Back on the old forum, I posted a topic mourning the passing of my old car and celebrating the new.

Well, we got bored of the fiesta, bless it's little 1600cc socks, and traded it in. The fester was fun, smart and a reliable lovely little motor, but we (I) wanted something a little bit bigger, more grown up (and most of all more powerful)





Poor pics I know, but I took them out the windows of the bathroom and kitchen earlier

I'm pretty stoked with this new car, there are the obvious things but also a number of nice, small touches abound. Very pleased.
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Focus ST isn't it? Very nice!
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Yep, it's the ST-3 so we got some fancy leather recaros too.

Quite a step up going from a 1.6 to a 2.5 litre turbo - it's got a fair amount of poke and I haven't had a chance to really give it a good working over yet. Initial impressions are very positive
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Very nice. I've never been a big Ford fan, but they have always managed to create some nice cars when they use the ST badge.

A couple of years ago when I used to need to travel quite a long distance regularly for design related meetings my company always used to hire me a Mondeo ST24 and that was a very nice car to drive. Shifted too. I also drove a few more standard Mondeos and they were dire. Just shows how much they put into the ST designs.

There is one negative aspect to now owning a 2.5 litre car though JT. Later this year the car tax for all cars with a 2.5 or larger engine is increasing and come next year you will have to pay £400 in car tax!
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I was under the impression that the £400 would only be for the very highest C02 emissions. The ST puts out 224 g/km, and the cut off for the next band (and the very highest) is 225g. So very, very close. This year it was £205. Next year will probably increase (as it almost always does) but I'm doubtful it'll be quite that much - at least I hope not anyway
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From what I understood it was definitely all cars with an engine size of 2.5 litres or more. That still isn't going to stop me buy a 3 litre V6 407 Coupe GT though.
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There does seem to be a lot of confusion (and possibly lies/misinformation) flying round.

Personally, I think fcuk it, get the car (like you say) and then worry about it

Also, from what i gather the economy of this car is, at best, a bit poor. But then I like it so much, that right now I'm not bothered.
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I remember reading a review about the ST-3 and they had a lot of positive things to say about it. The only negatives were the ride comfort with the suspension being slightly too stiff for the length of the chassis, and the other was fuel economy. But you don't buy a car like that and drive slowly. You buy it to have fun!
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Exactly, although it's hardly an put-an-out performance car, it's got a bit to be played with. Ideal for day to day use and to have a bit of fun when the roads are clear.

Not really had time to really get fully used to it, but the suspension did feel pretty firm but not too much - we were on decent roads though so it felt nice, can't comment more than that though, also the seats are quite comfy so that could mask it a bit.

But then compared to the Puma, which is very hard and speed bump-scrapingly low, the ST should be a bit more comfy. I generally like cars with a fairly hard ride (ooh er) - my first car was a Micra which felt at times horribly like a boat as it bounced and leaned round corners on it's high, soft springs.
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