[popolino77]

I can trade in my leased 2015 kia forte koup sx automatic and lease a 2015 ford focus st base model and my monthly payment will be around the same as i am paying now for my 2015 kia forte koup sx, should i do it ? I never owend a car with a manual transmision and i dont know if i will know how to drive it

 

[Forte5]

The st is going to be quicker and the suspension better. If you want a balls out performance car wait for the focus RS to come. The ST is a nice quick car and has good support but I couldn't justify paying the price for not getting that much. I feel I got more for my money with the F5. In all honesty I would not lease the ST I would buy it. That way you can do stuff to the car the way you want and not think your putting money into the car that you possibly might not keep. If you have never driven stick you will get used to it fast and they are fun to drive but if your in a ton of traffic then it sucks.

Edit: I actually drove a ST and I did love the car for sure. Only thing for me was that the seats were uncomfortable because of my back. If it would have came with a few more features I would have bought it asap because of what they were offering me. I was getting the ST3 fully loaded in black but couldn't get past the price. If you talk to them you can try to throw in a edu tune and intake with exhaust and it will be all under warranty. Thats the nice part but I am still happy with my F5 and feel I have more room in the F5 since I am 6'3

 

[Scoobdude]

I went with the F5 due to the package of warranty, turbo, creature comforts, price, cvvt, manual, ride quality etc. Plus since we use it for family stuff, the rear heated seats are nice, and the driver begets seat is a must in Texas heat. I have a wrx for when i really want to play though. And wife has a turbo optima as well. So i am biased towards kia.

I have not driven a st but i that is also not the first time I have heard about the seats. I do think the focus looks sharper. Have heard that the cargo space is not as functional. And then there is the ford name. Only ones to not take the bail out, but lots of recalls etc. Kia has recalls too, but i have seen a steady improvement in quality, styling and enguinity. Ford has come as a ways up too.

In the end its about what YOU want and need.

 

[schizorazgriz]

I'll tell you one thing for a fact. The ratio of 2014+ F5 owners to Ford focus st owners has to be like 1:100. My biggest reason for the F5 was that I had literally never seen one before. I see STI and EVO everywhere I go. I have also seen a ton of Focus ST around.

Our aftermarket support system is growing and honestly everything you need to make some nice big power is out for the F5 now. We need an exhaust and FMIC and then we will have a respectable aftermarket selection imo.

 

[Forte5]

I agree you really don't see our cars all over the place. I have only seen 1 F5 turbo around here and that's it. I talk to my dealer and he said they sold around 10 Koups but the F5 they have sold around 6 and they come from northern cali or other parts. I am still waiting to see one lol

 

[warpig]

I never owend a car with a manual transmision and i dont know if i will know how to drive it

that's a biggie right there. I have yet to see one on the road, my dealer has sold 2 and one was mine. They didn't even know it came in a turbo, and had to go the Pittsburgh to get mine lol

 

[sube]

They would sell more F5 turbos if KIA would would get their head out of their ass and build more of the model, and market the damn thing better.

Pat.

 

[Forte5]

They would sell more F5 turbos if KIA would would get their head out of their ass and build more of the model, and market the damn thing better.

Pat.

I agree but it is nice to have a car that isn't flooding the market like the others. They have a killer car here and I have only seen 1 commercial with the F5 in it

 

[honhon]

I agree and like the rarity of the koups and f5..... Esp with the turbo....

But it's ultimately up to you.... If you check out my YouTube I actually was able to do the Ford ecoboost challenge with a focus st.

They are nice cars for sure. But Idk I am just enjoying my koup....

I can relate the feeling that jafromobile has to his Hyundai he's been building for a while....

It's just different. Does what you want it to do....

Our aftermarket is small... But honestly unless you are buying all the parts right now... Does it really matter that the fmic isn't available yet? Or other parts....?

I had an 07 focus with cams. Tune. Intake exhaust suspension.eurothane mounts and other stuff...... It was really fun to drive and it felt like a go kart...

But do I want that now? No... I couldn't even deal with the green poly rear mounts because it doesn't fit my want for my car right now... Which is an understated comfortable ride with pep when I want it and good mileage when I want it with some unique styling and a unique engine.

I miss my focus... But if it was still around it would have been a Sunday car...

It's up to you... Also... Do you want to start over with the knowledge you know about your Kia and start over with the focus?

If you do go with the focus. Check out focusfanatics.com

Wonderful site. My account is honhon on there also and I pop on there on occasion. Good smart people there too. Not as personal as here... But knowledgeable

 

[gotboostforte5]

I'll tell you one thing for a fact. The ratio of 2014+ F5 owners to Ford focus st owners has to be like 1:100. My biggest reason for the F5 was that I had literally never seen one before. I see STI and EVO everywhere I go. I have also seen a ton of Focus ST around.

Our aftermarket support system is growing and honestly everything you need to make some nice big power is out for the F5 now. We need an exhaust and FMIC and then we will have a respectable aftermarket selection imo.

And it would be nice to have a hand held tuner so we can tune on the fly and not have to send out the ecu and also be able to read boost levels, temps and other things just like a cobb ap.

 

[Forte5]

And it would be nice to have a hand held tuner so we can tune on the fly and not have to send out the ecu and also be able to read boost levels, temps and other things just like a cobb ap.

You can get a bluetooth obd port adapter and run the torque app on your phone or tablet and get the Kia plug in and watch all the sensors of the car. I have afr, boost, Trans temp, iat, ambient temp so far on mine

 

[GotBoost?]

im probly late to this thread but i've raced a st and pulled on him for sure. i've raced a shit ton of cars and have beat all of them except a couple that are out of my price range. an ST would be sick but it wouldn't be as good as beating someone in a kia. i've got friends with fully built cars and i'd still rather have my kia.

 

[Forte5GT]

Dude/Bro, whatever you youngins call each other nowadays, the ST is a hatchback and manual only so consider that. The ST's performance will blow away the Forte SX. Don't think of it as merely a 51HP advantage, the ST has proper performance parts on them. You can gain massive horsepower from a COBB AccessPort. Ok that said, you should not look at just the monthly payments. You need to see how many years are added to the Focus financial terms rather than must your monthly payments.

I was considering trading in my Forte5 for a 45K Mustang GT and the payments could work out to be the same except I need to pump an extra 10K and add 2 more years to the term. NOT WORTH IT.

 

[Mikeysweettricks]

Were you planning on leasing the vehicle, then financing the residual after the lease was over?? Modding a lease just doesn't seem like a great idea, and if you did plan on buying out the lease it would just be much wiser to finance the whole thing. That being said keep the Forte man. I swear I've seen maybe one other F5 in New Jersey and it wasn't even an SX. I love when people walk up to me and ask what kind of car I have. I stand tall and say a Kia and their reaction is always priceless!

 

[Forte5]

Were you planning on leasing the vehicle, then financing the residual after the lease was over?? Modding a lease just doesn't seem like a great idea, and if you did plan on buying out the lease it would just be much wiser to finance the whole thing. That being said keep the Forte man. I swear I've seen maybe one other F5 in New Jersey and it wasn't even an SX. I love when people walk up to me and ask what kind of car I have. I stand tall and say a Kia and their reaction is always priceless!

That's what I love about the Forte's. I have seen a few F5's around here but all are base models. I know on this site there are a couple around me but never seen them yet lol. I love we don't have a "mainstream" car that is well known and when you say what it is....always priceless like you said!

 

[schizorazgriz]

That's what I love about the Forte's. I have seen a few F5's around here but all are base models. I know on this site there are a couple around me but never seen them yet lol. I love we don't have a "mainstream" car that is well known and when you say what it is....always priceless like you said!

Hands down the best thing about our car! I can't say it enough. I saw a base model F5 finally this weekend.

Still the only F5 sx in colorado bitches! Lol

 

[Forte5]

Hands down the best thing about our car! I can't say it enough. I saw a base model F5 finally this weekend.

Still the only F5 sx in colorado bitches! Lol

Lol that's right!

I was really considering the ST and it was a hard debate between the F5 and the ST. I was also looking at the Mustang gt 5.0. I love both those cars but something about the F5 just pulled me in. The ST is a beast for sure when tuned and upgraded right though. I just couldn't get past the uncomfortable seats in it. Since my car is a daily I wouldn't be able to handle them to long.

 

[Forte5GT]

I always get people trying to race me because they see the dual exhaust and unique front fascia with the big opening.

I always decline of course. Some cars I've run into are WRX STIs, Golf GTI, Porsche Cayman... YES, a PORSCHE and Civic Si's.

FTR, I have never raced anyone. I just like driving spirited but when someone sees and tries to join in the fun, I back off because I don't want to get carried away and get charged with racing which is a $10,000 fine and tow/impound of 7 days.

 

[Forte5GT]

Lol that's right!

I was really considering the ST and it was a hard debate between the F5 and the ST. I was also looking at the Mustang gt 5.0. I love both those cars but something about the F5 just pulled me in. The ST is a beast for sure when tuned and upgraded right though. I just couldn't get past the uncomfortable seats in it. Since my car is a daily I wouldn't be able to handle them to long.

I look at your mod lis and curious how your car sounds. I have no idea why you guys with mods don't document your builds and put it up on Youtube. It's the only way to grow the Forte fraternity. I cannot find a lot of reviews or owners videos on Youtube when it comes to mods/impressions/reviews. Would love to see and hear what all those mods have changed on the car.

Would be great if someone made an exhaust to sound like the Abarth 500. The ST is pretty muted for my taste as well in terms of engine noise which is why the Ecoboost Mustang is not a true Mustang, IMO.

 

[Forte5]

I do have a build thread with videos in it of my exhaust. That was before I got a muffler put on and I haven't had time to make another video yet. There are a few of us that do have the build threads and have videos up on youtube.

Here is my thread on it. http://www.forteturbo.org/forum/15-kia-forte-turbo-builds/460-forte5-s-slow-build.html