Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General reasons NOT to buy svt focus??

No! Where'd you get this? In the mail?

You have an excellent point, Troy.

From John Davis of Motorweek, to long-time Ford salesmen whom I've spoken with, to anybody hip to the pony-car craze and blind to all else, and virtually anyone who's ever rented a Contour, the common thread when presented with the SVT Contour idea: "Why?" "Who in the world would want to modify a Contour?"

There was also a time when people thought hot-rodding a truck was senseless.

New times bring new ideas, and it sounds as if some here are hypocritically skeptical of continuing the same type of design evolutions and out-of-the-box thinking that brought along the original SVT Contour, among others.

"The SVT Focus will be substantially lighter than the SVT Contour w/ only a 30hp deficit, and it will have a
much fatter tq curve too, w/ 85% of its peak tq available at 2000rpm (IIRC) the SVT Focus will have roughly
15.3 lbs/hp (~2600lbs/170hp) to the SVT Contour's 15.7 lbs/hp (~3150lbs/200hp)"

Rara, I think you are probably off a bit on the power to weight, although we will see when the Focus show up. But, all the mags have the Focus SVT at 2770 lbs. The CSVT in the mags is from 3020 - 3110 lbs but I can say that on the truck scale, mine was about 3060 with about 3/4 tank of gas, 2 car seats and a sunroof. 3150 lbs - no way unless you have more people/stuff in the car.

2770/170 = 16.3 lb/hp
3060/200 = 15.3 lb/hp, so if the Focus comes in at 2600 lbs it will be 15.3, but I doubt it will, with the big brakes, wheels, 6 speed etc. And no sunroof I think - bummer.

The Focus SVT is by no means an attractive car in my book but should be fun to drive & worth considering if 2 doors is sufficient (ie no small kids).

Actually it was the word SMALL I had an issue with, not car The Focus is a small car, the Contour was an entry-mid size car, a huge step up in class and stature.

Also, for a car to be worthy of the SVT badge, I expect it to do more than just go toe to toe with the $17 to 20K small pocket rocket crowd. I expect to see a bargain WRX. Make a WRX fighter/beater for $20K... THEN put an SVT logo on it. The SVT Focus should be labeled a ZX3 GT or something like that, not an SVT.

I'm interested too...where do you get it?

Yes, the Focus is small, and it's not really my taste, but I would still be proud to own one; it's a radical design, and that's good. Radical=Progress

Does anyone know the dementions for the Zx5? Including weight. I'd be really happy to own a SVT version of those. I like to keep things for a long, long time so 4 door would be nice...!

I'll argue that radical = change. However, change does not necessarly = progress.

The Focus does represent a step forward for Ford in the small car market (I still personally prefer the Protege, but the Focus is on my recommended list).

However, I would consider buying a Focus to be a big downwardly mobile step from the Contour. You're going from an entry-mid-size car to a small car. Room is not important to this consideration. The Focus just doesn't have nearly the stature the Contour had, and I do not think the Focus is able to fill the Contour's shoes. Unfortunately Ford does not realize the gaping void in their lineup that is between the Focus and the Taurus. There is a need to slot a car between 175" and 198" in length, to appeal to the 25-35 year olds.

But I digressed...

Simply put, new is not necessarily better.

Some "enthusiasts" are willing to trade "stature" for a better chassis, better handling, better ergonomics, better fit and finish, better steering, better ride, better aftermarket etc, etc, for a 40% cut in monthly payments.
:rolleyes:
People really dont see how great this car is. The contour looks better, and initally has more power. But if you can get over the cars looks (some can, some cant), you can have and/or build a better car ALL AROUND for 60% of the price of a SVT contour. With that said, I am still badly missing the body lines of my old E1

I'm an enthusiast that wants it all. I want a car to perform well, look good, and make the desired statement about me. The SVT Contour does this.

I will agree that the Focus has a better aftermarket and costs less. I disagree that it rides better, handles better, or has better fit and finish. The Focus I drove had none of these above traits. We'll see on the SVT when it comes out, if it has any of these traits.

Lower price is a key sign of being downwardly mobile. Going to a cheaper car class means that I have gone down in the world. As much as it was the car itself that made me fall in love with the SVT Contour at first drive, I felt a sense of accomplishment at actually earning myself into a position to own such a car. Moving to a Focus would make me feel like I lost that accomplishment.

Your driving a top of the line contour, make sure you compare with a top of the line focus. Right now, thats the S2 and Street Edition. I own and S2 it does ride and handle better.



Going cheaper means you have gone down in the world!? Baha ha ha :rolleyes: I make 3 times as much as I did when I owned my SVT. 3 times as much! I didnt move down in the world, I got smarter!




You gotta point here. I felt the same way. The SVT Contour was my "reality dream car". I achieved that goal and it felt good. But owning my current car makes me feel good as well, knowing every single dollar paid for it is worth a whole-lot-a-car.