Different front bumper, wings, bonnet, headlights, fog lights, hatch, rear lights and rear bumper for starters... Revised front suspension, revised rear suspension, tweaked electronic power steering, revised centre console including cubby hole behind the gearstick with fast charge USB socket, different ECU, inclusion of start/stop for a few more.

The FL came out at the start of the year (slightly before in fact) so if you've ordered new then a FL is what you will get

Here is my Spirit Blue PFL next to my Tangerine Scream FL...

 

Different front bumper, wings, bonnet, headlights, fog lights, hatch, rear lights and rear bumper for starters... Revised front suspension, revised rear suspension, tweaked electronic power steering, revised centre console including cubby hole behind the gearstick with fast charge USB socket, different ECU, inclusion of start/stop for a few more.

The FL came out at the start of the year (slightly before in fact) so if you've ordered new then a FL is what you will get

Here is my Spirit Blue PFL next to my Tangerine Scream FL...

Old and new.jpg

Great info thanks, and its good to see a picture one next to the other.

 

Hi Sean, looked at your posts before, bet you wish spirit blue had been available with FL ST, your 2 cars TS and SB, come on wich is best colour.

 

Hi Sean, looked at your posts before, bet you wish spirit blue had been available with FL ST, your 2 cars TS and SB, come on wich is best colour.

I'm loving my TS

 

I'm loving my TS

What are you averaging economy wise Sean?

 

What are you averaging economy wise Sean?

I don't look at that very much, last time I did it was around about 29.

 

I don't look at that very much, last time I did it was around about 29.

That's one of my reservations about the car to be honest as my MP215 is relatively economical at 40 mpg..

I wouldn't mind mid 30s but some of the guys here are saying mid 20s which harks back to my RS days.

 

That's one of my reservations about the car to be honest as my MP215 is relatively economical at 40 mpg..

I wouldn't mind mid 30s but some of the guys here are saying mid 20s which harks back to my RS days.

Depends on how you drive it, I've had over 40 out of it but that was just boring. The ST isn't really a car you should be buying if you're worried fuel economy in my opinion.

 

I must admit that the FL looks so much better than the PFL model

 

That's one of my reservations about the car to be honest as my MP215 is relatively economical at 40 mpg..

I wouldn't mind mid 30s but some of the guys here are saying mid 20s which harks back to my RS days.

I'd love to get mid 20s! Thanks to my short commute and general lack of miles it's generally low 20s.

 

Depends on how you drive it, I've had over 40 out of it but that was just boring. The ST isn't really a car you should be buying if you're worried fuel economy in my opinion.

Not sure I totally agree with you on that point.........you can have loads of fun in my MP215 and still get reasonable fuel consumption. :yep:

And I'm not talking about driving like Miss Daisy either......

 

Not sure I totally agree with you on that point.........you can have loads of fun in my MP215 and still get reasonable fuel consumption. :yep:

And I'm not talking about driving like Miss Daisy either......

You're comparing a Fiesta to a Focus, 1.6 to 2.0, apples and oranges.

Sean is right though, the fuel economy figures CAN be downright depressing, so don't buy one unless you're prepared to pay for fuel. I'm not dismissing fuel economy as a consideration, far from it, but the fact is it's not overly economical if you drive it the way it was intended to be driven. And, as he says, in order to get really decent economy you have to drive it very carefully and what's the point in that?! :wacko:

 

Not sure I totally agree with you on that point.........you can have loads of fun in my MP215 and still get reasonable fuel consumption. :yep:

And I'm not talking about driving like Miss Daisy either......

I was referring to the bigger engined, more powerful, heavier Focus rather than the Fiesta.

 

You're comparing a Fiesta to a Focus, 1.6 to 2.0, apples and oranges.

Sean is right though, the fuel economy figures CAN be downright depressing, so don't buy one unless you're prepared to pay for fuel. I'm not dismissing fuel economy as a consideration, far from it, but the fact is it's not overly economical if you drive it the way it was intended to be driven. And, as he says, in order to get really decent economy you have to drive it very carefully and what's the point in that?! :wacko:

I don't mind paying for the fuel....that's not the consideration; all I am trying to do is to get an indication of what the real time economy is.

I love pretty much everything about the new ST Focus but I do have to be a little careful with the folding stuff as it will cost me quite a bit more every month if I change.

I was referring to the bigger engined, more powerful, heavier Focus rather than the Fiesta.

I know you were......I was merely making the comparison that's all.

 

I don't mind paying for the fuel....that's not the consideration; all I am trying to do is to get an indication of what the real time economy is.

I love pretty much everything about the new ST Focus but I do have to be a little careful with the folding stuff as it will cost me quite a bit more every month if I change.

You seem to contradict yourself in your post. Paying for fuel isnt a consideration, but you have to be careful with money. So which is it?

Sean's post sums it up. If you are limited in your disposable income (whatever maybe the cause of that, child/house/marriage etc) ,then the ST is probably not the car for you. Used ST's often have multiple owners as people buy them and find them expensive to run/service and then get rid. Probably loosing even more money in the process.

You dont buy a Focus ST for economy. If you did, you would end up sorely disappointed. Unless you went for the oil burner. Which then would be slower than your current car.

My post may sound harsh, but that is the reality.

 

You seem to contradict yourself in your post. Paying for fuel isnt a consideration, but you have to be careful with money. So which is it?

Sean's post sums it up. If you are limited in your disposable income (whatever maybe the cause of that, child/house/marriage etc) ,then the ST is probably not the car for you. Used ST's often have multiple owners as people buy them and find them expensive to run/service and then get rid. Probably loosing even more money in the process.

You dont buy a Focus ST for economy. If you did, you would end up sorely disappointed. Unless you went for the oil burner. Which then would be slower than your current car.

My post may sound harsh, but that is the reality.

Quite right, you don't.

Just the same as I didn't buy my RS for economy either but I still wanted to know how fuel efficient that was.

Do you own a Focus ST?

I can't tell from your post.......anyway, no matter, that's academical really.

If I want to buy one I will; I'm not really limited in my disposable income but I am careful!!

 

I've got the pfl Estate with the mp275 kit and it's 30-32 mpg, that's all types of driving from touring in France to nipping to the shops and everything in between.

 

To resurrect this... I'm in the market for a used ST and trying to decide whether to get a PFL now or give it a few months until the used prices of facelift models drop into budget.

So for those who have had both - seems like quite a few of you - is the facelift better and if so, how? I'm mainly interested in how it drives and the quality of the interior.

 

The FL is much more planted due to the suspension revisions, that alone should sway you. The only real difference with the interior is Sync 2 and the 8" touch screen. The FL also looks a lot better I think.

 

I have bought FST for economy. Focus takes only 26 mpg, service, Road Tax, insurance are cheap. I save lots of money every day comparing to my previous Mégane mk3 RS.

 

To resurrect this... I'm in the market for a used ST and trying to decide whether to get a PFL now or give it a few months until the used prices of facelift models drop into budget.

So for those who have had both - seems like quite a few of you - is the facelift better and if so, how? I'm mainly interested in how it drives and the quality of the interior.

if i were you i would go for PFL,,just took delivery of FL a couple of weeks ago and in my opinion the steering feels a lot quicker and sharper on the PFL model,,the later one feels a bit dead or lack of feel if you get what i,m on about plus it appears to have more turns from lock to lock which gives the impression it has a better turning circle than the PFL,dont think it has,,,8" touch scren is ok but really shows finger prints,, more of a prod screen than touch....for me the FL is not as nice a drive as the PFL,,,feels like its been dumbed down a bit,,....just sayin........

 

if i were you i would go for PFL,,just took delivery of FL a couple of weeks ago and in my opinion the steering feels a lot quicker and sharper on the PFL model,,the later one feels a bit dead or lack of feel if you get what i,m on about plus it appears to have more turns from lock to lock which gives the impression it has a better turning circle than the PFL,dont think it has,,,8" touch scren is ok but really shows finger prints,, more of a prod screen than touch....for me the FL is not as nice a drive as the PFL,,,feels like its been dumbed down a bit,,....just sayin........

Which is the exact opposite of what all the reviews and motor magazines say. Id just opt for the one you like the look of and get the best deal 👍

 

I'd be interested in getting a test drive in one of these. I wouldn't ever own one, but interested to see how it stacks up against a Golf R.

I've fast come to the realisation that the I5 engine is not the right engine for the job. It's an engine designed for large execs and that's where it should have stayed.

The way the boost comes in is too sluggish. In a Golf R it's more brutal with an immediacy that mk2 owners can only dream of. So I'd be interested to see how a mk3 stacks up as it's a ground up design by ford, just like the VW.

 

if i were you i would go for PFL,,just took delivery of FL a couple of weeks ago and in my opinion the steering feels a lot quicker and sharper on the PFL model,,the later one feels a bit dead or lack of feel if you get what i,m on about plus it appears to have more turns from lock to lock which gives the impression it has a better turning circle than the PFL,dont think it has,,,8" touch scren is ok but really shows finger prints,, more of a prod screen than touch....for me the FL is not as nice a drive as the PFL,,,feels like its been dumbed down a bit,,....just sayin........

As said completely the opposite opinion of just about every review and I would suspect the majority of FL owners. The first thing I noticed driving my FL home was how much more confident it was, less twitchy, more planted, a much better driving experience.

 

As said completely the opposite opinion of just about every review and I would suspect the majority of FL owners. The first thing I noticed driving my FL home was how much more confident it was, less twitchy, more planted, a much better driving experience.

Point taken on that,,maybe i like the edgyness of the PFL,,,bit riding fast motorbikes,which i still do,,keeps you thinking a bit more......in my opinion all cars are becoming to easy to drive these days,,it takes the fun away...