![]() There is a clutter-free feel to the car which is just as well considering its driving potential, with a main touchscreen being the focal point, along with a neat driver information display. Moving inside, the interior is equally imposing in its design with a dark headliner, part-leather Recaro sports seats in ebony black with metal grey piping and blue stitching, a heated leather sports steering wheel also with blue stitching, metallic sports pedals, a head-up display and lots of ST badging. ![]() There was a high gloss upper front grille, adaptive LED headlights, LED rear lamps, a performance rear spoiler, dual exhaust pipes, plus black 19-inch alloys complete with red brake calipers. Stand-out design cues on our test car included a black painted roof and mirror caps that contrasted perfectly with the car’s Azura Blue paintwork. With aggressive, muscular styling and bundles of black detailing, there’s no denying the sporting or menacing appearance of the Focus ST when approached from any angle. The Track mode is best left for just that as it will probably be too hot to handle on public roads with fiercer acceleration and performance settings. Even in Normal mode, the suspension is still quite firm, but it is gentler than some rivals. That is a plus point in a car with such powerful potential.Īdjustable suspension is a standard feature on the Focus ST which makes it a lot more forgiving during day-to-day driving, although it is firm enough to assist with more aggressive performance too. With improved steering responses compared to the standard Focus, the wheel feels perfectly weighted with precision accuracy and ample feedback in all settings. ![]() In addition, the car’s body sway is minimal, so no matter how enthusiastically it’s driven, it feels well-grounded and confident. It grips unbelievably well through tight bends with an electronically controlled suspension limited-slip differential set-up for improved traction. But where this model truly excels is on the quieter B roads where it can be unleashed a little. It reaches motorway cruising speeds at the blink of an eye and it has the agility to cope well with busier traffic in city centres. The front-wheel drive Focus ST generates a lot of power and that translates into awesome performance. But it has a much calmer side and can be used as a day-to-day model with gentler driving manners to match. There are faster hot hatches out there, but few deliver the all-round package of the Focus ST that will fly through the country lanes delivering outstanding grip and pace into bends. These are called Normal, Sport, Race Track and Slippery with a button that offers instant access to the Sport setting without toggling through the modes. And there are drive modes to really crank up the handling. The gear shifting is sharper than the standard Focus for constant power and acceleration through the high rev range. When it comes to performance, it’s not for the faint-hearted with a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.7 seconds and maximum speed that is limited to 155mph. Our car, which was an ST Edition model so top range, featured a six-speed manual gearbox although buyers can opt for an auto transmission if preferred. We tested the petrol version with a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine delivering 280PS of power and 420Nm of torque (a 2.0-litre 190PS diesel model is available). At the top of the tree sits the ST model – an aggressively styled high-performance model that ticks all the right boxes for driving purists. In isolation you’d barely notice, in all fairness, but it’s definitely an improvement.The Ford Focus has been an overwhelming success story for Ford with a wealth of choice available to customers. Having ridden in both, the old Trend (and old ST-Line from memory) has the tendency to be a bit sharper at the rear and be more abrupt in recovery over bumps. My brother recently bought a used MY19 Focus Trend, which runs the old torsion beam setup. Going over undulations, speed humps and the like, the latest Focus offers better rebound and absorption, especially with the ST-Line’s firmer and lower (-10mm) sports suspension. This really translates to a fun drive when things get twisty, as you can corner with confidence regardless of speed and the MY21 model’s independent rear suspension feels a little better tied down than the old torsion beam setup.įurther, the more sophisticated rear end means ride compliance in daily driving is much more resolved too. It might take some getting used to if you’re used to a lighter, more numb feel, but it really helps to make the Focus feel like an extension of you on the move, and means less input with more precision.
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