I feel like Ford really dropped the ball by killing off the Focus. Anyone else miss it?
I miss cars in general… everything is just SUVs now.
Gentry said:
I miss cars in general… everything is just SUVs now.
For real!
As an ST owner, I’m still mad we never got the Mk4 here. And no estate version either…
Not much of a consolation, but they’re getting rid of it in Europe too in 2025. Ford seems to be done with fun cars. The best thing they have left is the Puma ST, which a British journalist once described as a Fiesta ST that had a few too many drinks.
Affordable, fun cars are basically dead in the US. I’m not really excited about anything new, and my Fiesta ST is getting old.
Jet said:
Affordable, fun cars are basically dead in the US. I’m not really excited about anything new, and my Fiesta ST is getting old.
Honestly, the GR86 is probably the last real affordable sports car left.
I mean, I’ll miss them eventually… but they’re still everywhere around Chicago.
The ZX3 was such a little gem if you liked small, fun cars. The few I still see are rusted out, and the owners probably don’t even realize what they have. It’s like the Tiburon all over again.
Mica said:
The ZX3 was such a little gem if you liked small, fun cars. The few I still see are rusted out, and the owners probably don’t even realize what they have. It’s like the Tiburon all over again.
I had a silver 5-speed ZX3 back in the day. Fun little car.
@Bela
Wasn’t the ZX3 kind of like the US version of the ST? I know they made the SVT Focus, but wasn’t that a different thing?
Mica said:
@Bela
Wasn’t the ZX3 kind of like the US version of the ST? I know they made the SVT Focus, but wasn’t that a different thing?
Nah, the ZX3 was just a basic hatchback. Nothing special about it.
@Bela
Still, it was one of those early 2000s ‘sticker bomb’ cars that could actually look cool when done right. Kinda sad to see them all rusted out now. There are maybe two yellow ones left around here.
@Mica
Yeah, the SVT ones were definitely cooler. Mine wasn’t anything fancy.
I miss the rally-inspired versions. Even the base Focus with a 5-speed was fun. One of my cousins had one, and I drove it like a rental every time I got the chance.
I miss the Crown Vic and the last-gen Taurus Limited. Ford really killed off a lot of good cars.
My first car was an SVT Focus. Always felt like the underdog at HPDEs and autocross, but it was seriously fun. Great memories.
What Ford is doing is criminal! They should’ve kept the Focus until it was banned or at least made a proper fun hybrid or EV replacement instead of pushing boring crossovers.
I miss them too, but I wouldn’t touch the last generation with a 10-foot pole because of the transmission issues.
Miss it with every fiber of my being!