Project 'Me BooSTa'

[Jake]

I think you summed it up best at VIR last time. "Well the bigger wheels and tires (compared with the se) would hit the frame under full lock, so Ford just made the wheels turn less"

Its a cool little car but idk if it would be my pick either. My dad just got a new focus company car. Granted its the sedan and the base model but its got some cool bits of tech for an "economy" car. Granted its cost like 4k more than a dart And its the first new new car I've gotten to play with. Overall I'm impressed by most of it but even my dad(who's not a power person) says it seems to lag when you give it gas. So I guess the na four is just another econo box engine without enough power to merge into traffic.

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Well, if he's got a SE with the PowerShit (sorry, PowerShift) dual-clutch auto, I'm sure it's pretty laggy. Ford really dropped the ball on that transmission. I've driven a SE 5-speed and it was a blast. 100 less horsepower than the ST, but happy to rev and got 30+ mpg doing it, the entire time. The SE's make 160 hp, not slouchy if you can rev it out, but I bet that autobox is trying to shift at 2,800 rpm between each gear, so you can never get on the power.

And yeah, the ST is a riot to drive, but there are little reminders that it's an econobox with a turbo and fancy seats. And it's embarrassing when you have to 3-point-turn a U-turn. It's been called "the $25,000 M3" by several magazines, and I won't disagree, but the M3's are a bit more purpose-built. It's a good value for a hot-hatch-brand-new, but I'm not smitten by any means.