The Focus STs I looked at all had panel misalignment or other body assembly issues, which did not inspire much confidence. I also did not want to buy the car and immediately downgrade to a lighter, overall cheaper 17" wheel and tire combo. The weight penalty over a Fiesta was also very easy to feel when driving it; hard to hide a near 500lbs weight disadvantage. A turning circle that was as poor as my F250's really didn't help matters, either.
The Fiesta STs I drove had no body assembly issues and felt like someone had turned the car up to 11. I've yet to drive anything new with a MSRP under $40k that has the frenetic character that a Fiesta does. It amuses me that I have this car since I drove a regular 1.6L powered Fiesta in 2011, and my first impression was that the car lost out on the excellent steering quality the Focus had, and gained nothing. To say I had a poor first impression of this car was an understatement.