Top Gear Reviews the Focus ST (XR5T)

[Dshibi]

Here's the video link: http://rapidshare.de/files/8935326/T...us_ST.wmv.html (32.5MB)

A great review by Jeremy, you'll be forgiven if you think your monitor is upside down however.

Includes review of Focus ST, a brief look over the Iosis and then the Stig takes the ST on the track.

I have a video of the Fiesta ST which I will put up later.

Abraxas

[tbearz]

haha that episode was such a classic ROOONEY!!!
and how would it have been if they did call it the Asbo sounds tougher than Ford Focus Xr5 turbo

[Talldude]

you able to get the fiesta st review man?

[Dshibi]

Originally Posted by Talldude

you able to get the fiesta st review man?

Yep, here it is http://rapidshare.de/files/9629379/5...t_CZT.wmv.html

It's by 5th Gear with Tiff Needell, still a good review though. Pits the Fiesta against a Colt.

Abraxas

[murcod]

Is there some trick to get those files to download? I clicked on the link, selected the free download option, then a new page appears but no auto download or even an option to continue is evident???

[murcod]

Damn- read the FAQ and it must be a proxy server thing. It thinks I'm already downloading. :(

[Polyal]

Ok how the heck to I download that file(s)?

[whippet_zetec]

when you click on the link it will wait about 20secs before it starts the download.

[Polyal]

and if it doesn't after 20 secs?

[Falcon Freak]

Seppuku?

FF

[Polyal]

ah dont toy with me...lol

I really want those files...and I am a little unsure how to use bit torent aswell.

[Falcon Freak]

Relax mate - I am having the same trouble as you. If I don't get those files I'm gonna dance with my sword. :

FF

[vztrt]

That was great. Top gear put the car thru its paces. The car holds well and looks good. Not a fan of the smaller cars but that would be a great one to have a go on. Still would rather have a sierra.

[Polyal]

vztrt - how the heck did you get the files?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Polyal

vztrt - how the heck did you get the files?

Just clicked on the free button and typed in the letters it told me to type and the save as box came up.

You just have to make sure you type all the letters in or it goes to the next page and says there was an error. The letters are bunched together.

[zetec]

Guys, listen up and start biting bullets.

Download a Torrent program (a Peer to Peer file sharing program) such as the one I have http://www.utorrent.com/ (click on downloads)

Then download the file itself as posted up above. You can then open the torrent program and use the mini file you initially download (the ST one) to the use it as an address to locate the true file. So all the search sites do is download a link so to speak, you need the peer program to actually get access to the true file.

Easy as, sounded confusing for me too and I avoided it, but it's literally a piece of cake, even a Fiesta driver could do it...

[Teki04]

I was just on the Top Gear website looking at the top 70 Stig times.... seems the ST didn't beat the old RS around the track. I thought the ST was quicker? Was i wrong?

But low and behold, the Clio Cup (next car) was a second quicker

FORD GT IN 8TH... Awesome!

[orsest170]

Originally Posted by Teki04

I was just on the Top Gear website looking at the top 70 Stig times.... seems the ST didn't beat the old RS around the track. I thought the ST was quicker? Was i wrong?

But low and behold, the Clio Cup (next car) was a second quicker

FORD GT IN 8TH... Awesome!

The ST was tested on a very greasy track with appalling visibility (you could barely see the car through the fog). In fact, the Stig ran wide and onto the grass twice during the lap which would have cost a second or two also.

The ST is not designed to be a track racer anyway, more a comfortable, refined car that can still provide serious thrills when you put your foot into it. Anyway if you believe the Ford ‘marketing machine’, the ST has lapped the legendary Nurburgring (undoubtedly the worlds greatest test track) a full 10 seconds quicker than the old RS focus ever did. If there is even an ounce of truth is this claim, then you would have to consider the ST as a very serious performer indeed.

[zetec]

Adding to orsest170's post, if you watch the video of the episode, Jeremy Clarkson goes on to say that he doesn't doubt that on a dry track, it'd be a much quicker car than both the GTi and the VXR. I don't agree with their dodgy system of not giving all cars a dry track but whatever...

[whippet_zetec]

track conditions in the clip were not the best agreed, give that ST a dry track to run a time and it would definitely run better....

[melbzetec]

Any chance of FPV doing a "Typhoon" on the Focus XR5???????? Flint keeps saying it's no just about Falcon.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by melbzetec

Any chance of FPV doing a "Typhoon" on the Focus XR5???????? Flint keeps saying it's no just about Falcon.

Quite frankly I'd rather they didn't, I cant see they would have much to offer a Focus ST/XR5.

[zetec]

I agree, why would FPV have any reason to do more to a front wheel drive that already is at a pretty high level of power, much more and only a fool would drive one. It would need to go RWD or AWD to gain much more power and still be driveable. Ford Europe and more so ST would specifically test and build these things as well as Ford Aust builds Falcons and Territory with their vast experience. I for one wouldn't touch an FPV Focus, it would have go fast bits stuck all over it and would just scream "****er". I'd rather ST fiddle with my turbo.

[Martyvan]

Originally Posted by zetec

I agree, why would FPV have any reason to do more to a front wheel drive that already is at a pretty high level of power, much more and only a fool would drive one. It would need to go RWD or AWD to gain much more power and still be driveable. Ford Europe and more so ST would specifically test and build these things as well as Ford Aust builds Falcons and Territory with their vast experience. I for one wouldn't touch an FPV Focus, it would have go fast bits stuck all over it and would just scream "****er". I'd rather ST fiddle with my turbo.

Ford of Europe should bite the bullet and just build a new RS with AWD... Volvo already have 220kw & AWD out of the 2.5...... Dont they?
then FPV could badge it a Focus F5 ;)

[orsest170]

I agree that there is probably little to be gained by FPV tinkering with the engine and chassis (although another 10-15 kw wouldn't hurt). However, I'm not sure I agree that any cosmetic changes would "just scream ****er". Surely you don't think that when an F6 passes you? I personally think the front end on the Typhoon is absolutely sensational and prefer it over the GT (big call I know). The way they have drawn attention to the intercooler behind that awesome mesh grille, is spot on.

If FPV could do similar things with the the XR5, how could that possibly be a bad thing?

[zetec]

Originally Posted by orsest170

I agree that there is probably little to be gained by FPV tinkering with the engine and chassis (although another 10-15 kw wouldn't hurt). However, I'm not sure I agree that any cosmetic changes would "just scream ****er". Surely you don't think that when an F6 passes you? I personally think the front end on the Typhoon is absolutely sensational and prefer it over the GT (big call I know). The way they have drawn attention to the intercooler behind that awesome mesh grille, is spot on.

If FPV could do similar things with the the XR5, how could that possibly be a bad thing?

Simply because the Typhoon is built from scratch and designed into the car from day one... the Focus afterthought FPV job wouldn't be and they'd never get the cahnce or budget to do it justice with a full redesign of the bodykit for such a low volume car, it wouldn't make a skerrick oif business sense. Anything they did would be tack-on. That plus the fact that the XR5 Turbo already look like a BF Typhoon from the front...





They have the same inverted trapezoid cutout with similar shaped foglight modules.

I'm simply saying that the whole class of the ST is it's Euro nature. It has loud enough work already to be sporty but classy. The Typhoon also is classy without being over the top. There's nothing more they could do to make it stand out other than 19 inch rims (NO THANKS) and a bonnet scoop (GHEY). FPV have already stated they're not doing any rebadging of anything from overseas which is a stab at HSV's gay attempt to overcharge for the Astra VXR by branding it an HSV.

[melbzetec]

MMMM. That got the natives restless.

Then if that's the case, FPV should just admit they're Falcon Performance Vehicles (yes yes...Territory coming). It's just they have been saying since inception that they are more than just about Falcons.


Interesting thought though: given Prodrives investment and Ford engineers growing international reputation, maybe FPV could develop a AWD RS version for international stage. Australia does have a rep for lower cost ingenious thinking

[orsest170]

Originally Posted by zetec

There's nothing more they could do to make it stand out

Sorry gonna have to disagree here. While there are superficial similarities in the front ends on both cars, there are serious improvements to be made on the XR5. Firstly, those plastic grilles on the XR5 are not even close to the brilliant metal FPV grilles (that show off the intercooler), let’s face it. Some may think it’s ****y, but I love the look of an intercooler in the lower grille of a car, it just screams performance to me.

The Lights could definitely be improved - either black casing as seen on the Zetec, or even old school XR falcon style (I guess they'd be a bit like Morette's).

Oh, and then there's the wheels... no need for 19's but anything other than those factory ones is gonna be an improvement (sorry just can't bring myself to like them).

It probably sounds strange that I'm being quite critical of a car that I have just bought, but I think while Ford seem to have got the performance spot on, they could have done better with some of the styling aspects. Having said that, I still think it looks good, just that there is lotsa room for improvement that's all.

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by Martyvan

Ford of Europe should bite the bullet and just build a new RS with AWD... Volvo already have 220kw & AWD out of the 2.5...... Dont they?
then FPV could badge it a Focus F5 ;)

The Volvo 220kW engine in the S60/V70R is a different unit to the 162kW T5 in the S40/V50.

Main difference is that the S40/V50's T5 is narrower and has a turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold. Any engine mods are chiefly limited by the amount of boost that can be squeezed out of the turbo.

Personally, unless they go the AWD route, I can't see a huge amount of value in FPV tinkering with the XR5.

[Teki04]

Zetec (Matt),

I don't think you should bag out the HSV brand. Holden will still bring out the Astra Turbo.... so the VXR is just a quicker version. And when you think about it... the VXR then becomes a HOLDEN SPECIAL vehicle. Branding it a HSV just shows they are performance focused (not a pun), and works well considering we ship over our Monaros (GTOs) and brand it a VXR.

I think it would work if FPV had a RS focus, however since the new model does not having a RS focus being planned, i guess FPV will just have to wait. Really, FPV - Ford Performance Vehicles - sounds like what a XR5T is to a Zetec... its the performance variant.

Just my opinion. I think it works well. I guess in reality they all want to be the performance king of their brand, just like M, and AMG have become for BMW and Merc, even though Carlsson and Alphine still mod them.