[Joel 81]

With the 2024 EV mandate decent finance deals are all going to be on EV’s now I think. 7.9% APR and that list make it one very expensive Focus, for the truly committed to getting a blue 4.5 or hoping to have some scarcity value in years to come only. 7.9% is expensive though, especially as it was 0 up until the New Year.

 

[macca50years]

The 300 that are getting built are all in azure blue with track pack and driver's assistance pack and will come in at about £43500 Regards Jason What I quoted yesterday UK.

 

[the radman]

i noticed that the 0% finance no longer existed for the st also, basically if you want cheap finance then you have to buy electric ,thats another way to get rid of performance cars 😢

 

[richyharrison04]

I was going to go GR Yaris or Jag F type, couldn't justify over 40k for a Focus, despite the obvious lure of being "the last"

 

[Pitsparky]

Ford have messed up big style with their failed electric fantasy. They now have to sell 15% electric cars too which will be almost impossible, so a tactic it seems is to sell very few at extortionate prices to us mugs ( not a chance!) to compensate for the huge electric losses and help keep the number of ICE cars down. Trouble is they need us to go along with it, are we that gullible? I would like to think and hope not.

 

[ST Jon]

Source? Sorry, not questioning you at all mate just curious.

Couldn't agree more on the price and finance rate though - especially going into the Financial year end.....

Info arrived at Ford dealerships late last week and my salesman confirmed them when I rang him, interesting that he said to me "I cant see many people wanting these at "THAT" price" as bizarrely it falls under the Ford Performance bracket in terms of Ford APR and thus an interest rate of 7.9% which is frankly shocking and disgusting compared to the competitors out there.
I really wanted this car with my 2 year pcp coming to an end in the next 12 months but to go from 0% to 7.9% would be sheer stupidity in the current economical climate...so it looks like I'll be either keeping my current car or looking to other manufacturers offering better finance terms

i suppose that will be the final edition then,use up some left over black track pack parts and goodbye focus itll be a rare car for sure,i cant see them selling loads especially as they will all incur the £580 odd tax each yr

I think we all knew it would be over £40k but £42800 with optional extras on top - parking pack, HUD etc makes this a £44k car - that kinda money you are entering A35, Civiv Type-R, BMW M-Sport land. I would have paid £44k for one last RS in the blink of an eye but not a second fiddle bridesmaid "Ford Performance" offering...albeit with the £580 a year VED attached to it.

 

[the radman]

yep its a whole lot of cash for an st,i wouldnt want one anyway in that colour as its very similar to nitrous blue and i sold my nitrous rs after 6 months as i got fed up with the colour

 

[Pitsparky]

Info arrived at Ford dealerships late last week and my salesman confirmed them when I rang him, interesting that he said to me "I cant see many people wanting these at "THAT" price" as bizarrely it falls under the Ford Performance bracket in terms of Ford APR and thus an interest rate of 7.9% which is frankly shocking and disgusting compared to the competitors out there.
I really wanted this car with my 2 year pcp coming to an end in the next 12 months but to go from 0% to 7.9% would be sheer stupidity in the current economical climate...so it looks like I'll be either keeping my current car or looking to other manufacturers offering better finance terms

You can get a Cupra Leon on 0% finance and imho it is a better car in almost every respect apart from the engine, the VAG 888 is brilliant and more powerful, but I do like the 2.3. Feels very premium too compared to a Focus. Thats where Im at.

 

[ST Jon]

yep its a whole lot of cash for an st,i wouldnt want one anyway in that colour as its very similar to nitrous blue and i sold my nitrous rs after 6 months as i got fed up with the colour

Thats the point isnt it - the whole Azura blue has already appeared on the MK4 Edition, the Fiesta ST Edition and now on the Puma ST so its not like its an "exclusive"...as I said elsewhere - it would actually work out more economical to stay with what I have and get it wrapped if I really wanted that colour but as @Pitsparky alludes to - there are alot of rivals in that price brakcet that are infinitely better cars so I guess it may be time to look away from the Blue Oval.

I did drop a cheeky email to the Ford CEO to congratulate her on the decision to take the last performance Ford well and truly out out of the reach of "normal working class" owners who have propped the brand up for years - I'm not expecting a reply

 

[Prolixus]

I think we all knew it would be over £40k but £42800 with optional extras on top - parking pack, HUD etc makes this a £44k car - that kinda money you are entering A35, Civiv Type-R, BMW M-Sport land. I would have paid £44k for one last RS in the blink of an eye but not a second fiddle bridesmaid "Ford Performance" offering...albeit with the £580 a year VED attached to it.

The Type-R unfortunately much more expensive, though....in local [HU] prices, you can get this last ST Edition just under 40k GBP whereas at FL5 Type-R which is hands down the king of the class is more like 53KGBP. So not in the same bracket. Another limitation some folks may face is the manual transmission. Good luck finding an A35 with manual. BMW M3 with manual is the king overall but who can afford that

GR Yaris is cool, 4 wheel drive even, but you need to wait like 10 months to the car and it is much less practical than a Focus ST. If I would be buying a second playcar only for myself, then I would definitely go for the GR Yaris, but since I need a daily driver that was always out of consideration for me.

Nowadays if you want to have a practical hothatch, new or relatively new model, with manual transmission under 40k, you have the ST and the i30N. Those are the options.

In my case, the only reason I have not pulled the trigger on the ST yet is because I am curious to see what updates the i30n second facelift bring, although based on spy photos the outside changes will be minimal at best.

 

[Joel 81]

All Cupra’s with the 2 litre engine are more than £40k so are still expensive cars. Even with 0% finance the lowest spec 2 litre with no paint option would be £80 per month more than I’m going to be paying, assuming the same deposit, discount and terms.

Likewise the i30, expensive finance options. Of the facelift ever comes out, and it’s ruinous on fuel.

Not a great selection out there now I’m afraid, Ford well and truly missing a trick by ramping prices and finance costs up.

 

[Joel 81]

£80 per month plus the £50 per month additional tax…

 

[Burgess Hill Rob]

new price list, not sure if its already been linked but has the ST edition showing now
Focus UK Customer Pricelist - Effective 16th February 2024.xlsb (ford.co.uk)

 

[the radman]

i see e call is an option, whatever it is

 

[Joel 81]

Damned, missed that 🤣 By the looks of it that ought to be standard not a £100 extra.

Doesn’t look like the prices have actually increased, somewhat miraculously. Also clarifies they all get rev matching and track mode.

 

[the radman]

i just checked the e call and its just the emergency call set up. looks like they have even started to charge extra for that now ,i thought it was standard fit for safety reasons,obviously not,so if your upside down in a ditch i bet you will be thinking i knew i should have forked out that extra £100

 

[Prolixus]

You can get a Cupra Leon on 0% finance and imho it is a better car in almost every respect apart from the engine, the VAG 888 is brilliant and more powerful, but I do like the 2.3. Feels very premium too compared to a Focus. Thats where Im at.

I can tell you those infotainment systems in the new VAG cars nowadays are utter garbage. A buggy anti-intuitive mess of a system. And the Cupra Formentor I was able to try out for a short trip was crackling and squeaking on the upper dash when you touched or squeezed it in certain places. Even the roof light is touch sensitive with the will of its own, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. It was driving me crazy.

It definitely felt more premium compared to my 2019 MK4 company car focus, when you hopped in. More flashy even with the interior LEDs an all. But that initial impression faded quickly when you started actually using the car and spent more time with it. Don't get my wrong, I am not saying the Focus is more premium afterall, because certainly not. I am just saying that at third glance I did not felt that leap in terms of interior quality.

new price list, not sure if its already been linked but has the ST edition showing now
Focus UK Customer Pricelist - Effective 16th February 2024.xlsb (ford.co.uk)

Ah, so it is indeed "official" now. The folks here in Ford Hungary jumped the gun a bit with their pricelist, but the dealer I talked to was telling me the truth afterall.

Too bad Ford dont care about ICE cars anymore and they cannot be bothered to do some investment into the final send-off of their Focus ST or even the Focus as a whole for that matter. They need the money to counterbalance the losses on their not so well going electric car business...

Sorry for the b*tch*ng but I am just really hate where the car industry is headed.

 

[richyharrison04]

I wouldn't write off a change in the PCP deal.

Whilst it's unlikely, it's not unheard of for Ford, amongst others, to reduce rates and bring big incentives to the table as the financial year-end draws near, or they get to the end of a quarter.

However, it's still over 40k and the obvious additional tax hardly sweetens the deal! 🤯🥴

 

[ST Jon]

I wouldn't write off a change in the PCP deal.

Whilst it's unlikely, it's not unheard of for Ford, amongst others, to reduce rates and bring big incentives to the table as the financial year-end draws near, or they get to the end of a quarter.

However, it's still over 40k and the obvious additional tax hardly sweetens the deal! 🤯🥴

It would have to be a substantial change from the absurd 7.9% they are currently citing.

I have never paid anywhere near that ever. My RS was on 3.9% in 2017, the BMW135i was only 2.9% in 2021 and my current ST is on a 0% 2 year pcp.

 

[Pitsparky]

I can tell you those infotainment systems in the new VAG cars nowadays are utter garbage. A buggy anti-intuitive mess of a system. And the Cupra Formentor I was able to try out for a short trip was crackling and squeaking on the upper dash when you touched or squeezed it in certain places. Even the roof light is touch sensitive with the will of its own, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. It was driving me crazy.

It definitely felt more premium compared to my 2019 MK4 company car focus, when you hopped in. More flashy even with the interior LEDs an all. But that initial impression faded quickly when you started actually using the car and spent more time with it. Don't get my wrong, I am not saying the Focus is more premium afterall, because certainly not. I am just saying that at third glance I did not felt that leap in terms of interior quality.


Ah, so it is indeed "official" now. The folks here in Ford Hungary jumped the gun a bit with their pricelist, but the dealer I talked to was telling me the truth afterall.

Too bad Ford dont care about ICE cars anymore and they cannot be bothered to do some investment into the final send-off of their Focus ST or even the Focus as a whole for that matter. They need the money to counterbalance the losses on their not so well going electric car business...

Sorry for the b*tch*ng but I am just really hate where the car industry is headed.

I can assure you the infotainment system in the Cupra (now) works perfectly and absolutely glitch free, they fixed it and speeded it up a few versions ago now. My Leon 310 is faultless and excellent to use. Like the rest of the car tbh build quality and materials used are significantly up on the Focus. It felt a good step up getting in it along with the refinement, comfort, ride quality, grip and the performance!