It’s possible I missed it after 40 years of the Audi Quattro and 30 years of the Honda NSX, but amid all the automotive anniversaries that have been celebrated in 2020, I don’t recall too much bunting strewing the streets in celebration of the fact that this is the year in which the Ford Escort XR3 hit its fifth decade.
Perhaps that’s not terribly surprising, but we should pause even just for a moment to consider that it has now been four decades since Ford’s fast family hatchback has been running up against what is now eight successive generations of Volkswagen Golf GTI. I wonder how many of those encounters it has actually won? Few if any of the early skirmishes, I would warrant, and probably fewer still after the Golf GTI rediscovered its mojo for its fifth generation in 2004.
So why is this contest between the brand-new Golf GTI and the still fresh Focus ST going to be any different? It all looks very familiar on paper. As ever, the Ford has the statistical lead, although we know from experience that, in the real world, that might not count for much at all. There’s a chunk more power and torque for the Focus (34bhp and 35lb ft respectively) for not much additional weight, leading to a 0.6sec gap opening up from rest to 62mph, despite these cars’ traction-limited front-drive configurations.
The Focus is cheaper, too, although by less than a grand in the showroom, so not as much as in the past. Then again, it comes positively groaning under the weight of all its standard equipment. Put 19in rims, adaptive damping, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a reversing camera on the Golf and the gap widens considerably.
The first surprise once you’re on board is that the interior of this Golf has lost some of the class of its predecessor. Of course, it’s now all ultra-high-definition screens, in line with the modern vogue, and it’s full of clever stuff like ventilation controls labelled ‘cool my feet’ and a pulsating engine start/stop button, while you can choose for your interior to be lit in any of 30 different colours. I would trade it all for some better-quality plastics and simple ergonomics that don’t require you to dive through menus to find what you need.
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The author says the Focus
The author says the Focus interior is "grim", it looks fine to me, and certainly easier to operate without the need to concentrate, which the Golf one demands.
I used to like the 'chunky' appearance of the Golf, but this one seems strangely elongated. The low slung look of the Focus is far more appealing, especially as our roads are littered with so many upright, high riding vehicles.
It would be
the Focus for me, purely based on the fact the Golf is using a highly tuned 2.0litre engine, whilst the Focus is using a larger less stressed 2.3litre, then thow in £600 for the Mountune M330 kit and you have a Focus with more power (330 bhp, 515nm torque, 0-60 in 5.2secs ) than the forthcoming Golf R, oh dear..
Citytiger wrote:
All very well but the Golf R will no doubt put its power down better. And like the 128ti, it seems like the dark horse here.
Peugeot 308 Gti
A more interesting alternative to Focus St is Peugeot 308 GTI. It has more power than the Golf and a lighter engine in the front, and it's cheaper as well. Next year the new model will come along, on a new, modern platform.