Ecoboost vs Focus St: Pure Fun Factor

[zen25]

What do you guys think about 2015 GTI vs Ecoboost.

I was planing to get 2015 GTI until I saw Mustang 6G.
I am in dilemma now. Though I can wait till end of year.

GTI though it has 210-220bhp, it is vastly underrated like other German cars.
It easily beats Focus ST in power/handling and has much better interiors.

The cars might be apples to oranges.
But the most important factor, $$ is similar - that is all it matters.

GTI is not cheap, base one costs 25K. Autobahn nearly 30K.
Tight supplies are keeping prices just a little under invoice.

GTI has tons of mods available, nice cabin, light weight, easy to drive, tight turning circle, perfect city car, great MPGs, FWD easy to be in snow.

Mustang has the looks, hatches are utilitarian and can look sporty but cannot compete with Mustang's road presence at least to American public.

Anyone looked at the new GTI, your thoughts on comparing with Ecoboost.

Sponsored

 

[Swoope]

What do you guys think about 2015 GTI vs Ecoboost.

I was planing to get 2015 GTI until I saw Mustang 6G.
I am in dilemma now. Though I can wait till end of year.

GTI though it has 210-220bhp, it is vastly underrated like other German cars.
It easily beats Focus ST in power/handling and has much better interiors.

The cars might be apples to oranges.
But the most important factor, $$ is similar - that is all it matters.

GTI is not cheap, base one costs 25K. Autobahn nearly 30K.
Tight supplies are keeping prices just a little under invoice.

GTI has tons of mods available, nice cabin, light weight, easy to drive, tight turning circle, perfect city car, great MPGs, FWD easy to be in snow.

Mustang has the looks, hatches are utilitarian and can look sporty but cannot compete with Mustang's road presence at least to American public.

Anyone looked at the new GTI, your thoughts on comparing with Ecoboost.

have a 12 gti. and a rx8 track car.

i am trying to decide between the ecoboost and the golf R. and getting rid of both of the cars i own now.

i have driven the mk7 gti.. very, very nice..

but as no one has driven the ecoboost, it is impossible to give a fact based opinion.

i will say if you are going to get the mk7 gti i would wait for the pp if you plan on track or autox.

you can pm me if you need any help.

beers

 

[Trackaholic]

have a 12 gti. and a rx8 track car.

i am trying to decide between the ecoboost and the golf R. and getting rid of both of the cars i own now.

i have driven the mk7 gti.. very, very nice..

but as no one has driven the ecoboost, it is impossible to give a fact based opinion.

i will say if you are going to get the mk7 gti i would wait for the pp if you plan on track or autox.

you can pm me if you need any help.

beers

Much like Swoope, I have a 2010 GTI and a 350Z that gets used mostly for the track and a little for the street.

I find the GTI to be a very good car, but a little boring. The interior has a nice layout, but is definitely very cheap feeling in certain places (side mirror adjustment knob, overhead lights, glove box all come to mind). The exhaust note is a bit weak, there is lag when you don't wind it up, the throttle response is pretty bad, the steering is just slow enough that it forces me to shuffle steer on my primary commute route. I do love that I get just a bit over 33 MPG with some pretty brisk driving though.

The Z on the other hand has excellent throttle response, great steering feel, good exhaust note, and is very fun to drive. However with two kids I don't get to drive it much any more, it has 180,000 miles and with all the track mods is becoming a bit more harsh than I'd like (I'm not getting any younger).

I am hoping the Mustang can replace both cars (although I'm waiting for the SVT version). Maybe I'll end up keeping the GTI, just for the great fuel economy and practicality (although the Mustang Ecoboost is rated higher than my GTI, so with a careful driving style I think the mileage in the 'stang will be very good).

-T

 

[Swoope]

Much like Swoope, I have a 2010 GTI and a 350Z that gets used mostly for the track and a little for the street.

I find the GTI to be a very good car, but a little boring. The interior has a nice layout, but is definitely very cheap feeling in certain places (side mirror adjustment knob, overhead lights, glove box all come to mind). The exhaust note is a bit weak, there is lag when you don't wind it up, the throttle response is pretty bad, the steering is just slow enough that it forces me to shuffle steer on my primary commute route. I do love that I get just a bit over 33 MPG with some pretty brisk driving though.

The Z on the other hand has excellent throttle response, great steering feel, good exhaust note, and is very fun to drive. However with two kids I don't get to drive it much any more, it has 180,000 miles and with all the track mods is becoming a bit more harsh than I'd like (I'm not getting any younger).

I am hoping the Mustang can replace both cars (although I'm waiting for the SVT version). Maybe I'll end up keeping the GTI, just for the great fuel economy and practicality (although the Mustang Ecoboost is rated higher than my GTI, so with a careful driving style I think the mileage in the 'stang will be very good).

-T

interesting,

we have never had the gti compare. i really think the gti is about perfect, dont have a turbo lag issue, but i have a dsg. (and i know what heatsoak is and know i live in fla.) interior is great, actually like it better than the layout in the mk7. as to steering, and exhaust meh, it is a daily driver. i dont drive hard on the street, it has all season tires on it. i have passed that point in life. and have a better option..

i think some of this is due to the two years difference between cars, but i am jealous of your mpg! i think i have hit 30mpg once. that is measured.. but i dont do long interstate drives often..

beers

 

[Spartan]

I don't think you can compare the GTI to the Mustang...it's really Apples and Oranges. I'd compare it to the FoST like others have said.

I think the Mustang EB is going to be in it's own new little category till others catch up...it's really something different and superior to the BRZ, Genesis Coupe, Scion FRS, etc in almost every way.

 

[Swoope]

I don't think you can compare the GTI to the Mustang...it's really Apples and Oranges. I'd compare it to the FoST like others have said.

I think the Mustang EB is going to be in it's own new little category till others catch up...it's really something different and superior to the BRZ, Genesis Coupe, Scion FRS, etc in almost every way.

i think you could add the golf R to that group. though it is not rwd.

and the mustang eb is going to be way above the rwd group you mention..

beers

 

[zen25]

I have never been to track, so this would be my DD. Live close to work so MPGs are not a big concern but higher numbers would be nice. I have bad roads and nothing twisty to enjoy RWD benefits, just boring packed interstates and city streets.
Turning radius does concern me the most. I am not considering PP in Mustang, to save a few feet and if it make EB more nimble.

Golf R - I think this would be faster than EB stock.
Similar to WRX STI, this and R would beat EB in performance, might even give GT run for the money. But R and STI are close to 40K, even FoRS would be around that mark.
EB is much cheaper.

IF FoST and EB are Apples and Apples, then GTI is too.
GTI is like a much better well rounded FoST.

The new GTI is in a completely different world. I was looking at FoST, until I saw the new GTI in my town, I was bowled over. The interiors, steering wheel, high quality buttons, GTI sets the bar among hatches and beats many BMW cockpits.

 

[Wildcat]

How can anyone vote for something for which there are precisely zero real world driving impressions yet?

 

[Sterling Archer]

Golf R - I think this would be faster than EB stock.
Similar to WRX STI, this and R would beat EB in performance, might even give GT run for the money. But R and STI are close to 40K, even FoRS would be around that mark.
EB is much cheaper.

IF FoST and EB are Apples and Apples, then GTI is too.
GTI is like a much better well rounded FoST.

The new GTI is in a completely different world. I was looking at FoST, until I saw the new GTI in my town, I was bowled over. The interiors, steering wheel, high quality buttons, GTI sets the bar among hatches and beats many BMW cockpits.

I think you seriously overrate the GTI. Any dyno would show you that it actually has less power than the Focus ST, if anything it gets murdered on the torque side. Here's proof that even the Golf R has less torque if you don't believe me:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/8951279448_f81aef366c_b.jpg
http://www.focusst.org/forum/attach...shed-calibration-development-vehicle-fst1.jpg

There's really no reason to believe it'll be faster than the EB, let alone touch GT territory. If you want to bring up that a hot hatch is more fun, then sure we can discuss that, but frankly you seem to really overvalue German products. As for interior quality, I wouldn't knock the focus until you've sat in one. Perhaps it doesn't offer the plaid cloth option, but you may be pleasantly surprised at how well laid out everything is. It's designed for pure functionality.

 

[petraman]

When I drove the Mk7 GTI, I was thoroughly disappointed... The driving experience was inferior in every way when compared to the ST. I was pretty much prepared to buy one until I drove it. It didn't handle as sharply, it had a lot more turbo lag and it was just a lot slower. I thought of it more as a Fiesta ST competitor than a Focus ST competitor. The interior was nice, though, but I'm not willing to compromise much on the driving experience.

 

[Sterling Archer]

When I drove the Mk7 GTI, I was thoroughly disappointed... The driving experience was inferior in every way when compared to the ST. I was pretty much prepared to buy one until I drove it. It didn't handle as sharply, it had a lot more turbo lag and it was just a lot slower. I thought of it more as a Fiesta ST competitor than a Focus ST competitor. The interior was nice, though, but I'm not willing to compromise much on the driving experience.

That's more in line with what I've heard, but I haven't tried a GTI myself to verify.

 

[Spartan]

i think you could add the golf R to that group. though it is not rwd.

and the mustang eb is going to be way above the rwd group you mention..

beers

AGREED way above like I said it's in a class of its own

 

[Stroked84]

AGREED way above like I said it's in a class of its own

Let's reel it in a little bit here. I'm excited about the EB as much as the next guy, but what class are we talking about here? A sub-$30K, turbocharged, RWD, 13-second-quarter/low-5-second-to-60's car? If so, that's fair, but if you open it up a bit there are plenty of cars in the EB's performance and price point. I'm not seeing anything overly game changing with the EB... yet.

How can anyone vote for something for which there are precisely zero real world driving impressions yet?

Do you really need to drive the Mustang EB in order to know if it's more fun to drive than a FWD Focus? I'm sorry, but if there is any competition in the Fun To Drive department Ford really dropped the ball.

 

[w3rkn]

I have never been to track, so this would be my DD. Live close to work so MPGs are not a big concern but higher numbers would be nice. I have bad roads and nothing twisty to enjoy RWD benefits, just boring packed interstates and city streets.
Turning radius does concern me the most. I am not considering PP in Mustang, to save a few feet and if it make EB more nimble.

Golf R - I think this would be faster than EB stock.
Similar to WRX STI, this and R would beat EB in performance, might even give GT run for the money. But R and STI are close to 40K, even FoRS would be around that mark.
EB is much cheaper.

IF FoST and EB are Apples and Apples, then GTI is too.
GTI is like a much better well rounded FoST.

The new GTI is in a completely different world. I was looking at FoST, until I saw the new GTI in my town, I was bowled over. The interiors, steering wheel, high quality buttons, GTI sets the bar among hatches and beats many BMW cockpits.

Well my friend, expect to be WOW'd by the new turbo-stang...


Because you are talking a completely different class of development, when you step up to the s550 chassis...! Additionally, the 2.3 already outputs more than any of those paltry cars you've mentioned (+40ft-lbs more than the Golf R).

Not to mention, the s550's longer wheelbase will give for a much smoother, mature ride...

 

[zen25]

Well my friend, expect to be WOW'd by the new turbo-stang...

That's good to hear, especially coming from someone who has 135i in his profile. I am more excited to see what the aftermarket can do with this engine.

Eagerly waiting for official test reviews.

Sponsored