Ford Focus SVT Review! The Grandaddy Focus ST
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- Опубликовано: 10 ноя 2021
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The Ford Focus SVT is the reason why the Terminator Cobra was so incredible. It was quick enough to outrun the original 03-04 Cobra, and in turn Ford put the legendary Eaton supercharger on it to keep up. This car is an oddball in Ford's history, and I absolutely love it. Right up there with the SVT Contour, the SVT Focus is a strange nostalgic car of simpler times.
#Ford #svt #terminator #focus #focusrs #focusst
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![Rebuilding An Abandoned 2003 Ford Focus SVT "SEMA Show Car" in 3 Days! [BUDGET TRANSFORMATION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PL0FkXFKKyY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Rebuilding An Abandoned 2003 Ford Focus SVT "SEMA Show Car" in 3 Days! [BUDGET TRANSFORMATION]](/img/tr.png)
I never understood how people don’t see the value of cars like this. Gearing, weight, suspension etc. Are all things that can make a car fun, speed isn’t everything. I have 2013 gt and will still never stop driving my 06 si.
🧅
@@lcameeno1 an onion? I don’t get it.
@@larrylampshade1734 lol his last name
Didn't have a Toyota, Honda logo on it
🧅 true
Also let it be known the SVT had a Cosworth developed cylinder head. There was 2 packages, your standard SVT or the European Appearnce Package which came factory with HID's, Recaro seats, and multispoke 17" wheels.
I'd love to let you drive my ecoboost swapped Roush Focus once the project wraps up!
Focus ST was a yamaha developed head, much like the SHO but in 4 cylinder zetec form i believe, unless the focus SVT was different from our ST
The US SVT is a 2.0 Zetec with a Cosworth developed drivetrain, only offered from 2002-2004.
In 2005 an "ST" trim was released with a naturally aspirated duratec 2.3l, part of mzr family
The Focus didn't get a boosted engine until 2013 when the mk3 Focus ST was released.
@@koltonsofar no the mk1 was an st170 which stood for 170hp with variable intake timing, many articles at the time quote cosworth having "a hand" in the focus svt/st170 development but they had nothing to do with it, the zetec engine is an update to the old cvh/pinto lump that had it's head fettled with by yamaha then they wanted more power so tuned the car a little, put.bigger brakes and firmer suspension and released the st/svt
Then they wanted even more power and sold a rare focus in europe with a boosted 2.0 zetec, the original Focus RS
Word of advice, dont use a car magazine as evidence of a claim... many magazines in the early 2000's were full of bullshit, hell fast ford of the era even quoted the svt/st170 as having a duratec 2.3 mazda lump
@@zackraiden5875 The ST170 does not exist in the US market. Thats an across the pond car, the SVT is the US market version of the ST170.
I'm quoting what I know, as I've owned over a handful of MK1 Foci over the years, including an SVT. Our SVT is a 2.0 Zetec with Cosworth developed drivetrain, and came with bigger brakes than a standard Focus, beefed up suspension, a getrag 6 speed, and some cool interior bits.
I'm stating facts of US market cars as that's where I'm from and where this car is being reviewed by ThatDudeInBlue.
@@koltonsofar and i'm telling you, the drivetrain was not touched by cosworth at all, cosworth switched from vehicle overhauls to performance parts in the late 90's
An ST is an SVT, there is no difference mate, the zetec engines were developed with yamaha heads, the transmission is a getrag 285 6 speed, the brakes are special one offs made by ford to handle the extra power hence why you need svt/st knuckles to fit svt/st brakes to a normal focus, the difference between the normal 2.0 Zetec and the ST170/SVT engine is the addition of variable valve timing, larger valves, more aggressive cams, the fuel system is one off as i believe normal focuses use a return line, ST/SVT uses a returnless system.
The other difference is SVT's have a large bodykit to accomodate your crash tests our ST170 does not.
I'm not here to argue over spilt milk but the cars are genuinley the same, the engine is the same (just has variant tunings and intakes/exhaust combos) the transmission is the same, 6 speed unit from GETRAG, the suspension is lowered and firmer shocks, literally nothing has been touched by cosworth... even the most powerful focus mk1 (the focus RS) was not touched by cosworth.
The only cosworth focus was a 2.3 duratec test mule which was being used to design performance bolt ons such as intake and exhaust gubbins, so i repeat, an SVT/ST is not a cosworth vehicle and believe me, cosworth would not throw their name plate onto an N/A 170hp 2.0 fwd car... if you google Ford Sierra cosworth and Cosworth V6 you will see why the focus would have been a black mark on their name.
I owned one of these for 2.5 years and just sold it. Amazing car, miss it dearly. Everyone that ever drove it changed their opinion on it real quick.
There’s a guy in my area that drives one of these! He always gets a wave from me!
What area you live?
I own a svt focus but no one in my area knows what it is😂
@@lethalnate9461 Summerville SC
AyeeebI have a ts face lift!! The best color
The owner of this SVTF is reputable. Met him back when I had mine! Cool seeing Scott’s car on this channel!
Haha I appreciate it! I’ve really been working on fixing the car up and tracking it. It’s so much fun. Where did I meet you???
@@bwapbwaaap3771 Red SVT! You sold me the euro grill and spoiler! Out there in Camden. I drive a MK3.5 now, the red SVT got me hooked on Foci!
@@tastlessgarage oh snap yeah man hahaha! I live in McBee now 🤘🏻
@@bwapbwaaap3771 how do you like the svt I wanted to get one just because i liked them but I wanted to get more power out of it but couldnt find supporting mods for it
@@naratouzumaki my bad I just saw this. I love the svtf. I take mine to smaller tracks and it loves it and it’s a great car in tight technical courses like autocross and short courses. It definitely can leave you wanting some more torque but they are a blast when driving them like this. And pretty solid cars on the road too.
Definitely needy cars and require a good bit of TLC
The SVT Focus is the very first vehicle that I ever drove thru the Tail of the Dragon here in Tennessee. I’ll never forget that day.
My Dad had a 2003 Euro package SVT in competition orange. That car was an absolute riot to drive!
Maybe its the car SDK racing do auto cross with ( they are on RUclips)
Best ford color ever !
I have 2 SVT focus, both 2 and 4 door. Have had my 4 door hatchback for over 10 years.
Glad to see these get some recognition! I picked up an 02 in Sonic Blue back in April. Its turned into my daily commuter because its so damn fun to drive. Sadly winter is approaching and I cant bring myself to drive my $2500 commuter in the winter because the body is actually rust free - a rarity in the midwest. Until next year...
A good friend has a supercharged SVT focus that hes been getting tuned and ready to rip, that thing is quick!
I am more or less in the same boat! Love the thing! 2003 in black
That’s awesome I loveeeeee sonic blue. Definitely preserve it man!
Have two st170’s off the road but still daily another mk1 auto. Definitely great cars to drive!
One of my friends had an SVT focus. I never expected that car to be as quick as it was just stock. After he did an intake, exhaust, and headers it was considerable quicker.
The SVT is amazing! I had an 04 Sonic blue ZX5 SVT for awhile. They handle like freaking go karts! I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the SVT foci!
I’ve owned an ST170 for just over a year now and it’s been brilliant! Very reliable, superb handling and surprisingly fast on twisty country lanes.
High5!
Twisty country road is Focus territory, especially with that cool multilink rear suspension.
seeing the SVTF getting mainstream recognition is awesome :)
Love the first generation Focus. I've owned an SVT for a few years along with a 2018 ST to daily drive and I still pick the SVT over the ST for a backroad drive. The SVT's engine is so smooth with its powerband and the short gearing is icing on the cake. Hear a lot of people referring to them as "FWD Miatas" of all things lol. Some suspension mods and a few bolt-ons and they can be autocross/backroad weapons.
Now you NEED to review Gears and Gasoline's turbo SVT swapped Ford ZX2
yess id love to see this, is it still running tho?
its also svt swapped
I had a manual ZX2, it was fun, but not great, at all.
@@DanielJopQ they're fun cars
@@soupsfarm1825 yup, he just took out the seats to put them in the civic
I had an 02 zx3 that I engine and trans swapped a svt drivetrain into. The zx3 was about 300 lbs lighter than the svt and I further lightened it. That little hatch on the highway was unreal for a n/a set up . From 60 to 130 was the best. A quick downshift from 6th to 3rd and you could out run 70% of the things on the road.
Had an ST170 for nearly 8 years, super practical, nice hydraulic steer and loved a good hustle down the twisties, decent natmo engine note. Bus like drivers seat, short on power and front end turn in, but you could easily provoke lift off oversteer on demand. Great car!
well said, very nimble car
A buddy of mine owns two SVT's. One he drives as a daily and the other is currently being built. He's spared almost no expense on a fully built engine, big turbo, and eventually wants to go E85. That car will undoubtedly be a weapon when it's finished.
They had Jackson Racing superchargers that really woke these up, and a few companies made bolt on turbo kits that made over 300hp and they could run 12s in the quarter mile.
Even with some bolt ONS and a good tune, the car was way faster. This car was the Pinnacle of hot compact cars until the SRT Neon came out, shortly followed by the Mazdaspeed 3. Which is basically the same chassis as this.
I was actually looking into the saleen focus as well until i found out they didnt warranty the No2 that came with it...lol. i said welp, srt4 it is , and i never looked back.
I had a SVTF for about 7 years. Drove it all the way through high school and college. One of the best cars I’ve ever had. Still miss it to this day. Such a great, underrated car.
As an ex-owner of an SVT Focus I can say that the steering feel and overall handling is what sets this car apart. If you’re looking for sheer power to be impressed, then this is not the car for you, but if you’re the kind of person to chase BMWs and Audis up twisty mountain roads, this is the car to do it in.
And I'm willing to bet you're going to outrun those BMW's and Audi's in that setting too. The SVT is without a doubt going to out corner those cars.
Possibly so, but mind you that I was never set to outrun them, especially with cars coming from the opposite direction. Giving them the feeling of inability to “shake me off it’s tail” was good enough for me 🙂
I owned an '03 Infra Red SVT Focus ZX5 from 2013-2015, and it is still my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned. I think that people misunderstand what makes these cars so great. In the real world, in everyday situations out on public roads, these cars are an absolute blast to drive, because all of their performance is available all of the time, and the driver engagement and connection is *so* high. The response of the throttle, brake, steering rack, etc is so quick and precise that it gives you a certain level of connection to the car and road that not many vehicles do. The same kind of thing that the MK4 Golf R32, EK Civic, and select others give you that make the driving experience so enjoyable. It's not going to blow your mind with straight line speed, but it will have you wondering "where the hell is the edge of this things cornering speed?! It just keeps going!" Even with how excellent mine was as stock, I decided to improve the suspension, add a Diablosport ECU reflash, and install an FSWERKS intake & race exhaust. After all was said and done, it was a seriously fun car that made even the simplest commutes a blast. I'm on the lookout for a clean, reasonably low-mileage example in either Competition Orange or Screaming Yellow. Bonus points if it has a Jackson Racing/Procharger or FSWERKS turbo kit installed.
My best friend has one; and I LOVE driving that thing. I got a GTI myself but I would still give it up for an SVT; it’s something about those cars that just flips a switch in your brain, you can’t turn it off once you drive it.
CAN WE TAKE A MINUTE…TO THANK DAVID….dude you have been consistent and just plain amazing and good since day one. The fact I can still go watch videos about the coolest cars from my high school days and everything else is in between is amazing. Huge fan. Never stop this. Ever want another veloster N modded let me know lol amazing content your genuine as heck man keep being you. WE ARE ALL HERE FOR THE LONG RUN WITH YOU.
RIGHT! Also he’s so freaking talented. This was on the third day in a row of filming and he did over 30 cars in those 3 days. And he can remember all this information and do a amazing job narrating it while driving in the mountains. And a genuinely nice guy. David is the man!!!!!!
I own an 03 svtf slammed,fbo and tune and really loves it a a whole,high revs,that cosworth sound,and the handling
Just bought a 2004 SVT focus European appearance pack in Comp orange this summer. Have been daily driving it for the last couple months and I absolutely love it. Definitely agree with everything you said in this video in terms of driving it. Just took mine out to VIR for charity laps this past weekend too, and these cars definitely are a blast to drive on track
Thanks for the review. I never heard the story about outrunning Cobras on the track. That's great!
I really wanted one of these back when they were new. I ended up with a Bugeye Subaru for the snow traction, but still like them.
fixate on the front looks, all front ends today tend to look like different stormtrooper regiments
There was actually a Ford Focus ST in North America around 2005-2007 with a 2.3L Duratec option. Basically a pseudo replacement for the SVT. I think they were all sold as sedans. You could identify them by the wing on the back. I once saw one for sale with an FSWerks turbo kit on it. Seller claimed it made 250HP. Probably would've been a hoot. Also something interesting about the North American Focus between 2008-2011 was that it was heavily based on the original MK1. Ford dropped the hatchback and the wagon and sold it as either a coupe or 4 door sedan. I've got a 2010 SEL sedan with a manual and it's actually a great daily driver. 140HP with a 2.0L Duratec and MTX75.
Literally watched this on my way home from work in my SVT focus lol
Hell yeah!
I have owned an 04 for about 6 years, invested more into it than any other car I have owned in my 40 years. I will continue to pour money into it for years to come. BTW, Electric seat on the driver side allows the seat to drop quite a bit lower. Nice seeing your view on a car I love dearly.
I have a 2004 silver five door Focus SVT and it puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. It is hands down the funniest vehicle I've ever owned and I've owned some cool cars. There's just something about this little car. Glad to see you enjoyed it as well and that one looks great that color and with the street appearance front facia and newer front end.
It’s nice seeing people enjoy this car, I have one myself but the 5 door and it’s AWESOME!!
I’m so glad I found this channel again! I saw you a while back and forgot to subscribe. Now I’m looking for the focus variants and here you are! Nice seeing you again brother
I’ve always been fascinated by these cars ever since first learning about them when choosing my first car in NFSU2! Honestly I think the car’s contemporary competition is way more prominent of a talking point than detailed in the video (not a jab I just want to elaborate further lol) but like really think about the SVT’s competition at the time, golf gti, civic si, Hyundai tiburon, WRX, Mazdaspeed Protégé, Corolla and Matrix XRS, Cobalt SS, Neon SRT, Sentra SE-R, Mini Cooper S, the market was actually kind of saturated with a ton of competition at the time, and albeit cool to have such a wide variety amongst the young car enthusiast looking to buy a fun car at an affordable price, that inherently means every single manufacturer was taking a slice of that limited sized pie, and thusly most of these cars lost their performance trims after the early 2000’s, including the Focus. It wasn’t until about 10 years later and with a new global platform did the Focus (at least in America) get another shot at carving corners and launching between stop lights when it got granted the ST trim. The interesting part about it to me seems to be that Ford honestly didn’t really change it’s formula from the SVT into the ST, choosing to prioritize handling and engagement while maintaining a fairly low point of entry for the consumer, but happened to launch it at the right time after most of the competition had priced themselves out of the market. Toyota had almost entirely abandoned performance by this point only offering the Scion FRS, a two-door, rwd platform. Nissan was only offering the 370z, another two-door, rwd platform and at a more mid-market price point. Domestic competition? I mean if you count the Chevy Sonic turbo than yes it technically existed, but really as an early-to-late 20something year old in the 2010’s, your choices of an affordable, everyday car that you can have some fun with, your options were the ST, the GTI, Veloster Turbo, WRX, Civic Si, and the Mini Cooper S. Now set your budget to not a penny over 30k and really the only options are ST, Mazdaspeed 3, Si, and Veloster. And I think that’s really why the ST did so well and why the SVT was so important, it taught Ford what they needed to do to turn iron into gold, they had an extremely competitive platform not really sacrificing too much in terms of luxuries and comfort, provided enough day-to-day utility to make it a viable daily commuter, made it slightly more powerful than their price-point counters, and overall engineered a very engaging vehicle that just felt good to drive, and had Ford not tinkered with the idea back with the SVT, I think a lot of the lessons would have to have been learned on the ST, and we might not have seen the coming of the RS if the ST hadn’t sold as well as it did. Now, consider the competition after the introduction of the RS, Golf R, Civic type R, Veloster-N, and I don’t think we would have gotten the same top-trims that foreign manufacturers have always relegated to their native regions if not for Ford bringing the fight to our own turf. I guess ultimately it’s an interesting little example of competition breeding ingenuity, and a slight under-dog learning from their experience and rising up to take the world by storm, punching way above their reach, and coming to gain respect amongst the top competitors of their industry. Good job Ford
They was badged ST170s over here we also got the RS👌
I had a 1.6l focus wagon as my first car. it was great, it drove well. learned to wrench on the focus. it was a good platform
Finally! Love seeing this car get the love it deserves I have owned 2 so far. Working on boosting mine atm hoping for a spring launch!
I had the privilege to drive my buds BACK when they were new. I had my cobalt SS 2.4L automatic. My bud had this. Had a blast doing our “fast n furious” antics back in the day. So much fun. This was over 15 years ago. Lol Good Times. Now he has a SVT Contour but it’s a collectors car.
i daily my 02 svt focus. I love it, its my first car and it has reached me to work on cars. Thanks for getting the word out about these cars!
The crazy torque build in the low rpms and the handling at high speeds is what got me. Dual stage intake manifold and ecu controlled intake cam made a huge difference. The fact that this had the same numbers as the following ST without turbo lag is still impressive.
Nice to see the mk1 focus St getting some love 👍 bought my st170 in 2005... I still drive it everyday 😂😊
I had one of these and loved it. Not very fast at all, but so much fun to drive.
Always been interested in these early 2000's lesser known/more forgotten performance cars. This video was great, really informative!
Been waiting for this video love my svtf congrats Scott and thank you Thatdudeinblue for the for the interest great cars deserve more hype and recognition than it's gets for sure
Thanks man I appreciate it!!
They will sadly still probably fly under the radar
I owned an 03 ZX3 a few years ago, I think 2019 and it got rear-ended (Totaled). Its now 2021 and I got me a 14 Focus St and I'm falling in love again. :)
I had a 2000 ZX3 Kona edition that I did intake, throttle body, ford racing headers, flex pipe, magnaflo cat back, and Eibach sport suspension. That car was so much fun to toss around and drive hard on canyon roads. The lift off oversteer really added to the fun also. I miss that car a lot. I’d gladly take an 04 EAP SVT Focus now
The KONAs go so hard 😍 I've got two KONA racks now 😂
Yes my first car was a non svt hatchback.
I used to rip that car around bends. It just gripped the road so well.
I can imagine an svt version
Still got my Kona, and she's complete!
I was about to say “ I know dis/dat kona and…”😂
The SVT focus in pumpkin orange is the best! Was one of the first modern US vehicles to really start putting the European market wheels on for good looks and performance
I owned an 04 that I bought new...flew halfway across the country to get it...best deal you could ever get on a new car. I *loved* throwing that thing around the twisty mountain roads of Northeastern PA. Was my favorite ride of all time...and then kids came along and she had to be passed off to someone else who could continue to toss her around like she deserved. The SVT Focus was one of the fastest stock cars ever made when put on a twisty mountain road...it embarrassed many Euro "sports" cars in that setting.
If only the older focus looked a bit better like the focus st lol
This one has an odd look that I have no idea about. Possibly a generation face-lift because the SVT Focus never had those headlights.
It’s an 05-07 front end swap with a SAP front bumper
Mk1.5 look so much better then a mk3. Plus two door
@@eaklesd4743 i personally hate the mk 1.5 front end and the post facelift front end of the 3rd gen, i think the 1st gen front end looks better than both of them
@@tobylarrison4826 you are so wrong 😭😭😂 I don't like the mk3 regardless tbh
I owned one, and the handling was surprisingly good. Thanks for this review.
im glad you finally got your hands on this car. I never thought you'd be able to get your hands on one. it would've been really cool if you reviewed my svt focus after my svt contour that day when my dad and my friend all went to that show at VMP. Wish I never sold both cars, they're incredibly underrated cars. The contour & focus both had IMRC's just like the 96-98 cobra's & the svt contour & svt focus were also 4V per cylinder. Mine was that zx3 CD silver w/blue seats. Full exhaust, lowered, RAI. I want another one, next one to be a low mileage 4 door EAP version. Great video!
More of these type of videos! Love early 00's cars.
I recently picked up a cheap ZX3 for autocross and put coilovers on it. They are so surprisingly nimble and fun to drive!
Ooooooooo i see the mr2 spyder you reviewed at the end!!! Excited to see that!!!
bought an svt focus a few months ago because it was super cheap and i thought it would be something a little different to bring to meets.... now a few months after having it no other car brings a bigger smile to my face. i have an absolute blast driving it and always take backroads home whenever im in it. its also incredibly easy to work on from my experience. the engine bay is designed very nicely and everything is super accessible. i am not a ford guy at all and expected to sell the car after a while of owning it but i cant deny that ford had a hit with this one and im 100% attached.
My first car. Played Forza 1 as a kid and this along with the is300/Altezza were my first cars. I was so hooked with how cool it was in early game races that it made my list of cars I'd buy as my first. Got rid of my first one on my way to Japan and regretted it. Now I own a second one. It's clapped out compared to the last one from a decade ago but I still love it.
To me, it's like an ae86. On paper its a s**t box but in practice, its a great platform to learn on and grow with. Eventually, you'll get something better but I think this car is a perfect setup for evolving skills until you get a RS.
I have an 06 focus ZX3 so this video makes me SO HAPPY
The EAP Ford Focus SVT is one of my favorite car, I really hope I could own one !
I love this review they are rare for ford focus SVT !
Keep up the good work!
My first car was a 00 Focus sedan with the Zetec and 5MT. Such a good car and VERY fun to drive hard (with a couple upgrades).
The Focus SVT is just a rebadge of the ST170 from England, And the Ford “contour” is the Ford Mondeo ST. The mondeo was super popular over here so that’s why they made the ST version of it same with the Focus
Friend of mine had a Silver one with the Jackson Racing Supercharger kit. Fun car.
My cousin had a SVT Contour! I loved that car!!! It was jet black with gray leather interior
I learned on a new 03 zx5 focus, got a new 09 manual focus ses and recently moved into a mk7 gti performance. The fords are super underrated cars, things like rear drums (non svt/st versions) and suspension is what holds them back. Reliable as hell engine wise, Block is shared from mazda and super solid, easy to work on great starter car. The mk7 gti is better in every way but damn good memories with these cars. nice review man.
The transmission was out of the Mini Cooper S, which people always thought was broken because it rattled in neutral, due to the duel mass flywheel.
In the UK that model was the focus st170, we also got a focus RS in same generation with 2ltr turbo with 212hp
Now I want one!!😭 and this is coming from a MK4 VW enthusiast!
I had a total lemon of an SVT as my first car ever. It never ran, but when it did, my god was it fun. I still miss that car.
Love your content man
Loved the video
I still have my 03 Focus ZX5 and it's a lot of fun. I did swap out the suspension for SVT and I added SVT brakes. I need to do a few older car things to it but it's a great running car.
It’s all about the back roads at high rpm. Great cars!! 👍
I just bought one with a Jackson’s racing supercharger, I flippin love it.
I bought my 2005 Focus ZX3 SES in march of 2005 and got a new Dell PC package as well. lol I still have that car and it now has over 210k+ mi and going strong with its 2.0 Duratec I4 and 5 sp manual. I had my local dealer search for a SVT focus & a ZX3 SES in sonic blue with the sport suspension package, manual trans.The only options i didnt get were the sunroof, leather, and automatic trans. Best handling compact car and I still love to drive it. It has been dubbed "The Skate" by my friends and has plenty of room for myself being 6'4" tall. I did a few auto Xs over the years and the car put up some pretty respectable times and even beat a few SVT Focus & Mustangds because of the tight course and their gearing. You are correct with it being a parts bin car for ford and it being noisy after all these years, but Ill never get rid of it. Fun fact about the suspension, there isnt a zerk fitting anywhere as ford used graphite impregnated bearings and bushings in the suspension. I also have never had to have it aligned or replaced the shocks either after over 210k+ mi it is still dead center of the factory specs and rides great with no issues from the shocks still after all these years. I always wanted to get a Sonic blue SVT or swap a 2.3 duratec into my ZX3 for a little more oomph or totally do a V8 swap like the Focus FR500 concept from SVT! These early SVT cars are truly slept on except for those that have owned them or driven them and have seen the light of just how great they were to drive.
This makes me miss my 2007 ZX4 so much, had the 4 speed auto but was it fun to manually shift an auto and shred it up. love that the owner of this Focus even did the 05-07 Street Apperance Kit on the front thought those were so cool
You said you wanted to drive a boosted SVT Focus. Gears and Gasoline (short Ben) has a *Turbo SVT swapped Ford ZX2*. You NEED a video on that car. It would help the ZX2 community grow larger + you get a unique review on the channel!
Had an 02 svt focus for 2 years and there fun around curvey roads I loved it and there cheap
The handling dynamics of the SVT were arguably better than the GTI, but the fit-and-finish and materials quality were let down by Ford bean counters. For example, there is a spot in the hvac for a cabin filter, but it was left out to cut costs!! This is true of every Focus of this generation.
My brother had a zx3, so i was introduced to focus’s at a early teenage age. Was the first car i really practiced driving a manual on before i got my 350z. I thought the svt’s were cool but nothing too crazy back then. fast forward to now, finding myself owning a roush mustang, and how different the auto scene is, id love to have a svt focus as a daily or something, for nostalgic reasons and the rarity. Funny how perspectives change.
Was waiting for this review. Was gonna reach out to you to review mine because it’s stuffed with all Massive Motorsports suspension. Very potent autocross car.
I just got my massive parts in! I’m so excited to install them!
Back in 03 I traded my SE Focus automatic for a new ZTS Mach Audio edition Focus sedan with manual trans and orange and black cloth. These cars had fantastically communicative steering and great suspensions. I put it on Eibach Sportlines, wheels, Wings West body kit, and mods galore. Had a whole tuner car look going on retainig the factory spoiler.
That Focus will remain one of the most fun cars I've ever driven.
I saw a focus svt in a parking lot recently and geeked out.
have an 02 red svt, love it.. kept it totally stock. have other vehicles, but my svt is my daily
This is crazy because I'm basically restoring my focus wagon. I know it's not the same exact motor but I do have the z tech motor. And it is the best handling car I've owned. So far.
What size engine? If it's a 1.8/2.0 zetec you can swap the heads and ecu and get a decent bump in power
People sleep on these cars but they're actually great. Especially the suspension. A lot of potential. I have a 2.5 swapped one.
2.5 duratech v6? If so that’s a hell of a swap
@@grantmills4184 2.5 Duratec 4 cylinder. But yes I agree that would be wild.
Curious what you had to change besides the engine itself.
@@jappuhr 2012 engine from a Ford fusion. You can also use the Mazda engine. Minimum changes you have to make is the timing cover (had to use the one from the original 2.3 motor the car had in it), gotta delete the VCT system from the 2.5 unless you're running an aftermarket ECU, also gotta plug the hole that leaves in the valve cover (super easy $5 part from hardware store). From there you either have to adapt your old intake manifold (hard to do unless you're good at custom stuff) or you have to buy a throttle body adapter for the 2.5 manifold so you can fit the original cable throttle back on. Minimal stuff. I would suggest changing the clutch if it's factory because the 2.5 is way torqueier and the stock clutch tends to struggle when you really drive it with some purpose.
@@NathanaelNaused ahh I got you, well nonetheless that’s pretty cool and I’m sure it’s torquey
Such a shame you guys never got the mk1 or mk2 Focus RS models. Would be cool to see an American auto RUclipsr travel across to the UK and drive a bunch of cars that the states never got. Cars like the Lotus Exige V6, the E46 M3 CSL, E90 M3 CRT, various TVR's, the Louts Carlton, Aston Martin GT12, Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, Ford Escort Cosworth, Renault Clio V6. Some seriously cool cars about that were only sold in Europe.
I love them!! Back in the day, I had two of them. An '02 black-on-blue 2-door, then an '04 black-on-red 4-door.
One thing you did get wrong -- the interior/exterior/mechanical quality was the same on both the SVT and the regular ZX3/ZX5.
I just purchased a 2004 SVT its awesome!!
A buddy of mine had a escort zx2 and that was a peppy car. Automatic yet but those ztec motors where awesome in the light weight chassis. Awesome review! 🔥
These cars are great! I currently have a 03 SVT, had it for the past 6 years.
They are extremely fun to drive! As far as durability, it's better than any other car I've owned. I have replaced quite a lot of parts, water and power steering pump, two head gaskets (one was from me knowingly being a idiot and not replacing the timing belt/tensioner. Yes I knew it was a absolutely stupid decision😒.)
but it has over 300,000 miles on it. This car has taken more abuse from me than you could ever imagine! I drive this car like it was built to be driven, every single day! I run it up to red line daily, it has zero bottom end, but after 3 grand it pulls hard until red line. Goal is to get a wrx and completely rebuild and turbo the SVT this next year. Can't imagine how insane and fun that car would be even with just 300/350 HP!
I've been daily driving a 2003 SVT for a little over a year now, it is a hoot on twisty backroads. I actually really like the high seating position, you get used to it pretty quickly and it provides good visibility.
I don't get why people don't like high seating. I hate cockpit feeling cars. The new accord 2.0turbo you can barely see over the dashboard
I bought one of these in 2015 for 1800$ with 186k miles on it. It was a lot of fun. Great car I put 20k miles on it and only ever needed a clutch slave.
I have 373k on mine 😅 it's the 2.0 duratec instead of zetec tho
This car even handles better with the 2-in h&r lower and springs and Cooney adjustable shocks man what a great car I still wish I had mine
So true story, my buddy and I were lot porters at two different dealerships that were across the highway from each other in Florida. One day I got off of work and went over to his dealership and he took me for a ride in a brand new Contour SVT 6 speed and he decided to do a pull (mostly a burnout) through the center of the dealership (it was a HUGE Ford dealership in Brandon, Florida) and he didn't realize that the owner of the dealership was still in his office and saw the whole thing. He was let go that night...but man was that Contour fast for what it is...a Contour.
Thank you for saying Volvo 5 cylinder, i get extremely angry and annoyed when people say Ford 5 cylinder or say Volvo derived.
The mk2 Volvo Focus RS, drive train is all Volvo, the engine is 100% Volvo, Ford didn’t turn a single screw on it, but did the American thing and took all credit for it.
As someone with relatives who worked at Volvo Torslanda, let me tell you, Ford American and UK were unbelievably rude and near impossible to deal with.
@@real_talk1180 Volvo, the reinforced block is a must in order to safely make 350Hk with the 2.5, you know that the P2 R was originally going to be way more extreme than it it ended up being, I don't know for certain, but I believe the reinforced block was on the table in the P2 R's department, but didn't make it in to production.
The 2.5 was a Volvo and Bosch project (like all other Volvo 5 cylinders in the other Volvos), one of my relatives was approached to help with doing the mapping of the Volvo Focus RS.
Ford actually wanted to kill off the Volvo moduler engine and VED5/i5d, in favor of the Short i6, Zetec and Eco Bost, pretty funny how the extremely rude pencil pushers at Ford came crawling back with the Volvo Focus RS, the same people who wanted to kill it off. They really didn't treat Volvo Torsland employees very well and broke a lot of Swedish workplace regulations, they where so stingy and cheap that if you need a new pencil, you had fill out an application and get it approved by Detroit.
Needless to say, by almost killing Volvo and killing Saab, the American automotive industry hasn't really left a good impression on the Swedish car market.
Another hidden gem.. slowly going up in value
My first car was a 03 screaming yellow svt focus EAP. Loved that car. Rebuilt it from the ground up. At one point, within my family, we had 5 svt focus’s. It is an amazing car. It is the car that turned me into a car guy. 210k miles before I finally got a 18 ST focus ST3I loved that car and want another so bad. There was an aftermarket bolt on supercharger for the svt from Jackson racing that I wanted so bad but is hard to find.
Awesome car video
I had one of these it was a 2003 still one of my favorite and most thought of car with the 6-speed smooth as glass transmission that car was so much fun it was lowered 2 inches with Cooney shocks slotted rotors man coming off of the on and off ramps of the interstate that thing would just hug no matter how fast you are going it was one of the best handling and most fun experiences of my life still wish that I had that car one of my all-time favorites might not been that fast off the line but on the interstate the way the gearing and that transmission was set up man what a blast
Ah you have to find one of the v8 focus from roush after this. I saw one in person and it mind blowing
I only found out these existed a few weeks ago, cause my friend's dad owns one and it blew my mind when I saw the SVT on the back. Started looking into them and it's crazy