eSeM

Best way to see what an S can do is to go for a run in one with someone that knows how to drive it.

lower

You'll find, and surprisingly quickly, that you just adjust your driving style to use more revs. I find that i tend to drive with the revs 2k higher in normal driving that in any other car. You'll also find that the gearbox is so easy and quick to change that dropping a gear to get the revs up isn't a chore.

Its a very quick adjustment and comes quite easily. There will be the odd occasion where you put your foot down and sit there waiting for vtec to kick in, but they are few and far between once you've got used to the vtec engine.

moff

That's what it's all about, seriously it's an awesome car to nail!

Having said that, even being on my second S and being fairly obsessed with it, the car does have it's shortfalls.

Driving at 50-60 and wanting to overtake leaves you stuck with too many revs in 2nd and not quite enough in 3rd. Simple change of driving style sorts that, but it can be a little annoying. Lack of low end torque can annoy me in 1st and 2nd - 1st when you need to pull out of a junction quickly, or out of the lights. 2nd gear when you need to blast between slow moving traffic and it would be better to use 1st.

But, there really aren't many cars that can match the fun factor and smiles per miles that this car provides. Top down, 9000 rpm through the 2nd and 3rd gears in the twisties is a very rewarding experience and one that I will find hard to top with any replacement.

Just do it, Gordon Brown is going to screw us drivers even more and it will get to the point when it's just not worth it. Cars are getting heavier with new EU safety regs... nows the time to finally enjoy some motoring before petrol and tax are completly screwed!

baptistsan

Never even test drove one before buying mine. But I had owned a number of Hondas beforehand so knew what Vtec was about.

Re. the seats; on my 03 I never could get comfortable on longer journeys, I would get a dull ache in my lower back. The seats on the ATR suited me much better. My build obviously wasn't meant for those seats. Would like to try the seats on the newer model to see how much they differ.

Buy the car though, you'll love it.

havoc UK

Stiggy,

Take a look at my sig (if it shows up)...I ran a TDCI-Sport alongside the S for about a year.

...and they are chalk-and-cheese.

To your specific points:-
The seats in the S are just fine...driving position is very good, despite limited adjustability.
You shouldn't find many rattles or squeaks...this is the best-built car I've ever owned.
The clutch biting point probably SHOULDN'T be right at the top...and it's not cheap to change (how old/how many miles on the one you looked at?). Plus I don't think it's THAT heavy (no worse than the wife's GTi-6). It is a fairly sharp clutch though, so will take a little getting used to.
It's also monstrously quick when you do use full-beans...and sounds very nice, esp. with the top-down.

Compared with the Focus...
-Focus has 'nicer' steering. Not as sharp or immediate, but confidence inspiring and communicative. Braces helped a lot with the S in that regard (as did sorting the geometry), and it's now decent but it's not quite all-the-way there.
-In reality, the S, pre-VTEC, is as quick as the Focus. You just don't have the shove from the torque. And then there's VTEC!
-The S takes more work to drive than the Focus...but to me that's a good thing. The Focus was so easy to drive it made it easy to 'switch off'.
-Despite the S being older, I've not had any warranty issues with it (yet...)...with the Focus it was mechanically sound but I had some interior trim troubles and a wheel bearing go south early.

It's hard to say much beyond that, other than the usual comparisons that you'll have made yourself. But definitely have a proper test-drive before deciding! And drive it like it's rwd too...esp. if you're driving it in the wet...