2013 Ford Focus ST: Why No Power Seats?
March 5, 2013
I like the hug-me-tight Recaro seat in our Ford Focus ST. What I don't like is the fact that its adjustments are manual. Because I'm 5-feet, 3-inches tall, I have to pull the seat fairly far forward in order to get a comfortable clutch and steering position. Then comes the pumping up of the seat for the right height, the manual back angle adjustment, etc.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Fuel Economy Update for February
March 4, 2013
During the month of February we drove our turbocharged 2013 Ford Focus ST about 1,250 extremely thrilling miles. We've been finding that the Focus ST's combination of power and handling make even the most mundane drives a little something special. During the month the hatchback averaged 23.1 miles per gallon on 91 octane premium.
2013 Ford Focus ST: One Passenger's Take on the Seats
March 1, 2013
If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago whether I'd get the Focus ST with the Recaro seats, my answer would have been an unequivocal "yes." Though I'm not necessarily a huge fan of their vaguely gaudy yellow-and-black color scheme, the seats are a satisfying fit for my frame. I haven't done any canyon carving in the ST, but when I'm pressed to make sudden stops and sharp turns on the commute to and from work, the seats work to make sure that I'm held firmly in place. And I like that.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Reminds Me of a Subaru
February 26, 2013
I can't help it. Every time I get in our long-term Focus ST and see the logo on the steering wheel, the first thing I think of is Subaru, not Ford. Call it good branding on Subaru's part or poor graphic design on Ford's part. But either way the similarity between the two logos is unmistakable.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Thinks It Has a Rearview Camera
February 25, 2013
This alert popped up in our long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST upon startup once over the weekend. Note: our car is not equipped with a rearview camera.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Recaros. Are They Worth It?
February 22, 2013
These Recaro sport seats are part of the Focus ST's $4,840 202A equipment group which also includes a pile of other features (Sony audio with 10 speakers, 8.0-inch LCD touchscreen, nav, dual climate control and more). That's the only way to get them.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Hidden Fuel Door
February 20, 2013
It's possible the Focus's fuel door is the most well integrated fuel door in the history of fuel doors. It complements the body lines and tail light placement and its gaps match those between the bumper and the rear quarter panel perfectly. In fact, looking at it the first time, I wasn't even certain it was a fuel door.
Nice work, Ford.
2013 Ford Focus ST: I Can't Hack the Recaro Seats
February 19, 2013
I adore the 2013 Ford Focus ST, I really do. I love the way it accelerates, corners and stops. I dig the sounds the EcoBoost turbo makes when it's working hard. What we have here is a hot hatch with a soul.
But I could never own one.
It's the Recaro seats. I loathe them.
2013 Ford Focus ST: I Wish This Didn't Bug Me
February 14, 2013
Recently, I happened to notice the gap between the tweeter on the passenger side of our long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST and the door trim below it.
Then, I glanced over at the driver-side tweeter. It fits tight to the door trim.
2013 Ford Focus ST: No Such Thing As a Boring Drive
February 13, 2013
On a recent Saturday, my husband and I drove the long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST to Escondido, California to see some friends. We cruised the interstate on the outbound trip and it wasn't shaping up to be much of an adventure for the Tangerine Scream hot hatch. There wouldn't be time for a run up Mount Palomar.
However, additional errands forced (yes, really, forced) me to detour onto some curvy back roads in northern San Diego County. And honestly, you can't help but have fun in the Focus ST.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Angles and Edges
February 8, 2013
There's a hip-hop producer named Madlib. He deals in a heavily jazz-influenced sound, big beats with lots of swing. He put out a CD about 10 years ago called "Angles Without Edges," and I keep thinking of the title, not necessarily the music, when I drive the ST. Because the ST seems opposite the title: the ST is ALL angles and edges.
This is, of course, the case with most new Ford dashes and instrument panels. Ford is pursuing a high-tech machine-matrix Transformers motif, following its conviction that touchscreen/voice-activation everything is the future. Which it may well be, but if the future looks like present My Ford Touch, we're doomed (example: MFT crapped on me on my way out of the garage the other night. Eventually I pulled over, shut down, got out, did the reboot. Nothing. Even did it twice. Nothing. No audio, no Sync voice, no volume, nothing. Drove home listening to the 2.0-liter and some Pandora streaming from the phone speaker. Next morning, there was music and Sync Lady and voice activation, as if nothing had ever happened between us. But the trust in our relationship has soured).
2013 Ford Focus ST: Space Management
February 7, 2013
There are four DVD cases worth of space in the Focus ST's door pocket. That's a good thing too, because there ain't much storage space anywhere else. The glovebox is flat and suitably deep but there's nearly nada in the center console. Just a little cutout next to the shifter where you can set the key, two cupholders, and a tall, narrow center console where keys, cards and wallets disappear on top of each other. There's also the increasingly anachronistic coin holder.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Small Cargo Space
February 5, 2013
That is not a big bike in stuffed into the back of our long-term Ford Focus ST. It's my daughter's 16-inch Tony Hawk BMX bike, which is cool, but not exactly large.
Yet, in order to fit it inside the cargo hold of the Focus I had to drop one side of its 60/40 split-folding rear seat.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 4, 2013
During the month of January, we put just over 1,300 miles on our long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST. That mileage total is a bit low against our usual 12-month target of 20,000, but don't worry, I'm a fan of the Focus ST and a long road trip in it is on my to-do list. Over that 1,300-mile stretch, by the way, we put in 56.9 gallons of 91 octane fuel and the Ford averaged 23.1 mpg.
That monthly average is higher than our lifetime average of 21.8 mpg in the Focus ST, though with 6,500 miles on the odometer, there are plenty of miles ahead of us still. Given how fun this car is on a back road, though, it's doubtful that we'll raise our average to the EPA's optimistic 26 mpg combined rating. The Ford's city rating is 23, while the highway rating is 32 mpg.
Range will likely come into play when we take the Focus ST on a road trip, as we have yet to make it to 300 miles on a single tank. Of course, that's hardly surprising with the hot hatch's tiny 12.2-gallon tank.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 6,504 miles
Worst Fill MPG: 13.3
Best Fill MPG: 30.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 21.8
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 26
Best Range: 299.2
Current Odometer:/ 6,504 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: MPG Update
February 1, 2013
In just three months we've driven our long-term 2013 Ford Focus ST about 6,500 miles. During that time it has averaged 21.8 mpg.
So far our best tank was 30.2 mpg, which was absolutely all highway, and our worst recorded tank was 13.3 mpg, which was surely a fun blast through the hills with the ST's turbocharged engine living at its redline.
2013 Ford Focus ST: Could Use A Rearview Camera
January 29, 2013
Our 2013 Ford Focus is really cool and one of my favorite cars in the fleet right now. So when it comes down to negative impressions, it's really just nitpick stuff. But one thing I do wish the ST had was a rearview camera.
Because of its swooping beltline and smallish rear window, the Focus hatchback does not provide the driver the greatest of rearward visibility. It's not terrible in the sense of a mid-80s Italian supercar, mind you, but it can make backing out of driveways or parking spots a bit trickier than I'd expect for a small hatchback. A rearview camera would offer a little extra peace of mind, especially since I see the ST as a more practical, everyday use car than something like a Scion FR-S.
Curiously, Ford actually offers a rearview camera as standard equipment on the regular Focus Titanium model, and that's for both the sedan and hatchback. Yet a camera isn't available on the ST.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 6,002 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: One Week Using Sync, Part Two
January 28, 2013
In an earlier update, I wrote how I'd try using Sync, Ford's voice activation system, as much as possible for one week and minimize using the MyFord Touch (MFT) screen. Here's how it went.
First, the good news. Using Sync really does make a lot of tasks hands free, and that's good for driver safety. You can use Sync for most things, from changing radio presets to adjusting the car's temperature. I liked using it to switch modes for the touchscreen (quickly bringing up the map, for instance) but I found it most useful in terms of audio.
Instead of using the finicky touchscreen to pick a playlist or artist from my phone, I'd just say "Play artist: Metallica" or "Play song: Skyfall" to quickly get what I want.
I only have about 10 satellite radio stations I listen to, so once I've cycled through the first six (using the steering wheel buttons) I'd say "Sat two" to move to the next band, or "Sat one, preset one" to move back to the original group of six presets. There's a Mode button on the steering wheel that will change audio sources, but it cycles through every source (satellite, AM, FM, etc), which I don't want.
I didn't use Sync as much for navigation or phone calls, mostly because I didn't have the opportunity. But for the few tests I did try out, Sync again worked well for inputting a destination or calling a contact on my phone. And while I don't have any way to really verify this, it seems like Sync has gotten better over the years at actually understanding what you say.
Now, the bad news. First of all, it is a little weird talking to the Focus. Talking to the Enterprise might have been fine for Captain Picard, but here it never quite seemed normal. I'd be quietly listening to something, but then pushing the voice button and saying a command would disrupt that calmness. It's really bad if there are other people in the car with you.
There are two other issues. One is you have to learn all of the voice commands. So that takes some time. And yes, Sync still wouldn't always understand what I said, and I'd get frustrated with it. But that was pretty rare.
One can argue that what I've described is just a Band-Aid for what is still a finicky touchscreen interface, or that a soundly designed set of physical buttons would be preferable to all of this. And those would be pretty good arguments. But from a hands-free and therefore eyes-on-the-road and safety standpoint, Sync works quite well.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 5,895 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: Ride Quality
January 24, 2013
Given the excellent handling capabilities of the 2013 Ford Focus ST, you might assume that there's a tradeoff in terms of ride quality. Well, compared to a regular Focus, I suppose there is. But given how well the ST goes around corners, I'm pretty impressed by the way it takes on bumps and rough pavement. There's a nice compliance in the suspension that complements the all-around usability of this car. It's rarely stiff or jarring.
In terms of ride quality, the 2013 Focus ST is a performance car that I wouldn't have any problems using for daily urban commuting or long-distance freeway trips.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 8,562 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: Everyday Performance
January 22, 2013
A friend of mine is thinking about getting a new car this summer. So far his dream pick has been a used, 2011 Mustang GT (the first year with the new 5.0-liter V8). But he's always been a little hesitant given that he has a family. The Mustang's limited practicality, fuel bills and insurance would all be problematic.
So, I've been telling him that for pretty much the same money he could get a new 2013 Focus ST instead. Granted, the ST can't deliver the muscular, rear-drive thrills that a V8 pony car can. But for just about everything that's important to him, it'd be better. It's still very fun to drive, yet it's got four doors, a super useful hatchback area and an EPA highway estimate of 32 mpg.
I showed him our long-term Focus ST yesterday. He really liked it. I even told him it's just as cool as the Mustang, too, though in a different way. Of that, he wasn't so sure. But I'll let the ST sink it a little. I'll be curious to see what he ends up with.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 5,802 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: Choosing a Hot Hatch
January 17, 2013
If you're shopping for a performance hatchback and stuck with a major case of indecision, I can empathize. I'd have a hard time choosing, too.
2013 Ford Focus ST: One Week Using Sync, Part One
January 16, 2013
Ford has taken a lot of flak over its MyFord Touch electronics interface. As we noted in an earlier post, the latest, updated system in our 2013 Ford Focus ST is better but can still be finicky to use. After getting annoyed at MFT's virtual buttons yesterday, it occurred to me that our Focus ST still has Sync, Ford's original voice activation system that's earned plenty of praise.
I suspect a lot of our editors haven't used our Focus' Sync system much because either: A) they forget it's there; or 2) they just don't like talking to a car. Neither is going to stop my little experiment, however, so for the next week or so I'm going to use Sync as much as possible.
Anything that Sync lets me do with voice commands, such as controlling my iPhone, the radio and the climate and navigation systems, I'm going to do using Sync. The goal is to find how much I can use Sync in daily driving and whether I like it or find it drives me bonkers. At the very least, I'm hoping the experience will be interesting.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 5,725 miles
2013 Ford Focus ST: Interior Lighting
January 11, 2013
This is the place in most cars where manufacturers locate certain common controls and features: Dome lights, sunglasses bins, buttons or knobs controlling the sunroof, etc. Our Focus checks most of those boxes, but there's something missing.
Where's the dome light?
2013 Ford Focus ST: Phone Pairing Cure. Bill Gates Style
January 11, 2013
It's possible that last week when I encountered our Focus's SYNC phone pairing failure I forgot the first and most import rule of dealing with a Microsoft product:
When all else fails, just restart the stupid thing.
I did this over the weekend and - after five or so minutes of waiting - it came back online.
Even paired with my phone on the first try.
Bill Gates would be so proud.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Editor @ about 5,400 miles
