GTP Cool Wall: 2003-2004 Ford Focus SVT

2003-2004 Ford Focus SVT


  • Total voters
    118
  • Poll closed .
15,467
United States
Orange County, NY
GTP_GT916
Nii916
2003-2004 Ford Focus SVT nominated by @RandomCarGuy17
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Engines:
2.0L I4 (Zetec-R)
Power: 170 hp
Torque: 145 lb-ft.
Weight: 1176 kg
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: Front engine, front wheel drive
Body Styles: 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback
Additional Info: "It's basically the US version of the Focus ST170 that was sold in Europe around the same time and was the last hot hatchback Ford sold in the US for a while before they made the Focus & Fiesta STs global."​
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Not the most tasteless hot Focus ever, not on the last RS level, but still. It's a hot Focus. Instant uncool.
 
OK car and a decent performer. Often forgotten as it was overshadowed by SVT's other offerings at the time.

Uncool.
 
It's somewhere smack dab in the middle for me, but I think I'm going to give it a low cool since the "meh" option is pointless and it drift more to that side of the spectrum for me. It was never fast but I seem to remember the handling being awesome in these cars. Ford also didn't fall into the same trap of overdoing the styling either which helps.
 
I like the ST170, but to me the detail changes made to US-spec Focuses always make them look slightly worse.

I'm going with uncool, but only just.
 
Oh look, someone's done some tacky modifications to a very cool car. Seriously uncool.

Oh, what's that, it's the US spec model? Well, that makes it slightly cooler, if only because it's technically unmodified.
 
It's a very decent car no doubt and an affordable way to have lots and lots of fun, but it's kinda the black swan of the family, in my opinion, because it's overshadowed by it's big, dangerous, brother, the RS and definitly not as cool as the stock 1st gen Focus. Uncool, but just, bordering cool.
 
When this car came out it was pitted in a highly contested segment of the buyers market in the US. It competition was the Mazdaspeed Protege, Acura RSX Type S, Dodge SRT 4, Subaru WRX, and I feel I am forgetting 1 or 2 more. Against these cars I feel the Ford was a lackluster against its competition.

It could not handle as well as the Mazda. Did not have the brute power the SRT 4 had. It did not have the loyal following of Honda heads ( although it was around this time they realized what a step backwards the RSX was in the handling department ). The WRX was in a whole different zip code compared to the Focus.

Thank god those massive ugly body kits that were installed on this car faded away. Look at what Saleen (correction it was not Steeda) had to offer for this car. If I remember correctly it was almost as bad as the Eribuni kit for the 96-00 civic hatchback.

Fast forward 10 years and this car is long forgotten to most, most people that remember it were in the market for a sporty compact at the time. With a little time, effort and money you could make these go and handle very well. I think that earns it a moderate Meh to very insignificant cool.

The fact that Ford has introduced the FiST and FoST into the American market makes this car put down a few notchs. Knowing full well our market missed out on some of the best hot hatches Ford has put together makes this wanna be Uncool. It is sad because at that time if Ford introduced either the RS or ST in the early 2000's the ball game would have been really different at the time. Sad, just sad :-(
 
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Oh look, someone's done some tacky modifications to a very cool car. Seriously uncool.

Oh, what's that, it's the US spec model? Well, that makes it slightly cooler, if only because it's technically unmodified.
US market modifications always make cars look slightly worse.
It looks pretty conservative to me. I don't see how it would be ugly or tacky.
 
These cars were amazing performers in their day, they handled great and they looked right, very restrained but clrearly sporty. And those wheels were awesome. Their obscurity now pushes them to a cool for me.
 
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