Leon Fr or Focus ST?

[yellonvi-R]

I get 15mpg! But if running costs scare you then you shouldn't be looking at this type of car.

Where you from if your close to brum ill gladly take you out in my st3.

 

[yellonvi-R]

No rust on my bad boy

Goodnight

 

[joestella28]

Thanks very much for the offer but I'm all the way over in Norwich. I'm not that bothered about running costs to be honest, luckily my commute is minimal, no more than 8k a year!

I think I'll probably end up going down the Leon route unless an ST comes up at a very good price.

Thanks for all the input.

Joe

 

[gmc1991]

Or if you want finance get one these does 44mpg driving eco but fast as hell of you floor it

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mikey-D]

A bit late however I have owned a pre facelift (57 reg) Focus ST-2 and I now have a Cupra K1.

Firstly, the ST is a very solid and well put together car, it feels different to the K1 but the build quality is definitely up there. The noise is epic and the ride is smooth as ass cheeks.

Completely different cars though, ST has great low down torque and will eat miles for fun. It's a nice place to sit and the Recaro's will keep you snug for motorway miles.

Id say the K1 (standard on standard) is a good bit quicker and certainly better in the twists. I'd reckon a stage 1 TFSI FR would shake off an ST with no issues.

Test drive both, only way to make your mind up mate! Enjoy

 

[reece1591]

on price wise you can pick up leons cheap.

i got my 2008 leon fr 2.0 tfsi dsg bog standard 1 previous owner who never even used sport or paddles had 86k on it motorway miles (owner did 100 miles a day on commute to work) has FULL SEAT service history cambelt done twice dsg fluid twice etc. and a massive book of recipts well looked after car and i got it for £5500 had to drive 600 mile round trip to go and collect it but thats because i wanted dsg and didnt mind driving that far for a bargain lol

 

[Jamie87]

I've had 2 2006 st3s great cars sound amazing but they don't handle very well standard, I used to get a lot of back end movement when really pushing it, Leon handles a lot better even the old cupra r which I have now handles better,so I'd say go for Leon but if your budget allows get a golf gti! My opinion best hot hatch you can buy

 

[mk2 cupra r]

Speaking as a ford mechanic, take the seat

The 5 pot, sounding good or not, is flawed, quite Big power is capapeble out of the box, but the block liners break quite randomly (new engine time) being standard or modded
The focus also feels heavy and unwilling to drive compared to the more light feel of the seat
The focus is also a ford, resulting in rust quite alot of places; doors, fenders, under skirts, rear wings were the bumper meets up

slightly off topic but i agree with this guy on the rust issue
we had a focus tdci ghia back in 2004 i think it was 6months old and bang rust was showing since that day nobody in our family would touch them ever again

 

[Dopedpanda]

slightly off topic but i agree with this guy on the rust issue
we had a focus tdci ghia back in 2004 i think it was 6months old and bang rust was showing since that day nobody in our family would touch them ever again

Our bodyshop is pouring through more rust issues covered on warrenty (and that's a poor warrenty mind you, they only pay to sand it down and spray it over with spray paint if its not visible with doors and boot shut) than any other thing you could imagine....

 

[AndyG_TSi]

Have to laugh at the Ford haters on the thread.

I've owned 4 Fords previously;

2 x Fiesta 1.25 Zetec's, MK4 & MK5
a 1.7 VVT Puma
a Focus MK1 Facelift.

Ford, did have an issue once upon a time with build quality - the last Escort was slated and rightly so, however, build quality issues are a thing of the past.

The Focus is a very well put together car, my parents have a Focus 1.6 Ecoboost Titanuim on a 61 plate - the latest shape and its a pleasure to be in.
The plastics on the dash and door trims are way better than that used in the Leon, in fact the Focus feels more 'upmarket' than my Leon.
The doors close with a very satisfying thud, no rattles whatsoever, very quiet on the road and handles well.

I came over to SEAT as after having 4 Fords, I wanted something different and I've always liked the LEON.

would I have another Ford? - of course I would!


to the OP, what about a MK1 Focus RS?

 

[Dopedpanda]

Have to laugh at the Ford haters on the thread.

I've owned 4 Fords previously;

2 x Fiesta 1.25 Zetec's, MK4 & MK5
a 1.7 VVT Puma
a Focus MK1 Facelift.

Ford, did have an issue once upon a time with build quality - the last Escort was slated and rightly so, however, build quality issues are a thing of the past.

The Focus is a very well put together car, my parents have a Focus 1.6 Ecoboost Titanuim on a 61 plate - the latest shape and its a pleasure to be in.
The plastics on the dash and door trims are way better than that used in the Leon, in fact the Focus feels more 'upmarket' than my Leon.
The doors close with a very satisfying thud, no rattles whatsoever, very quiet on the road and handles well.

I came over to SEAT as after having 4 Fords, I wanted something different and I've always likes the LEON.

would I have another Ford? - of course I would!

Its nothing about hating a brand, but I must admit, im loosing fate in them, I moved from a Fiesta ST to a leon FR 211 as opposed to a very cheap 2008 focus st (don´t have the ST-1, ST-2 and ST-3 ratings here in Denmark) we had taken into trade I could have bought out. I have seen quite a few blocks gone bad (most standard as we are a official ford place, so modified cars don´t come rolling around afraid of loosing their warrenty) yes you can do the block mod, But should I really have to? I can´t get it made in Denmark, so I would have to do it myself, not a big deal, but to such a new car? no way.
I don´t hear a lot of seats rusting? Do you guys? But I see it with ford everyday, no denying that the quality and feel of it is great, and they drive nicely around, but all that gets ruined (at least for me) when you just know that the bad metal and sealing is lurking somewhere around the car and its just a matter of time. No treatment, underwax, polishing, sealant, wax and so on is stopping it from happening. Its just down to how ford bends the metal.

 

[yellonvi-R]

Such a new car? Focus st mk2 starts 55 plate.....8 years old now.

Rust is down to how its looked after and treated to be honest. I had an x plate old mk3 xr3 that was mint 1 owner from new was looked after had not one cm of rust because it was looked after. Stuck it next to another one and you would think it was brand new.

Thing is today people dont look after stuff because if finance and things like that. They just think well ill trade it in in 3 years so whats it matter sod polishing it.

Broke 2002 plate audi tts and 51 plate ibizas with more rust in them than an old xr3 lol yet my x reg ibiza had no rust because it was looked after. Yes these are older cars but still my point is look after them they wont rust. No rust on my 07 plate st3.

 

[AndyG_TSi]

Such a new car? Focus st mk2 starts 55 plate.....8 years old now.

Rust is down to how its looked after and treated to be honest. I had an x plate old mk3 xr3 that was mint 1 owner from new was looked after had not one cm of rust because it was looked after. Stuck it next to another one and you would think it was brand new.

Thing is today people dont look after stuff because if finance and things like that. They just think well ill trade it in in 3 years so whats it matter sod polishing it.

Broke 2002 plate audi tts and 51 plate ibizas with more rust in them than an old xr3 lol yet my x reg ibiza had no rust because it was looked after. Yes these are older cars but still my point is look after them they wont rust. No rust on my 07 plate st3.

Exactly mate,

Look after a car and you have very little trouble.

like you, I've looked after every car I've owned and I've had hardly any trouble.

Someone who only takes a car through mechanical petrol station car washes once every blue moon, or lets 5 Albanians wash it with grit infested wash mitts. Lets all the winter weather get to it and generally doesn't give a shite cant have any excuses when the car starts to prematurely rust or gets hefty repair bills through a lack of routine maintenance.

 

[mrcoyote]

Just to add my 2p into the pot. I went from a 2006 ST2 with Bluefin, Forge IC and Milltek catback to a standard 2009 facelift Leon FR and even though the Leon had less power it felt a bit more solid on the road. I missed a few things from the Focus, namely the sound, heated windscreen and the Recaros, but overall I just liked the Leon more. It's difficult to explain, but the feeling just wasn't there with the Focus. As said previously, the ST was more of a rapid cruzer with an insane drink problem rather than something you'd be able to throw into corners and things.

 

[Danny_FR]

I think the mistake most people make is comparing the Focus ST to the Leon Cupra, not a fair comparison IMO. The ST isn't the quickest or best handling Focus whereas the Cupra is. At least if you're going to compare the two, make it the RS against the Cupra. Like I said, the ST is just a fast, comfortable cruiser and NOT a hot hatch.

As an overall package out of the box, the ST is far better than the FR for a car you would drive every day.

The rust issue is down to the rear bumper sitting too close to the arches and rubbing the paint off. This is easily sorted by putting a thin, single sided sticky foam between the two. Luckily for me, this issue was sorted on the facelift.

AFAIK there hasn't been a confirmed case of a cracked liner on the facelift either but I might have missed threads about these.

You will never get to hear positive comments about Ford on a SEAT forum from all members, some people are too brand proud to admit some cars are better in some way than their own. I'll happily admit that the FR handles better when driven hard than the ST but that's the only thing it's got going for it IMO. How often would you drive your car on the limit?

 

[Dopedpanda]

Such a new car? Focus st mk2 starts 55 plate.....8 years old now.

Rust is down to how its looked after and treated to be honest. I had an x plate old mk3 xr3 that was mint 1 owner from new was looked after had not one cm of rust because it was looked after. Stuck it next to another one and you would think it was brand new.

Thing is today people dont look after stuff because if finance and things like that. They just think well ill trade it in in 3 years so whats it matter sod polishing it.

Broke 2002 plate audi tts and 51 plate ibizas with more rust in them than an old xr3 lol yet my x reg ibiza had no rust because it was looked after. Yes these are older cars but still my point is look after them they wont rust. No rust on my 07 plate st3.

Same age as the leon you mean? The focus i was looking at was same age as my leon, december 2009, but hey, if you feel that 3-4 years Down the Line you should suffer from rust, be my guest. You Can Care so much for a car as you wish, Denmark is the most expensive country to buy and run a car in the world, and people that buy a car like the st is gonna take Care of it Big time (heated garrages and so on) but if you Think you Can handle problems coming from the inside, then you are either so dedicered that you tear Down the car each wash or your having to High thoughts about the ford.

I have thrown my 2 cents into it, i work with ford everyday and i know exactly what they are and what not. Great cars to drive, Real nightmare when it comes to rust. Just look through st-oc and rs-oc. A Tiny example is the rear sprinkler hose in the boot. How well thought was it that people needed a respray after 2 years cause it robbing. Went 3 years from report to action, a Tiny plastic tape piece. It just says all about ford; we are working on it.

 

[Danny_FR]

Same age as the leon you mean? The focus i was looking at was same age as my leon, december 2009, but hey, if you feel that 3-4 years Down the Line you should suffer from rust, be my guest. You Can Care so much for a car as you wish, Denmark is the most expensive country to buy and run a car in the world, and people that buy a car like the st is gonna take Care of it Big time (heated garrages and so on) but if you Think you Can handle problems coming from the inside, then you are either so dedicered that you tear Down the car each wash or your having to High thoughts about the ford.

I have thrown my 2 cents into it, i work with ford everyday and i know exactly what they are and what not. Great cars to drive, Real nightmare when it comes to rust. Just look through st-oc and rs-oc. A Tiny example is the rear sprinkler hose in the boot. How well thought was it that people needed a respray after 2 years cause it robbing. Went 3 years from report to action, a Tiny plastic tape piece. It just says all about ford; we are working on it.

Pot, kettle, black. Look in the Mk1 Leon section and see how many threads you can find about water leaks through the scuttle panel, doors and rear washer jet pipes coming off. I traded my Mk1 Leon in for the FST and suffered from all of those leaks. I dare say SEAT have had more than their fair share of leaks!

 

[AndyG_TSi]

Danny,

you can also add the MK2 section into that with the leaking scuttle and the rear wash/wipe pipe coming off, leaking water into the boot

Leon's that eat drop links for fun......

Leons have their problems, but they're so much fun

 

[yellonvi-R]

Same age as the leon you mean? The focus i was looking at was same age as my leon, december 2009, but hey, if you feel that 3-4 years Down the Line you should suffer from rust, be my guest. You Can Care so much for a car as you wish, Denmark is the most expensive country to buy and run a car in the world, and people that buy a car like the st is gonna take Care of it Big time (heated garrages and so on) but if you Think you Can handle problems coming from the inside, then you are either so dedicered that you tear Down the car each wash or your having to High thoughts about the ford.

I have thrown my 2 cents into it, i work with ford everyday and i know exactly what they are and what not. Great cars to drive, Real nightmare when it comes to rust. Just look through st-oc and rs-oc. A Tiny example is the rear sprinkler hose in the boot. How well thought was it that people needed a respray after 2 years cause it robbing. Went 3 years from report to action, a Tiny plastic tape piece. It just says all about ford; we are working on it.

Mate I've got an st3 on an 07 plate and it has not one spot of rust onit. I'm talking from what I know, I've had fords all my life I've had every ford you can think of yet they've all been looked after and not rust buckets. Just talking from my experience. There's arguments for each side of the coin that's the same for every single car forsale on the market today fact. I'm a member on st-oc aswell so I do see what your saying but half the time the issues are because the car is a shitter and was before they bought it.

 

[pagey198]

To the OP, I have a fr tfsi and live in cromer if you want me to take you out? Fun car to drive and be nice to meet up with other "enthusiasts" as dont seem to be too many around here...