Ford Faqs

The Ford Focus remains the most entertaining regular family hatch to drive but recent arrivals from VW, Vauxhall and Honda have run it increasingly close. The ST battles for fast hatch class honours in a segment full of talent. Hot hatches now pack 200 plus bhp in their pseudo shopping-car body shells and levels of performance have never been higher in this price bracket.

The previous generation Focus RS was a belting car, but came at the end of the Focus’ life and was a limited run car that Ford reputedly lost money on. This new-generation Focus has a range topper very quickly after launch. This ST boasts over 50 more horses than the previous model’s 170bhp, although the omission of the RS moniker may be a key tell-tale for the future.

Styling is subtly reworked from the standard car. Lurid colours are available, but darker hues such as the black of our test car are a lot more discreet and less attention seeking. Spoilers, alloys and grilles aside this car doesn’t stand out hugely from the crowd. I like that in a hot hatch, although the overt aggression of the Astra VXR is also appealing, as is the restraint and class of a Golf GTi. It’s a matter of personal preference.

The ST borrows a selection of components from the huge Ford Group parts bin. Up front lurks a turbocharged Volvo 2.5-litre engine normally found in T5 models. Has Ford lost the plot? Well, no. Funnily enough the Editor and I discussed this very combination when we drove the V50 T5 a long while ago. We both mused as to what an excellent powerplant it would be in a lighter shell, like a hatch. Lo and behold someone else agreed and, increase in turning circle aside, we have been proven right.

Linear nature makes the T5 unit an excellent foil for a hot hatch; the added flexibility is a stark contrast to something like the outgoing Civic Type R and, whilst some of the fun of a hugely revvy unit is missed, the strength and breadth of the torque curve is excellent. The overboost facility can be watched on the boost gauge in the centre of the dash and on this same dial you can see how quickly the boost builds, even at low revs. The pull does increase at certain points, such as around the 4000rpm mark, but for the most part as long as there is more than 2000rpm on the tacho a strong response will greet a prod of the throttle.