What car after your Mk5?

[Karl_mac_]

My short list for my next car is:

Golf mk6 r
Golf mk7 gti
Ford focus st mk3
Ford fiesta st ( the new one)
Ford focus rs mk2

ATM I'm leaning towards the rs just fancying something more in your face next time and that cracking 5 pot noise. Love that these people who are wanna be snobs in their BMW would look down there noses at you at the lights when your in a rs then you can take off like a hooligan and live up to your rep   

I've just come from a stage 3 Focus ST3. Running around 330hp/450lbft. Its a massive backwards step to go from a VW to one of those. The ST is decent but the build quality and reliability is genuinely appalling, especially when you start tuning.

The torque from the 5 pot is immense, as is the noise. Mine encourage me to drive like a hooligan, constantly. They don't like been driven slowly. 

What do you have now? If it's something like a gti or Cupra can you compare your ford to your car now from a driving point of view. Stock for stock if you can also. the reason I'm fancying a change is ford seem to always come out on top with the hot versions for being a more fun/drivers car to drive. Thanks

I've got a gti dsg now, i had to swap as our first child is due in may.

Differences? Well, the golf (despite being 3 years older and having an extra 20k miles) is a much nicer place to sit. Not as pretty but everything is screwed down properly and doesn't rattle.

The ST and RS are utterly dominated by the engine. I'll happily admit that when the car was driven at 9/10s you'll struggle to find much to keep up. I know someone running sub 8 mins BTG at the 'Ring. Throw an I/C, air intake, map and downpipe and you have 300hp, but its the torque I miss this most. Any gear, foot to floor, gone. Its amazing.

Bad points? Build quality. Shocking, shocking build quality, which rarely gets picked up in mag tests. They just don't age well. Common problems are a bit scary too.

- cracked liners
- split cv boots
- chocolate driveshafts
- slipping clutch at anything above 260hp
- recirc valve failures
- oil diaphragm
- boost solenoid
- bushes. Oh lord the std bushes.

If your handy with a spanner or can find a car so cheap you don't mind sinking money into then go for it. I'll be looking for another as a track toy next year.

As for the RS, unless you have a fetish for plastic tat, avoid. Its not 'that' much faster than the ST, and the price they change hands for is in M3/RS4/C63 territory, and its not a patch on any of them.

[Stig_gti]

I had a focus st3 before I had the mk5 gti.
Stiock I would say there pretty even in performance . Build quality the golf wins and fun to drive the focus wins more involving to drive. My focus was running stage 2  full tbe intake bigger intercooler. And around 290bhp

[GTI5]

mk6 Golf GTD best of both worlds

+ 1

+2

Switched to the GTD last September and love it. Not as nice noise wise and a little slower off the blocks but pulls like a train through all the mid gears, plus the DSG is great (used to have manual GTI).

Terrible for condensation, especially on front screen - mines in next week to investigate. That and seeing the circles from the robot arms when condensation on screen

O/T - Have you tried cleaning the inside and outside of your windshield? The outside might have some contaminants on it. My condensation reduced when I cleaned the interior screen with alcohol and polished inside/out afterwards.

The MK5 was the same for condensation.

Unfortunately so, cleaned with cheap window cleaner and expensive autoglym stuff and makes no difference. It's all on the inside. My mk5 didn't have any such issues but mk6 is awful.

Fingers crossed VW can work it out. I have heard there is a special cleaner that they have to clean the glass that should have been used at the factory after installation so we shall see. I have VW customer care in the loop too to see how it goes.

Interested in what they suggest. Is your condensation worse in frosty conditions?

[brookesb32]

Not really no, car had a little frost on it this morning but the inside was fine. Oddly is seems that coming back to it after leaving all day at about 5.5 degrees it is bad

We shall see what develops

[mortygttdi]

The mk3 and mk2 focus cannot be compared they're different cars, i believe Chris has put down mk3 ST and having run one for 6 month upto now i can certainly say its a definite step forward from my previous mk5 golf, build quality and fun to drive. Not saying all golf mk5s are the same just mine had a tendency to creak and rattle and in general not well put together?

I spent alot of time and money getting it to a standard that was good for me, but in the end it was the engine that let go! I would have another mk5 but i enjoy the focus it is well put together, well specd and fast to boot.

Although there is no better sound track in a focus like the 5 pot the ecoboost is Imo a better engine.

[mortygttdi]

Not really no, car had a little frost on it this morning but the inside was fine. Oddly is seems that coming back to it after leaving all day at about 5.5 degrees it is bad

We shall see what develops

I had this problem with my Focus, ended up they had to change the screen due to a fault in the manufacturing process, sweet has now. I don't get any condensation unless the a/c is not on when i start the engine, but i used to get the outline of the square sticker from the factory and the circles? They tried the cleaner which was ordered from the factory but it didn't work.

[Pikey Motorsports]

My short list for my next car is:

Golf mk6 r
Golf mk7 gti
Ford focus st mk3
Ford fiesta st ( the new one)
Ford focus rs mk2

ATM I'm leaning towards the rs just fancying something more in your face next time and that cracking 5 pot noise. Love that these people who are wanna be snobs in their BMW would look down there noses at you at the lights when your in a rs then you can take off like a hooligan and live up to your rep   

I had an mk2 rs before my golf ed30 with alot of mods the rs was great fun and a very good car! It was fast but was a track car in standard road trim there very heavy and a k04 gti will give a 400+ rs a very hard time! But as someone stated a rs isn't much faster then an st is stupid unless the st is running a rs engine setup and a bunch of chassis mods!

The rs is one of those cars you have to own yeah, but a golf r is better IMO!

[vag12]

For me the Audi A7 3.0 Bi TDI, 313 BHP with 4 wheel drive, 0-60 in 5.3 secs!!

[brookesb32]

Not really no, car had a little frost on it this morning but the inside was fine. Oddly is seems that coming back to it after leaving all day at about 5.5 degrees it is bad

We shall see what develops

I had this problem with my Focus, ended up they had to change the screen due to a fault in the manufacturing process, sweet has now. I don't get any condensation unless the a/c is not on when i start the engine, but i used to get the outline of the square sticker from the factory and the circles? They tried the cleaner which was ordered from the factory but it didn't work.

Thanks for that Morty very useful info. That is exactly what  I get!

OP - sorry slightly off topic

[Scottymon]

Got a mate with a Mk3 1.6D company car, it gets an absolute hammering, has already done a load of miles and the cabin is squeak free, build seems to be an improvement over Mk5.... But for me there too much plastic upfront, I know modern cars are getting more and more like this, but its not something I like.

[mortygttdi]

Got a mate with a Mk3 1.6D company car, it gets an absolute hammering, has already done a load of miles and the cabin is squeak free, build seems to be an improvement over Mk5.... But for me there too much plastic upfront, I know modern cars are getting more and more like this, but its not something I like.

The dash is like an ocean of plastic i cant even get to the front to clean the windscreen properly, got to get the wife to do it but an excellent car. May chop it in in July though seen a few ED35 for decent money and really like them.