Ok, so I spent some time today at a couple of dealers test driving the ST, and the GTI. I drove two ST's, an ST2 and an ST3, and a GTI/GTI-R (both with and without the DSG).
Anyway, the VW first. The GTI is a nice car. Compared to the focus it rides smoother, has a little more room for the passengers (but less storage), comfortable seats and I flat out love the steering wheel. Steering feel is alright, not as quick as the focus, but not bad. The car accelerates alright, doesn't really have any noticeable torque steer, but it's definitely slower than the ST. Probably the thing that surprised me the most was sound. First, the car is louder inside at cruise than the focus is, and second, it just doesn't sound anywhere near as good as the focus when on the gas. Still, it's a really nice little car even though it wasn't anything I was real excited about. The DSG trans is pretty cool, but I still prefer a regular manual. The R-model was noticeably faster then the regular GTI, but for my budget this time around I don't think I'm going to spring for the R. Otherwise i'd have a much harder time making a decision. One thing that did strike me as a negative though, was that you can't (as far as I could tell anyway) remove the rear head rests. This was a problem for me, because proper installation of my son's forward facing car seat requires that the headrest be removed. So be warned if you need to take the headrest off for a car seat, you might have an issue.
As for the focus; First, two car seats DO fit in the car. A big plus to the focus in this regard was the front seats....I couldn't really feel my son kicking the seat in the focus, unlike the VW, which felt like he was kicking me directly. I'm guessing this is related to the Recaro seat construction, but whatever it is I'm thankful for it. The focus, IMO, is more fun to drive than the GTI, but has far worse torque steer. The steering wheel is also not quite as nice (and much more busy), and ford could learn something from the VW dead pedal setup. The focus was quieter at cruise, and sounded much better under hard acceleration. Other things I noticed between the ST2/ST3 models. First, I found the all leather seats in the ST3 to be more comfortable, I'm guessing because they don't grip your clothes as easily as the cloth. Second, the ST3's driver seat is power, but the adjustments with it are the same as the ST2. Back/forth, up/down, and recline. Raising the seat does adjust the tilt some, but you can't alter that angle independently of anything else, which was a disappointment for me. I was able to find a comfortable driving position however. 3rd, despite what the online reviews say, the rear seats DO fold flat. You just have to flip the bottom seat forward first. This tidbit was NEVER mentioned anywhere online, everyone just complained that the seats didn't fold flat. That's simply not true. Last, the ST2/ST3 have a different center console design. I didn't realize this until I had gone to a different dealership to drive the ST2, so I do'nt know how much the armrest storage space differs, but I can tell you that the cup holders are in a different spot (and orientation), and that the parking brake is moved. i'm guessing this is to accommodate the heated seat controls.
I enjoyed driving both cars, but I think I prefer the focus. I can't really quantify why exactly, but to me, the focus is the more fun of the two to drive. I'm also a big gadget geek, and as far as electronic toys are concerned, the focus is the hands down winner. MFT, though buggy, leaves you a whole bunch more to play with than the VW setup.
On a side note, I think the focus has the deepest glove box I've ever seen. I think you could fit at least one dead hooker in there.
Anyway, the VW first. The GTI is a nice car. Compared to the focus it rides smoother, has a little more room for the passengers (but less storage), comfortable seats and I flat out love the steering wheel. Steering feel is alright, not as quick as the focus, but not bad. The car accelerates alright, doesn't really have any noticeable torque steer, but it's definitely slower than the ST. Probably the thing that surprised me the most was sound. First, the car is louder inside at cruise than the focus is, and second, it just doesn't sound anywhere near as good as the focus when on the gas. Still, it's a really nice little car even though it wasn't anything I was real excited about. The DSG trans is pretty cool, but I still prefer a regular manual. The R-model was noticeably faster then the regular GTI, but for my budget this time around I don't think I'm going to spring for the R. Otherwise i'd have a much harder time making a decision. One thing that did strike me as a negative though, was that you can't (as far as I could tell anyway) remove the rear head rests. This was a problem for me, because proper installation of my son's forward facing car seat requires that the headrest be removed. So be warned if you need to take the headrest off for a car seat, you might have an issue.
As for the focus; First, two car seats DO fit in the car. A big plus to the focus in this regard was the front seats....I couldn't really feel my son kicking the seat in the focus, unlike the VW, which felt like he was kicking me directly. I'm guessing this is related to the Recaro seat construction, but whatever it is I'm thankful for it. The focus, IMO, is more fun to drive than the GTI, but has far worse torque steer. The steering wheel is also not quite as nice (and much more busy), and ford could learn something from the VW dead pedal setup. The focus was quieter at cruise, and sounded much better under hard acceleration. Other things I noticed between the ST2/ST3 models. First, I found the all leather seats in the ST3 to be more comfortable, I'm guessing because they don't grip your clothes as easily as the cloth. Second, the ST3's driver seat is power, but the adjustments with it are the same as the ST2. Back/forth, up/down, and recline. Raising the seat does adjust the tilt some, but you can't alter that angle independently of anything else, which was a disappointment for me. I was able to find a comfortable driving position however. 3rd, despite what the online reviews say, the rear seats DO fold flat. You just have to flip the bottom seat forward first. This tidbit was NEVER mentioned anywhere online, everyone just complained that the seats didn't fold flat. That's simply not true. Last, the ST2/ST3 have a different center console design. I didn't realize this until I had gone to a different dealership to drive the ST2, so I do'nt know how much the armrest storage space differs, but I can tell you that the cup holders are in a different spot (and orientation), and that the parking brake is moved. i'm guessing this is to accommodate the heated seat controls.
I enjoyed driving both cars, but I think I prefer the focus. I can't really quantify why exactly, but to me, the focus is the more fun of the two to drive. I'm also a big gadget geek, and as far as electronic toys are concerned, the focus is the hands down winner. MFT, though buggy, leaves you a whole bunch more to play with than the VW setup.
On a side note, I think the focus has the deepest glove box I've ever seen. I think you could fit at least one dead hooker in there.
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