MK4 Titanium or ST Line ?

[J0hn]

I've decided to trade in my 2015 TDCi Titanium. I've been looking online and a 1 -2 year old Titanium seems to be roughly the same price as an ST -line.
Which would you go for and why? ST-line looks sportier - obviously, and as long as it's got Navigation, I think it'll have everything I want. Loads more Titaniums to choose from though.
Is the St-line suspension firmer? I'm getting on a bit and don't like a hard ride!
Also, Petrol and diesel are roughly the same price. Maybe it's time to go back to petrol? I'm doing nearly 20k miles a year at the moment, but that'll change some time this year, as I'm hoping to move closer to work. 

[TomsFocus]

Titanium looks pretty awful with the silly chrome grin and massive angular fogs...but it's the one to go for if you need comfort.  It also gets climate control and auto wipers/dimming rear view mirror over ST-Line.

ST Line comes with lower profile tyres and lower, stiffer suspension.  But looks better.  If you can stretch to an 'X' in either trim you gain better looking alloys (inch increase in size) and part leather seats.

Having recently bought, and immediately returned, a nearly new MK4, it seems that the first owners couldn't care less about them, or Ford build quality is terrible (or a bit of both!).  I really would suggest making very careful observations of any potential buy, don't just assume it much be good due to its age.

[Paul9619]

Each to their own. I like the styling on the Titanium. I am over 40 now though. 
I literally just bought a Titanium X (2.0 Diesel) a few years old. Agree with Tom get an X version of either if you can. 
Having done quite a bit of searching and looking at specs I feel the TX had more features that suited me. I managed to find one with every single added extra which was a bonus. 
It sounds like the Titanium would suit your comfort needs more. 
What is your price limit?
There are so many with additional  extras that you can find in the second hand market so make sure you know what you are looking at in the photos. (Full LED lights, Adaptive cruise, park assist, rear camera, BLIS etc etc)

if you are going to be doing less miles then a petrol certainly seems to make more sense. I would look at the 1.5 engine.

Thr ST Line does look a bit better but I don’t care what it looks like to anyone else in the car park. I prefer comfort and features and it’s still a nice looking car. 

[Alex.S]

For Ford navigation the stx has it and I think the titanium, tho definitely the titx . 
The stx 18” wheels and sports suspension isn’t comfortable. If I was buying 2nd hand and could stretch to it I’d get a Vignale. Failing that a titx. Even Though I love my stx ! 
the stx has a lot more ‘extras’ than the st line. 
I see the st line is described as ‘st line nav’ .....just a basic st line but with navigation I guess 

[Sprawlsy]

As others have said it all comes down to personal preference, other than the ST Line I think the mk4 looks bland. I went for an X because of the extra spec (& great looking alloys) you get & only added the rear camera pack (inc. park assist & door protectors). The ride is firmer, generally I find it very smooth & comfortable, but you definitely want to avoid pot holes!

Mine is a Jan 2020 and has LED (not adaptive) headlights, might be something you want to consider? 

Engine-wise the 1.0l 125 is more than adequate, it won't set your pulse racing, but it gets the job done. Had it in my mk3 too & it was happy with a fully laden car, including a roof box.

There have been a few posts about rattles etc., so far (not done many miles for obvious reasons) mine seems to be fine, definitely nothing recurring. 

[Anubis]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Having recently bought, and immediately returned, a nearly new MK4, it seems that the first owners couldn't care less about them

What was wrong with it? I've test driven some dealer demo models and even with under 10K on them you can feel everyone who tested it didn't give a 💩 about the clutch!

The ST-Line looks fab but is a hard ride - no getting around that. Also the twist-beam isn't great on uneven roads, imo. If you can accept the looks the Titanium is the one to go for but  I would second Alex.S with the Vignale - it's got all the extras and the looks of an ST-Line (almost!). And with Independant Rear Suspension it does soak up the bumps. Also has pothole detection - not sure if they all have that though.

16" wheels on the Titanium will def make it the most comfortable. TitX has 17" as does St-Line. Personally I found the ST-LineX with 18" wheels way too hard a ride but the Vignale with the same 18"s perfectly comfortable.

[J0hn]

I think I've ruled out the ST-line purely for the ride. I can't imagine 18" wheels.  . I remamber when 15's were big! Having said that, I've got 17s now. 

I've got the 1.5 TDCi 120 and have been disappointed with performance and economy since day one. I must like something, I've had it 5 years! I know I like paying no tax. . 

I'll look into this Vignale I think. 

 

[Tizer]

It depends on whether you want good looks and sportier suspension or want to be boringly sensible.

I have a 1.5 petrol Titanium and would recommend that engine. If you do go for that engine then it might interest you that from a build date of mid May 2019 Ford discontinued the Multi-Link rear suspension and a few other minor things.

I must say that the higher profile tyres on the Titanium are a godsend if you don't want to damage your wheels on potholes and high kerbs and gave me no problems with the recent snow covered roads, but I wouldn't want to race anyone on a twisty road.

[J0hn]

There's plenty of ST-lines with 17" wheels. I think a test drive is needed. 
 

Just realised, all MK4's have the 'pop up' screens (as I call them) rather than built in like the one I've got now. 
They look like an aftermarket addition, don't like them but not a deal breaker. 

[Paul9619]

3 hours ago, J0hn said:

There's plenty of ST-lines with 17" wheels. I think a test drive is needed. 
 

Just realised, all MK4's have the 'pop up' screens (as I call them) rather than built in like the one I've got now. 
They look like an aftermarket addition, don't like them but not a deal breaker. 

I assume you are talking about the HUD.
The reason they do that is so they can keep the heated front screen, otherwise they would need to get rid of it. 

Fords is also the only HUD that can be seen through polarised sunglasses. 

So has its advantages.  

Do I like the HUD?  It’s ok. I wouldn’t say it’s needed though. I can see everything I need on the coloured cluster on the dash which isn’t far off my eyeline.  

[TomsFocus]

12 hours ago, Anubis said:

What was wrong with it? I've test driven some dealer demo models and even with under 10K on them you can feel everyone who tested it didn't give a 💩 about the clutch!

Scuffed alloys, damaged dash, broken fog lens, door seals hanging, leaky pan roof, loose rear view camera, gum in the boot carpet, delaminated number plate, knackered drivers mat, dog hair/slobber/sh*t in the interior...  Sub 10k miles from a Ford dealer!!  Needless to say I wasn't happy!  It's still for sale now, without any repairs but with more realistic pictures...they didn't even do the V5 properly so I had to SORN it myself to get the tax refund.  Clutch did feel a little weird but I put that down to being a small 3cyl petrol compared to my diesel...didn't feel as weak as the clutch on the 125ps Mk3 I had a few years ago.  If you can finance a car, it worked out cheaper to do that than buy a slightly used demo in my case.  Waiting for a factory order now...will at least be able to tell if they're just all crap or whether it's the previous owners that are the problem!

  

12 hours ago, J0hn said:

I think I've ruled out the ST-line purely for the ride. I can't imagine 18" wheels.  . I remamber when 15's were big! Having said that, I've got 17s now. 

I've got the 1.5 TDCi 120 and have been disappointed with performance and economy since day one. I must like something, I've had it 5 years! I know I like paying no tax. . 

I'll look into this Vignale I think. 

 

ST-Line has 17s as standard, it's the ST-Line X that gets the fantastic looking 18s.  The suspension is different between the Tit X & STL though so the 17" wheels have slightly different comfort levels across them.  Vignale gets 18s annoyingly, but does have the comfort suspension so should be a bit smoother than the STLX.  Th 18s are the only reason I went for a TX over a Vignale myself as I need the comfort. 

Tax since 2017 is a flat rate of £150...no more free tax for dull engines!  

 

2 hours ago, Paul9619 said:

I assume you are talking about the HUD.
The reason they do that is so they can keep the heated front screen, otherwise they would need to get rid of it.  

He means the dash iPad.

What does the HUD have to do with the heated screen out of interest?

[Paul9619]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Scuffed alloys, damaged dash, broken fog lens, door seals hanging, leaky pan roof, loose rear view camera, gum in the boot carpet, delaminated number plate, knackered drivers mat, dog hair/slobber/sh*t in the interior...  Sub 10k miles from a Ford dealer!!  Needless to say I wasn't happy!  It's still for sale now, without any repairs but with more realistic pictures...they didn't even do the V5 properly so I had to SORN it myself to get the tax refund.  Clutch did feel a little weird but I put that down to being a small 3cyl petrol compared to my diesel...didn't feel as weak as the clutch on the 125ps Mk3 I had a few years ago.  If you can finance a car, it worked out cheaper to do that than buy a slightly used demo in my case.  Waiting for a factory order now...will at least be able to tell if they're just all crap or whether it's the previous owners that are the problem!

  

ST-Line has 17s as standard, it's the ST-Line X that gets the fantastic looking 18s.  The suspension is different between the Tit X & STL though so the 17" wheels have slightly different comfort levels across them.  Vignale gets 18s annoyingly, but does have the comfort suspension so should be a bit smoother than the STLX.  Th 18s are the only reason I went for a TX over a Vignale myself as I need the comfort. 

Tax since 2017 is a flat rate of £150...no more free tax for dull engines!  

 

He means the dash iPad.

What does the HUD have to do with the heated screen out of interest?

I thought he was talking about the Pop up HUD. Most other manufacturers have it built into the windscreen. If Ford did that they would have to remove the heated screen hence why they keep it separate 

[TomsFocus]

47 minutes ago, Paul9619 said:

Most other manufacturers have it built into the windscreen. If Ford did that they would have to remove the heated screen hence why they keep it separate 

Isn't it just some projected light onto a screen though?  So it wouldn't matter whether there are heating elements in it or not?

I'm still sceptical about whether I'll like the HUD or not so am glad it can be switched off in case I don't!

[Paul9619]

29 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Isn't it just some projected light onto a screen though?  So it wouldn't matter whether there are heating elements in it or not?

I'm still sceptical about whether I'll like the HUD or not so am glad it can be switched off in case I don't!

No idea.  I just read it on the Volvo forums when I was contemplating on a Volvo.  It is something to do with the additional layer required on the windscreen to project the image.

[steve67]

Have you looked at the focus active x? spec is high and ride is better..

 

[J0hn]

1 hour ago, steve67 said:

Have you looked at the focus active x? spec is high and ride is better..

 

I'm 'investigating' that right now:) There's not a lot of them though.
Ideally I'd like a year old car. so someone else has taken the initial hit, it's worked for my last two cars. 
Problem is I have less ready cash this time around. 

[J0hn]

7 hours ago, Paul9619 said:

I thought he was talking about the Pop up HUD. 

No, just the normal touchscreen. They 'stick up' and this has always looked like an aftermarket addition to me, and it's more common in smaller cars with smaller dashes. That's one of the things I've loved about my 3.5, how the screen sits in the dash. 
I call them 'pop up' as it looks like they can be pushed down out of the way ( I know they can't). 

[J0hn]

So, ST-line was back on the table (as I think I'd like to have a drive of the firmer suspension with the 17" wheels) . . 
but I've noticed few have rear parking sensors, which I need!

[Alex.S]

9 minutes ago, J0hn said:

So, ST-line was back on the table (as I think I'd like to have a drive of the firmer suspension with the 17" wheels) . . 
but I've noticed few have rear parking sensors, which I need!

Personally , if I couldn’t have got the st line X I probably wouldn’t have bought a st line. 
For the difference in price between the two , there’s no point buying a st line and adding extras , better value for money to get the X . Looks so much better too. All about finances though for sure. Was gonna say on a ford forum we’re all in the same boat or similar but not true. Some are in a yacht ..I’m in a homemade raft about to go over a waterfall! 

[steve67]

3 hours ago, J0hn said:

I'm 'investigating' that right now:) There's not a lot of them though.
Ideally I'd like a year old car. so someone else has taken the initial hit, it's worked for my last two cars. 
Problem is I have less ready cash this time around. 

We got ours early January.. 18 moths old ..has HUD and Park assist in the convenience pack..the active has the better suspension..LCD screen, full panoramic sunroof.. got it for over £10k cheaper than new..

[Anubis]

17 hours ago, J0hn said:

So, ST-line was back on the table (as I think I'd like to have a drive of the firmer suspension with the 17" wheels) . . 
but I've noticed few have rear parking sensors, which I need!

If you liked the way the ST-Line drives with 17" wheels you could always just get an ST-X and put 17s on, maybe???

[steve67]

20 hours ago, J0hn said:

I'm 'investigating' that right now:) There's not a lot of them though.
Ideally I'd like a year old car. so someone else has taken the initial hit, it's worked for my last two cars. 
Problem is I have less ready cash this time around. 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101137931097?atmobcid=soc3