Car and driver focus st vs gti

The volkswagen golf gti is perennially one of our favourite hot hatchbacks. The 2017 gti is appealing as both a racer and a daily driver thanks to the impressive fuelefficiency ratings. You can add features like heated leather seats, a heated steering wheel, a power moonroof, premium audio and navigation to both cars, but the vw offers more in the way of safety and driver assistance technology. Two of hothatchdoms greatest meet to determine the new pocketrocket king. Ford focus st vs mercedes benz a250 sport vs volkswagen. Four pocket rockets vie for the title of best hot hatch. Back then the focus st was the newcomer trying to challenge the golf gtis dominance of the market. Read more and find out the winner at car and driver. The 7th generation or mk 7 vw gti is one of the closest matches to the focus st s size, performance, and price. Sure, most people dont buy these for hauling groceries, but as your daily driver.

If this was a test purely about the way these cars drive at the limit, the focus st would probably win. For many consumers, performance is one of the main driving forces when making their vehicle selection. Ill throw my 2 cents in here, i test drove the ford fiesta and focus st as well as the gti on the same day. The ford focus st doesnt enjoy that kind of pedigree, but packs all the requisite performance credentials and then some. I have a mk6 gti which has been great for the most part, other than the body roll limits the fun somewhat. I have yet to drive the mk6 or mk7 but i wouldnt expect them to be any different. The mk 7 vw gti and ford focus st are very comparable hot. The interior alone can persuade you into buying a gti over a fiesta st. But subaru wins here again because when its combined with allwheel drive, the. Its also worth noting that the st only has a k03 turbo, which is smaller than the mk7. They tested all of them in france and all of them were manuals no dsg for the vw. Fast forward three decades and the prefacelift ford focus st and volkswagen golf gti performance pack mk7 prove that breaking the 200hp barrier wont break the bank. Sep 29, 2019 because here is the focus st, in the bleak midseptember of the peak district, against three formidable rivals.

Ford volkswagen car and driver motortrend kelley blue book. Focus st fun to drive has 4 doors and looks way better than any hatch on the market. Might want to check out some of the comparisons by the various rags, e. I just love the pure fun factor this car brings to the driver. Compare the ford focus st, subaru wrx sedan, and volkswagen golf gti side by side to see differences in performance, pricing, features and more. We compare the vw golf gti with the ford focus st to see which is best.

The ford focus st lines up against the original hot hatchback, the volkswagen gti. Engine remains unchanged from the old model, but thats no bad thing. Its the only true drivers car here, a car that you could own for. Ive had multiple run ins with punky drivers bc car and driver and motortrend placed it ahead in some comparisons.

You may want to read more of autotrader s model vs. The 7th generation or mk 7 vw gti is one of the closest matches to the focus sts size, performance, and price. Also checked out the current gen wrx but didnt get to test drive it. As one of the original hot hatches, the volkswagen golf gti is the gold standard in the sport compact segment, combining practicality and excellent driving dynamics in one package. In fact, the focus st is a trim level within the focus lineup, but it has three packages that act as trims themselves. See, the fiestas overboost calibration doesnt operate in a narrow rpm band like a focus sts does. I found this comparison on another board and figured i would share. What is the difference between volkswagen golf gti 2015 and ford fiesta st 2014. Focus st drivers golfmk7 vw gti mkvii forum vw golf. Search across the entire site search in this forum search in this discussion. Jump in the gti, and you will instantly appreciate the lowend torque, the fingertip transmission, the progressive handling, and the. Thinking about switching to a focus st for the better handling. Fords fiesta st follows the pocketrocket formula established by the gti years ago, albeit on an even smaller, subcompact platform. The mazdaspeed3, ford focus st, and subaru wrx special edition are tuned and tested for fun, fast, and practical deployment.

Buy the hyundai with your heart and youll have a great driver s car. It would be fair to say that the svt focus is the ringer of the group. Find out which is better and their overall performance in the hatchback ranking. In fact, it might even be our favourite, unless the ford focus st is, or the seat leon fr is, or the renault megane. The gti comes with plaid seats that are actually comfortable.

Parked next to the gti is a tangerine scream ford focus st. Focus of course, these are merely the sentiments of a keyboard. Feels strong across the rev range and well matched to the sixspeed manual. Why buy a fiesta st when you can have a golf gti right. Everyone also has known that small cars are offered in the market from various motor car companies but it is dominated by japanese car. Car and driver, focus st vs gti comparo ford focus st forum. Compare ford focus st vs subaru wrx sedan vs volkswagen golf gti. Drivers can achieve up to an epaestimated 24 mpg city and 34 mpg highway in the golf. A staff favorite and 10best winner, the 247hp eurospec st may be a gti imitator, but it acts as if its running the monte carlo. Had a little fun on the way home from work this past friday with a black st coming from illinois into northwest indiana. Mk6 gti driver here, wanted to say hello from the other side. Car and driver just published a comparison between the focus rs, the golf r and the subaru sti.

Read on to learn more on the 20 mazdaspeed3, 20 ford focus st, and. I couldnt resist and charged the windy roads after him. Its the most driver oriented and unlike the gti st does not use artifical sounds to make it sound better. Jul 28, 2010 mazdaspeed3 vs vw golf gti comparison tests. Apr 16, 2018 with the automatic, the gti can do the sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5. A staff favorite and 10best winner, the 247hp eurospec st may be a gti. Like the gti, the focus st is a distinguished performer that happens to carry the shell of a massmarket compact. The gti is the more complete car overall, but the st put a bigger smile on my face and i was willing to sacrifice the little things the gti did better for the sake of having a car i felt was more engaging to drive. When the hot hatch heyday was dawning back in the early 1980s, an entrylevel ferrari mustered 215hp.

These are the reasons i chose my 2016 ford focus st over a golf gti. The focus st is also a car that looks sportier, both inside and out. Its a car with a fan club, as decades of continuous sales have shown. Just joined the forum because why not, hard not to like turbo 4cyl hot hatches. But those numbers dont take into account the sts overboost function, which lifts outputs to a gtimatching 147kw and a dominating 290nm. Though they have performance to spare relatively speaking they do lack a bit of cachet compared to the fiat, mini, and even the vw. Ford focus st vs vw gti this will be very pleasing to own ford focus as your everyday small car. Hot hatchbacks are great for the driving enthusiast who wants a true performance car thats exciting enough for spirited driving and practical. The focus st was refreshed in 2015, the golf gti in 2016. I consider myself a decent driver but the my car seemed to roll heavily in the corners while the focus seemed much flatter. But the character of the focus st is one that enthusiasts of the genre are probably more likely to enjoy.

How the 2019 veloster n stacks up in the hot hatch fight. Now, just take a look how much quicker the 14 st was then the non ppk gti at the vir. As niche vehicles, the focus st and golf gti dont have a ton of trims or options. So on my way home from work a focus st was in front of me and he decided to punch it. Compare ford fiesta st vs ford focus st vs volkswagen golf gti. That all being said, my st would hold about a car s length ahead of my brothers 06 gto that runs high 12s up to about 7580, then the gto would catch up and start. Vw golf gti vs ford focus st which hot hatch is best. I just bought a 2016 focus st and have a quick question. The standard bearer for the hot hatchback movement, the volkswagen gti continues to offer a balance of thrills and practicality that resonates with buyers. The focus is not rated higher than 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. The gti was chosen as one of automobile magazines all stars for 5 of the last 11 years. For the most part i could keep up but somehow he was losing me in the corners. If youre looking for a practical compact hatchback thats also a blast to drive, then what youre looking for is a hot hatch. As horsepower increases on a frontwheel drive performance car.

In fact the focus st, fiesta st, and the gti are really the only fwd hot hatches left that are even worth it to talk about. May 20, 2015 is fords updated focus st a match for the best allround hot hatch, volkswagens golf gti. Read the headtohead matchup and see photos at car and driver. This car feels at one with you, like a glove with giant wheels and an engine. Like its competitors, the mazdaspeed3 has a slick 6speed manual transmission and room for. The dealership sold me the car brand new with 67 miles on it, after they had filled the tank the distance to e was like 430, the car now has about 200 miles on it and i just topped off the tank and now it says 279 miles to e. According to car and driver, you can expect a 060 time of 5. The focus just didnt feel planted enough to inspire confidence in hard cornering, and i know you can spend money making it better, but id like to start off with something that carries at least as much speed as my very pedestrian impreza does now. This is my second vw, and ive never had any reliability issues. Enter the 20 ford focus st, a car that ford says will run circles around every other hot hatch available in the united states. Feb, 2017 the gti still has monster power at highway speeds, where the st would kinda lose steam. To keep things fair and stay within the sweet spot of a 3year old used car, well compare the 2017 models. The fost was the least impressive out of the group for me.

Make no mistake, the focus st is fun to drive and its quicker. If youre looking for a practical compact hatchback thats also a blast to drive. Some might say the volkswagen is therefore better engineered, and to a point wed have to agree. Hop in the focus, and you will fall in love with the precise clicketyclack gearbox, the snappy clutch, the lightningfast accelerator, and the zigzag steering. The 2018 ford focus st and 2018 volkswagen golf gti are hot hatchbacks that combine realworld practicality with sports car performance the focus st is only available with a manual transmission while the gti is offered with a manual or dualclutch automatic transmission. Overall id pass on the focus st and give the golf gti a consideration.

Wanted to like the mk7, but find it a disengaging drive. St if performance is your goal gti if comfort and refinementtotal package is your goal. Jun 28, 20 parked next to the gti is a tangerine scream ford focus st. In michigan, ride quality of a car really means a lot lol. The hot hatch makes tons of sense to someone with a desire for driving excitement but needs more everyday practicality than a dedicated. Both the gti and the fist seem like they are very fun to drive. Compare the ford fiesta st, ford focus st, and volkswagen golf gti side by side to see differences in performance, pricing, features and more. Lets take a look at the focus st vs gti compact sport car. In this article, well compare the focus st vs gti with the assumption that youre looking at the used market. Ford focus st vs vw golf gti comparison cj pony parts. Nov 23, 2012 read the headtohead matchup and see photos at car and driver.

The focus st and the gti can both get pretty luxurious on the upper trims. Motor trend selected the gti as their 2015 car of the year. Under the hood, these two models both have turbocharged inline fourcylinder engines. This is the essence of what a car in this segment needs to look like, to some. Youd expect sloppiness with an old muscle car, but a hot hatch is a different creature. Its more planted than the mk6, but feels more buttoned down and less playful. Volkswagen golf gti v ford focus st headtohead ford. The st is much more aggressive in the way it responds to your inputs and the car just wants to be pushed all the time. In short, it makes even the average driver look fast. Volkswagen golf gti v ford focus st headtohead drive. Which hatch is the hottest, the reigning champion vw gti or the new ford focus st. Is it just me or do most st drivers think theyre the shit. The gti was chosen as one of car and driver s top ten for 12 of the last 12 years. An allnew volkswagen golf gti bows this year, the latest in a decadeslong succession of sporty hatchbacks from the german automaker.