Just committed to buying a Focus ST-3 Mk3.5 from my 120d
Discussion
Sooth me.
Tell me tales of how I'll prefer the sweet sound of a 4-cylinder petrol, to the lumpy tractor diesel.
How I'll no longer be considered a indicator-absent jockey-of-the-knob.
That my "wannabe" BMW is only fit for "Deano's"
But most of all, tell me it's going to be okay going to FWD from RWD. I haven't owned a non-diesel, non-RWD car in about 6 years. And that was a Qashqai...
Tell me tales of how I'll prefer the sweet sound of a 4-cylinder petrol, to the lumpy tractor diesel.
How I'll no longer be considered a indicator-absent jockey-of-the-knob.
That my "wannabe" BMW is only fit for "Deano's"
But most of all, tell me it's going to be okay going to FWD from RWD. I haven't owned a non-diesel, non-RWD car in about 6 years. And that was a Qashqai...
You'll be fine. It's been a while since I've had custody of one, but the end driven hardly seems relevant on a modern car. They all have such big wheels and so many electronic aids that they tend to handle in similar fashion. Nobody seems to care about rear wheel drive any more, not like the old days anyway, when anything with front drive was seen as junk. The Focus will probably be much better to drive, given that it's a sporty car and the BMW 120 is an ordinary one.
Brett748 said:
I’m sure you will enjoy it. However, the 120d is a pretty decent car so I doubt it will be a revolution going from a four banger diesel to turbo petrol, power delivery won’t be hugely different.
I’ve had a 320d but not driven a Focus ST so can’t comment on how fun the Focus is.
Car before was a E92 320d. Sold it to make way for ULEZ and my then-40 mile commute and got the 120d M Sport.I’ve had a 320d but not driven a Focus ST so can’t comment on how fun the Focus is.
I just feel so limited with a diesel. Exhaust upgrades, air filters, general tinkering around all revolve around petrol cars, as the overarching benefit is they just sound better, let alone the performance benefits. That's no to say you can't with a diesel, I had my 120 mapped (until BMW removed it when it went in for one of it's MANY recalls *shakes fist*). But now I don't use the car for most of the week, the economical benefits that would have otherwise compensated for the noise it makes, now feel redundant.
Plus, I've also taken the plunge to go back to a manual box!
Please don’t get one of those pop and bang maps that all the ST driving chavs purchase.
I have a hyper sensitive microphone hidden in my soffits that can detect the glorious burble of a V8 within a 5 mile radius. This in turn sets off fireworks (professional grade) in recognition and celebration.
A 3 or 4cyl pop and bang map triggers me to jump into my MX5 (which has a roof mounted air pistol) to chase down offenders.
I have a hyper sensitive microphone hidden in my soffits that can detect the glorious burble of a V8 within a 5 mile radius. This in turn sets off fireworks (professional grade) in recognition and celebration.
A 3 or 4cyl pop and bang map triggers me to jump into my MX5 (which has a roof mounted air pistol) to chase down offenders.
Jag_NE said:
Please don’t get one of those pop and bang maps that all the ST driving chavs purchase.
I have a hyper sensitive microphone hidden in my soffits that can detect the glorious burble of a V8 within a 5 mile radius. This in turn sets off fireworks (professional grade) in recognition and celebration.
A 3 or 4cyl pop and bang map triggers me to jump into my MX5 (which has a roof mounted air pistol) to chase down offenders.
The rule of thumb I was taught, was (in Excel formulae, because why not); =IF(CYLINDER<=4,"Leave Exhaust Alone","Politely Upgrade At Your Discretion")I have a hyper sensitive microphone hidden in my soffits that can detect the glorious burble of a V8 within a 5 mile radius. This in turn sets off fireworks (professional grade) in recognition and celebration.
A 3 or 4cyl pop and bang map triggers me to jump into my MX5 (which has a roof mounted air pistol) to chase down offenders.
Also, the enemy has warned me not to be like the other de-cat, straight-piped inbreds in the area. And she makes my dinner. So I'm not getting on the wrong side of her.
problem with a diesel automatic, is that it will be hard to go back.
a few years back i swore i'd never have a diesel, or an automatic, and preferred tooling round in a big engined, manual, petrol car. then one day i went flappy paddle petrol, and then a year later, i made the full switch to full automatic, diesel. and... its lovely. decent autos are so relaxing to drive day to day, and obviously mpg has gone way up too.
now i can't realistically ever see myself having a daily that isnt a diesel auto. you 120d would be getting what, 50mpg? a focus ST-3 will be half that. and then first time you get stuck in any traffic and realise how much of a ball ache it is having to clutch in and out every time to shift between neutral, 1st and 2nd and back to 1st.
i mean, by all means have a thirsty manual petrol as a weekend car, but for daily driving or long distance cruising, has to be a diesel auto for me.
a few years back i swore i'd never have a diesel, or an automatic, and preferred tooling round in a big engined, manual, petrol car. then one day i went flappy paddle petrol, and then a year later, i made the full switch to full automatic, diesel. and... its lovely. decent autos are so relaxing to drive day to day, and obviously mpg has gone way up too.
now i can't realistically ever see myself having a daily that isnt a diesel auto. you 120d would be getting what, 50mpg? a focus ST-3 will be half that. and then first time you get stuck in any traffic and realise how much of a ball ache it is having to clutch in and out every time to shift between neutral, 1st and 2nd and back to 1st.
i mean, by all means have a thirsty manual petrol as a weekend car, but for daily driving or long distance cruising, has to be a diesel auto for me.
I owned a Mk3.5 Focus ST a few years ago, I found it was a nice car overall, drove very well, well made, liked the look of it, mine had numerous Mountune upgrades which I added over the time I had it.
I never gelled with it in the same way I did with the Mk2 Focus ST with the 5pot engine I had before it.
I sold the Focus because I needed a bigger car and bought an Audi A4 estate which lasted about a month before it was stolen off my drive but that's another story.
The Focus is a nice place to be, good seats as standard, decent power delivery, I had mine remapped but wasn't all that impressed with the mapped version over the standard ST.
I now own a BMW M240i I wouldn't go back to the Focus from my BMW and i'm not sure I would go FWD at all again now but the Mk3.5 Focus RS does catch my eye occasionally.
I never gelled with it in the same way I did with the Mk2 Focus ST with the 5pot engine I had before it.
I sold the Focus because I needed a bigger car and bought an Audi A4 estate which lasted about a month before it was stolen off my drive but that's another story.
The Focus is a nice place to be, good seats as standard, decent power delivery, I had mine remapped but wasn't all that impressed with the mapped version over the standard ST.
I now own a BMW M240i I wouldn't go back to the Focus from my BMW and i'm not sure I would go FWD at all again now but the Mk3.5 Focus RS does catch my eye occasionally.
Jamescrs said:
I owned a Mk3.5 Focus ST a few years ago, I found it was a nice car overall, drove very well, well made, liked the look of it, mine had numerous Mountune upgrades which I added over the time I had it.
I never gelled with it in the same way I did with the Mk2 Focus ST with the 5pot engine I had before it.
I sold the Focus because I needed a bigger car and bought an Audi A4 estate which lasted about a month before it was stolen off my drive but that's another story.
The Focus is a nice place to be, good seats as standard, decent power delivery, I had mine remapped but wasn't all that impressed with the mapped version over the standard ST.
I now own a BMW M240i I wouldn't go back to the Focus from my BMW and i'm not sure I would go FWD at all again now but the Mk3.5 Focus RS does catch my eye occasionally.
See this is the rub for me. To find a similarly sized petrol RWD hatchback, you're confined to a 1-Series. Which, I personally love. I live in London, I need something with five doors, enough to get one child in the back and something to have fun with on the weekend. But the cost of them doesn't really fit. Diesels are becoming demonised and albeit mine ticks the ULEZ box, as I said, the sound does my head in. Six-pots aren't so bad, but with their DPF problems if you're not running them in 40-mile daily motorway commutes, you'll run into trouble.I never gelled with it in the same way I did with the Mk2 Focus ST with the 5pot engine I had before it.
I sold the Focus because I needed a bigger car and bought an Audi A4 estate which lasted about a month before it was stolen off my drive but that's another story.
The Focus is a nice place to be, good seats as standard, decent power delivery, I had mine remapped but wasn't all that impressed with the mapped version over the standard ST.
I now own a BMW M240i I wouldn't go back to the Focus from my BMW and i'm not sure I would go FWD at all again now but the Mk3.5 Focus RS does catch my eye occasionally.
So the only choices for me, were a similar 2.0 petrol engine, or a M135i or M140i. And they were just way too expensive.
I too, swore blind I'd never go back from a RWD, hence why I need some comfort. I love the look of the ST and hoping to get my hands dirty at just being able to customise to my hearts content, with the plethora of aftermarket stuff you can buy.
brillomaster said:
problem with a diesel automatic, is that it will be hard to go back.
a few years back i swore i'd never have a diesel, or an automatic, and preferred tooling round in a big engined, manual, petrol car. then one day i went flappy paddle petrol, and then a year later, i made the full switch to full automatic, diesel. and... its lovely. decent autos are so relaxing to drive day to day, and obviously mpg has gone way up too.
now i can't realistically ever see myself having a daily that isnt a diesel auto. you 120d would be getting what, 50mpg? a focus ST-3 will be half that. and then first time you get stuck in any traffic and realise how much of a ball ache it is having to clutch in and out every time to shift between neutral, 1st and 2nd and back to 1st.
i mean, by all means have a thirsty manual petrol as a weekend car, but for daily driving or long distance cruising, has to be a diesel auto for me.
See this was the compromise for me. The 120d was bought as a daily 40-mile commute. Great MPG and my left leg thanked me during those days where the Blackwall tunnel decided to churn out miles of traffic.a few years back i swore i'd never have a diesel, or an automatic, and preferred tooling round in a big engined, manual, petrol car. then one day i went flappy paddle petrol, and then a year later, i made the full switch to full automatic, diesel. and... its lovely. decent autos are so relaxing to drive day to day, and obviously mpg has gone way up too.
now i can't realistically ever see myself having a daily that isnt a diesel auto. you 120d would be getting what, 50mpg? a focus ST-3 will be half that. and then first time you get stuck in any traffic and realise how much of a ball ache it is having to clutch in and out every time to shift between neutral, 1st and 2nd and back to 1st.
i mean, by all means have a thirsty manual petrol as a weekend car, but for daily driving or long distance cruising, has to be a diesel auto for me.
But now, I don't need it. I work in the city, and only then two days a week. That car sits on the road for five days a week and out and about on the weekend for days out etc.
McLarenLad said:
So the only choices for me, were a similar 2.0 petrol engine, or a M135i or M140i. And they were just way too expensive.
I think you are right and the Focus engine blows the BMW 4 pot petrols out of the water. What I found interesting was that the MSport 120d felt more composed (even on run flats !) along fun country roads where the stiff suspension and lack of front end grip of the Focus meant it could struggle to get the power down, especially coming out of tight corners. If you are going to modify, I’d be looking at an LSD and suspension upgrades before adding any more power 
You’re right that the M-lite is more expensive to buy, although interestingly, I’ve found running costs are noticeably cheaper (even at a BMW main dealer!) with better economy and longer service intervals.
Either way, enjoy it. The seats in the Focus are excellent (even if they don’t go down quite enough), the engine is willing and loves to rev, and the amount of tech you get standard is amazing.
Chris
As per my previous posts, I have bought a '16 Ford Mk3.5 Focus ST-3, with 57.8k miles on, for £14,495, after trading in my '65 BMW 120d M Sport (LCI-5 Door Auto).
As I've not seen any posts of people making the switch (granted, it would be an odd thing to do) and just out of pure boredom and wanting to write my experiences, I thought I would share with the lovely people of PH, my feedback on the change thus far, being as completely unbiased in the process, for anyone in a similar boat thinking of making the switch.
Looks
I think the nod goes to the ST for me. Whilst the 120 has a rather squat, compact, low and 'chunkier' feel to it, it does come across as quite bland. What I mean by this, is it doesn't offer any individuality. The front-end looks virtually the same of any other BMW of it's era and the rear feels somewhat 'chopped off'.
The ST stands out immediately, as is it's intention. A central 'tie-fighter' exhaust tip, red-calipers (mine does anyhow), a stand-out rear spoiler but not in any way gimmicky. The large, open grille at the front can be a bit marmite to some. And it's wheels seem to stand proud versus the BMW's. Illuminated red door-sills emblazed with "ST" and red ambient lighting, give It's immediate sight is one of abrasiveness and that's what drew me in.
Interior
This was a close one for me. I felt very snug in the 120. Not in a negative way. Your driving position is nigh-on perfect. Low-down, easy access to all the controls. The seats (on mine) were leather and were reasonably comfortable. Plenty of manual adjusting available. The dashboard felt very well put together, nice centrally placed cupholders in-front of the gear stick. Armrest at an appropriate level. A chunky, squidgy, leather round steering wheel, with controls for music and a speed limiter. Plenty of storage space in the doors. My air-con controls were the non-climate control version, so was a very plasticky, analogue looking unit. Not that it didn't work, but no bells or whistles with any screens. I upgraded the iDrive unit to an aftermarket Android unit, to allow for Android Auto and such, so won't comment too much on that, albeit in the time I did use it, there was no faults and rather simple to use. Harmon Kardon speakers were a very welcome addition and offered great sound all round. The rear space was probably its only downfall. Whilst the boot was okay for my usage and not really carrying copious amounts of stuff in my driving trips, the rear seats were awful for passengers. The rear-wheel arches made it difficult for passengers to get in and out and legroom was all-but non-existent.
The ST is a different ball game altogether. You know straight away you're not in a BMW with the driving position, as it sits quite high-up. The electronically adjustable seats can be put right down to a somewhat similar position, as well as steering wheel adjustments, but you do loose sight of the front of your car a little. I suppose the first thing I noticed was the rather awkwardly placed adjustable cup-holders. Sitting behind the gear-stick in a rather low-down, awkward position, I found slight annoyance in that half the space of the cup-holder storage is cut-off, if you bring forward the arm-rest. So there's a lot of fiddling around down your left-hand side to grab something. Minor gripe aside, I looked to the rest of the interior to seek some comfort. I was impressed by a lot of the stuff as standard on the ST-3. Dual-zone climate control. Sync-2 infotainment system, with navigation. Auto-folding mirrors (which the 120 didn't have). Cruise control. A lot of great little tech, that BMW might charge you a pretty premium for otherwise. The cabin itself felt a lot more roomy than the 120. The 120 felt very snug for the driver. You slotted in and were cocooned by all your necessities. The ST feels a touch more open, with things ever-so-slightly out of reach. For example, controlling the iDrive (and subsequent Android unit) were done by the dial adjacent to the handbrake on the 120. On the Focus, it's all controlled via touch on the screen, so there's a lot of leaning and poking. Granted, a lot of this can be done via voice control, but I've yet to try that out. The Recaro leather seats however, feel a tad more comfortable than the BMW. The electronic controls certainly get the nod from me, by way of obtaining that finite seating position, but be warned, these seats hug the hips of even the slenderest of gentleman like myself. The rear seats feel a tad more accommodating than the 120, but not by a fantastic amount. Same is to be said of the boot space. Looks are deceiving with the ST. Whilst it may look longer and one would assume greater rear-space, it's certainly not the case.
For me, the 120 edges out, simply by having the practicalities sorted out first.
Performance
Oh how this is a difficult one to write up!
My main reason for moving away from the 120d was one of engine noise. I'm not a fan of diesels for city driving. Originally, it was purchased as a sensible choice for doing a 40+ mile commute every day (to a Premier League football club, which I won't go into!) But for the last 1.5 years, I haven't needed it. The car sat on the road 5 out of the 7 days during the week and on the weekend it would be used to ferry around shopping or days out with the little one and my partner. So fear started to creep in that I would no doubt get the dreaded DPF issues and to be honest, I hated listening to the noise of a diesel when I didn't need it.
But the 120 was no slouch. A rear-wheel drive, torque-ladened hatchback was great for grabbing power when needed on the motorways, as well as in an urban environment. The varying driving modes offered noticeable differences. Sport would firm everything up and you could get a little tail-happy if you so wanted (Okay, mainly on wet/greasy days, when the tyres were cold, but still fun!). Sport+ would offer a fairly high-rev version of Sport mode, with some driver aids switched off. Comfort would soften everything up a bit and offer a lot more, well, comfort! But the auto gearbox was a big win for me. The ZF8 auto-box was one of pure driving pleasure. You wouldn't notice any changes in gear (aside from the oddity I experienced of the car hanging onto gears, after coming out of a steep hill?) The flappy-paddles were somewhat of a gimmick. Handy when you wanted to drop a gear or two on the motorway, but very, very little lag from using them. 0-60 time was 7 seconds flat, that's according to the specifications and I never measured it. But one could assume it was there or thereabouts.
The 2.0 litre turbo-charged 4 cylinder diesel engine offered great grunt and torque at any range.
The ST is again, another beast. Firstly, I wouldn't say I noticed the rear-wheel to front-wheel drive immediately. The balance felt roughly the same, but it was the ride comfort that was immediately noticeable. You do get a lot more feedback from the road with it's much more noticeable stiffer suspension setup. Sadly, there's no driving modes (albeit, turning the traction control off does flash up with a 'Sport Mode' on the dashboard screen?) so the stiffer suspension is constant. But, I oddly like it. I get a great track-car feel from the car when driving, which admittedly, is probably not what you want from driving on the pot-hole smothered roads of the UK, but it's oddly satisfying getting feedback through the chassis. Albeit, my partner doesn't like it too much! The ST is not a pushover either, offering 60 more BHP than the 120 (again, going by new, quoted standards) and about the same levels of torque, if slightly less on the ST. But torque is where I learned I was out of a rear-wheel driven machine. Most of my 'fun' driving has come in the last six years, with two diesel-powered BMW's. So I've never really driven enthusiastically with a front-wheel drive car. And I can sort of see why this debate drags on. Putting power down in the ST when out for a spirited drive, scared the living s**t out of me. And in a different way to when I first did it in my first ever BMW. You see (as I'm sure you're all no doubt aware) torque-steer is an unpredictable beast, to say the least. But it's really not the same as flooring a rear-wheel drive car. If you boot a BMW from standing, or exiting a corner, you do have a brown-trouser moment as the back-end slides away, but you're almost always comforted by feeling the electronic stabilisers kicking in and putting you back on the straight and narrow. As if to give you a preverbal spanking. In a front-wheel drive? Forget it.
Putting my foot down on the ST and the car will lurch. Not overly aggressively, but forget about assuming which way it'll go. It'll pick a side and you have to react. No electronics will help you. It's you and your steering wheel grabbing it back on course. Now, does this happen every time? Nope. It seems to be in lower-range/standing start situations. Once you ride that mid-range torque, it all seems to sort itself out. And that's where the ST becomes a rather nice place to be. It sticks to corners like s**t on a lolly-stick. The handling was, for me anyways, and unexpected and yet welcome surprise. Being rather pessimistic helped me here, because my earlier torque-steer woes had been put to bed, simply by how much this car wanted to turn in. Certainly not a feeling you get in the 120, with a rather soft, squidgy handling. Not that it's horrible, not at all, but just doesn't want to grab an apex like the ST does.
The 2.0 litre turbo-charged 4 cylinder petrol engine is a thumbs-up in my book. Sounds a lot better than the diesel, which is a given, but not an overly noticeable difference in performance between the two.
Draw here for me. Whilst the ST's engine sounds better, is (technically) more powerful and handles brilliantly, this needs to be weighed up with the 120's great auto-box and multitude of driving modes.
Conclusion
It's a tough one. I longingly looked at my BMW when I part-ex'd it, whilst I'm sure it was judging me, telling me "What have you done?". I do miss it's rear-wheel drive, auto-box comfort. But it had served it's purpose of being a motorway cruiser. The inner beast in me wanted something that was fit for weekend driving, whilst still offering the practicalities of a family car. Albeit, price and such has to come into the equation, but the ST was an option that had been kicking around in my head for a while. Maybe it was an itch I had to scratch, maybe I'll hate it in 12 months time and get an M135i/M140i. But I can't help look at 1 Series' as very 'uniform' and clone-like. That's regardless of their spec. And having something different appeals to me. The ST is very abrasive. It's very chavvy. But it's also what (in my head at least) British petrol heads like sometimes. Maybe I'd grown tired of people labelling me in a certain way for driving a BMW. Heck, maybe I'll get labelled as something else now I'm driving an ST! But something puts a smile on my face with the ST, that I can't describe. It might be the exhaust singing away, in a way I've never heard with a diesel. It might be me 'going back to my roots' with a manual gearbox and my left leg thanking me for getting some exercise again.
But it might just be, that not one single person ever used to say to me "That's a 120d M Sport isn't it mate?"
But they all know damn well what an ST is...
As I've not seen any posts of people making the switch (granted, it would be an odd thing to do) and just out of pure boredom and wanting to write my experiences, I thought I would share with the lovely people of PH, my feedback on the change thus far, being as completely unbiased in the process, for anyone in a similar boat thinking of making the switch.
Looks
I think the nod goes to the ST for me. Whilst the 120 has a rather squat, compact, low and 'chunkier' feel to it, it does come across as quite bland. What I mean by this, is it doesn't offer any individuality. The front-end looks virtually the same of any other BMW of it's era and the rear feels somewhat 'chopped off'.
The ST stands out immediately, as is it's intention. A central 'tie-fighter' exhaust tip, red-calipers (mine does anyhow), a stand-out rear spoiler but not in any way gimmicky. The large, open grille at the front can be a bit marmite to some. And it's wheels seem to stand proud versus the BMW's. Illuminated red door-sills emblazed with "ST" and red ambient lighting, give It's immediate sight is one of abrasiveness and that's what drew me in.
Interior
This was a close one for me. I felt very snug in the 120. Not in a negative way. Your driving position is nigh-on perfect. Low-down, easy access to all the controls. The seats (on mine) were leather and were reasonably comfortable. Plenty of manual adjusting available. The dashboard felt very well put together, nice centrally placed cupholders in-front of the gear stick. Armrest at an appropriate level. A chunky, squidgy, leather round steering wheel, with controls for music and a speed limiter. Plenty of storage space in the doors. My air-con controls were the non-climate control version, so was a very plasticky, analogue looking unit. Not that it didn't work, but no bells or whistles with any screens. I upgraded the iDrive unit to an aftermarket Android unit, to allow for Android Auto and such, so won't comment too much on that, albeit in the time I did use it, there was no faults and rather simple to use. Harmon Kardon speakers were a very welcome addition and offered great sound all round. The rear space was probably its only downfall. Whilst the boot was okay for my usage and not really carrying copious amounts of stuff in my driving trips, the rear seats were awful for passengers. The rear-wheel arches made it difficult for passengers to get in and out and legroom was all-but non-existent.
The ST is a different ball game altogether. You know straight away you're not in a BMW with the driving position, as it sits quite high-up. The electronically adjustable seats can be put right down to a somewhat similar position, as well as steering wheel adjustments, but you do loose sight of the front of your car a little. I suppose the first thing I noticed was the rather awkwardly placed adjustable cup-holders. Sitting behind the gear-stick in a rather low-down, awkward position, I found slight annoyance in that half the space of the cup-holder storage is cut-off, if you bring forward the arm-rest. So there's a lot of fiddling around down your left-hand side to grab something. Minor gripe aside, I looked to the rest of the interior to seek some comfort. I was impressed by a lot of the stuff as standard on the ST-3. Dual-zone climate control. Sync-2 infotainment system, with navigation. Auto-folding mirrors (which the 120 didn't have). Cruise control. A lot of great little tech, that BMW might charge you a pretty premium for otherwise. The cabin itself felt a lot more roomy than the 120. The 120 felt very snug for the driver. You slotted in and were cocooned by all your necessities. The ST feels a touch more open, with things ever-so-slightly out of reach. For example, controlling the iDrive (and subsequent Android unit) were done by the dial adjacent to the handbrake on the 120. On the Focus, it's all controlled via touch on the screen, so there's a lot of leaning and poking. Granted, a lot of this can be done via voice control, but I've yet to try that out. The Recaro leather seats however, feel a tad more comfortable than the BMW. The electronic controls certainly get the nod from me, by way of obtaining that finite seating position, but be warned, these seats hug the hips of even the slenderest of gentleman like myself. The rear seats feel a tad more accommodating than the 120, but not by a fantastic amount. Same is to be said of the boot space. Looks are deceiving with the ST. Whilst it may look longer and one would assume greater rear-space, it's certainly not the case.
For me, the 120 edges out, simply by having the practicalities sorted out first.
Performance
Oh how this is a difficult one to write up!
My main reason for moving away from the 120d was one of engine noise. I'm not a fan of diesels for city driving. Originally, it was purchased as a sensible choice for doing a 40+ mile commute every day (to a Premier League football club, which I won't go into!) But for the last 1.5 years, I haven't needed it. The car sat on the road 5 out of the 7 days during the week and on the weekend it would be used to ferry around shopping or days out with the little one and my partner. So fear started to creep in that I would no doubt get the dreaded DPF issues and to be honest, I hated listening to the noise of a diesel when I didn't need it.
But the 120 was no slouch. A rear-wheel drive, torque-ladened hatchback was great for grabbing power when needed on the motorways, as well as in an urban environment. The varying driving modes offered noticeable differences. Sport would firm everything up and you could get a little tail-happy if you so wanted (Okay, mainly on wet/greasy days, when the tyres were cold, but still fun!). Sport+ would offer a fairly high-rev version of Sport mode, with some driver aids switched off. Comfort would soften everything up a bit and offer a lot more, well, comfort! But the auto gearbox was a big win for me. The ZF8 auto-box was one of pure driving pleasure. You wouldn't notice any changes in gear (aside from the oddity I experienced of the car hanging onto gears, after coming out of a steep hill?) The flappy-paddles were somewhat of a gimmick. Handy when you wanted to drop a gear or two on the motorway, but very, very little lag from using them. 0-60 time was 7 seconds flat, that's according to the specifications and I never measured it. But one could assume it was there or thereabouts.
The 2.0 litre turbo-charged 4 cylinder diesel engine offered great grunt and torque at any range.
The ST is again, another beast. Firstly, I wouldn't say I noticed the rear-wheel to front-wheel drive immediately. The balance felt roughly the same, but it was the ride comfort that was immediately noticeable. You do get a lot more feedback from the road with it's much more noticeable stiffer suspension setup. Sadly, there's no driving modes (albeit, turning the traction control off does flash up with a 'Sport Mode' on the dashboard screen?) so the stiffer suspension is constant. But, I oddly like it. I get a great track-car feel from the car when driving, which admittedly, is probably not what you want from driving on the pot-hole smothered roads of the UK, but it's oddly satisfying getting feedback through the chassis. Albeit, my partner doesn't like it too much! The ST is not a pushover either, offering 60 more BHP than the 120 (again, going by new, quoted standards) and about the same levels of torque, if slightly less on the ST. But torque is where I learned I was out of a rear-wheel driven machine. Most of my 'fun' driving has come in the last six years, with two diesel-powered BMW's. So I've never really driven enthusiastically with a front-wheel drive car. And I can sort of see why this debate drags on. Putting power down in the ST when out for a spirited drive, scared the living s**t out of me. And in a different way to when I first did it in my first ever BMW. You see (as I'm sure you're all no doubt aware) torque-steer is an unpredictable beast, to say the least. But it's really not the same as flooring a rear-wheel drive car. If you boot a BMW from standing, or exiting a corner, you do have a brown-trouser moment as the back-end slides away, but you're almost always comforted by feeling the electronic stabilisers kicking in and putting you back on the straight and narrow. As if to give you a preverbal spanking. In a front-wheel drive? Forget it.
Putting my foot down on the ST and the car will lurch. Not overly aggressively, but forget about assuming which way it'll go. It'll pick a side and you have to react. No electronics will help you. It's you and your steering wheel grabbing it back on course. Now, does this happen every time? Nope. It seems to be in lower-range/standing start situations. Once you ride that mid-range torque, it all seems to sort itself out. And that's where the ST becomes a rather nice place to be. It sticks to corners like s**t on a lolly-stick. The handling was, for me anyways, and unexpected and yet welcome surprise. Being rather pessimistic helped me here, because my earlier torque-steer woes had been put to bed, simply by how much this car wanted to turn in. Certainly not a feeling you get in the 120, with a rather soft, squidgy handling. Not that it's horrible, not at all, but just doesn't want to grab an apex like the ST does.
The 2.0 litre turbo-charged 4 cylinder petrol engine is a thumbs-up in my book. Sounds a lot better than the diesel, which is a given, but not an overly noticeable difference in performance between the two.
Draw here for me. Whilst the ST's engine sounds better, is (technically) more powerful and handles brilliantly, this needs to be weighed up with the 120's great auto-box and multitude of driving modes.
Conclusion
It's a tough one. I longingly looked at my BMW when I part-ex'd it, whilst I'm sure it was judging me, telling me "What have you done?". I do miss it's rear-wheel drive, auto-box comfort. But it had served it's purpose of being a motorway cruiser. The inner beast in me wanted something that was fit for weekend driving, whilst still offering the practicalities of a family car. Albeit, price and such has to come into the equation, but the ST was an option that had been kicking around in my head for a while. Maybe it was an itch I had to scratch, maybe I'll hate it in 12 months time and get an M135i/M140i. But I can't help look at 1 Series' as very 'uniform' and clone-like. That's regardless of their spec. And having something different appeals to me. The ST is very abrasive. It's very chavvy. But it's also what (in my head at least) British petrol heads like sometimes. Maybe I'd grown tired of people labelling me in a certain way for driving a BMW. Heck, maybe I'll get labelled as something else now I'm driving an ST! But something puts a smile on my face with the ST, that I can't describe. It might be the exhaust singing away, in a way I've never heard with a diesel. It might be me 'going back to my roots' with a manual gearbox and my left leg thanking me for getting some exercise again.
But it might just be, that not one single person ever used to say to me "That's a 120d M Sport isn't it mate?"
But they all know damn well what an ST is...
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