming down in the used market. I LOVE the mk4 focus ST. Never really considered a focus till then. Only looked at prices of mk2 for cheap fast car and mk3 because it was in budget. But never considered in the end.
Thank you for the vid I have the smaller sister the Ford Fiesta June 2016 ST 2 door right hand drive. Daily driver to the office and to clients. I am turning 57 in July 2021. We drive on the left hand side of the road in South Africa. Greetings. Oh and I am subscribed!
I got one love mine, everyone has a different opinion on what they like and what they dont, personally I can stand VW but then that's just me, just saying
Had one brand new for 4 months and absolutely loved it. Couldn’t fault it as a ‘fast road’ daily. But hated the whole PCP thing so got rid. I’d 100% have one again.
Looks identical to mine (same Impact Blue, 67 plate). It's a great daily driver: had mine for a year now, and got a really low miler too (had 8k on the clock), ST3 spec. Since I elected against the Mk4 version (which I find uglier!) I saved a good amount of money, so, I have had done some work on mine: transmission upgrade flywheel/ clutch (Focus RS ones), Mfactory helical LSD (makes a WORLD of difference), PumaSpeed S1 retune, upgraded air intake and intercooler, so now producing 289bhp, 386lb ft torque, and throttle response is much improved. Just about to have a Scorpion resonated catback installed, but I keep the car looking as is. Fabulous car to drive and very practical. You are right though: the boot is underwhelming!
Picked up a Stealth Grey ST3 last weekend and I’ve loved every single minute of it since picking it up. So much power and torque delivery at low RPM, even when you give half throttle and just generally such a nice car to drive. Best car I’ve ever owned
might pick one of these up if the 2nd hand car market sorts its self out, cheapest st3 on autotrader as of today is a 16 plate with around 60k on the clock £16000, sod that should be around 12
Unfortunately they suffer from ringland failure and earlier trans issues. Can find a used one here in the states for around 9k. Edit: but my goodness I'd like the estate over here
Had one for 18 months.. great car.. fun to drive..good handling. But poor fuel economy. Poor on tires and sounds meh.. but still good car. Got rid and got a performance edition fiesta ST. Been remapped and miltek. Sounds amazing. Great on juice. Quicker and looks great in heritage orange. Great video.
In 2014 I had one of these from brand new within 2 weeks I mapped it with "bluefini superchips " 4000miles later the engine blew up😬 it was so quick with the map 👌
@Jimmy Corkhill I've had & drove fast cars all my life my friend & let's say I don't hang around! & the only engine that has given up on me is the Ford! So to say I'm the problem is just your opinion & you're opinion does not apply! But thanks from yours truly TIN HEAD!😉
@Jimmy Corkhill yes my friend when picking the car up ford dealership even said "think you had a bad one"🤷🏿♂️ & compensated me for my troubles! I would have an ST again but leaning towards MK2 RS. Cool name by the way😁😉👌
@Jimmy Corkhill oh no thats not good dont let that put you off cause I think the ST is a great car! I'm sure dealer will sort it with warranty have fun m8🙌😁
I drove a standard one once and found it very sketchy on the road. Skipping around everywhere, wasnt feeling confident in it. I thought the tyres might have been over inflated? It put me off buying one, such a shame as i really do like the look!
I have a 65 plate st-3 diesel in black love it 180bhp 400 nm of torque ano it’s not petrol levels but it does shift with that torque. Stage 1 will get me around 225bhp and 490 nm torque
I used to work for ford and have driven a fair few of these and I completely agree about the front seats. I’m not the largest fella but certainly not the smallest and I used to absolutely HATE them, and it ruined a pretty great car for me unfortunately. Great content though!
For me a hot hatch will always look superior in 3 door format over a 5 door, i know Ford are anti 3 door these days with the Focus and its ruined the side profile look. When i think of 'Cool car' i dont think of a family and a bunch of kids getting out of it going to the seaside.
Have to say, the mk2 sounds the best, but as an overall package the mk3 is the better car if its a daily or only car (im mid 30's now, so i do appreciate some of the comfort elements too). Im only coming back here to remind myself what the reviews looked like from back when i bought my mk3. Im realising how little there is to choose from for an upgrade with a manual box and at least comparable speed wise to my current car, but hopefully with more boot space..... Mines mountune mp275 currently (so would say its probably a tad faster in gear than the new mk4 which has similar bhp but weighs more, it does flat shifting and comes with better rubber than the mk3 did though, hence the 5.7 to 62mph time). New cars are getting less exciting these days, especially with new emissions regs. Anyway... Im probaby going to end uo with an octavia vrs this time! Or perhaps the new focus st estate. Also looking at bmw 340 and 440's.
philip Porter I’ve got a Mk4 with the Dreamscience IMAP fitted and it’s an animal, really easy to live with when you’re not in the mood with its adaptive dampers too.
Not if you want something more grown up and with more space. Not to mention the dash/infotainment system on the Fiesta is horrible and that's coming from a big Ford fan.
Mk2 225 has the better sound and engine and also better tuning potential so unless your someone that prefers more gadgets and goes by the age of a car or likes to keep the car standard the Mk2 is the better car IMO.
@@mercury0214 clearly stated from a tuning potential. Mines decat with stage 2 intercooler and ramair induction kit running dreamscience modx with 320bhp 380ftlb torque/515nm with more to go with bigger injectors before it needs a bigger turbo. 2.5l 5 cylinder engine is lots more capable than a boring everyday 2.0 4 cylinder engine
These STs nice but absolutely transformed by the Mountune quaife lsd. Add the 275 or even better 300 upgrade and its absolutely awesome, a real sleeper car with really nice spec if its an ST3. Bargain car.
Capris handle like tanks. My folks should know 'cause they had two. On the other hand, my 2014 ST is extremely nimble and the steering's light as a feather.
Prefer the noise and ride of the pre-facelift but prefer the interior especially the infotainment, stop start and reduced torque steer of the facelift.
No lumbar on seats. Leg room in back not brill and boot is shallow if you spec'd subwoofer. But getting 36mpg daily on A and B roads and I get to do 3 car overtakes. I took mine to Scotland, daaammmnnn it was good :)
Euro 6 engine??...As I live in saarfff London , thanks to our high exultant mayor sad'dik we now will be paying 15 qUid just to go over the south circuit(emissions) rip off.. road ...rIght now I have a. euro 4 fester 1.25 ST(?) Which sadly will have to go April next year ..Focus ST is favorite or a 16 reg golf...
A Google User insurance on those focuses is actually so cheap! at 17 my insurance on one of these was 2.6k no box and at 18 it’s 1.9k and that’s both full comp
@@dawidtf no mate no it wasnt. I got VERY cheap insurance at 1900 on a corsa at 17 with no black box an now im 19 my leon cupra mk2 valued around 8.5k is 1700 on insurance which is again CHEAP haha stop gassin.
dawid on a focus at? The cheapest insurance without a black box for a new driver on a fiesta Zetec s is £4.6k and for a focus st estate it cost £12,000
I passed my test at 20 and got a fiesta zetec s as my first car and my first years insurance with no black box was £1800, old guy pulled out infront of me at a junction after 6 months got a hefty payout because of it and bought a focus st and my insurance only went upto £2600 with no black box I was well chuffed
I've just bought the 2020 model, which is a better and quicker car, but I do think this model is better than many reviewers gave it. It's a great deal of fun and it is plenty powerful enough to have good fun. You buy one of these... you are going to have a good time.
Get yourself a good steering lock and get some security stickers to put in the windows and that should help. They’ll just steal someone else’s. Manufacturers need to stop thieves stealing them this easily!
For a focus it would have to be the mk2 for looks but the trouble is now days no matter what focus you have you can bet there’s 2/3 of them down any street in the uk , so common but obviously reliable, just not me and you can get so much more for your money. Just my preference
A greedy swine of a car on fuel (more than it should be), people worry about the head liners cracking, rust, ridiculous remaps and also, sheer numbers really. Absolutely loads of them for sale. Good cars though.
The hatch should have had the estate rear bumper, i wouldnt buy one solely because of the plastic unnecessary piece above exhaust. Hidden more on a black car but nonfunctional all the same.
I have had one for two years now. Great car loads of fun in the twisty stuff. I have the MP275 package as well. Would I have another? No. Do I regret buying it? Yep. It’s been vandalised three times and also had two attempted thefts. Insurence is stupidly expensive, eats tyres and fuel. It’s not worth the long term pain of owning one.
Considering buying an '18 ST-3 with 16k on the clock when Lockdown's over to replace my current '15 Zetec S (nice but bored of it now) but all this theft talk is off putting! I've also had insurance quotes that are to the £ same as what I'm paying now so I'm not seeing the high(er) insurance? (I'm 27 so well beyond the young driver premium rubbish)
@@WillumFraser27 I guess it depends on where you live and an individual’s circumstances. I’ve sold it now as I needed a bigger car anyway. My advise is if you buy one, I’d certainly get a disc lock, one of those pouches for the key and some sort of 3rd party tracker and or something like ghost or Pandora for piece of mind. My Insurance actually requested the disc lock as apart of the policy. My mate had a fiesta st mk6 which actually was more expensive to insure than the focus! Great driving car no doubt about that but the cost of ownership for me wasn’t worth it.