Review
Ford Focus ST
The sporty variant of the Focus, the Focus ST, is now also available as a diesel for the first time. This sports car for everyday use combines a powerful diesel engine and sporty driving characteristics with the comfort and practicality of a family car.
engines
For petrol drivers, the Focus ST is available with a 2.0 liter EcoBoost turbo engine with a power of 250 hp and a torque of 360 Nm. This powerhouse goes from 0–100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 248 km/h. The petrol version can be found in your driveway from €29,600.
From now on, the Focus ST is also available for the first time with a 2.0-liter TDCi diesel engine. This turbo engine produces 185 hp and has a strong torque of 400 Nm. This makes the journey to 100 km/h take 8.1 seconds. The top speed is 217 km/h and from €30,350 you will be a proud owner.
Both the petrol and diesel versions are equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Equipment levels
You can choose the Focus ST in 3 equipment levels: from ST-1 to ST-3.
In the standard version ST-1 we find beautiful 18” rims in a characteristic ST design, an ST body kit & rear spoiler, fabric sports seats from Recaro that fit like a glove, manual air conditioning, sporty suspension and a rear diffuser with central double exhaust. In the ST-2 you get dual automatic air conditioning and partial leather upholstery for the sports seats. In the top version ST-3 you get, among other things, full leather upholstery for the sports seats, which are also electrically adjustable for the driver and passenger and bi-xenon headlights.
Our test car was equipped with the optional (€200) exterior color “Stealth”. Not only a nice name, but in our opinion a successful look for the ST.
Driving experience
We went for a day of driving with Focus ST diesel with equipment level ST-3. When you get into the ST, you immediately get the feeling of being in a sports car thanks to the Recaro sports seats. They fit like a glove around your body and hold you tight through every bend. The leather feels high-quality and you can adjust the seats to fit your body. Although these are sports seats, you can still sit in them for several hours without it becoming a sporting torture.
When you press the start button, the 185 hp diesel engine wakes up. The central dual exhaust produces a quite attractive sound. No hardcore sports sound, but still a nice deep sporty sound. For optimal fuel efficiency, this engine is also equipped with Auto-Start-Stop. In terms of sporty performance, the Focus ST does quite well. The car has a lot of torque and accelerates quite well, but does not break any records.
However, when you get behind the wheel, the ST diesel feels like a real sports car. The car steers very precisely. Extremely precise itself. It also feels like it’s sticking to the road. Even in tougher cornering, the ST remains very stiff and rigid. Very nice. All this is undoubtedly the result of the combination of the ST suspension, Torque Vectoring Control and a specifically tuned steering wheel.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a family car that also has a very sporty side and is affordable, then the Focus ST diesel is an interesting option. It looks good, sounds sporty and handles the road like a real sports car. You should of course not expect exceptional performance in terms of power and acceleration, but that is not necessary for a sports car for everyday use.
Johan De Haes
Test driver
