Firstly, im from the UK and i have just taken delivery of a new focus st2, and i have to say, it’s awesome. I have had a mini cooper s for just over a year and was very very sad to see it go. It was a fantastically fun car, good performance and build in general, but basically just great fun to drive! Can’t say i totally agree with all comments on build quality as I have had several problems with my mini, although i know people with same aged model and some had no problems at all, some had more. Luck of the draw, maybe mine was a “friday afternoon” build?!

Either way the focus is a better car by far. Fair enough it doesn’t have the character of the mini, but it handles better, feels better built, and performance wise..well it leaves the cooper s standing. I challenge anyone here to find me evidence of a standard cooper s beating an st in any straight run or track race.. you simply won’t find it.

As for the Mustang.. i would love one, the main reasons for me changing from a cooper s to the st is primarilly power and performance, but im also 6’3″ so the mini wasn’t that practical. And the mustang has power and more importantly oodles of what i like to call “Grrr”. But as others have said it just doesn’t fly over here.

Only a select few would actually buy one, I have seen only a few on English roads. (but they do sound lovely!) The problem though is two fold:

1) American cars have very bad press in the UK, they are slated for cheap build quality, as Richard Hammond said of the H2 Hummer “the interior is made out of a wheelie bin”. They are also renound for terrible handling, the impression you get is America has no corners, just straight roads! Where as we have the opposite.

2)You guessed it – Fuel, us brits are totally raped when it comes to fuel prices! it is quite ridiculous! So for those people who can afford to run a car which returns 10mpg, well they generally dont buy mustangs, they buy aston martins, bentlys, royce’s etc. Something like a Rousch mustang will set you back a good £40k, thats like $80k. Now i don’t really know, but im sure it wouldn’t cost $80,000 in the states?!! So we don’t really get value for money!

Anyways thats my rant.

Next year im getting my dream car – Tvr Sagaris, now that is a car the US can only dream of! 60mph in 3.6 and an exhaust note that would make a child scream in terror.

Look for clarksons review of it on youtube or something, you will catch my drift…

R.

Okay – we have taken this too far and I am sorry for the harsh remarks, however, you did provoke me by taking everything that I said out of context. Whilst I may have overstepped the line all I am saying is that in future if someone makes a genuine car related comment do not take it so badly and go off on a rant that will set others off. If you look back you say that you are not being offensive when clearly you are.

Lets forgive and forget and keep it to the cars from now on (I include myself in this regard).

Thanks M

Ltzmor has missed the point that was being put accross by Mark, meaning that his comments have been half baked. He was only trying to make a genuine comment in relation to something completely different – namely the extortionate price of fuel in the UK. Keep the anti UK patter to yourself!

Peace.

Jon Roberts

I love British cars, I have owned 5, 1 Swedish and 7 German.

I wasn’t bad mouthing British people as I have quite a few British friends.

I never said anything about BMW being British nor about any US company owning BMW.

My posting of British car company ownership was in response to this…”Go to Autoexpress.co.uk and find the related article from their news section” by another poster. I could never find the article and was hoping he would post a link to the article showing which British car companies were actually, as he claimed, owned by you folk. Please correct my list if I was wrong.

If you had actually read any of my posts you would have seen that I wasn’t slamming anybody just trying to get some facts straight.

I haven’t owned a US car since college, 1969.

If I offended any British people by any of my postings….Sorry… it was not meant that way.

I didn’t call anybody “Twit” or imply they were “Ignorant”, as was 1st said to and about me. So wow not sure where you got all that……LOL Man.

The focus article was a good read sorry I got so side tracked.

Ltzmtor I have been following your debate with Mark with interest and have come to the conclusion that you are a xenophobiac and extremist nationalist. Particularly worrying is your geeky knowledge of the fuel consumption of certain cars – get a life. Also you got some of your facts wrong because BWM was never a British company which was bought over by an American company. Your tirade against British cars (admittedly there are not many cars in British ownership now) is laughable since American cars are trash and no one buys them outside of their own country.

Ignorant Yank!

This “gentleman” berates people, articles, countries, etceteras and most of his arguments are lame, mean spirited or negative.

So Buddy…. have at it as I won’t allow myself to drawn to your level again.

BTW….I went to AutoExpress and found NADA, maybe you can post the the article you mentioned on British car companies and their British ownership?

Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin….Ford

Vauxhall……GM

Rolls, Riley, Austin, MINI…………………….BMW

Is the Thames still around? I guess I missed the rest of them.

Plus, my comments earlier were only to say…seems the mileage for the Mustang “Compared” to other “like” cars ain’t so bad and to say… Seems US manufacturers are supplying cars to your market.

Glad you like the ‘Stang, I think it could have been way better.