“It’s a terrific car – extraordinarily able in its driving dynamics and superbly engineered”.
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Ford’s Focus ST has always been an excellent car but, throughout the 12 years it has been in production, have you ever known anybody to buy one? In total, in all those years, Ford have sold about 140,000 of these higher-performance small family cars in 40 countries wordlwide – which means that some 2500+ customers a year must have bought one Britain. How come we have never met any of them?
Thoughts along those lines hung around the launch in Spain this week of the new Focus ST five-door hatchback and estate. It’s a terrific car – extraordinarily able in its driving dynamics and superbly engineered – but it’s curiously elusive to imagine who might buy it. Ford are expecting to sell more than 3000 a year of the hatchbacks and about a further 1000 of the estates in Britain. The average purchaser, they believe, is a well-paid guy in his late 30s who may be single or married but probably doesn’t have children. They say that that Ford equally shares the thick end of market for cars of this type with VW’s Golf GTI. But we all know scads of people who have bought GTIs. Where are all these thousands of Focus ST owners? It’s as if they are a lost Amazon tribe, nervously peeping out between the fronds and scared that they might have to reveal themselves.
They have no reason to be shy. The new Focus ST is so stunningly good that anybody who bought one would have good reason to take sole occupation of the bragging corner in the pub or the office. By comparison, VW Golf GTI owners have got less than they might suppose to swank about.
Two engine versions were on offer at the recent press launch in Spain – a 250 PS 2.0 litre EcoBoost which can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds and a 185 PS 2.0 litre TDCI diesel with 0-62 mph in 8.1 seconds. Both versions offer Auto-Stop-Start which helps reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by an alleged six per cent. The petrol version’s average fuel consumption is claimed to 41.5 mpg and the diesel’s 67.3 mpg but no driver who took advantage of the performance capabilities of the new Focus ST would be likely to achieve fuel consumption at more than 70% of those figures.
And why would anybody buy this car (assuming that somebody will) if they are not going to give it some solid welly? The standard Focus is already so surpassingly good in its ride, handling and steering that even the most enthusiastic driver would find plenty to enjoy when pressing on. In the Focus ST, however, those admirable qualities are enhanced to such a degree that the £22195-£25995 price range for this car looks genuinely cheap compared with the £35000+ you might have to pay for an enhanced Audi that could perform to a comparable level.
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A new sports suspension in the ST has been fitted with new front springs and the shock absorbers have been tightened front and rear. These changes complement stiffer suspension and new anti-roll bars to give an alert nimbleness to the car in progress that is actually in a class of its own.
Ford Team RS did a lot of work on the electronic vectoring control for the new ST to optimise the distribution of torque to the wheels and to maximise traction. Revised engine mounts also help to deliver power through the transmission system in a fluent torrent even when accelerating flat out.
We vividly saw and felt the benefits of these changes on the first day of the press launch when driving through misty mountains around Barcelona on roads teeming with rain. Ford apologised for the conditions, lamenting the absence of sunshine; but, in fact, they were a perfect test for the new ST’s dynamic set-up; and the car passed the test with colours flying bravely. You can put the hammer down in this car with absolute confidence that it will cling faithfully to the line you have chosen.
The diesel lacks the instantaneous punch of the petrol engine so you need to judge and time overtakes more cautiously but, unexpectedly, the diesel is the more enjoyable car to drive. The note from its central exhaust tail pipes is less harsh and raucous and the extra weight of the engine seems to settle the suspension set-up while making the nose even more accurate to point. Whether the big achiever in his late 30s with his trophy wife will opt for these more civilised qualities is, of course, open to question.
The new ST has got all the tiresome, fashionable doo-dahs which that flash bloke would probably fancy. Along with the centre exhaust comes a rear spoiler, rear diffusers, deep bumpers, side skirts and low profile 19” wheels with red brake callipers. Inside, you get the standard boy-racer’s kit of flat-bottomed, leather-clad steering wheel, satin chromes on all surfaces, rally-style pedals and Recaro seats. The Tangerine Scream yellow panels of leather on the seats of the first car we tested quickly acquired a scrim of denim from our jeans which dimmed their lurid appeal. Our boy with the big wage-packet might be better off choosing black leather.
A little bracket of analogue gauges on the instrument binnacle is supposed to give information on turbocharger boost, oil pressure and oil temperature but these were too tiny to read without glasses so we took no notice of them.
That’s the best way to deal with most of the go-faster gimcrackery on the Focus ST. If you concentrate on the price, the engineering and the driving dynamics you will see only an excellent piece of work that is a tempting bargain.
Who knows? You might even buy one.
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Ford Focus ST 2.0-Litre EcoBoost with Auto-Start-Stop
Price: £22,195 – £25,995 dependent on trim level
Engine: 2.0litre EcoBoost, inline 4 cylinder petrol turbocharged
Transmission: 6 speed manual
Rated Output: 250PS @ 5500rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 2000-4500rpm
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
31-62mph: 5.5 seconds
Top speed: 154mph
Fuel economy urban/extra-urban/combined: 32.1/49.5/41.5 mpg
CO2 emissions: 159 g/km
Length – 4362mm
Width – 2010mm inc mirrors
Height – 1471mm
Weight – 1437kg
Focus ST 2.0-Litre EcoBoost Estate with Auto-Start-Stop
Price: £23,295 – £27,095 dependent on trim level
Engine: 2.0litre EcoBoost, inline 4 cylinder petrol turbocharged
Transmission: 6 speed manual
Rated Output: 250PS @ 5500rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 2000-4500rpm
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
31-62mph: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 154mph
Fuel economy urban/extra-urban/combined: 32.1/49.5/41.5 mpg
CO2 emissions: 159 g/km
Length – 4563mm
Width – 2010mm inc mirrors
Height – 1486mm
Weight – 1461kg
Ford Focus ST 2.0-Litre TDCi 5-dr with Auto-Start-Stop
Price: £22,195 – £25,995 dependent on trim level
Engine: 2.0litre TDCi, inline 4 cylinder diesel turbocharged
Transmission: 6 speed manual
Rated Output: 185PS @ 3500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2000-2750rpm
0-62mph: 8.1 seconds
31-62mph: 6.9 Seconds
Top speed: 135mph
Fuel economy urban/extra-urban/combined: 56.5/74.3/67.3 mpg
CO2 emissions: 159 g/km
Length – 4563mm
Width – 2010mm inc mirrors
Height – 1486mm
Weight – 1461kg
Focus ST 2.0-Litre TDCi Estate with Auto-Start-Stop
Price: £23,295 – £27,095 dependent on trim level
Engine: 2.0litre TDCi, inline 4 cylinder diesel turbocharged
Transmission: 6 speed manual
Rated Output: 185PS @ 3500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2000-2750rpm
0-62mph: 8.3 seconds
31-62mph: 7.1 Seconds
Top speed: 135mph
Fuel economy urban/extra-urban/combined: 56.5/74.3/67.3 mpg
CO2 emissions: 110 g/km
Length – 4563mm
Width – 2010mm inc mirrors
Height – 1486mm
Weight – 1488kg
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