03 Focus SVT - lengthy
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Record Breaker
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,458
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From: Michigan - Arctic North
03 Focus SVT - lengthy
for clarification - I own a 2004 SRT-4 that I love... but I wanted to 1) test the "competition" and 2) find a nice daily driver since I don't drive my SRT year round... I thought maybe a SVT Focus would be nice.... read on... I am not trying to compare the power of the SVT to the SRT (that's why I bought my SRT in the first place) but I have to admit, the SVT was not what I had hoped it would be... from an email I sent to some friends:
I test drove a 2003 SVT Ford Focus last night... not impressed at all! The car's interior layout is terrible (everything seems out of reach). I felt like I was driving a semi truck by the way the seat and steering wheel were placed - yet the car is tiny! The 6-speed transmission was not as aggressive as I had hoped - the bushings in the shifter seemed inadequate at best. Every gear I tried to engage felt spongy and left me unsure as to the state of the gear selection - was I in gear, or was I not?? The 6-speed itself seemed to be nothing more than a novelty item for the car - the sort of "Hey, I have a 6-speed" approach you hear when kids start bragging about how fast their Cavalier or Civic is.
The power of the car was peppy and the steering and handling was expected for a little car that is built to be better than the base model... but I found myself comparing the car to my little Dodge and it just didn't stack up in my opinion. I didn't realize I had the traction control on until I was back at the dealership - so I would imagine the power transfer would be slightly increased under acceleration had I noticed this simple button hidden low on the center console. And with that, why have a giant annoying orange light on the dash light up when the Traction Control is turned off? I know I am sliding out of control - I don't need a blinding orange sun-intensified light telling me so.
All-in-all the little Ford is a descent car if you have never driven one before or have no bearing for what else is available in that market. However, with a price tag of $15k for a used car with around ~5500 miles on the meter, I could see myself buying a 2 door V6 Accord and feeling safe with the power and drive train as compared to the SVT. Other cars might not have the elegance of having the SVT logo on the back of the car, but then again - what good are 3 letters on the back of a car if they don't do much for you except jack up the price?
The seat warmer was nice for both driver and passenger sides in the cooler Michigan months, but what good is it if you don't drive the car in the winter? The 2 door hatch back model had little interior room and would scare even the most height challenged among your friends! Simply put, there are other cars in the market that stand out when compared to the SVT Focus. I would consider those over the Focus time and time again - even a Civic with a big wing and a coffee can bolted to the back! Bring on the stickers!
I test drove a 2003 SVT Ford Focus last night... not impressed at all! The car's interior layout is terrible (everything seems out of reach). I felt like I was driving a semi truck by the way the seat and steering wheel were placed - yet the car is tiny! The 6-speed transmission was not as aggressive as I had hoped - the bushings in the shifter seemed inadequate at best. Every gear I tried to engage felt spongy and left me unsure as to the state of the gear selection - was I in gear, or was I not?? The 6-speed itself seemed to be nothing more than a novelty item for the car - the sort of "Hey, I have a 6-speed" approach you hear when kids start bragging about how fast their Cavalier or Civic is.
The power of the car was peppy and the steering and handling was expected for a little car that is built to be better than the base model... but I found myself comparing the car to my little Dodge and it just didn't stack up in my opinion. I didn't realize I had the traction control on until I was back at the dealership - so I would imagine the power transfer would be slightly increased under acceleration had I noticed this simple button hidden low on the center console. And with that, why have a giant annoying orange light on the dash light up when the Traction Control is turned off? I know I am sliding out of control - I don't need a blinding orange sun-intensified light telling me so.
All-in-all the little Ford is a descent car if you have never driven one before or have no bearing for what else is available in that market. However, with a price tag of $15k for a used car with around ~5500 miles on the meter, I could see myself buying a 2 door V6 Accord and feeling safe with the power and drive train as compared to the SVT. Other cars might not have the elegance of having the SVT logo on the back of the car, but then again - what good are 3 letters on the back of a car if they don't do much for you except jack up the price?
The seat warmer was nice for both driver and passenger sides in the cooler Michigan months, but what good is it if you don't drive the car in the winter? The 2 door hatch back model had little interior room and would scare even the most height challenged among your friends! Simply put, there are other cars in the market that stand out when compared to the SVT Focus. I would consider those over the Focus time and time again - even a Civic with a big wing and a coffee can bolted to the back! Bring on the stickers!
Legend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 9,543
Likes: 2
From: United States
RE: 03 Focus SVT - lengthy
I would have suggested a first gen. Neon R/T. I loved mine, but I had to sell it to get the SRT-4. They handle very well, they are very light weight, they respond well to bolt ons and still get 35+ MPG. I wish I had the R/T paid off at the time, because if it was I would have kept it for my daily driver.