Leon Fr or Focus ST?

[joestella28]

Hi all,

Looking to make the step up to a proper car and have really narrowed it down to either Leon TFSI (Fr or Sport really) or a Focus ST-3.

Is the focus really much quicker? I know out of the box they have a fair bit more torque plus the 25 extra BHP but how would one compare to a Leon with a stage 1 remap?

I know the argument then would be how does that compare to an ST that's had the stage 1 treatment but am just curious really.

Has anyone owned both?


Cheers,

Joe

 

[cheungy]

Hi all,

Looking to make the step up to a proper car and have really narrowed it down to either Leon TFSI (Fr or Sport really) or a Focus ST-3.

Is the focus really much quicker? I know out of the box they have a fair bit more torque plus the 25 extra BHP but how would one compare to a Leon with a stage 1 remap?

I know the argument then would be how does that compare to an ST that's had the stage 1 treatment but am just curious really.

Has anyone owned both?


Cheers,

Joe

Best bet is to take both cars for a test drive, I know I would go for the ST because I love the sound of the 5 Pot Engine!

 

[LeonCR]

Out of them would be the focus all day long

 

[B5NGV]

I bought a Focus ST-3 new in 2008 and kept it a year. It was just as they did the facelift and I also put a Dream Science remap on it which took it to 275bhp and otherwise left it standard. The remap certainly woke it up. I now have a 57 plate Leon Cupra which is standard and 240bhp which feels lighter, more nimble and strangely quicker although some time has passed since owning the Focus. I'm certain a Stage 1 remap will seperate the 2 cars conciderably in the Leons favour. This is just my opinion but I hope it helps.

 

[Dopedpanda]

Speaking as a ford mechanic, take the seat

The 5 pot, sounding good or not, is flawed, quite Big power is capapeble out of the box, but the block liners break quite randomly (new engine time) being standard or modded
The focus also feels heavy and unwilling to drive compared to the more light feel of the seat
The focus is also a ford, resulting in rust quite alot of places; doors, fenders, under skirts, rear wings were the bumper meets up

 

[yellonvi-R]

I've got an st3 it's awesome sounds the tits with a decat and remap. Know someone that works at pumabuild and the liners only normally go when there map **** or over 300 bhp and not serviced regular. Know loads of owners on 100k plus with no liner issues. Plus you can have the block mod done at puma build for £700 if your paranoid about the liners going that solves it.

All cars have there issues like seats 300lbft plus and a rod will come through the block, vxrs smokey turbos and dodgy gearboxes, mazda Mps smokey turbos and dodgy timing chain vvt actuators.

It's the life of owning high performance cars anything can break and all fast cars suffer problems!

Buy one that's been looked after not one because its cheap.

 

[towcester vag]

i would go for the seat just for build quality
remap and better anti roll bars
as for the ford yes they are quick sound sweet and are very tunable but the are fragile and dont feel as planted on road in my opinion
as for performance/modified cars yes they do break i know from experience last year cost me £5500

 

[yellonvi-R]

Every year cost me £1000sss that life, The ford isn't fragile it's built well. Mine full of nice leather and very good at going around corners quick. I would defo say it will handle no worse than the big leon drove a few now and there all heavy and not the best handling cars. Leon's or st's to be honest but I have no trouble throwing the st round bends. It handled no worse than my Ibiza really.

Go a test drive them both there really isn't much point asking on a seat forum about a ford it'll be a different story of you ask the same question on st-oc lol

Your better off seeing for yourself.

 

[reece1591]

As said drive the focus and drive the Leon in manual and the Dsg I love my Leon due to the Dsg only reason I got it was down to the gearbox tbh

But if I would NEVER get bored of the noise a focus can make I wet myself every time bloke round corner drives past my flat in his sounds amazing with exhaust system on it

 

[joestella28]

Hmmmm, lots of useful input but it's safe to say I'm no closer to a decision .

As silly as it sounds, I think the biggest thing that bugs me with the Leon is the radio/air con part of te dash, the rest of the interior looks great IMO but it's just like they run out of time on it?

Thanks guys.

Joe

 

[mk4 cupra]

I wouldn't touch a ford if it was the last car on earth.

Extremely cheaply built

Worst metals on the market put into them
Such a pitty really becasue they make a nice looking car

 

[KTM540]

TBH, If it were me it would be between a later LeonFR, Golf GTD, and a Mazda3 Sport (2.2D) ... I've not owned a fast Ford, but know a few that have/do, including a colleague that sold his ST3 to get an RS Focus ... incredible car that, just a delight in every way ... BUT ... in his words "its still just a Ford! not the best build quality, and hellishly expensive in every way!!"

Just my two peneth

 

[jmc1976]

Personally i would drive them both as much as you can and buy the one that puts the biggest smile on your face ,all manufacturers have issues with the cars they make at some point .
For me its more how a car makes me feel when driving it wether enthusiastically or in traffic or just looking across a car park at it , call me weird if you want but that's my opinion and I love my Leon.

 

[Danny_FR]

I'll just chuck my 2p in here, I have both a 2008 Leon FR550 (PD170, not petrol) and a 2010 Focus ST-3.

First of all, the Focus is far better built and the interior plastics are of better quality than the Leon. The Leon does handle far better than the ST though and on a twisty road, the lack of power is made up by higher cornering speeds.

The "bucket" seats in my FR550 are better when driving "spirited" but the heated leather of the ST is more comfortable on a long journey and are infinitely adjustable.

The sound of the 5 pot engine is enough to turn everyones head and with a de-cat and de-res, it just sounds the nuts. Especially when it spits flames and pops and bangs on gear changes.

Later models of the ST (facelift models) don't seem to have the same issues as the pre facelift regarding cracked liners. Some people think this is down to them having the same head as the Focus RS, others think it's down to Ford having changed the design of the coolant ways between the cylinders.

The initial restriction with tuning is the intercooler. Even the standard one struggles to keep temps down in our mild summers so an upgrade should be first on your list. Intercooler, downpipe, de-cat or sport cat, exhaust, CAIS and Bluefin or Dreamscience map should see you well over 320bhp with a lump of torque the diesel boys would be jealous of.

The ST isn't a hot hatch and shouldn't be seen as one. It's a comfortable, fast mile-muncher with a lot of potential.

At the weekend, having both the Leon's and Focus's keys in front of me, I'll pick up the Ford key every time.

One word of warning, if you are concerned about fuel economy, don't buy one. The ST is a seriously thirsty car. On average you might get around 23mpg, that drops down to between 7 and 13mpg on a track day but 35mpg is possible if you stick to below the speed limit on the motorway on a long journey.

 

[joestella28]

Unfortunately my budget would be the pre-facelift ST.

I need to get my thinking cap on as my little ibiza is rapidly falling apart!

 

[Danny_FR]

Unfortunately my budget would be the pre-facelift ST.

I need to get my thinking cap on as my little ibiza is rapidly falling apart!

The pre facelift is actually slightly quicker than the facelift, it weighs slightly less. If you do get one, I would look at the "block mod" as soon as you can afford it, or have a look on focusstoc.com and see if you can find one on there that has already had it done. I'm sure there'll be a member near you that would take you out in their ST.

 

[KDV]

The pre facelift is actually slightly quicker than the facelift, it weighs slightly less. If you do get one, I would look at the "block mod" as soon as you can afford it, or have a look on focusstoc.com and see if you can find one on there that has already had it done. I'm sure there'll be a member near you that would take you out in their ST.

Pre facelift looks nowhere near as good as the facelifted version though!

 

[bondbill2k2]

Facelift looks so much more upmarket and less chav, do enjoy a fast ford and I really don't see why people say oh their rust buckets, Ive had 2 focus's and 3 fiestas in the last 5 years not 1 had a single mark of rust including my 06 ZS diesel with 140k on, strong as the day I brought it and original clutch etc..

 

[joestella28]

Starting to sway back to an Fr at the moment, I just think that for my budget I can get a nicer Fr or sport. Also, just had a look at double din conversions on the leon dash, I think I could live with it.

To be honest, what ever I get is going to feel light years ahead of the 3 pot, 1.2, 120,000 mile ibiza!

 

[bondbill2k2]

If you can afford a facelift id say one of those otherwise stick with the FR. The ST's are very thirsty too, a mate of mine has one and another has an R32, not all that much between them MPG!