Ford Focus ST review

There are two flavours of ST these days: the standard one, and the Edition track special. The former starts at £38,800 for the six-speed manual (the one you want), while the seven-speed auto (the one you don’t) is priced at £40,250. You can also get an estate version of the ST: whack another grand-and-a-bit on top for that one.

Other than that, there’s not much to it: there’s half a dozen paint options (only Race Red is free, the others are £300-£800), and a handful of options should you want them. An HUD and Blind Spot Assist are £450 apiece, the driver assist pack is £550, a sunroof is £1,045, and the track pack’s £3k.

The ST Edition costs £44k and absorbs all the hardware you’ll find on the track pack (as mentioned already: Brembo brakes, adjustable suspension, bespoke 19s, Pirelli tyres and a dedicated Track mode) plus gloss black detailing, unique ‘Azura Blue’ paint and the driver assist and blind spot kit. Phew.

Oh, and as it's effectively last orders for the ST, Ford is charging more than ever for it... those prices at the time of writing are over a grand higher than they were six months ago. Eep.

Is it good value compared to the competition?

What competition? The base ST undercuts the Golf GTI by a couple of grand, but that’s its only real rival to be honest: the Hyundai i30N is no longer available and the GR Yaris is a good chunk more expensive. The Honda Civic Type R and VW Golf R live in a higher echelon again.

The days of monthly prices around £300 seem long gone: stick £5k down on a three-year PCP and you’ll be looking at £570 a month.

As for fuel consumption, Ford claims 35.3mpg: we found the car averaged 34mpg over six months of use when we ran the pre-facelift car as a long-termer. CO2 emissions are 183g/km.

What’s the spec like? 

The ST is fairly well equipped: you get matrix LED headlights, keyless entry and start, cruise control, dual zone climate control, a rearview camera with front and rear parking sensors, a 12.4in infotainment system with Apple and Android connectivity, 675-watt B&O stereo with 10 speakers and a subwoofer (the speaker reflects awfully in the windscreen though) plus heated electric front seats, a steering wheel and a windscreen.