Hi everyone I'm Dave. New here but here goes I'm looking at getting a new car, long story but at the minute I'm looking at a 2018 focus 1.5t 182 ecoboost st line X. Could I please ask your thoughts on them the good the bad, what to watch out for etc, any advice,opinions etc are  really appreciated thanks

Dave.P.

2018 is the crossover year.  Is it late Mk3 facelift or early Mk4 that you're looking at?  The 1.5 EB engine is very different between them.

Hi Tomfocus, 

It's 2018 mk4 68 plate think it was made Oct 2018

37 minutes ago, DaveyP. said:

Hi Tomfocus, 

It's 2018 mk4 68 plate think it was made Oct 2018

Thanks, yeah that'll be an early Mk4 (pre-facelift).  In that case, the 1.5 EcoBoost is probably the best engine choice in those.  They're 3 cylinder, which gives them a slightly different sound, but they're generally very reliable, more so than the older 4 pot in Mk3s.  Plenty of torque too, I had the 150 version and didn't find it lacking.  MPG wasn't quite as good as I hoped, in the high 30's.

At that age it'll still have independent rear suspension which is a major plus point for both ride and handling.  STLX gets sports suspension and large wheels which can reduce the comfort a bit, depends what you're used to.

By far the biggest issues with the Mk4 are the battery charging (or lack of it due to tight emissions regs) - factor in a battery replacement soon if not already done.  Can't think of anything else major to check on these.  Worth checking for any water leaks and making sure the AC is ice cold.