FR-S/BRZ vs 2013 Ford Focus ST II

[Wes B.]

Originally Posted by Pscylo

82mph from Phoenix to Murfreesboro TN, at which point I did a sprint into triple digits and abruptly found a smokey hanging out waiting for me. 1st speeding ticket, 17 yrs driving....oops. After that, I stayed at the limit haha.

Nice!

Police, Popo, Pigs, Smokeys, 5-0, etc. = Party poopers!

[FrX]

My brother has had an order in for an ST since June, and just brought it home last week.

It is a fun car. However, You can definitely feel the extra weight and the FWDness of it. It feels "squishy" after driving the FR-S for a few months. There is a slight bit more disconnect from the road.

On the flip side, it is immensely more practical than the FR-S. It can actually seat 4 full size, non-amputee, persons in comfort. In addition, it has massive cargo room (important for my brother, who lugs large amounts of studio equipment around).

It makes a nice street car, and is not all that bad for the occasional HPD event or autocross.

It also has a lot of buttons and LCD screens (3 or 4). IMHO, they layout of the dash and console are way too ADD. I don't really think that many buttons and screens are necessary. I really like the way more focused (pun not intended) setup of the FR-S. It just gives me the vitals and leaves me free to just drive.

[Superhatch]

Originally Posted by SVTSHC

Better for long trips: ST II

I've been on 3 1000 mile round trip road trips and loved every minute I was in the car. My back didn't get sore, it holds two suitcases, work clothes, a back pack full of my electronics gear and my camera bag with no issues (leaving the cabin clutter free) and I average about 34mpg on these trips.

I'd call that one a tie at the very least unless you are talking about a 4 person family road trip.

[JDMenrique]

Its crazy how the Focus has 40hp and 120tq more than the FR-S and it's still slower in the 1/4 mile

[Wes B.]

Originally Posted by JDMenrique

Its crazy how the Focus has 40hp and 120tq more than the FR-S and it's still slower in the 1/4 mile

It's slower largely due to the extra weight, worse aerodynamics, and less conducive gear ratios.

[xwd]

Those cars don't run 15.1s. There are plenty of people who have run 14.2-14.5 in them stock at 97-98mph trap speeds.

It's definitely faster than a BRZ/FR-S but nowhere near as fun to drive IMHO.

[Wes B.]

Originally Posted by dwx

Those cars don't run 15.1s. There are plenty of people who have run 14.2-14.5 in them stock at 97-98mph trap speeds.

It's definitely faster than a BRZ/FR-S but nowhere near as fun to drive IMHO.

Sorry, I was using the figures of 3rd party reviews (Edmunds, Motor Trend, etc.).

[SVTSHC]

Originally Posted by JDMenrique

Its crazy how the Focus has 40hp and 120tq more than the FR-S and it's still slower in the 1/4 mile

They trap just shy of a buck in the quarter, like dwx said that puts it somewhere in the low 14's. It's definitely faster in a straight line than the twins but too disconnected to give you the same sense of driver satisfaction you get from the twins.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Wes B.

Exactly! I hope a side-by-side test is done in the near future.

Here, side-by-side comparison ("Big Thrills, Smaller Bills"):

http://www.germancarforum.com/commun...ar-2012.47337/

Final ranking:

[gmookher]

wow

[SEC]

I own an FR-S and a '12 Focus SE. While I haven't driven the ST, I can't imagine how they could make any Focus into a better driver's car then the FR-S. From a practicality standpoint, the Focus 5-door is great. Same goes for the Focus as a road tripper. I did an 800 mile day in my Focus a few weeks ago and found it to be a great on the highway. I think the same day spent in the FR-S would be pretty punishing.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by Wes B.

Thanks for the great input! I feel as if these cars are perfect competitors (which is why I posted it here) -- similar pricing, similar performance, similar efficiency, etc.

But they have opposite drive wheels, which makes all the difference in their fundamental characteristics. SVTSHC has pretty much said it all

That said, I'd add test drives of the Mini (and maybe the GTI and a few other FWD hot hatches) and also the Genesis coupe (about the only other current affordable RWD) to your car shopping process just to give yourself more comparison points, even if you aren't considering buying any of these.

[Accurate Race Shop]

Depending on where your from and if this is going to be your only car a FWD might not be a horrible idea. In the winter a FWD is way better than a really light RWD car. I like the new focus and looked at one before I bought an FR-S.

[Pattern Red]

I've driven both the ST and of course the FR-S. I drove the ST after the FR-S. I prefer the recaro's in the ST, as they are more snug. I'm not a large dude, 5' 5" and 145 lbs.

The ST has better pull in the low end. I thought the ST manual was much better than the FR-S. Felt much smoother to me in all the gears. Steering is lag free and and I prefer that.

But I felt insulated in the ST. The sensation of speed was quite lacking compared to the FR-S. I felt the ST interior to be less intimate versus the FR-S and the speedo requires more than a glance . In the looks department, the FR-S I think wins hands down.

So, ST safer and a bit more practical, probably more comfortable on a road trip but I've never been long distance in an ST. The FR-S is definitely the better driver's car. I came out of a moderately modified 2000 ZX3 with a height 4 inches lower than the ST and before that I DD an 89' Integra.