Focus on Ford

Having rather under-achieved with fast versions of the first generation Focus, Ford really delivered when it came to the MK2 model. The Focus ST has proved to be an enthusiast’s choice in its sector and now it’s received the current Focus’ styling improvements.

It’s all a world away from the rather weak RS and ST170 variants that were offered to sports fans as part of the MK1 Focus model line-up. When the second generation range was announced, Ford were also determined to give real enthusiasts a real segment-leading hot hatch. And they have. The ST has since been followed up by the barmy RS model but for sensible money it still has a lot to give.

As a measure of this car’s ability, a standard production Focus ST set a segment-leading record time of 8 minutes 35 seconds around the Nordschleife circuit at the famed Nrburgring. The mark has now been surpassed by a select group of rivals including the latest Focus RS but this sort of achievement requires more than just brute power and the Focus ST remains one of the sharpest handling cars in its class. In fact, this car may well also still be the definitive choice for enthusiastic drivers who also demand comfort around town: an array of subtle suspension enhancements aim to ensure that this remains the case. As before, there’s a powerful braking system, while Ford’s Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Traction Control are now standard on all versions.

If you want this whole test summed up in one word, we’ll give it to you. The Focus ST is brilliant. It’s a hot hatch that flatters the average driver and rewards those with a few more tools in their locker. So many seriously powerful GTi hatches feel as if they have a little too much power but the chassis of the Focus is so talented and the engine so tractable that it always feels a class act. Having clocked up quite a few miles in the old Focus RS, I was initially worried that the ST would be a little soft in the belly. Over the first couple of miles I wasn’t feeling much love for the steering, the electrically assisted system offering too much help. I then discovered that it’s possible, via the car’s computer, to change the weighting. I was on a Comfort setting. Notch it up to Sport, grab the thick-rimmed wheel and you’ve got a car that loves to be thrown at corners.

Catch it off guard and the car can feel slightly nose heavy, that five-cylinder 222bhp turbo engine being quite a hunk of metalwork, but traction is so good that when you get it right, the Focus just slingshots out of a bend with no drama, very little in the way of torque steer and one of the most infectious engine notes around. Despite offering a broadly similar turbocharged power output to the original Focus RS and having drive directed to the front wheels like the RS, Ford insiders claim the latest ST will demolish the RS’s time around the Nurburgring by a full twelve seconds, courtesy of its superior cornering ability and improved torque. I can believe it but there’s now the latest RS with 300bhp for those who want to make a really quick lap of the ‘ring.

The ST’s sprint to 60mph takes just over six seconds and a top speed in the region of 150mph will be more than adequate. Wet traction off the line isn’t the greatest but lateral grip is superb. The Volvo-sourced powerplant serves up a big slug of torque between 1,700 and 6,750rpm. It’s this driveability that makes the Focus ST such a formidable weapon. I drove the Ford to an event where I was driving a 414bhp Audi RS4 and it’s a real compliment to the Focus to say that it felt neither slow nor cheap afterwards.

As before, the production version of the ST comes in three trim levels. You can specify an ST, an ST-2 or an ST-3 but some revision of this nomenclature will presumably be required if a diesel model is ever introduced. Every Focus ST boasts 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, sports styling, body-hugging Recaro sports seats, a unique sports steering wheel and upgraded instrumentation. New to this generation of ST are the 'Ford Power' starter button and Easyfuel capless refuelling system. Upgrading to ST-2 adds a Sony audio system, bi-xenon lights, LED rear lights and Quickclear heated windscreen while the ST-3 includes an in-dash six CD player plus full leather trim.

In common with other members of the 2008 Focus family, a range of high-tech options can be specified. Among the list is a Tyre Deflation Detection System, a new audio connectivity module for external devices like Bluetooth, voice control and navigation systems plus various infotainment options including an affordable sat nav system with SD card slot.

The Focus ST remains more than we could have hoped for. It’s a more mature car than you might expect given the loud colour schemes of the press fleet models you’ll have seen in magazines but it’s also a very talented, extremely tactile and awesomely skilled car. With cars like the Vauxhall Astra VXR and Volkswagen Golf GTI around, it needed to be. Ford have pulled it out of the fire.