My 2016 Ford Focus ST-3
Discussion
After 7 years of faithful service from my Mondeo Titanium X Sport (which replaced my ageing Mondeo ST220), it was time for a change. Now that my mileage is greatly reduced, I felt that it was time for something a little more playful.
So here's my next Ford, a 2016 Focus ST3 in Deep Impact Blue. I'm a sucker for a high spec car, so it had to be the ST3. Standard features are, well, most things, and as far as I can tell it has a handful of options including the premium 10-speaker audio system, nav, heated steering wheel, and appearance pack with tints, red calipers, and illuminated sill plates..
In short, it's brilliant. Why have I waited this long to experience a decent hot hatch? It is considerably faster than my Mondeo despite "only" being up 10bhp on paper. It "only" has 250bhp but it makes me grin every time I floor it. It really feels like the sweet spot for this type of car.
The chassis and handling is also much more pin-sharp and it really encourages you to enjoy the drive. I had a smile on my face pretty much straight away during the test drive. It felt right. Amusingly, it isn't even noticeably less refined than the Mondeo. At speed, the road and wind noise is comparable.
I did some decent mileage on all sorts of roads yesterday, after collecting it the day before, and I am over the moon with it. It completely lives up to my expectations and does everything that I want it to.
The gear change is fantastic, as is the steering. They are both really well-weighted, and despite the relative lack of feedback you get from electric power steering, it does not feel like you're in a simulation like so many modern cars.
The engine is wonderful. Considering my Mondeo had the same 2.0 Ecoboost unit, it's a completely different animal. Better throttle response, considerably more power throughout the rev range, less lag, better noise.
It's a high-powered front wheel drive car so of course there's torque steer. But unless you stab the throttle like a crazed hooligan, it is kept in check by the excellent balance of the chassis and drivetrain, and it is really sharp and rewarding to drive quickly.
The interior is more modern, and the seats are absolutely amazing. The illuminated sill plates are chavtastic, and the whole car looks brilliant to me.
I'm hoping it will reignite some of the driving pleasure that I enjoyed in previous years, and I am pleased that there is a decent after-market for performance upgrades. Rest assured that it will stay 100% standard cosmetically. My first change will likely be to upgrade the infotainment system to Sync3 which allows Carplay and Android Auto.
So here's my next Ford, a 2016 Focus ST3 in Deep Impact Blue. I'm a sucker for a high spec car, so it had to be the ST3. Standard features are, well, most things, and as far as I can tell it has a handful of options including the premium 10-speaker audio system, nav, heated steering wheel, and appearance pack with tints, red calipers, and illuminated sill plates..
In short, it's brilliant. Why have I waited this long to experience a decent hot hatch? It is considerably faster than my Mondeo despite "only" being up 10bhp on paper. It "only" has 250bhp but it makes me grin every time I floor it. It really feels like the sweet spot for this type of car.
The chassis and handling is also much more pin-sharp and it really encourages you to enjoy the drive. I had a smile on my face pretty much straight away during the test drive. It felt right. Amusingly, it isn't even noticeably less refined than the Mondeo. At speed, the road and wind noise is comparable.
I did some decent mileage on all sorts of roads yesterday, after collecting it the day before, and I am over the moon with it. It completely lives up to my expectations and does everything that I want it to.
The gear change is fantastic, as is the steering. They are both really well-weighted, and despite the relative lack of feedback you get from electric power steering, it does not feel like you're in a simulation like so many modern cars.
The engine is wonderful. Considering my Mondeo had the same 2.0 Ecoboost unit, it's a completely different animal. Better throttle response, considerably more power throughout the rev range, less lag, better noise.
It's a high-powered front wheel drive car so of course there's torque steer. But unless you stab the throttle like a crazed hooligan, it is kept in check by the excellent balance of the chassis and drivetrain, and it is really sharp and rewarding to drive quickly.
The interior is more modern, and the seats are absolutely amazing. The illuminated sill plates are chavtastic, and the whole car looks brilliant to me.
I'm hoping it will reignite some of the driving pleasure that I enjoyed in previous years, and I am pleased that there is a decent after-market for performance upgrades. Rest assured that it will stay 100% standard cosmetically. My first change will likely be to upgrade the infotainment system to Sync3 which allows Carplay and Android Auto.
ScoobyChris said:
I think the only real gripe with the one I had (apart from the attention it attracted 
) was that the driving position was too high.
Interesting, I'm 6 ft and always felt that the driver's seat in my Mondeo could go lower, but these ones are a bit too low when they're right on the floor! They are incredible seats though as you say; so supportive and comfortable.) was that the driving position was too high.Maybe it's something they tweaked for the facelift.
Dal3D said:
Make sure you know what you're getting into with a Sync 3 swap it's not cheap and a few I've known to do it changed back eventually!
Do you know why people changed back, out of interest? It isn't "cheap" but it's about £4-500 which I have no issue with. it looks simple enough; change the display and the controller, add a GPS antenna, something to do with the USB sockets in the arm rest, then just code it with ForScan.Lovely! Similar spec and age to mine. I’ve had mine since new and don’t see any reason to change it. I recently upgraded my Sync 2 to Sync 3. I found a guy called Kev Gwenne on eBay who sold me all the kit to do the change. No, it wasn’t cheap but he did all the programming needed to suit my car and he also put the latest 2020 software on there. Doing the physical job wasn’t too bad, just get some plastic trim tools and a decent Torx T25 driver. Also use the Ford GPS aerial. About £40 from rates Ford on eBay along with a 35cm fakra cable.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223572462391
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273419946105
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223572462391
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273419946105
Howard- said:
After 7 years of faithful service from my Mondeo Titanium X Sport (which replaced my ageing Mondeo ST220), it was time for a change. Now that my mileage is greatly reduced, I felt that it was time for something a little more playful.
So here's my next Ford, a 2016 Focus ST3 in Deep Impact Blue. I'm a sucker for a high spec car, so it had to be the ST3. Standard features are, well, most things, and as far as I can tell it has a handful of options including the premium 10-speaker audio system, nav, heated steering wheel, and appearance pack with tints, red calipers, and illuminated sill plates..
In short, it's brilliant. Why have I waited this long to experience a decent hot hatch? It is considerably faster than my Mondeo despite "only" being up 10bhp on paper. It "only" has 250bhp but it makes me grin every time I floor it. It really feels like the sweet spot for this type of car.
The chassis and handling is also much more pin-sharp and it really encourages you to enjoy the drive. I had a smile on my face pretty much straight away during the test drive. It felt right. Amusingly, it isn't even noticeably less refined than the Mondeo. At speed, the road and wind noise is comparable.
I did some decent mileage on all sorts of roads yesterday, after collecting it the day before, and I am over the moon with it. It completely lives up to my expectations and does everything that I want it to.
The gear change is fantastic, as is the steering. They are both really well-weighted, and despite the relative lack of feedback you get from electric power steering, it does not feel like you're in a simulation like so many modern cars.
The engine is wonderful. Considering my Mondeo had the same 2.0 Ecoboost unit, it's a completely different animal. Better throttle response, considerably more power throughout the rev range, less lag, better noise.
It's a high-powered front wheel drive car so of course there's torque steer. But unless you stab the throttle like a crazed hooligan, it is kept in check by the excellent balance of the chassis and drivetrain, and it is really sharp and rewarding to drive quickly.
The interior is more modern, and the seats are absolutely amazing. The illuminated sill plates are chavtastic, and the whole car looks brilliant to me.
I'm hoping it will reignite some of the driving pleasure that I enjoyed in previous years, and I am pleased that there is a decent after-market for performance upgrades. Rest assured that it will stay 100% standard cosmetically. My first change will likely be to upgrade the infotainment system to Sync3 which allows Carplay and Android Auto.
That's lovely So here's my next Ford, a 2016 Focus ST3 in Deep Impact Blue. I'm a sucker for a high spec car, so it had to be the ST3. Standard features are, well, most things, and as far as I can tell it has a handful of options including the premium 10-speaker audio system, nav, heated steering wheel, and appearance pack with tints, red calipers, and illuminated sill plates..
In short, it's brilliant. Why have I waited this long to experience a decent hot hatch? It is considerably faster than my Mondeo despite "only" being up 10bhp on paper. It "only" has 250bhp but it makes me grin every time I floor it. It really feels like the sweet spot for this type of car.
The chassis and handling is also much more pin-sharp and it really encourages you to enjoy the drive. I had a smile on my face pretty much straight away during the test drive. It felt right. Amusingly, it isn't even noticeably less refined than the Mondeo. At speed, the road and wind noise is comparable.
I did some decent mileage on all sorts of roads yesterday, after collecting it the day before, and I am over the moon with it. It completely lives up to my expectations and does everything that I want it to.
The gear change is fantastic, as is the steering. They are both really well-weighted, and despite the relative lack of feedback you get from electric power steering, it does not feel like you're in a simulation like so many modern cars.
The engine is wonderful. Considering my Mondeo had the same 2.0 Ecoboost unit, it's a completely different animal. Better throttle response, considerably more power throughout the rev range, less lag, better noise.
It's a high-powered front wheel drive car so of course there's torque steer. But unless you stab the throttle like a crazed hooligan, it is kept in check by the excellent balance of the chassis and drivetrain, and it is really sharp and rewarding to drive quickly.
The interior is more modern, and the seats are absolutely amazing. The illuminated sill plates are chavtastic, and the whole car looks brilliant to me.
I'm hoping it will reignite some of the driving pleasure that I enjoyed in previous years, and I am pleased that there is a decent after-market for performance upgrades. Rest assured that it will stay 100% standard cosmetically. My first change will likely be to upgrade the infotainment system to Sync3 which allows Carplay and Android Auto.
I do like these; a hatch that I can fit in too!
lyricalgangster said:
Is it possible it might have had a cheeky remap in it's previous ownership? Might help explain the bigger than expected power/pull of the engine?
I did wonder this, but taking into account the lighter vehicle, the shorter gear ratios (and the primitive nature of the Mondeo's dual clutch gearbox), the way the engine is tuned for performance, the induction noise, and the power curve, I think it's about right. That looks great, colour really suits it. My wife had a stealth grey ST3 from 2015 to 2018 and has now had her white one for almost 3 years. We’re going to pay off the pcp and keep it now we’re both cutting down our mileage. First one did almost 50k and the current one is on 43k, both totally reliable apart from 2 faulty tyre sensors on each car.
Reluctantly we went for the diesel both times as my wife’s a home carer doing lots of short journeys and the petrol version would have been too juicy. I don’t mind the slightly high seating position. I’ve just bought a Fiesta ST Line for running about in( although I’d happily do long journeys in it too) and the Focus certainly feels high after getting out of the Fiesta. Enjoy!
Reluctantly we went for the diesel both times as my wife’s a home carer doing lots of short journeys and the petrol version would have been too juicy. I don’t mind the slightly high seating position. I’ve just bought a Fiesta ST Line for running about in( although I’d happily do long journeys in it too) and the Focus certainly feels high after getting out of the Fiesta. Enjoy!
Well I've been through a tank of fuel and can honestly say this is the most satisfied I have been with a new car. It completely meets my expectations and I get a great feeling when I drive it (or even look fondly out the window at it 
)
I gave it a wash yesterday and it's the first time I've owned a car and not found more imperfections during the first wash. Apart from a few stone chips (and some very light swirling which my dual action polisher will sort), it's immaculate.
I also cleaned the exhaust tip with Autosol. It's no longer invisible!
Some photos from its first clean in my possession:
)I gave it a wash yesterday and it's the first time I've owned a car and not found more imperfections during the first wash. Apart from a few stone chips (and some very light swirling which my dual action polisher will sort), it's immaculate.
I also cleaned the exhaust tip with Autosol. It's no longer invisible!
Some photos from its first clean in my possession:
I've got a similar spec 2017 estate. It's only just ticked over 10k miles (must be one of the lowest mileage Mk3s in the country) and at this rate I'll probably be keeping it for the next decade, maybe more. It does everything I need, a very competent all-rounder. Sync 3 is a solid upgrade over Sync 2; if you're an iPhone user then Carplay is excellent.
Very nice! I have a 2017 in Tangerine Scream which I have had from new, I wasn't sure about the colour when ordering but I have had zero regrets and it gets a lot of positive attention.
You describe the driving experience well, loads of fun and even after three and a half years it still feels 'quick enough'. It came to the end of my PCP deal recently and I looked at trading it for a new one, I was truly shocked at the cost to change; not that my car has depreciated unexpectedly but the new shape has rocketed upwards against what I paid back in late 2017. So I decided I'm keeping this one. Might look at a subtle mod or two now that it's properly mine.
Mine had car play, so I assume Sync 3, though I'm not a fan of the car play so turn it off.
Interesting that your has the appearance pack but not 19inch alloys, I'm sure they came as part of mine
You describe the driving experience well, loads of fun and even after three and a half years it still feels 'quick enough'. It came to the end of my PCP deal recently and I looked at trading it for a new one, I was truly shocked at the cost to change; not that my car has depreciated unexpectedly but the new shape has rocketed upwards against what I paid back in late 2017. So I decided I'm keeping this one. Might look at a subtle mod or two now that it's properly mine.
Mine had car play, so I assume Sync 3, though I'm not a fan of the car play so turn it off.
Interesting that your has the appearance pack but not 19inch alloys, I'm sure they came as part of mine
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