New car time. Little Ford pocket rocket.
- Thread starter ben g
- Start date
enjoy it 
Really interested in the praise these things get! My first car was a Mk5 fiesta and I quickly figured out lift off oversteer because the chassis was so good (it was a 1.25 and I had no idea what lift off oversteer was until I did it because it felt right!). I remember ringing a mate up and telling him I could get the back end out - took him for a spin and it's fair to say he was surprised / shat himself. Taking a roundabout with full left lock became a "norm".
A few years later I bought a Racing Puma - same chassis but everything on steroids - by far the best "drivers car" I have owned!
I am tempted to go for a test drive but I can't risk it at the moment as I can't sensibly afford a new £20k car!
A few years later I bought a Racing Puma - same chassis but everything on steroids - by far the best "drivers car" I have owned!
I am tempted to go for a test drive but I can't risk it at the moment as I can't sensibly afford a new £20k car!
Beedub said:ben mine was collected today!!! i blew half my porsche savings fund on this for a fun cheap car and I'm absolutely over the moon with it, first hot hatch I've had for a while and I'm totally smitten!! The handling is nuts on a back road! i can't WAIT to get it mountune kit and just have some cheap ISH funbetween this and my z4m and my company wagon i feel quite lucky right now
unfortunatly i can't say much for the FORD experience , total bunch of w*****s, service was shocking.
Glad you like it mate. They sound great inside. Not as good as the straight six, but not bad for a little 1.6 lump.
Ford dealers aren't the best salespeople tbh. A lot of people complain. I had no issue's apart from one dealer trying to rip us off. We won't be using them again :lol:
ben g said:Beedub said:ben mine was collected today!!! i blew half my porsche savings fund on this for a fun cheap car and I'm absolutely over the moon with it, first hot hatch I've had for a while and I'm totally smitten!! The handling is nuts on a back road! i can't WAIT to get it mountune kit and just have some cheap ISH fun
unfortunatly i can't say much for the FORD experience , total bunch of w*****s, service was shocking.
Glad you like it mate. They sound great inside. Not as good as the straight six, but not bad for a little 1.6 lump.
Ford dealers aren't the best salespeople tbh. A lot of people complain. I had no issue's apart from one dealer trying to rip us off. We won't be using them again :lol:
yeah never guna sound like a 6!! but for a little 4 pot 1.6 i was surprised, mine does seem to Tq steer like a mofo however!!!! ill give it a few months and the the mods begin, this car is crying out for some bits, seats put the z4m seats to SHAME. literally. The are awesome, the nav is also very very good!
ben heres mine. Such a fun little car, suspension is rock solid though, will be easy to keep miles nice and low as i drive my company wagon during the day after getting to initial point. I'll keep this for a good 6 years then give to my partner or something, it'll be worth that little by then this is the type of car you just keep until it drops to bits.
Looks great!
I'm trying to sort a deal out at the moment on a new one on a 24 month PCP to replace the daily drive. I fully intend to buy the car at the end of the PCP but it's 0% finance if I take the PCP.
I wanted the same blue but I'm in two minds. It costs £495 I think and adds £20 a month to the PCP. So currently deciding what to do.
I'm trying to sort a deal out at the moment on a new one on a 24 month PCP to replace the daily drive. I fully intend to buy the car at the end of the PCP but it's 0% finance if I take the PCP.
I wanted the same blue but I'm in two minds. It costs £495 I think and adds £20 a month to the PCP. So currently deciding what to do.
I so nearly leased one of these back in October. Really enjoyed it on the test drive. Then the cheap Golf R leases popped up and I went for one of those instead.
5 months on i'm still waiting on this bloody Golf showing up. I'm seriously tempted to just stick 2 fingers up to the Golf deal and get myself one of these. If it came with 5 doors (like the US version) I wouldn't give it a second thought.
5 months on i'm still waiting on this bloody Golf showing up. I'm seriously tempted to just stick 2 fingers up to the Golf deal and get myself one of these. If it came with 5 doors (like the US version) I wouldn't give it a second thought.
original guvnor said:
yeah its only 500 quid extra this colour so buy it really is gorgeous the pics do no justice, the sat nav is great BTW, but the DAB in my car is kinda s**t... think its going to have to go back it just won't pick up any DAB stations bar a couple. You will LOVE this as a DD, so so much fun and the handling is no joke... Every single piece of dissapointment from not being able to stretch to the GT4 has dissolved between this and z4m. Perfect duo.
Edit, it seems I'm the one thats s**t not the DAB, its working perfectly after me actually reading the manual.
ok , heres my review on the thing... finally had some decent seat time and stepped up the pace alittle.
The engine is excellent, really excellent, revs and nice Tq too, you get a spike to around 210hp then it tapers off to 180, they seem to dyno at around 195hp on 99. The engine feels strong but does run out of puff at the top end, it really need a map, and some freer flowing pipework, it makes a lovely noise however for a 4 pot 1.6, almost sounds like its synthesised? it may be??? not sure but it sounds great. You can hear the turbo whistling and blowing off excess boost with the window down, it just feels nice, with 230hp this thing will be no joke at all. As it stands now its quick but feels suffocated and could really use some breathing work. My friend was in tow in his carola T-sport 1.8 200hp and i could easily hold him off, the Tq just pulling the car away, the car FEELs like it takes ages to come off the revs however like its got alot inertia in the flywheel setup..
The handling is simply wonderful. The suspension which initially felt hard isn't actually harsh at all, its very firm but definitely comfortable with it, with cruise set this thing feels nearly as comfy as my cayenne on the motorway, effortless and quiet. when pushing on, the steering weights up nicely but their isn't much coming through the helm at all, direction changes feel excellent like theirs hardly any slack in the car at all, FORD have nailed the handling on this thing, places where i take my time and be cautious with the big powerful Z4 i can just flat out take in this thing, compressions, dips, just deals with them nicely. Sport mode allows ALOT of slip, i managed to get the back end to step out quite some way today which felt unnatural to me in a FWD car as i found myself not knowing how to react like i instinctively do in a RWD car. The hole suspension side of this car just feels right on the money, i wouldn't lower the car or mess with aftermarket dampers it feels so well developed. Well done ford.
Transmission isn't my fave part of the car tbh, it had a nice short throw but it just feels so light and flimsy like you going to snap it off, i NEEDS some more weight to the shift, combined with a VERY light clutch pedal i find myself jerking at low speed low gear changes, particularly moving off. I like these 2 components to have some weight behind them, the z4m nails the weight of the controls and the general "feel" of the main controls. I will add a short shift kit later on to see if that adds some much needed weight to the shift mechanism as they usually do.
Looks are subjective but i love it, looks really aggressive and like a hot hatch should. The interior is just a joy to be in for me. The seats may not look as nice as the z4m but hold in a way the z4 sport seat simple can't even dream of, that includes the porsche sport seats either for that matter. The sat nav based on TOM tom software was a shock to me, probably one of the better NAV units I've used, teamed with cruise, DAB and excellent bluetooth connectively ( sound is so clear, I'm holding 30 min conversations with total clarity ) its just a nice place to be, the steering wheel feels fantastic in your hands too, cruise control doesn't tell you your speed however and just a green set light comes on, it would be nice to see the speed number come up so you know exactly where you are, the fat red needles can be difficult to read. My car is loaded to the hilt, it took me 4 different dealers and lots of time to find (with a few arguments along the way and fall thru deals) and I'm glad i waited. Service intervals seem to be 2 yearly btw and servicing is dirt cheap, like 150 quid cheap. The headlights seem really poor to me, they look nice with the fancy DRL but at night the non HID lights are kinda pants, a car of this day i expect better head lights.
The car seems REALLY hard on the front tyres, every single ST i viewed with under 7k miles the tyres were nearly worn the 3mm mark and some of them had new tyres already, mine seem to be around the 4.5mm mark and wearing fast so i will be rotating the wheels around within the next 2 weeks, ill then be moving to goodyear F1 a2 all round. Onto the wheels, look great and piss easy to clean too, i had one off this morning to put some tap over the loose wheel weights and it was heavy for a 17" rim, its nice to see a smaller sized wheel on a car these days however, they look just right.
The brakes look tiny, even under 17" wheels :| :| :| lol, they are strong however but after a relatively short blast i could smell them as i came to a stop, with some light smoke coming from the wheel spokes, New pads, braided lines and better fluid will be added at some point in the future, did i say how puny they look, lol. Still with the STYLE pack ford painted them bright Red with dark wheels and matching tinted windows for the full boy racer effect, hahahah!
Build quality feels good at the moment but their is the mother of all rattles in my car which appears to be coming from the rear passenger side, its so bad I'm going to strip the panel out this evening and pad it out, even my 4 year old asked me whats that noise dad? lmao... not good, doors close with a think and nice weight, seats look nice and feel better but that heavily sculpted bolster could REALLY take pounding if you don't watch your entry, I'm being careful but i still catch it and i fear its going to look rather s**t rather quickly, fords aren't know for their durability.
Overall for a cheap ISH hot hatch this car nets you some big thrills for 14-16k ( used 1 year old with under 10k miles, 1 owner), list price on my car was insane, so buy used unless on a lease deal and wait for the ST3 spec level or a st2 specced to ST3+ levels. I have ALWAYS been a mega hot hatch fan but haven't owned one since my clio cup like 10+ years ago, i can honestly say my household won't be without one , i can only imagine what the uber hatches must feel like , if anyone is considering one of these buy and you will be blown away but its performance, and talent, without doubt a 5 star car! i expected to like the car but i totally love it. If any z4 owners want to keep their z4 for a summer weekend toy and want something that won't cost the earth but still really perform well, this is perfect. Perfect stable mate to my z4m. Only problem is, now i want a mega hatch, like the new RS3 or golf R... the price point is insane on these however.
Mod wise ill be doing.
Braided lines, fluid and pads.
mountune Quick shift kit.
mountune or revo stage 1/2 215/ 230HP respectively.
mountune intercooler, hard-pipes , induction pipe + induction kit.
Miltek turbo back 2.5" exhaust with 200 CELL cat.
Spare wheel ( doesn't come with one but has the wheel well) Essential on a Daily driver imo.
Cobb gearbox stabilier mount.
Climbeair window delflectors.
The engine is excellent, really excellent, revs and nice Tq too, you get a spike to around 210hp then it tapers off to 180, they seem to dyno at around 195hp on 99. The engine feels strong but does run out of puff at the top end, it really need a map, and some freer flowing pipework, it makes a lovely noise however for a 4 pot 1.6, almost sounds like its synthesised? it may be??? not sure but it sounds great. You can hear the turbo whistling and blowing off excess boost with the window down, it just feels nice, with 230hp this thing will be no joke at all. As it stands now its quick but feels suffocated and could really use some breathing work. My friend was in tow in his carola T-sport 1.8 200hp and i could easily hold him off, the Tq just pulling the car away, the car FEELs like it takes ages to come off the revs however like its got alot inertia in the flywheel setup..
The handling is simply wonderful. The suspension which initially felt hard isn't actually harsh at all, its very firm but definitely comfortable with it, with cruise set this thing feels nearly as comfy as my cayenne on the motorway, effortless and quiet. when pushing on, the steering weights up nicely but their isn't much coming through the helm at all, direction changes feel excellent like theirs hardly any slack in the car at all, FORD have nailed the handling on this thing, places where i take my time and be cautious with the big powerful Z4 i can just flat out take in this thing, compressions, dips, just deals with them nicely. Sport mode allows ALOT of slip, i managed to get the back end to step out quite some way today which felt unnatural to me in a FWD car as i found myself not knowing how to react like i instinctively do in a RWD car. The hole suspension side of this car just feels right on the money, i wouldn't lower the car or mess with aftermarket dampers it feels so well developed. Well done ford.
Transmission isn't my fave part of the car tbh, it had a nice short throw but it just feels so light and flimsy like you going to snap it off, i NEEDS some more weight to the shift, combined with a VERY light clutch pedal i find myself jerking at low speed low gear changes, particularly moving off. I like these 2 components to have some weight behind them, the z4m nails the weight of the controls and the general "feel" of the main controls. I will add a short shift kit later on to see if that adds some much needed weight to the shift mechanism as they usually do.
Looks are subjective but i love it, looks really aggressive and like a hot hatch should. The interior is just a joy to be in for me. The seats may not look as nice as the z4m but hold in a way the z4 sport seat simple can't even dream of, that includes the porsche sport seats either for that matter. The sat nav based on TOM tom software was a shock to me, probably one of the better NAV units I've used, teamed with cruise, DAB and excellent bluetooth connectively ( sound is so clear, I'm holding 30 min conversations with total clarity ) its just a nice place to be, the steering wheel feels fantastic in your hands too, cruise control doesn't tell you your speed however and just a green set light comes on, it would be nice to see the speed number come up so you know exactly where you are, the fat red needles can be difficult to read. My car is loaded to the hilt, it took me 4 different dealers and lots of time to find (with a few arguments along the way and fall thru deals) and I'm glad i waited. Service intervals seem to be 2 yearly btw and servicing is dirt cheap, like 150 quid cheap. The headlights seem really poor to me, they look nice with the fancy DRL but at night the non HID lights are kinda pants, a car of this day i expect better head lights.
The car seems REALLY hard on the front tyres, every single ST i viewed with under 7k miles the tyres were nearly worn the 3mm mark and some of them had new tyres already, mine seem to be around the 4.5mm mark and wearing fast so i will be rotating the wheels around within the next 2 weeks, ill then be moving to goodyear F1 a2 all round. Onto the wheels, look great and piss easy to clean too, i had one off this morning to put some tap over the loose wheel weights and it was heavy for a 17" rim, its nice to see a smaller sized wheel on a car these days however, they look just right.
The brakes look tiny, even under 17" wheels :| :| :| lol, they are strong however but after a relatively short blast i could smell them as i came to a stop, with some light smoke coming from the wheel spokes, New pads, braided lines and better fluid will be added at some point in the future, did i say how puny they look, lol. Still with the STYLE pack ford painted them bright Red with dark wheels and matching tinted windows for the full boy racer effect, hahahah!
Build quality feels good at the moment but their is the mother of all rattles in my car which appears to be coming from the rear passenger side, its so bad I'm going to strip the panel out this evening and pad it out, even my 4 year old asked me whats that noise dad? lmao... not good, doors close with a think and nice weight, seats look nice and feel better but that heavily sculpted bolster could REALLY take pounding if you don't watch your entry, I'm being careful but i still catch it and i fear its going to look rather s**t rather quickly, fords aren't know for their durability.
Overall for a cheap ISH hot hatch this car nets you some big thrills for 14-16k ( used 1 year old with under 10k miles, 1 owner), list price on my car was insane, so buy used unless on a lease deal and wait for the ST3 spec level or a st2 specced to ST3+ levels. I have ALWAYS been a mega hot hatch fan but haven't owned one since my clio cup like 10+ years ago, i can honestly say my household won't be without one , i can only imagine what the uber hatches must feel like , if anyone is considering one of these buy and you will be blown away but its performance, and talent, without doubt a 5 star car! i expected to like the car but i totally love it. If any z4 owners want to keep their z4 for a summer weekend toy and want something that won't cost the earth but still really perform well, this is perfect. Perfect stable mate to my z4m. Only problem is, now i want a mega hatch, like the new RS3 or golf R... the price point is insane on these however.
Mod wise ill be doing.
Braided lines, fluid and pads.
mountune Quick shift kit.
mountune or revo stage 1/2 215/ 230HP respectively.
mountune intercooler, hard-pipes , induction pipe + induction kit.
Miltek turbo back 2.5" exhaust with 200 CELL cat.
Spare wheel ( doesn't come with one but has the wheel well) Essential on a Daily driver imo.
Cobb gearbox stabilier mount.
Climbeair window delflectors.
Thats a much more in depth review than I could ever be bothered to type :lol:
You pretty much sum up my thoughts on 90% of things.
Transmission does indeed feel very light and i've crunched it twice so far by using too much force (too used to the z4). I'm also worried about the seat bolsters being damaged as they are very chunky.
Cruise control doesn't bother me. It works exactly as my z4 does which is ideal and not confusing.
Headlights are amazing compared to z4 halogens :lol:
Best part for me is leaving it in 6th at low revs and overtaking people. It'a so easy compared to wringing the z4's neck.
It's supposed to be better as a drivers car than the Focus ST and a mate who has both has confirmed this.
You pretty much sum up my thoughts on 90% of things.
Transmission does indeed feel very light and i've crunched it twice so far by using too much force (too used to the z4). I'm also worried about the seat bolsters being damaged as they are very chunky.
Cruise control doesn't bother me. It works exactly as my z4 does which is ideal and not confusing.
Headlights are amazing compared to z4 halogens :lol:
Best part for me is leaving it in 6th at low revs and overtaking people. It'a so easy compared to wringing the z4's neck.
It's supposed to be better as a drivers car than the Focus ST and a mate who has both has confirmed this.
this car is THAT good.....its totally shocked me anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtk57OVgjU
anyone thats thinking about one of these for an everyday spotter please see above review. The lease deals on them was also excellent at one point, not sure how they are now but its a good option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtk57OVgjU
anyone thats thinking about one of these for an everyday spotter please see above review. The lease deals on them was also excellent at one point, not sure how they are now but its a good option.
ben g said:
not REALLy that much as I drive to work, swap into company wagon drive that all day then back home in the ST.... The seats are probably some of the best seats I've sat in in a car, period, they are incredible... Your right the car is just fun in a way I'm simply not used too, it makes the z4m seem grumpy and serious and ito have a car the basically comes in at 1088kg is insane, the difference that weight makes... wow.... To be honest i haven't been more happy with a purchase for a long time, i don't regret it one bit and it was a bit of an impulse thing after realising the GT4 was too much of a stretch. I find the suspension a revelation, nice and firm but body control to die for and its really comfortable , but then i think I've gotten used to mega hard riding cars, but to me this feels the perfect balance. I love the car and can't wait to mountune it up, and they are releasing a MT235 pack..... can you imagine this car with 230+hp.... it will be nuts. It needs a Diff however. As soon as warranty is out ill be doing some little mods here and there. Did i mention the seats??? lol....
I've done around 500 miles id say and I'm loving this is a daily snotter, its PERFECT!! LOVE it.