22nd Aug 2007, 18:43
There are far better cars to compare an ST170 to as proper rivals. Forget Evos and Porsches... as the last comment said, it's like comparing chalk and cheese, they are all totally different classes.
Much better comparison would be a Clio 172 or 182, or a Seat Ibiza Cupra R. I have had the pleasure of owning an Ibiza Cupra and I have to say it wiped the floor with a ST170 in a straight line, but to give the Ford its due, they are extremely talented through the bends; no one can deny that they do handle extremely well. Round a track you would actually find that an ST170 would not be that far off my Cupra, or even a Civic Type-R. You would be talking a matter of seconds between them.
In all fareness, the Focus ST170 is a good warm/hot hatch. I would still favour an Ibiza Cupra though, as they handle quite well, and with the benefit of the 1.8 turbo engines, they can be running 220bhp at the click of a button. I favour VAG technology over Ford Duratecs/Zetecs any day!!
7th Sep 2007, 17:58
St170/ Focus SVT USA.
This car had so many defects that I tried to take it to a mediation board and get my money back for the purchase! No luck. After taking it back to the dealer about 10-11 times I eventually sold it for a 7k loss!
-Now I am driving a 16v VW from 1991. Much better. much cheaper and to be honest more stylish and a classic.
Ford lost their mind on the SVT/170. It was a way to make people pay more money on the standard version, that with minimal work, could be a much better car in all respects if done properly.
7th Oct 2007, 17:33
My engine management light has illuminated around 4 times now and all seems to be to do with sensor in exhaust. Anyone else had this problem.
1st Nov 2007, 10:56
I have had a 54 ST170 for 2 weeks, it has developed the no power/stalling at 4000rpm that others have reported. My mate works for Ford parts dept. so took the car in for me and found the fuel pump, inlet control module, coil pack and leads and the lambda sensor all needed replacing!!!
Needless to say, get a warranty on these cars; great fun car, but built by morons!
Also knocking/grinding from the front end at low speeds was noticed so was checked out and broken springs and a drive-shaft centre bearing also needed replacing!!
After driving VW's for years at 40,000 miles a year (never a single breakdown) I'm shocked at how much goes wrong with Fords, hopefully this will be the end of it!
5th Apr 2008, 14:23
My Ford Ranger Wildtrak has 156 break.
Oh and my Jeep has 420 break (SRT8)
Come on guys. Get enthusiastic about a proper car for goodness sake.
29th Apr 2008, 06:42
Keep up with a Civic type r? LOL! Dream on whoever thinks that! Get a Clio 172, cheaper with the same thrills and probably quicker too than a st170! Or even a 206 gti 180 would be a good bet! Oh and they both look better, Lmao!
8th Jun 2008, 09:22
I've had my ST170 for a year now. Don't be stupid if you got one; pick a road to your advantage. Downhill curvy roads! If you know your car well, switch off the anti-skid and you can take on most warm and hot hatches and some performance cars.
I have no problems keeping up with mate's DC2 Type R even in the uphill stretches. The car has almost no understeer with some oversteer when pushed past its limits. Chassis is balanced enough to accept careful mid-curve steering, throttle, and/or accelerator changes. Less top end BHP, but more torque. Bounces less than Type R around bends (the softer suspension is actually an advantage in tracking around a badly surfaced bend), easier to control brakes, but less punch out of corners due to the lack of LSD and no 'lift' in VVT system. Trick is to brake later, enter corner faster, then lose that advantage just to do it all again the next corner. The ST170 might be easier to live with, but will definitely be not as fast at the track as the DC2 Type R.
The ST170 has loads of character and is too easy to fall in love with. 6th gear doing 60 km/h, floor it, and it actually has enough torque to gain speed without pinging and jerking itself to spasms. I see about 600kms between almost empty to totally full refills if I drive it normally (no faster than other traffic). Drive it harder and you'll lose about 50 to 100 km per tank.
It has superb lane change stability. Do a wrist flick and jump at the smallest gaps in traffic. This is really bad for sparking off road rage with other aggressive drivers doing this, but great for gaining 5-10 minutes in a 30 minute drive. The car cruises at 200 km/h without drama and handles wide sweeping bends at 180 km/h (maybe because my ST170 was built in Germany).
Drop the rear seats and the 300+ liters boot turns into a huge flat space. Sit and cruise in 3rd gear without touching the accelerator or clutch; great for bumper to bumper traffic! Cruise in quiet comfort on the highway listening to the excellent 6 CD system. I can go on...
18th Nov 2008, 15:19
2005 ST170. Bluefin tune 3 with decat exhaust and std induction. The car can match and overpower a Gti5 4dr in any gear. Had a few oil and water leaks. Most you can fix yourself. 90000km on clock.
22nd Dec 2008, 18:01
I have a BMW 318ti at the moment. I'm thinking of buying an e36 M3, but have been looking into ST170's as well. I know there is a big difference between these in performance. But what I really want to know is how much quicker will a ST170 be than my 318ti - (0-60 8.6 & 130mph from UKCAR). I'm not too fussed about how fast it accelerates, more interested in the general feel of the car and the engine flexibility.
If you own one or have driven one, then please let me know!
30th Apr 2007, 06:44
I have just bought a Focus ST170 and I am thrilled with both the performance and the look of the car, I mean it won't beat the top boys in a straight line, but what roads realisticly can you race on a straight road, so round bends and turns the focus is up there, the car really seems to stick to the road and for my money it was well spent. The joy of taking corners in this car is amazing.
Just accept peeps this car is fast (ish) and goes round bends amazing and is good fun for all drivers!!!
:)