In the driveway

[lddavis]

At last, I've taken possession of my Focus ST, so I can actually put the "owner" into SVTOA.

[razorbackmustang]

Let's see a pic! What color did you get?

[lddavis]

I do need to get a pic to post. I should have done that right away. Now I have to wash it first And find a nice backdrop on a sunny day.

I went with the "Performance Blue".

[razorbackmustang]

Excellent color choice. That's my color as well. Did you get the blue seats also?

[lddavis]

I especially like the somewhat subdued metallic effect in the blue, enough presence for some texture but not overwhelming. It's especially pretty in the sun, with the way the hue shifts into the shadows. The iridescence didn't work as well for me in the Tuxedo Black. I guess I like obsidian better than opal.

ST3, so no inserts. Or black leather inserts, if you want to look at it that way. The colored inserts are pretty in the pictures, but they'd be too much for me day-to-day, I'd think.

[razorbackmustang]

I'm jealous of your HIDs. How is the center console compared to the ST2? The brake handle just seems wildly out of place in the pictures I've seen.

[lddavis]

I like the HIDs as an improvement over regular lights. My old car seems even more yellow and dim now. And with my eyesight, it's a good thing. Real HID connoisseurs might still prefer their own upgrades. (The light pattern isn't absolutely even, nor is the top cutoff absolutely flat.) I also like the cornering lights, especially for putting it in my driveway. Haven't decided if I want to bug the dealer about enabling the eyebrows as DRLs (if that's possible this week).

You can hear the cutoff shield move for high beams -- just a low, brief "brr" from the solenoid or whatever, kind of like popup headlights, but that surprised me a little because I had seen some claims that the Ford lights weren't "true" HIDs because they didn't have a moving shield. Weird pre-production rumor, I guess.

I like the ST2 center console better, too. The ST3 has the heated seats, so they swap it out for the one with heated seat controls. (The consoles are the same as the regular Focus, so you can always check out a Titanium with heated seats for the layout. Finding a manual will be harder.) That means the cupholders rotate to be transverse, the brake lever moves forward, and you lose the little slanted cubby in the front left position.

The brake isn't actually in an awkward position from the driver's seat. It's conveniently to hand, and it doesn't block the shifter. (I have a habit of putting the car in reverse before dropping the brake lever when backing out of a parking spot, so that would be the worst case.) But it does look... prominent... and relatively ugly when it's raised and viewed in the side shots through the driver-side door you usually see. The ST2 layout mostly hides the lever behind the seat, from that point of view.

The center compartment is pretty deep. Same in both consoles, I think. The top tray is nice to kep things handy. On the other hand, with those side bolsters on the Recaros, it's a little hard to get to it unless you're parked and can turn to dig around in it, at least with the seat in my driving position. Perfectly placed for my right elbow, though

The ST3s also always have the overhead console, which I think is more attractive than just a cloth hump. With no moonroof, all it really controls is the ambient lighting, plus the sunglasses compartment. But it seems a little more complete and finished that way to me. (Again, when shopping you could peek at other Focuses to see the difference.) Any package with a moonroof will also get this part, as it has the moonroof switch in it. I would like for it to have map lights, though.

[Jon96cobra]

I got mine back in Dec. 5th 2012 Love it. Mine is in Performance Blue. pictures to follow.

[razorbackmustang]

Maybe we should start a PB ST club. LOL

[lddavis]

There was another forum with a poll up. The (small and unscientific) sample was running about half PB, actually. Looks really good on this car. I remember reading that blue is about 7% of cars on average, so it seems to be running a much higher percentage for STs.

[razorbackmustang]

All of my Mustangs have been blue (or at least had blue on them) as well. I'm a bit of a blue nut. My 2011 is Grabber Blue.

[lddavis]

Let's see a pic!

As promised... The forum has some pretty strict limits, so here's links.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47467328/car2_800x450.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47467328/car3_800x450.jpg

[razorbackmustang]

That's such an awesome color. Sitting next to my GB Mustang though it makes the Grabber Blue washout a little. Strange effect.

[timyh]

Congrats! I am working on getting mine still. Going ST3 either Oxford White or Race Red!

[focusst3]

I have a black 13 Focus ST3 I love it. one of the funnest cars I have had in a long time.

Tim