Funny you should mention that - on my way home in typical traffic I hit this kinda zen spot of feeling the car, shifting with it... I really didn't care about the traffic.

 

I often take the long way home now.

 

Yyyup. I joyride all the time now. And yes, I've slowed way down since I got this car even though it has double the horsepower of my ex-beater. Anyone naming their st?

 

I also have been taking it easy and just enjoying the smoothness and refinement of the focus... I love the tranny. My last car was a 2004 325i, which was the "benchmark 4 door sports sedan" (I put that in quotes lol) when it came to balanced handling and refinement. I have to say that the focus's 6 speed is even better feeling than the e46, I even prefer the suspension tuning which is saying a lot... The focus feels like its a 40K car..

Having said that I do take her out and rip around my favorite exit ramps, but I do find myself chilling out more when just driving the car somewhere...

I named mine "Killer" lol jk

 

It's a very easy car to drive in a civil manner, especially compared to my previous ride but I still give it the occasional blast.

As for a name Jeb, usually I wouldn't do it, but the missus calls it Big Bird due to the colour. Not sure I'll be calling it that though...

 

Sometimes, I get home and just keep driving.

 

I know the feeling. I commonly find myself going routes that I normally wouldn't which adds a few minutes and miles on my route to and from the house.

 

Yes, I do the same thing and then all of a sudden I have to need for speed...so a sudden burst and then back to driving slow again, lol!

 

Nope don't have that feeling on a daily basis 252HP Flat, get out of my way. But on not so normal days I have aways just enjoyed a gentle cruise here and there. But going to work I drive in really aggressive traffic, pretty sure Toyota Pays the cops to stay away during there traffic hours cause if your not going 65MPH on a certain 55MPH you will get ran off the road or have some moron in a Prius up you ass, or if he's in front of you he'll just slam on his brakes every time he has to stop with out warning.

 

Actually just the opposite! Normally i drive the speed limit and according to my wife I drive like a Grandpa... Not so much in the ST! I don't mean to speed, honestly... but dang I look down at the speedometer and shake my head, "How did a FOCUS get going this FAST!" LOL!!! And yes, I take the long way home every chance i get!

 

My normal driving routes give no opportunity for doing anything other than going with the flow. Two lane roads with no opportunity to pass without behaving like an a-hole leave no real option.

Things change on other roads though. I only have 1100 or so miles on my ST so far and am still unable to turn down an opportunity to pass on a two lane road when I can do so reasonably politely. Freeways are another challenge and I often give into the temptation to squirt down to the next group of cars when I can see a mile without any turnaround spots for oncoming cop cars.

I even found myself making a 150 mile round trip to a Sam's Club on a freeway, for no good reason at all, in a snow storm, just so I could have some fun. And I did. Came back with a pad of 3x3" PostIts for my efforts. I found that using the left lane for passing on a snow/slush covered road works just fine as long as there is a stripe of bare road big enough for one set of wheels.

 

same here i find my self driven 10 15 miles more before i put her up

 

It's really neat how many of us are taking the long way home. I have done every possible route to work there is, I have no problem adding 5 miles to the trip to get on my favorite. I usually get home at the same time!

 

Yes, but only because I have too.

97% of my driving is on the streets of metro Los Angeles, where your speed is limited by the flow of traffic (or lack thereof), plus very long waits at big intersections. This tends to consume quite a bit of fuel, so I usually up shift when the arrow suggests, try to stay away from a lot of boost, short shift, etc. Unfortunately, I'm still only averaging 16mpg, worse than my 99 MS3. EPA my eye, 23 city is pure fantasy. The irony is that their city test is modeled on a loop in downtown LA! Does fine on the highway though, 29-32mpg. For short trips I try to ride a bicycle - in good weather with no photo shoots, my car just sits in front of the house for days at a time. In the 3 months I've had it I've only put 1700 miles on it.

 

Right now this car just has me patiently waiting for summer. Since I'm getting awful traction in the snow, and the fact we are able to hit the speed limit in first gear, has me yearning for some aggressive driving once the conditions get better!

 

i wouldnt say that i drive slow per say, however i do drive longer curvier ways to where i need to be

 

I drove back from Houston to Austin today, and set the nav to 'no highways, no tollways' and 'shortest route.' Got quite the tour of Texas, windy back country roads with occasional need for a high speed pass of a Sunday driver! I drove it home as fast as I could, and had a blast!

 

That's funny because the first week I had my car I only took it on the highway once just to see how it did. Since then I go out of my way to take back roads everywhere I go lol... It's so much funner! All my previous cars it was how ever I could get there and get out of the car the quickest. this car is just such a pleasure to drive that I really don't care if it's 10 minutes longer to get there going the back way.

 

I take my normal route thru the city but enjoy being able to pass at will. I have a philosophy that if someone is driving too slow in front of you and you have a chance to pass them, do it. Otherwise you get stuck behind them for ten miles. My previous car was a Honda Element and I have noticed that I feel like I can pass in much smaller zones than with the Honda. Also, if you pull up to a light and there are two cars side by side in front of you and you have a split second to decide which car to get behind, which is likely to be faster off the light? An old Oldsmobile land barge or a car with South Carolina tags? If there's a SC car in front of you get behind the other car!

 

The good thing about this car is at 55, in 6th, if you want to nail it, kaely bar the door. Mayor

 

I have actually started driving a little slower than I used to. Slow it down on the highway and my mileage increases. This car really doesn't like above 70ish, mileage drops way down above 75. Like I can watch it tick down

 

Taking the longer way home is sometimes better for the car, depending on the length of your commute. It gives the engine enough time to warm up and burn off excess moisture/crap. You should see the stuff in my OCC after only 2500 - 2600 miles of short commutes (< 4 miles each way).

 

kaely bar the door. Mayor

What does that mean?

 

kaely bar the door.

What does that mean?

Katy bar the door

 

Haha I love this thread as I thought I was the only one. I've owned my pride and joy for 2 weeks tomorrow and I have never driven so sensible in all my life!!! Not to say I don't give it a burst coz I sure do but most of my driving is actually within the speed limit but I think it's the knowledge of the power beneath your feet that makes driving sensibly "ok" until its time for a traffic light showdown! Mwa ha ha haaaaa!!!

 

I drive very sensibly except every entrace ramp to the interstate, lol!:wink:

 

All you guys talk makes me think i made a mistake ordering the nav. package i think it might be fun too get lost in the boonies for a few hundred mile when i take delivery. and also during my test drive yesterday i was enjoying crusin along relaxing the bad road conditions heavy salt powder on road and biter cold very bad for traction on summer tires i could feel the tight handling the snappy response of the engine i could just feel the cars power and comptence like at knows its so good it dosent have to prove it every time it hits the road.

 

I have to agree with ya I drive about 15 miles to work each way and put in some good old southern rock and then for some reason the foot just finds the Gas petal and woops going faster then I should it is just a fun car to drive

 

I have to drive my car pretty slow now because an unfortunate incident with my previous car, a Mazdaspeed 3, I acquired a lot of points on my license that will remain until September. CA is a 5 points and your license gets suspended state and I currently have 4.

Fortunately, there's a great track near me where you're at triple digits much of the time, and I know a lot of fun canyon roads that are virtually un-patrolled. Around town, I don't drive like a wuss but I do obey the speed limit (more or less) and don't do anything considered reckless...which is how I got those 4 points!