FASTER FOCUS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 96

In early fourth generation form, this C519-series Ford Focus ST hot hatch was smarter, classier and more dynamically adept. In hatch or estate guise, with petrol or diesel power, it was a car that owners found it easier to get the most from. And a machine that buyers on the used market can enjoy to the full on their favourite roads without afterwards having to pay for it with the kind of over-firm ride you simply don't want in everyday traffic. Ultimately, so many quick cars can feel. well, rather irrelevant. Here's one that's anything but.

Modelsword count: 12

5dr Hatch / Estate (Petrol - 2.3 EcoBoost / 2.0 TDCi diesel)

Historyword count: 534

'ST' is a badge that, when it comes to Ford, stands for 'quick but not concussive', a performance level that sits just above the company's fast-but-family-friendly 'ST-Line' models. But just below their track-spec RS derivatives. A badge applied to the kind of car a red-blooded racer could afford, enjoy and use every day. A car like this - the fourth generation Focus ST. The Focus ST is the kind of car that's always democratised performance, giving you the speed of a supercar within the body - and the budget - of something much more ordinary. Other brands promise this kind of thing but in reality, often do little more than bolt a set of spoilers and a turbo onto something more ordinary. Ford though, has a different approach, the Blue Oval brand boasting a long history of developing proper performance versions of its mainstream models, designed by enthusiasts to be driven by enthusiasts. The very first Focus ST was the MK1 ST170 model of 2002, but the first properly quick one was the MK2 model of 2005. That car was rapid, both in speed and in the way that its 225PS 2.5-litre turbo engine drained its fuel tank in next to no time. Its replacement, a third generation model launched in 2012, then updated in 2015, was better. It primarily used a 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol powerplant and handled responsively, but arguably wasn't quite special enough. This MK4 model though, we were told back at its original launch in 2019, was a Focus ST that could be. It got an all-new petrol engine, the 2.3-litre unit we'd previously seen both in the Focus RS and the Mustang, here delivering 280PS - 30PS more than the previous generation model's 2.0-litre EcoBoost unit could provide, so as to meet the improved class standard. And that power was more usable thanks to a couple of Focus ST 'firsts'. Selectable drive modes allow drivers to tailor the way the car could respond. And, for the first time in a Ford front wheel drive model, there was an electronic limited slip differential to help get the power down through the bends, some compensation for the continuing lack of a 4WD option. Those were the headlines but of course there was also plenty else to talk about, given that this MK4 Focus ST was based on the completely redesigned fourth generation Focus model launched in 2018. And therefore delivered a higher quality cabin than its predecessor, as well as much improved standards of safety and media connectivity. As before, Focus ST buyers not wanting a petrol hatch could also have a high performance diesel engine and with either unit, there was also the option of an estate body style. Stay with the petrol unit and, for the first time on a Focus ST, original buyers were offered the chance to specify an extra-cost auto gearbox, this one a 7-speed transmission with paddleshifters. An ST Edition model was introduced in Autumn 2021 with the Ford Performance division's more dynamic coilover suspension system. This MK4 Focus ST sold in its original form until 2022, when it was facelifted inside and out. It's the earlier pre-facelift MK4 models though, that we look at here.

What You Getword count: 546

Overtaking presence is key with a car like this of course and this revitalised Focus ST got plenty of it with a bolder, more confident front grille shaped to optimise cooling, its lower section (as before) partly obscured by the number plate, which sits just above a stylised lower intake. Overtly angled lower wing elements channel air into the air-curtain inlets for improved aerodynamic performance and, just above, sit headlamps that feature full-LED technology and can adapt themselves to the road ahead and other motorists. They're placed as far into the corners of the car as possible, to maximise the vehicle's width and stance, flowing up into a longer bonnet featuring twin creases on either side. When it comes to the really significant styling changes made to this fourth generation Focus ST model though, you'll learn more from a profile perspective, especially if you choose the five-door hatch body shape over the alternative estate variant. A full body styling kit is of course a continuing part of the ST package and includes bulging side skirts that emphasise the 10mm lowered chassis height. The wheels were a size larger than before - large 19-inch 'Magnetite'-finished rims - and they'll be embellished with evocative red brake calipers if you find a car whose original owner paid extra for the optional 'Performance Pack. Right: what's it like at the wheel? Well if your perspective is that Ford was a touch conservative with the exterior styling, then you won't change that opinion once inside because at first glance, it doesn't feel all that much different from an ordinary 'ST-Line' variant in the standard Focus range. The main change lies with the addition of grippy Recaro seats trimmed with contrast stitching in a combination of leather and an alcantara-like material called 'Miko Dinamica'. Alloy pedal covers, faux-carbon trim inlays, an 'ST'-embossed aluminium gear knob, grey-stitched floor mats and branded scuff plates on the sills complete the ST embellishments. These chairs position you a touch lower in this MK4 model, though you're still perfectly placed behind the thick-rimmed leather-stitched sports steering wheel, on which resides the all-important drive modes button. As usual with a modern Ford, the centre of the dash is dominated by an 8-inch SYNC 3 infotainment touchscreen, this one your access point for navigation, Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring, 'FordPass Connect' WiFi connectivity and a 10-speaker 675-watt B&0 360-degree sound set-up. The space on offer in the rear certainly didn't redefine the segment standard, but it did at least typify it. In this Focus, back seat folk are treated much as they would be in a rival Golf GTI, thanks to the way that this MK4 model's new C2 platform freed up 56mm more knee clearance, 78mm more legroom and 60mm more shoulder room. The boot in the hatch variant is just as small as it was on the previous model, just 273-litres of capacity being available on models equipped with a mini spare. That's partly why Ford continued to offer the estate body shape we mentioned earlier, which can take 541-litres with all the seats in place. Fold down the 60:40-split rear backrest and 1,250-litres of space can be freed up in this hatch model. An estate fitted with a mini-spare will give you up to 1,576-litres.

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