Ford Focus ST 2013 review

A turf war with street brawls and king-hits is underway in the hot-hatch segment. Ford has weighed back into the battle with the ST, taking the best from the superseded XR5 and limited-edition RS.

Ford marketing general manager David Katic says keen Australian drivers have a real love of the hot hatch genre. "Focus XR5 and Focus RS were tremendously successful vehicles for Ford Australia and carved out a cult following, the Focus ST not only continues this tradition of hot hatches from Ford, but takes it to a new level,'' he says.

As Volkswagen's supply of the outgoing GTI dwindles, Ford is ready to take the mantle of top dog in the segment. The ST is on sale in Australia from this month, although supply constrained by, says Ford, strong demand from the 40 countries getting the car.

Value

Priced from $38,290 there's no shortage of gear — the sports Recaro seats, dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable, heated and folding exterior mirrors, LED interior and rear tail lights, alarm, automatic bi-xenon headlights, and auto-dimming centre rearvision mirrors and rain-sensing wipers.

The ST also gets a Sony sound system, with USB and Bluetooth link and nine speakers, sports alloy pedals, satnav (albeit on a small-ish 5in display), keyless entry and ignition.

Technology

A turbo four from the EcoBoost family tops the list for the ST — a 184kW/360Nm two-litre unit (a close relative to the 179kW/353Nm four-cylinder Falcon's powerplant). The engine has direct injection, variable camshaft timing and a revamped intake and exhaust system, which includes a sound generator for better induction noise and a grille shutter to control airflow through the engine bay and improve aerodynamics. It is only on offer with a six-speed manual and lays claim to 7.4l/100km, which Ford says is a 20 per cent improvement over the outgoing ST, which wasn't on sale here. 

The other highlight is the Sport Steering system, a variable-ratio steering system that delivers the appropriate ratio to the job at hand. It's only a couple of turns lock to lock but works well in low-speed situations and in the corners.

The electric power steering and three-stage stability control also work to counteract the dreaded torque steer, as does the torque vectoring system that brakes an inside wheel to stop the nose running wide.

Design

There's no doubt you're looking at a Focus, and a special one at that. The front end has been given a big front grille, the flanks have been adorned with side skirts and there's a sizeable roof lip spoiler as well. It sits squat — but not stupidly so — on 10mm-lower sports suspension 18in wheels with 235/40 Goodyear rubber. The rump has what Ford calls a "twin-hexagonal" exhaust outlet.

The cabin is dominated  by the sports leather/cloth trimmed Recaro bucket seats, which are remarkably comfortable and provide excellent lateral support — they need to, but more on that later. There's a three-gauge binnacle atop the dash which boy racers might like but if it disappeared I wouldn't miss it.

Safety

The five-star ANCAP safety rating is applied to the ST, which gets dual front, front-side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes with brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Drive

The first impression of the ST is that it's quiet and civilised when sauntering through traffic, with a firm ride — it's not  uncomfortably so for a hot hatch, there's an initial compliance that makes life a little easier on the derriere and you won't need a kidney belt.

The turbo powerplant on part throttle can deliver solid forward progress without fuss — slipping between gears, the shift has a hint of rubberiness to the lever but the action between the gears is clean. You won't need a massive number of cog-swaps of you don't desire them, as the engine is remarkably flexible — cruising at 100km/h in the tall 6th gear has the tachometer sitting at around 2200rpm. That said, if you want to stir it up, the animalistic tones from the sound generator and the turbo engine will encourage press-ahead progress on the right road.

The first series of corners will have you recalibrating your steering wheel use, as it turns into bends with a ferocious enthusiasm, accuracy, good weighting and plenty of grip. Only thoughtless throttle application will disturb front wheel grip — the solid bolsters in the Recaro bucket seats are required features as the ST can generate plenty of lateral force.

Body control is good and torque steer is still present, but not to the point of seriously disturbing the driver.
The ST claims 7.4l/100km but our time in the ST had the trip computer showing 9.1 — but that's not bad given we weren't aiming for fuel economy records.

The ST still has the busy centre stack that is not to all tastes and would take some time for familiarity.
The sports steering wheel is a delight to use for its primary task but it's crowded with buttons that are not always easy to use.

The centre display has myriad readouts but there's no digital speed readout — the instruments are clear enough to read but a digital display of speed could be handy, given the way the ST can quickly head into licence loss territory.

The muscular front seats don't help rear legroom — I could just sit behind my own driving 191cm position but four normal-sized adults could be accomodated without concern, as will their gear with about 316 litres of bootspace.