We drive the Ford Focus ST

2014 Ford Focus ST

The hot hatchback is probably the best car category out there. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a small and lightweight performance car with room for lots of people and cargo. Yes, you can buy an exotic supercar that costs as much as a house but it is much more difficult to produce a good performance car for under $25,000.

That is where the Ford Focus ST really shines. It is an amazingly fun car that would be a bargain at twice its price. We got our hands on a beautiful example and fell in love instantly.

A good hot hatch needs to start out with a good base to begin with and the Focus is a great example. The base Focus is a superb car and the ST model just builds on the fantastic attributes of the Focus. It is a good looking car that just gets better looking with the help of the various aerodynamic aids.

Ford Focus ST interior

The Focus ST comes with a more serious interior that is highlighted by the optional Recaro seats that have color inserts matching the exterior color of the car. The seats are super supportive and have very aggressive bolsters that will hold you in during hard cornering. The cloth Recaro seats will cost you about $2500 and the price goes up to about $4000 for leather Recaros but it is an option that is well worth it as long as you are in shape.

Dash

If you are on the heavy side, you may not fit well in the Recaro seats and may be better off with the standard seats. The ST also features a very thick steering wheel that fits well in your hands. There are also a trio of gauges on top of the dash showing auxiliary functions such as turbo boost and oil temperature. The only problem we encountered with the driving position was that the shifter was a little too close to the driver which meant that your elbow would hit the seat side bolster and the center console.

The beauty of the hot hatch is that it can seat five people and the Focus has room in the back seat to hold three people on short trips. Rear legroom is a little low for most people at 33 inches while you can get around 36 inches of rear legroom in a Honda Civic, for example. Cargo capacity is very large though and you can easily throw your family's luggage in the trunk for a road trip. Fold down the seats and spend as much as your credit card allows at Home Depot.

If you are considering a Focus ST, you care mostly about what is under the hood and the motor is a gem. Ford uses their 2.0 liter EcoBoost engine which offers an amazing mix of performance and efficiency. The 2.0 liter turbocharged engine puts out 252 horsepower and is mated exclusively to a six speed manual transmission.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]The engine pulls hard from almost any gear and is a blast to rev to its 6700 rpm redline. The shifter has very well placed gear ratios and is precise and direct so you always know what is going on. Ford engineers paid significant attention to detail in ensuring the ratio of sixth gear was perfectly in tune with Focus ST, giving the driver optimum performance while remaining long enough to help maintain excellent fuel economy. The result is a car capable of 154 mph that gets 23 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the freeway.

The best part of the Focus ST is not the engine however but the handling. Ford engineers have done an amazing job of tuning the suspension of the Focus ST to be stiff enough that it handles like it is on rails especially at street speeds. Push the Focus to 8/10ths and you will be smiling on your way to work every day. The front differential features Torque Vectoring Control which adjusts the speed between the front wheels to enhance agility and reduce understeer.

The ST's precise steering is electric and has a variable ratio that helps reduce torque steer characteristics and improves steering response. The systems all work very well and produce a car that is well behaved with no nasty traits. And the ride is not harsh at all even on bad roads.

Everyone's favorite feature of the Focus ST has to be the base price of $22,950. Adding the expensive options such as the Recaro seats and navigation will still land a Focus on your driveway at well under $30,000.

The Focus ST can haul all of your stuff, seat your family comfortably, gets great fuel economy and can terrorize sports cars costing three times as much. It will be almost impossible to get a better deal for such a terrific car that can do it all anywhere else.

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