What is it?
With the family hatchback getting a mid-life refresh earlier this year, Ford introduced a last hurrah for the ST, which is what we’re driving today. Called Focus ST Edition, it has seen the hot hatch given all the ingredients to be a world-beater…
What’s new?
There are just a couple of key upgrades, with the headline being the adjustable coilover suspension, which lets those with the right knowledge tweak the setup to their personal preference. It makes the car sit lower to the ground and comes with recommendations for settings depending on the driving conditions (including a specific setup for the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit) so you’re not totally in the dark.
There are also flow-formed alloy wheels that not only look greatest but reduce unsprung weight, too.
What’s under the bonnet?
It’s less powerful than the Honda but well-matched with the Hyundai, and like the South Korean rival it makes up for the deficit with an aggressively boosty power delivery that makes it feel like you’re accelerating faster than you are. It’s let down a little bit by the sound, though – ‘fake’ noise pumped into the cabin is fine if it’s good, but here it sounds a bit too artificial.
What’s it like to drive?
Through fear of ruining all of Ford’s hard work we left the car in the settings it was delivered in, and boy is it stiff. If this is going to be your daily driver it could get tiresome, but if your commute takes in the best of British B-roads, or you regularly hit the track, you’ll appreciate the ST Edition’s considerably sharper turn-in. If the road gets really bumpy it’s more liable to be knocked off course, but once it’s in its groove it feels much more alive to your inputs.
Aside from the extra jiggly ride, the only other complaint would be the steering. The Focus ST has the weirdly elastic, annoyingly heavy feeling many Fords are burdened with. You get used to it with time, but it’s such a key part of the experience that it really could (and should?) be better.
How does it look?
That lower ride height gives the ST a more aggressive stance, while the black alloy wheels and gloss black trim on the grille, door mirrors, roof spoiler and roof work perfectly with the blue exterior paint job. Okay, so that Azura Blue paint job is hardly subtle, but it works so perfectly with the car’s lines and black details that it doesn’t feel unnecessarily shouty.
What’s it like inside?
There are some ST-specific upgrades to spice things up, though, such as a leather steering wheel, gear lever gaiter and floor mats, while the start/stop button has red lettering to match the ST badges.
The key cabin upgrade is the seats, with the part-leather Recaro sports seats offering a more cosseting experience worthy of the sporty drive. They can be a little hard for longer journeys, while the side bolsters are quite prominent, but when you’re pressing on they’re fantastic for holding you in place.
What’s the spec like?
Aside from the mechanical, aesthetic and interior upgrades listed above, equipment includes drive mode selection, an eight-inch infotainment display with Ford’s Sync 3 software, and extensive driver assistance technology that includes adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, parking assist and a head-up display.
Verdict
It’s still a case of close, but not close enough, though. The upgrades have made noticeable improvements to its handling, but as usual, its biggest issue is just how good the Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai i30 N are.
Car enthusiasts will love the ability to tune the setup to their liking, but ultimately the two rivals above are simply better all-rounders.
