Author Topic: '13 Ford Focus ST or '13 Mazda Mazdaspeed3? (Read 14430 times)

Arctic_White · « **Reply #60 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:32:02 pm »

Quote from: HeliDriver on June 05, 2013, 10:29:49 pm

Good choice - congrats!

So, are you ordering one, or taking the orange? I'm not a huge fan of the oddball colours, myself. I do think the exterior of the Focus looks really sharp in silver or dark grey, though.

Thanks!

No, I'm not taking the orange. LOL.

There is one black one available in Saskatchewan, and the dealer said that I could go there and drive it back.

Just wondering if it is a good idea driving 400+ kms on highway on a brand new car...

Thoughts?

rrocket · « **Reply #61 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:33:21 pm »

Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:25:45 pm

Yes, it is much smaller than the 'Speed3 and yes, the reliability may not be as good as the Mazda which is built in Japan, but it has a vastly superior interior.

Congrats!!

How exactly is it "much smaller" here are the interior dimensions...the Focus is certainly larger in cargo...but "much smaller"??

Rear cargo:

Mazda3 22.5ft3
Focus 24.5ft3

Arctic_White · « **Reply #62 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:36:44 pm »

Quote from: rrocket on June 05, 2013, 10:33:21 pm

Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:25:45 pm

Yes, it is much smaller than the 'Speed3 and yes, the reliability may not be as good as the Mazda which is built in Japan, but it has a vastly superior interior.

Congrats!!

How exactly is it "much smaller" here are the interior dimensions...the Focus is certainly larger in cargo...but "much smaller"??

I wonder how they came up with these dimensions?

But if you sit inside both the cars, you will certainly notice the difference.

Cargo space is also noticeable by the bare naked eye. Keep in mind that Focus is ~6" shorter in length which certainly impacts its interior space.

HeliDriver · « **Reply #63 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:37:01 pm »

Post-delivery road trip? Hell, yeah!

Just don't set the cruise control and drone along at a steady pace. Break-in gives you an excuse to row through the gearbox and vary engine speeds as you go.

I might not give it full throttle right away, but wouldn't shy away from some spirited acceleration. I'm sure Ford will have some instructions in the manual, but break-in isn't a hugely onerous thing these days.

rrocket · « **Reply #64 on:** June 05, 2013, 10:47:47 pm »

Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:36:44 pm

Quote from: rrocket on June 05, 2013, 10:33:21 pm
Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:25:45 pm

Yes, it is much smaller than the 'Speed3 and yes, the reliability may not be as good as the Mazda which is built in Japan, but it has a vastly superior interior.

Congrats!!

How exactly is it "much smaller" here are the interior dimensions...the Focus is certainly larger in cargo...but "much smaller"??

I wonder how they came up with these dimensions?

But if you sit inside both the cars, you will certainly notice the difference.

Cargo space is also noticeable by the bare naked eye. Keep in mind that Focus is ~6" shorter in length which certainly impacts its interior space.

But the extra 6" is mostly in the back. All of the driver/front specs are larger in the Focus.

Or were you being chauffered around in the back?

Arctic_White · « **Reply #65 on:** June 05, 2013, 11:05:50 pm »

Quote from: HeliDriver on June 05, 2013, 10:37:01 pm

Post-delivery toad trip? Hell, yeah!

Just don't set the cruise control and drone along at a steady pace. Break-in gives you an excuse to row through the gearbox and vary engine speeds as you go.

I might not give it full throttle right away, but wouldn't shy away from some spirited acceleration. I'm sure Ford will have some instructions in the manual, but break-in isn't a hugely onerous thing these days.

Will do!

Quote from: rrocket on June 05, 2013, 10:47:47 pm

Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:36:44 pm
Quote from: rrocket on June 05, 2013, 10:33:21 pm
Quote from: Arctic_White on June 05, 2013, 10:25:45 pm

Yes, it is much smaller than the 'Speed3 and yes, the reliability may not be as good as the Mazda which is built in Japan, but it has a vastly superior interior.

Congrats!!

How exactly is it "much smaller" here are the interior dimensions...the Focus is certainly larger in cargo...but "much smaller"??

I wonder how they came up with these dimensions?

But if you sit inside both the cars, you will certainly notice the difference.

Cargo space is also noticeable by the bare naked eye. Keep in mind that Focus is ~6" shorter in length which certainly impacts its interior space.

But the extra 6" is mostly in the back. All of the driver/front specs are larger in the Focus.

Or were you being chauffered around in the back?

Hahah...

rrocket · « **Reply #66 on:** June 05, 2013, 11:12:32 pm »

Anyways...congrats! I think you made a great choice (by what I've read).

Can't wait to see pic!

What day will you have it??

tortoise · « **Reply #67 on:** June 05, 2013, 11:24:40 pm »

Congrarts, I really like the Focus ST. After reading more about it I'm no longer sure I'd go for the MkVI GTi

Quote

Sure the ST's looks aren't as crisp as Mazda's...

Interesting. To my eye the Focus ST is hands-down a better looking car than the MS3.

Fobroader · « **Reply #68 on:** June 05, 2013, 11:28:34 pm »

Congrats....enjoy!!

Sir Osis of Liver · « **Reply #69 on:** June 06, 2013, 12:05:04 am »

Congratulations! It's one of the cars that exceeded my expectations.

normancw · « **Reply #70 on:** June 06, 2013, 12:26:56 am »

Congrats!! Looking forward to show & shine. You might be the first on the forum to get an ST.

quadzilla · « **Reply #71 on:** June 06, 2013, 07:21:51 am »

Congrats and enjoy! This is a car I really need to test out.

Snowman · « **Reply #72 on:** June 06, 2013, 08:03:22 am »

Excellent!

wing · « **Reply #73 on:** June 06, 2013, 08:28:59 am »

Awesome! I really like the ST. I'm getting one early July finally to test.

My only concern is on track brake wear because of the electronic LSD but for most that is not an issue.

Sir Osis of Liver · « **Reply #74 on:** June 06, 2013, 11:13:20 am »

Looks like the Quaife differential is compatible with the torque vectoring system and will be available for the North American ST through the aftermarket.

http://www.focusst.org/forum/focus-st-performance/5791-quaife-atb-differentials.html

Arctic_White · « **Reply #75 on:** June 07, 2013, 12:35:12 am »

Quote from: rrocket on June 05, 2013, 11:12:32 pm

Anyways...congrats! I think you made a great choice (by what I've read).

Can't wait to see pic!

What day will you have it??

Thanks!

Deal was just finalized today, and we are going to Sasketchewan on Sunday to pick it up. Teaser pics to come soon!

Quote from: tortoise on June 05, 2013, 11:24:40 pm

Congrarts, I really like the Focus ST. After reading more about it I'm no longer sure I'd go for the MkVI GTi

Quote
Sure the ST's looks aren't as crisp as Mazda's...

Interesting. To my eye the Focus ST is hands-down a better looking car than the MS3.

No way! I've always thought Focus is a bit weird, and give me the smiley face anyday over the Focus' fishy face. =)

Quote from: wing on June 06, 2013, 08:28:59 am

Awesome! I really like the ST. I'm getting one early July finally to test.

My only concern is on track brake wear because of the electronic LSD but for most that is not an issue.

Would you recommend I get the Ford's maintenance package which includes oil changes, all the filters, clutch disc, brakes, bulbs, wiper blades, tire rotations and more? Costs $2,495 and is good for 84 months or 120,000 kms. I'm debating whether it's worth pre-paying this maintenance package given that it includes brake pads, brake lines, and rotors...

dkaz · « **Reply #76 on:** June 07, 2013, 03:25:42 am »

Nice choice! It would've been a close decision for me as well. I want one, but that tight rear seat is still an issue for me.

Your regular maintenance will cost $2200 over 120,000 km. My Mazda 5's front brake pads still had 4mm on them after 100,000km using the OE Value Pads I bought from the dealer. Tire rotations are a good idea if you're not inclined to do it yourself. I replaced some of my bulbs with LEDs right away. Hard to tell. Do you plan on wearing out your clutch in 120,000km? Lol.

SeaBlueS4 · « **Reply #77 on:** June 07, 2013, 10:18:26 am »

Sounds expensive. For reference, prepaid maintenance on the S4 was $750 for 4yrs / 70,000kms. Ford's is less than double the time & km's but over 3 times the price. You do get coverage for pads & rotors which Audi doesn't include - but if you do mainly highway miles, you may not need them within the period.

Clutch sounds more like a warranty coverage than maintenance, and how much do you really expect to spend on bulbs (can't recall the last time I had to change one) or wipers?

Quote

Would you recommend I get the Ford's maintenance package which includes oil changes, all the filters, clutch disc, brakes, bulbs, wiper blades, tire rotations and more? Costs $2,495 and is good for 84 months or 120,000 kms. I'm debating whether it's worth pre-paying this maintenance package given that it includes brake pads, brake lines, and rotors...

Julie · « **Reply #78 on:** June 07, 2013, 10:19:17 pm »

Congratulations Arctic!

You got one very well rated car.

And black...... hmm...... nice.

Road trip? That's the best, you'll have great memories! As HeliDriver said, just vary the RPMs. And check the owners' manual for the break-in max. RPMs, so that you know where the limit is. Although if you're driving normally, you wouldn't need to worry about that.

Arctic_White · « **Reply #79 on:** July 20, 2013, 03:51:12 pm »

Quote from: DKaz on June 07, 2013, 03:25:42 am

Nice choice! It would've been a close decision for me as well. I want one, but that tight rear seat is still an issue for me.

Your regular maintenance will cost $2200 over 120,000 km. My Mazda 5's front brake pads still had 4mm on them after 100,000km using the OE Value Pads I bought from the dealer. Tire rotations are a good idea if you're not inclined to do it yourself. I replaced some of my bulbs with LEDs right away. Hard to tell. Do you plan on wearing out your clutch in 120,000km? Lol.

Hahah... I hope not! I ended up getting the Maintenance package: 7 years or 150,000 kms for $2,495. Includes filters, 18 oil changes, wiper blades, brake pads, rotors, clutch, shock absorbers, spark plugs, transmission fluid, and a few other things.

By my quick calculations, the cost for all of this is well over $3,000 assuming I only have to replace brake pads once and do all the 18 "services" with them over the next 7 years.

Quote from: Keh-vin on June 07, 2013, 07:55:43 am

Good choice! I drove the ST the local dealer has when they got it in last year...I thought it was pretty damn fast and would've loved more time behind the wheel. Wish my Fusion felt that fast. Turbo engines just feel amazing...I'm sure it'll put a smile on your face daily.

Thanks Keh-vin!

Quote from: SeaBlueS4 on June 07, 2013, 10:18:26 am

Sounds expensive. For reference, prepaid maintenance on the S4 was $750 for 4yrs / 70,000kms. Ford's is less than double the time & km's but over 3 times the price. You do get coverage for pads & rotors which Audi doesn't include - but if you do mainly highway miles, you may not need them within the period.

Clutch sounds more like a warranty coverage than maintenance, and how much do you really expect to spend on bulbs (can't recall the last time I had to change one) or wipers?

That is true, but keep in mind that most of the maintenance of the car happens right after the 4-year mark: spark plugs, brakes, etc.

Furthermore, the maintenance is fully transferable if I sell the car though I have full intention of keeping this car for the next foreseeable future!