Used 2016 Ford Focus ST Consumer Reviews
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DO NOT BUY
cody roberts, 10/16/2017
2016 Ford Focus ST 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
10 of 17 people found this review helpful
I have had my focus ST a little over a year, and in that year it has gone to the shop over 8 times. cylinder 3 misfire every time. Ford refuses to buy it back or fix the problem. I bought the car for reliable transportation, and it is everything but that. Many other people are having the same problem, I'm told by ford its a global problem and they are working on a fix for it. So if ford does not have a fix for the problem they should stand by their product and buy it back from me. When you buy a brand new car you should not be taking it back to the shop constantly, and should not be continuously left on the side of the road waiting on a tow truck. I have been without my car as of today 10/16/17 for a week, last week it broke down on me and was in the shop twice in one day. The car does not run right now at all. I've put in a a application for ford to buy it back from me for the third time now and its currently "under investigation". my advice to you if you are looking to buy a focus ST, DONT.
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3 years of ownership and now its time to review
Kenny, 08/06/2018
2016 Ford Focus ST 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The Focus ST i bought is a 2015 Focus ST1. So no Recaros, MyTouch, or Sony stereo. I will say that this car has been great to me, and I bought this car with the intention to make it my own version of what Ford started. I really enjoyed the way Ford did make this car but it does have room for improvement. Since I've owned the car it has been modified to full bolt-ons and tuned making just under 300hp TO THE WHEELS (fixing my feeling of slight underpower). I've also added an aftermarket stereo keeping the subwoofer under the seat(not take away from any space in the hatch area). I also added a thicker rear sway bar to eliminate the factory oversteer from the car while keeping the factory suspension. After you do all of that.... The car turns in great, feeling confident through any turn. It pulls out of every turn smoothly and aggressively, and brakes like any German car I've ever owned. I have daily driven this car now for over three years with not one breakdown, shop visit, or issues that I haven't caused myself. I am proud to own this car, and don't mind the occasional square off between any stock to mildly modified RS!
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Positive Early Review Base ST
Sido, 05/11/2016
updated 06/20/2022
2016 Ford Focus ST 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
Update: Still good, even better. Nothing to detract after 16 months and 15,000 miles. Well thought out and with ample performance characteristics, especially its torque power. Accessible power and great road manners going up and down mountain curves. Sure-footed. As other drivers comment, there is pronounced torque steer per FWD acceleration; I knew that before purchase and I accept it. I am an experienced manual driver, more than 40 years on many clutches, and it took me about 3,000 miles to master this one. I agree with several pro reviewers that the stock ST is near the edge of daily driver and is almost a performance/weekend car. I like that. This is the first car I've owned that I have not allowed friends and family to try out. The car is very pleasing and competent. I had the common CEL warning, dealer reset and it has not come back. I suspect the car is sensitive to non "top tier" fuel. A second brief CEL after running 91 octane budget gas. Retank with Shell and light disappeared. Car has required no additional service other than oil changes. Brakes and tires wear evenly - a good sign - and still good. Recommended car.
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Perfect commuter car!
Dash D., 09/03/2017
2016 Ford Focus ST 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
4 of 7 people found this review helpful
My mom used to be a car salesperson, and when looking to purchase a new car, I followed most of her rules, which happily led me to this purchase. Those rules are: 1. Never by new. (I’ve never owned a new car and wanted that experience, so I broke this rule) 2. Never buy a car that you haven’t already saved the money for, i.e. you either pay for the car in full or you have that money sitting in an account and choose to finance the car so you can use the car purchase as an opportunity to improve your credit score. (in my case, I paid for car in full up front) 3. Buy what you need, not what you want. (I made a compromise here… I wanted a truck, but I just needed a vehicle for a 100-mile round-trip daily commute to/from work, so I settled on a car--but picked one that packed at least a little punch). 4. This isn’t mom’s rule, but one I heard from a former pastor: buy a vehicle that costs less than $20K and gets more than 20 MPG. (my ST cost a little under $21K so I didn’t break this rule by much). The result was a Ford Focus ST with the base model “ST1” package (which I think is now referred to as 400A, or something like that). This car is amazing. I’m not a big sports/performance car person, so I’m not too crazy on the exterior styling, but the interior is perfect. Yes, it would be nice to have a touchscreen, moonroof, heated steering wheel, leather seats, etc. But at the end of the day, I really don’t need any of those things. What’s great about the ST as well is that regardless of the trim level, you still get the same great engine, transmission, and brakes, all of which I consider the most important part of a car (behind it’s safety), so that made choosing the base model easy to cope with. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t had second thoughts about buying a Subaru WRX, F150, Mustang, or even the RS (which I could pay for, but it would put a serious dent into my savings). But at the end of the day, that would mean spending at least $8K more for a vehicle that has things I don’t need. The ST has lots of power, torque, great braking action, is incredibly safe, and has lots of cargo room. If you’re like me, and just drive yourself or you and someone else, and don’t have much of a need for a larger vehicle, and enjoy driving a manual transmission car, I think the ST could be perfect for you. Sometimes I do need a truck, but that’s maybe once, twice a year. I came to terms that as much as I want one, it would be WAY cheaper to just rent one when I need it (or better yet, borrow a friend’s). I have found that my friends with trucks are happy to swap vehicles for a day, too (assuming they know how to drive a manual). At the end of the day, the ST base model is a wonderful compromise. It’s not the fastest, largest, tech-iest out there… but it’s still a blast to drive! It’s human nature that we’ll always want something better. I could have bought an RS, but once Ford comes out with the Focus refresh sometime in 2018-2019 (assuming the RS will be refreshed with the rest of the Focus lineup), then naturally I would likely want the new one. Balance what you need with what you enjoy driving, don’t spend a crazy amount of money, and accept that you’ll never have the latest and greatest vehicle, and you’ll be extremely happy with whatever you get (especially if it’s an ST).
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the bolster seats were killing me within minutes
amy williams, 10/27/2016
2016 Ford Focus ST 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
after sitting in the car a few minutes while the salesman explained some things, I felt pressure on both hips, and by the time I came back from the test drive it was very uncomfortable. My husband also felt the bolster was too narrow/stiff in the passenger seat. He is 200 lbs, 6 ft, with skinny hips!. Nice other wise, if you are a small person, with thin hips. Pass
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