|
|
Why an ST170?
Well, the idea was to buy another BMW or Mazda3/6, but a friend convinced me to
test drive the ST and I was sold! Signed the papers the same day. I fell in
love with it when I saw it the first time, and even more so after driving it.
For the money there wasn't anything else worth looking at it. The one I chose
had very low mileage, 4 year/150000km warranty, 60000km/5 year service plan and
brand spanking new Yokohama C.Drive tyres.
Oh, and most important of all - it was the right colour. Imperial Blue.
The looks/head turner
In my opinion it's a damn fine looking car. The styling is subtle, but just by
looking it you can see there is something special about it. The lower stance,
the 17" multispoke rims shod with fat, low profile rubber, the round fog
lights, etc etc.
Living with a 3 door car
Not a problem for me. It's usually just me and one passenger in the car,
although we were 4 up on the Sabie trip the day we went sight seeing. Getting
in & out doesn't seem to be an issue although you have to wait before the
driver can enter. There is enough space for 2 adults at the back.
Dunno if it's a good or a bad thing, but the car seems to attract a lot of
attention. Park it at the local watering hole and you hear people talking about
"the blue ford" and lots of compliments from various strangers. Lets hope it
doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention.
*The interior*
I had my doubts about the "funny" styling, but I'm used to it now and actually
quite like it. The materials used doesn't appear to be as good as what you
would find on a BM/Audi/Merc but the quality is fine and I'm sure it will wear
well. Must say, I love the "indiglo" dials and oil temp & pressure
displays.
It doesn't have a left foot rest, but there is so much space I really can't say
I've ever felt the need for one. There is also PLENTY headroom.
No OBC? Must say, I miss the BM's OBC but there is nothing I can do about it.
The Recaro sport seats are simply AMAZING. M3 owners, etc etc have noted
that it's the most comfortable seats they've ever been in and it's obvious why.
They provide lots of support under hard cornering and the adjustable lumbar
support is great.
The aircon is manual as we didn't get the automatic climate control
here, but it does the job just fine.
The audio system
Superb. Nothing too fancy with 4 speakers and a 6CD in dash shuttle with stalk
controls, but the sound quality is VERY good. I wouldn't even think of changing
anything. It's got deep(ish), tight bass with solid treble and midrange.
The engine
It revs to 7300rpm iirc so one would expect it to be a bit of a screamer, but
it isn't. 90% Of the torque is claimed to be available at 2000rpm and it feels
to be true.
So it's got bottom end power, but what about top end? Well, it'll pull all the
way to the redline without sounding stressed. Very linear power delivery.
It's got more than enough power for me, but I suppose another 30kw could only
be fun.
The sound
What can I say? Simply awesome! The deep induction noise together with that
exhaust note makes it sound like what any "hot hatch" is supposed to.
The gearbox
The feel of the 6sp Getrag gearbox is as they would say "switch like"
Literally. It takes some getting used to, but the short throw and gate-like
operation feels very good.
The ratios are a bit tall for town driving and most people have complained
about it, but take through a mountain pass and you'll understand why they're so
tall. You can keep it in 2nd and 3rd all the way without having to change up,
yet do 160kph without breaking a sweat.
Quick launches are VERY tricky because of the tall 1st, but then I'm not a
straight line racer.
With a 0-100 of around 8secs, depending on who's testing it, it's not slow but
there are quicker hot hatches out there. That's not what the ST is about and
you're missing the point.
Now on to more important things:
THE HANDLING
I could write for hours and you still won't understand what I'm on about
without driving an ST170 HARD through tight bends and narrow twisties.
I was really gunning it through the Sabie roads pass Graskop and down the Long
Tom pass and couldn't even get the traction control to kick in. I then tried
harder, but still no luck!! It's as if it was made for the bends...wait, it
was!!
The handling is pretty neutral, send it into a corner waaaaaaay too fast and
the traction control WILL kick in before understeer gets a chance to raise its
head. As for teh TCS, it doesn't spoil the fun and I find my self keeping it
switched on at all times.
In a comparative test between the Clio 2.0, Cooper S and ST170 Car mag noted
that the ST did best out of the 3 on the mountain pass and took the overall
win and I now know why. You really have to experience it to understand
what I'm on about.
As for RWD - well, I do miss the grass, but I now know that FWD can be just as
much fun if it's done properly.
The ride
The 45 profiles are very low and the suspension firm, but it's surprisingly
comfortable, so no problems there. It's got more ground clearance than what my
dropped BM had which is REALLY a bonus!!
The brakes
With discs all round, the fronts being 300mm items, ABS with EBD and BTC you
would expect it to have some stopping power...Well, a friend of mine got to
experience them first hand when I took him for a spin, got over-eager and
didn't notice a stop sign. Stopped right before the line with the ABS only
kicking in for a millisecond. Eye popping stuff!!!
Didn't notice any fade on the Long Tom pass either so I guess they'll do well
enough on a track.
The fuel consumption
Well, as with the BM driving in traffic and gunning it otherwise takes it's
toll on the fuel bill, and I'm getting around 11.3l/100km in town driving. The
manual claims 12l/100km in town, so I'm not doing too badly.
On the open road and keeping it on around 140kph on the way to Sabie I got
8.3l/100km and 7.9l/100km to Durban which isn't too bad.
Likes:
-Handling, handling and more handling
-"More grip than any normal person could ever need"
-Engine/exhaust/induction noise
-Linear power delivery
-Recaro seats. (I wish my couch at home was this comfortable.)
-Looks. A good looking car and very understated, but just by looking it you
know there is something special about it.
-Exceptional all round package.
Dislikes:
-No OBC
-1st gear could be considered a bit tall
-Fuel consumption could be better. Around 11-12l/100km around town and
7.9-8.2l/100km on the open road.
-The front ashtray. Have a look and you'll see what I mean.
-No remote fuel flap or bonnet release. It seems Ford went overboard with
security so the bonnet and fuel flap have to be opened with the key.
-Turning circle. Could it be any bigger??? It was easier parking my ex-BMW.
-Opening & closing of windows not possible without the ignition being
swtiched on. Irritates the hell out of me.
-Ford service: The service from Eagle Corner to date has not been the best,
maybe Fury Ford is worth a try?
All in all, I'm VERY happy with the car. I had my doubts, but I can only thank
my friend for pointing me in the right direction. Will I buy another one? Only
time will tell, but I don't like the looks of the new Focus and the new
interior is a bit boring IMHO. I'm hoping it'll grow on me.
I'm planning on keeping this car for a good couple of years and hoping for many
more happy miles. She isn't perfect, but I love her!
UPDATE:
2006/03/14
24000km later and I'm still loving every second of driving this car.
The Yokohama tyres it came with is still good for at least 15000km which is
very good going considering my driving style.
UPDATE:
2006/10/03
Okay, so I've done almost 40000km with the Focus since I've bought it and I'm still smiling.
The Yokohama C.drive tyres have since been replaced with Yoki AVS.Db V550 which isn't nearly as good and pretty scary in the rain. Sounds bad, but it makes for fun driving because you get to explore the chassis' limits a bit more. As for the interior - well, it still looks like the day I've bought it, so the materials are better than I though. The seat cloth is a bit dirty but it'll be going for an extraction cleaning and Masterguard as soon as I get a chance.
As for servicing, I've pretty much had enough of Eagle Corner's pathetic service so my car will go to Lazarus Centurion for its next service which is pretty soon.