I know some people might argue that that goes without saying, but had a Focus Zetec as a hire car today, and was really surprised to find it had drum brakes at the back! And this on a supposedly 'sporty' model. The only sporty features I could find were front fogs and alloys, and with 1600 ccs of RAW POWER, it was categorically the most sluggish car I have ever driven (OK, I exaggerate, my mum's old 1.9 SDi Fabia holds that accolade!) I'm sure the handling would have been superb, if I'd ever been able to drive in anything like a rapid fashion, but that just wasn't possible four-up...

Never been a fan of the Blue Oval, but even less of one now :thumbdwn:

the zetec isn't the sports model really, thats the ST and the RS. the rear discs is a factory option on zetec's.

they aren't actually that bad, i had one for a while and the handling was excellent.

you do realise that it'll rev past 4500rpm...and once again, badge snobery? from a skoda owner????

totally pointless thread :thumbdwn:

A focus is a very good car.

I know some people might argue that that goes without saying' date=' but had a Focus Zetec as a hire car today, and was really surprised to find it had drum brakes at the back! And this on a supposedly 'sporty' model. The only sporty features I could find were front fogs and alloys, and with 1600 ccs of RAW POWER, it was categorically the most sluggish car I have ever driven (OK, I exaggerate, my mum's old 1.9 SDi Fabia holds that accolade!) I'm sure the handling would have been superb, if I'd ever been able to drive in anything like a rapid fashion, but that just wasn't possible four-up...

Never been a fan of the Blue Oval, but even less of one now :thumbdwn:[/quote']

I had these as company cars, and completley agree with the above post. they suck. And they are supposed to be "sporty" lowered hardened suspension ect... they suck :thumbdwn: I feel the need to post, because they really are a bad car, I hated every momemt I was forced to drive it :thumbdwn:

either you are odd or you had a crap car. my borther has a T reg 1.8 focus zetec admitidly with ford recommended eibach springs and a whole new exhaust including manifold and decat. its awesome to drive, much more fun than my octavia and that has 100bhp+ more and 150lbft+ more and 4WD.

i think one of my ultimate cars right now is the old shape focus RS, it combines the best bits of my car(high power, torque and traction) with the best bits of the focus(excellent handling, loads of fun and very involving).

have to say i learnt to drive in one and saying it had been driven by all the learners it was an excellent car, handled superbly.

either you are odd or you had a crap car. my borther has a T reg 1.8 focus zetec admitidly with ford recommended eibach springs and a whole new exhaust including manifold and decat. its awesome to drive' date=' much more fun than my octavia and that has 100bhp+ more and 150lbft+ more and 4WD.

i think one of my ultimate cars right now is the old shape focus RS, it combines the best bits of my car(high power, torque and traction) with the best bits of the focus(excellent handling, loads of fun and very involving).[/quote']

what you quote is not the same car. I have also driven a "previous" model 1.8, and it was much better than the 1.6 zetec originally described by ap0gee. ADD to that all the modifications you also quote, and we are many, many worlds apart!

its like fabia 12v comparing his car to my vRS (no offense intended), just not the same car. try a "from the factory" new model focus 1.6 zetec, and see what you think, I for example would never consider comparing my vRS with Shiftys vRS, the mods make a big difference, let alone the better engine to start wth! (1.8 ect..)...

and I would agree, i would loveone of the old RS's too just not the same thing....

note 12v, I am a driving instructor, and the focus was the one I had to teach people in, (the AA) I broke two of them within a month each (from new) the fabia has covered more than 20,000 miles now, with the same treatment, and still feels as new .... that focus was one of the reasons I left them!!!

you do realise that it'll rev past 4500rpm...and once again' date=' badge snobery? from a [b']skoda[/b] owner????

Not with 450 miles on the clock, it wouldn't. I can understand your need to defend the Focus Zetec, seeing how you own an old-shape one, but what with all the stuff about the new Focus ST being 'best' this and 'top' that, I felt so massively disappointed with what I was expecting to be a decent and supposedly semi-sporty car for a business trip. I couldn't help thinking that Ford prefer to lavish their development on their low-volume, high-profit 'specialist' vehicles, and rely on the reputation of these top-end models to shift their bog-standard ones. I know you could argue that's pretty much the same for all makes, but like I said, after hearing so much good stuff about the new Focus ST, I was expecting a whole lot more...

At the end of the day, Andy, it's just an opinion; there was no need to take it personally...

It's a 1.6 it's hardly gonna be shifting

So what you're saying is that driving a 1.6 Zetec thinking it's gonna be like the ST, is a bit like driving the 1.4-8v or 1.2-12v Fabia Sport and thinking it's gonna be a vRS? :confused:

Chris

So what you're saying is that driving a 1.6 Zetec thinking it's gonna be like the ST' date=' is a bit like driving the Fabia Vrs and thinking it's gonna be a REAL vRS? :confused:

Chris[/quote']

:eek:

:eek:

Chris

What we must remember is that all the fantastic right ups of the focus in the mtoring press are soooooooooo biased, just ask Clarkson who wanted a gt40, hardly going to slag them off was he. :lol: personally I have allways liked ford engines but would never buy one cos every ford dealer I have visited was a waste of time insulant and down right unpleassant.

So what you're saying is that driving a 1.6 Zetec thinking it's gonna be like the ST' date=' is a bit like driving the 1.4-8v or 1.2-12v Fabia Sport and thinking it's gonna be a vRS? :confused:

Chris[/quote']

No, not really. I just didn't expect what is quite a big, and allegedly semi-sporty car to have drum brakes on the back - seemed like an unnecessarily cheap touch. Plus, 100 bhp from a 1.6 16v is pretty poor these days, and in a car the size of the Focus, I felt that it showed. Unlike the vRS or the Sport which relate to only one engine option, I gather the Zetec can be had in either a 1.6 like I had, or a 2.0. I can imagine someone being given a test drive in a 2.0 Zetec, ordering the 1.6 and finding out that they're not actually anything alike. 'Buyer beware', you might say, but I personally feel there's a massive difference between the whole experience I had in the 1.6 Zetec (not just the performance), compared to what the ST is supposed to be like - far more than the difference between my vRS and and my mum's old Classic, say.

I guess my point is that I feel the Skoda range stands up to scrutiny whatever spec level you're looking at, whereas I didn't feel that the Focus I drove lived up to the hype that rains down on it from the ST...

........ the Skoda range stands up to scrutiny whatever spec level you're looking at.......

I hate having a Fabia courtesy car when the Octavia is in at the dealers for a service. They always feel cheap and nasty compared to either the Octavia or the Vauxhalls I've had in the past.

I guess it's just a case of what you're use to.

I've driven a Focus. It wasnt even the "Zetec" model, and as such, I doubt it was any more than a 1.6 or 1.8, but thought the performance was pretty ok considering (did have very, very long gearing however, and did need revving quite hard), and the handling seemed decent enough for what it was. No real complaints with the brakes either. Quite fun to drive, overall.

Worth noting also, that the compartive Astra SXi was first introduced with disc brakes but then had these downgraded to drums.

you do realise that it'll rev past 4500rpm...and once again' date=' badge snobery? from a [b']skoda[/b] owner????

totally pointless thread :thumbdwn:

The badge snobbery is a natural thing (No offense Chris, I'm sure your Mondeo rocks! ). My father used to have a Taurus, in the first six months, the gearbox broke five times.

FIX OR REPAIR DAILY!

Not with 450 miles on the clock' date=' it wouldn't. I can understand your need to defend the Focus Zetec, seeing how you own an old-shape one, but what with all the stuff about the new Focus ST being 'best' this and 'top' that, I felt so massively disappointed with what I was expecting to be a decent and supposedly semi-sporty car for a business trip. I couldn't help thinking that Ford prefer to lavish their development on their low-volume, high-profit 'specialist' vehicles, and rely on the reputation of these top-end models to shift their bog-standard ones. I know you could argue that's pretty much the same for all makes, but like I said, after hearing so much good stuff about the new Focus ST, I was expecting a whole lot more...

At the end of the day, Andy, it's just an opinion; there was no need to take it personally...[/quote']

I didn't take anything personally, and I don't really feel that I need to defend anything. To compare performance between a proper "sports" version (the vRS) and something simply labelled as "sporty" (the Zetec) is only ever going to disappoint - especially if you step into a Zetec with an ST in mind

The badge snobbery is a natural thing (No offense Chris' date=' I'm sure your Mondeo rocks! ). My father used to have a Taurus, in the first six months, the gearbox broke five times.

FIX OR REPAIR DAILY![/quote']

badge snobery from a skoda owner is very ironic on these shores...

What do you call a Skoda with a sun roof...

etc etc

are you not getting shot of yours cos of gearbox issues :P

My father used to have a Taurus, in the first six months, the gearbox broke five times.

Did you let him drive your Fabia too - I think I can see a pattern emerging

Chris

Did you let him drive your Fabia too - I think I can see a pattern emerging

Chris

:rofl: :rofl:

What do you call a Skoda with a sun roof...

Well spec'd??

I hate having a Fabia courtesy car when the Octavia is in at the dealers for a service. They always feel cheap and nasty compared to either the Octavia or the Vauxhalls I've had in the past.

I guess it's just a case of what you're use to.

Whilst I too don't find lesser specced Fabias that exciting, I think all Fabias have interior plastics, panel gaps and general build quality to be far superior to that of the Octavia Mk1.

I have driven a Focus 1.4 and the old ST170. Both handle like a charm (for the spec), although the 1.4 was numbingly slow - but that is to be expected from the base engine. The 1.6 is only 1 up from base, and wouldn't expect it to set the world on fire. For a modest hatch, they can't be faulted for handling imho.

And I despise drums - but purely because of how they look. They still stop the car plenty quick enough, so what the issue.

The Zetec is merely a trim level is it not - with the Sport being the bottom of the range for models with sporting intentions...?

And I despise drums - but purely because of how they look. They still stop the car plenty quick enough' date=' so what the issue.

[/quote']

They don't on my Minor :P Stopping quickly from top speed (70ish depending on hills ) is a long-term project which is also VERY scary ... although it might also have something to do with the skinny tyres and leaf springs