2020 Ford Focus vs Skoda Octavia

What's the difference?

The Ford Focus ST is a hot hatch, but just how spicy is it? Well, if it was a curry it would have two little, red chillies next to its name on the menu. Listed directly below would be the Focus RS accompanied by three chillies, but there’d be a line drawn through it with a marker pen because sadly Ford doesn’t serve that any more.

So, is the Ford Focus ST hot enough for you? And does it also offer the practicality that goes with performance which has made hot hatches popular through the decades?

The new-generation Focus ST launched in 2020, soon after its smaller sibling the Fiesta ST (one chilli). We’ve already tested the Focus ST with the manual gearbox and this review is of the same car with the automatic.

As sedans fall out of favour with the Australian populace, Skoda’s Octavia occupies an increasingly secure niche.

The Octavia does what Skoda has always been best at: finding a niche which its parent company, VW doesn’t quite fill, and presenting a quirky option for customers looking for something a little unusual.

According to Skoda, demand was such for sporty Octavias, that it had to introduce a permanent Sport variant for those who want some of the look and feel of its go-fast RS range without the larger price tag.

A niche car for a niche audience, then. Does the Octavia Sport deliver where others don’t? We took one for a week to find out.