i had st3 in 2006 and it was slow i kept takein it back and they said thee was nothing wrong with it,think they r just slow mate!

 

Made me gigle that Trev, Err, my car seems slow, is it broken??


Don,t forget, they,re a heavy car guys too, especially compared to a classic..

 

MY MATE HAS ONE AND HE HATESIT SO MUCH . hes gonna sell it soon and get an rs4

 

For a start the Focus weighs 1317kg Vs 1235kg for a UK Turbo so he's carrying the weight of an extra passenger to start!

I'd guess your car with those mods and mapped by Andy F will be in the region of 270bhp so based on my assumption your car has approximately 218bhp per tonne compared to the Focus 174bhp per tonne (allowing a few bhp boost for his bolt on mods)

Its a no brainer really that you beat him, the Focus has a much harder job of getting its power down too, compared with the AWD Impreza.

Nothing wrong with the Focus, in fact they are very good cars, they just aren't supercar baiters as some owners would have you believing!

Edited to add -:

My wife currently has a Focus St-3 and I've owned 7 Imprezas, several classics too and the ST is a far better car in many areas, such as build quality, looks and handling The Impreza's grip, low weight and decent power are it's strong points.

 

Uber fast with 220bhp?

Low down accessible torque delivery is their strong point with a nice balanced chassis and compliant ride to go with it, but uber fast they are not.

 

There,s something called DREAM SCIENCE owners put on them, maps the car apparently and iwth an exhaust etc they see around 290bhp 300+ft/lb, i think they,re abit livelier then...

 

Liek I said, I've owned a string of proper quick Impreza's, one was sniffing 400bhp but I do have a soft spot for the focus.

If it had AWD and closer to 300bhp it'd be a MUCH more appealing proposition. New RS anyone?

They handle really nicely as standard and have lovely heated leather Recaro's with Sony 6CD changers in dash etc as well as being pretty decent looking cars IMO.

Still have a soft spot for sorted classics too though since I had 3!

 

With the 2.5 Litre engine in these you can get some great torque figures from these cars, I test drove a 330bhp 390lb/ft Focus ST and it was rapid, was nothing like my Focus RS, there wasnt much wheel spin in the ST just pointed it at your favourite road, floored it and it just seem to go in a straight line, no fuss at all, the power delivery was smooth even with this sort of power!!!! My old Focus RS with 315bhp would be all over the road(but in a scary fun way)!!!

 

my st3 was brand new waited 12weeks for it had it 4mnths,it had new fuel pump new fuel regulater,car was never gona be anygood,nice to have new car but as much reliability as my f""king scooby!!!

 

Connor, did you ever confirm if you car had been maped or not?

 

Driven an ST and miles better than a scooby in terms of quailty..handling and with a dreamscience map is would be even better.

 

I had a Focus ST2 for 18 months before I got my Scooby. Now you can have the hatch back, air conditioning, CD changer in dash, comfortable ride, low noise cabin etc...... plus AWD and 300BHP, it's a MY08 STi. I liked my Focus ST, but there is absolutely no contest in any department, and that includes fuel economy.

 

Not really surprising - the Focus is heavier, the standard exhaust on the Impreza is very restrictive, so even a straight through exhaust, filter and remap can add a lot of power for not very much money.

This is what a lot of people dont seem to understand, and think that because their car has more power than someone elses, it will be faster - yes, if both the cars are the same in every other way it should be, but look at cars like the Atom and Caterham - make very little power, but will beat most things on the road easily.

If your car and the Focus has exactly the same power, you would probably still beat him.

 

That's a result, makes doing other stuff later much easier(and cheaper!) knowing it can be mapped

 

ST's are not badly priced flicking through the Autotrader.
Choices choices, ST or an R32

 

All fair points, well made. Except you missed one crucial thing.....

The MY08 Impreza is FUGLY!!!

 

Not in Scottish Auto Trader they're not!

There are two private sales this week, both 07 plate, 3 door orange ST-3's...

Both have similar miles, 10-15k.

One at £13,500 and one at, wait for it.... £15,995!!!!!

Makes mine seem like a right bargain!

 

can ou give me a bit of info on the fue economy? I know the old 2l STI (03) woul dget me about 18mpg and ive heard the focus is 22ish, whats the new shape STI like?

MPG is the only thing putting me off an ST. cracking cars.

 

how can you compare 2 cars when one is chipped and one isn't. Of course you'll pull away.

The Focus with nothing other than a remap will get you 270bhp and 330lb/ft and trust me, I've had no issues pulling away from MY08 Sti's (the ugly as sin hatch ones).

TBH re the fuel, on a run to Dorset even with my heavy foot I got 25.5mpg according to the computer, normal running around is 22ish. IMHO you don't buy sporty cars like these and worry about economy!!

 

In standard form the ST really is too slow, I hated mine when I bought it and thought I'd made a big mistake.

Was told to get it remapped, so £340 later with Dreamscience fitted and some other choice mods and I have a 280bhp 340 ft/lbs weapon that is just an amazing machine to own, drive and use - they really are a go anywhere, do anything car.

Tootle to the shops or on a road trip with the family on board, no issue and easily manage 30mpg in extreme comfort.

Rag it around a demanding road at full thrap and you will be smiling all the way, even with the 19mpg average!!

Mods also seem to defy logic - an exhaust upgrade that is as quiet as std when cruising but comes alive when you floor it, and lowered suspension that makes it handle like a go kart but still has the same comfort as std

I know I keep harping on about the Focus, but some folk on here should try owning one (and modding it), the likes of myself and ScooyJawa aren't joking when we say how good these things are, and we aren't lacking in experience with Imprezas, Evos etc.

 

Yeah. I was the same, loved the test drive really sharp handling, but then I picked it up and thought bu99er! Took the missus 180bhp cupra to collect it and on the way back I couldn't shake it, just edging away ever so slightly on some straights. Then the remap went on - night and day difference. It doesn't remotely keep up anymore!!

In fact took a colleague to Brum this week, he was so impressed, owns a 535d and x5 plus before that had a 911 C4 (996), and sitting in my car he commented on how comfortable it was, how superb the seats were and the fact that it was easily his 911 quick if not faster And he's not stopped going on about it since to other guys on our course and his wife!!! Seems he was that taken with it!! lol!!

 

They are quick cars but as others have said they are also heavier than a classic Impreza. I had a race once onto a motorway slip road and there was nothing in it. My impreza had no more than 270bhp and the Focus had a badge on the back saying 280..

 

heavier than a classic, with modern safety standards and regulations thats no shocker! So nothing in it with similar bhp (no focus's I know have a badge with their bhp figure on it so you can't say it was 280 though some ggr 330's have stickers) but therefore a vastly lighter car with similar power could only keep up, sounds like a win to the focus to me

 

It aint all about motorway races, the focus will never have the traction to get scooby 0-60 times. Once rolling, agreed the transmition losses of the impreza will make up for it's weight advantage. You can get a classic's doing sub 4 sec 0-60's,(hell, the standard RA's do mid to late 4's with 260bhp) on road tyres,try that in a front wheel drive focus.

 

I'm not pulling the Focus down, I'm just saying that neither car is considerably quicker if both have the same power output. The badge on the back saying '280' on this particular car looked as though some tuning company had fettled with it. I've raced standard ones at the POD and they won't get close to a 270bhp Impreza

 

Where is 0-60 important these days, unless you do lots of RWYB days?