Quote:
Originally Posted by Jcp385
Just curious, what did/do you think of your SVT Foci?
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Until the Focus ST came along in 2012, there was no better enthusiast's Ford Focus in the US than the SVT. End of story.
My first one was really low-mile and beautiful, but we lost it in less than a year when it was totalled by a negligent driver. Bought the current one with 75,000 miles on it already, but it's had very little non-routine maintenance required at over 155,000 miles now.
It's very much an enthusiast's car, with the 6-speed manual, the burly clutch, and the peaky Zetec engine; it takes lots of gear-rowing to keep in in the powerband. So someone who is more of a "commuter" than a "driver" would probably either tire of it quickly, burn up the clutch, or just lug the engine like crazy. It isn't happy at all below 3500 RPMs, and is really hard to start out from a stop without some generous throttle. So you have to WANT it.
With 170 horsepower, the high-RPM pull is impressive for a car of its size and weight; clicking off 7300-RPM upshifts is a hoot. The handling balance is pretty much unparalleled in a front-drive car. They really broke the mold with these, and are finally just now getting back into that territory with the new Fiesta ST. Very curious to get some seat time in one of those to see how things have progressed; I think it would make a good successor for my SVT when the time comes...
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