Ford Focus ST review

In turbulent times, it’s vital to celebrate life's wonders: glorious sunny days, your child’s first birthday party, swerving every other child's first birthday party – and hot hatches like the Ford Focus ST. 

But is the current Focus ST actually worth celebrating? Ford has an immense and enviable legacy of building great high-performance hatchbacks (including the excellent Fiesta ST), and in this review we intend to reveal whether this latest incarnation is yet another hit, or a rare miss.

As with the previous generation of the Ford Focus ST, you can order a petrol or diesel engine, in hatchback or estate bodies. Power peaks at 187bhp for the diesel and a heady 276bhp for the petrol and, for your daily piece of trivia, the petrol engine is a detuned version of the previous Ford Focus RS’s turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder. That lends it a dash of pedigree to go with that healthy dollop of poke. 

To keep all its vigour channelling straight to the road, there’s an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential fitted as standard to the petrol versions. It helps minimise wheel spin and prevent the nose from running wide as you power out of corners.

You get bigger brakes than the standard Ford Focus comes with to scrub off speed more effectively, while the steering and suspension are also bespoke and tuned for increased agility.  

The big question, then, is whether or not the Focus ST is the king of the hot hatches. We'll let you know if you keep reading this review.

We'll also compare it with its rivals, including the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N, Renault Megane RS and Toyota GR Yaris. Oh yes, and let's not forget the original hot hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf GTI. 

If you’d like to buy a new Ford Focus ST – or any other new car that suits your needs – try our New Car Buying service for the latest deals.