Ford Focus ST Road Test

Ford Focus ST

The distinctive body-styling comes as standard featuring a ‘don’t mess with me’, front end with large amounts of mesh grille and chrome trims to the front (and rear) fog lamp housings. There are further optional extras such as the ST stripes that add an extra £75 to the bill or perhaps metallic paint at £350.

The interior of the test car was very dark. The black headlining is a standard feature and my car had black leather seats, which on the ST 3 are heated for the front passengers. The fascia is also very dark with a soft-touch dashboard and instrument cowl. It has an air of slick forthrightness about it. Above the centre console and air vents, sits a small, auxiliary instrument pod that houses the turbo-boost, oil pressure and oil temperature gauges. While behind the rake and reach adjustable steering wheel, the normal instrument dials are slightly cowled and can be easily read in any light. A nice touch is that as of this year there is the option of making the sports pedals electronically adjustable, so that one size fits all.

The ST has only four seats - the sculpted cushion between the rear seats is more for extra support and better shoulder-room. Getting in and out of the rear of the 3-door version can be a little awkward as the front Recaro seats have such hefty side bolsters that the seats don’t fold forward very far. Rear passengers have just about enough legroom for comfort but can rest their arms on the soft-touch, lidded door bins that match the front, centre armrest.

Even though, I was a little disappointed by the feeling of detachment when driving, I can’t really fault the ST. It is what it is and personally, I would be happy to pay the £20,720 final price of the test car, which included the optional KeyFree System and rear park assist - the grin is worth every penny.