DRIVEN: NEW ST
A new Ford Performance model is always big news, but the new Focus ST could be bigger than most…
We get behind the wheel of the very latest Mk4 Focus ST.
Nobody would accuse the Focus ST of being an also-ran among hot-hatches. But it’s fair to say Ford has never pitched any of the previous generations as a direct rival to Golf GTIs, Megane Renaultsports or Civic Type Rs. The Mexico or XR3i to the flagship RS Escorts of an earlier Ford age if you will.
No longer. The new Focus ST is the real deal, with the power to compete with the best of the hot hatch field and the chassis tech and gizmos to put it to the road with near-RS levels of sophistication and performance. This is a serious step up in ambition and brings with it a massive burden of responsibility. And a bit of a price hike…
A quick re-cap for those who weren’t listening at the back when news of the new ST broke. The engine is an evolution of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost, sharing fundamental architecture and breeding with that in the previous RS and the Mustang. It’s got a twinscroll turbo, anti-lag technology inspired by the GT and F-150 Raptor and delivers 280ps/276bhp and a thumping 310lb.ft of torque out of the box. That noise you can hear? People who realise there’s headroom for a lot more with a few mods rubbing their hands in anticipation, given the motor is both proven and considerably burlier than others it’ll be competing with. Which will be music to the ears of those with ambitions to make an already fast Ford faster still and go baiting GTI drivers. Basic stats include 0-62 in 5.8 seconds, top speed of 155mph and a claim by Ford it can go ‘toe to toe’ with an RS over the quarter-mile, despite only being front-wheel drive.
It drives through a Borg Warner supplied FXD ‘front cross differential’ you’ll hear described by many – Ford included – as an electronic limited-slip differential or eLSD. It’s not really, given its clutch pack is distinct from the actual differential and offers proactive torque vectoring to improve traction without the need for ESC-driven intervention from the brakes. Put simply, rather than cut power in response to loss of traction it sends it to where it can best be used and means front-driven cars can use
more of their available power, more of the time. A version of the technology is used by fancier versions of the Golf GTI and SEAT Leon Cupra, variations on the theme also found in cars like the well-regarded Hyundai i30 N.
The main benefit over a passive diff like the Quaifes Ford has used previously (and other types of mechanical limitedslip differential) is that it can act before an unloaded wheel starts spinning, using information like steering angle, throttle input and other data to pre-empt traction needs. It also removes or mitigates typical downsides of mechanical LSDs, such as corner-entry understeer or power-on torque steer and can be configured to work differently according to pre-selected driver modes to suit different conditions or needs.
Also standard for the petrol ST is Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD)
which, again, is fully tuneable via the black boxes according to driver preference, mood and the surfaces on which you’re driving on. This is the cherry on top of the quality suspension hardware you’d expect of a Focus, conventional McPherson struts up front paired with ‘Short Long Arm’ multilink rear. Unless you really think you can do better than Ford’s suspension engineers save the money you were going to lavish on blingy coilovers and spend it on extra power instead…
Then there’s the super-fast steering, geared to 11.6:1 and just two turns lock to lock, which are the kind of numbers you’d usually associate with a Ferrari or similar. This would be wasted if you didn’t have the suspension geometry or tyre grip to make good use of it – as above though the ‘diff’, dampers and associated control systems have you covered while the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber has already demonstrated its worth on the Fiesta and updated Mustang.
All of the above is controlled by driving modes familiar from various other Ford Performance products, ranging from Slippery/Wet to Normal and then Sport, the engineers responding to customer feedback and making the step from Normal to Sport more decisive than ever before. There’s even a Sport hot-key on the steering wheel to get straight to the good stuff.
Still not enough? Chip in for the Performance Pack and you get an even sharper Track mode with another level of damping stiffness, looser leash for the ESC, super aggressive map for the ‘diff’ and sharper bite still for the steering and throttle. In addition to the standard flatshift function you also get rev-matching for downshifts, launch control and – wooh – ambient lighting. Given it costs just £250 extra anyone who orders a new ST and doesn’t tick that box needs their head examining. The only things missing are a configurable mode and ability for heel’n’toe masters to switch the rev-matching off in Sport or Track modes – no apologies from the Ford guys for either, given they think they’ve settled on the best combination of settings for getting the most out of the car.
Appetite suitably whetted you’re probably screaming “shut up and tell me how it drives!” by now. OK then…
Gripped in part-leather Recaros the interior is perhaps a little sober but feels well-built, the fat steering wheel and stubby little gear lever letting you know you’re in something a little more special than a regular Focus. There’s certainly plenty of standard kit (and buttons) with SYNC3 and, in the case of the launch cars, optional Head Up Display. The only bits you’ll really want to know about are that Sport button and mode switch, both now on the wheel and no more than a thumb stretch away.
Left alone and the ST feels, well, as Normal as the mode setting suggests. Sure, the ride feels a little choppy at town speeds but is way better than a Fiesta and the throttle and steering have enough ‘slack’ in their response to mooch about on the commute, school run or motorway without feeling you’ve compromised too far in usability. Dare we say ‘mature’ in the context of a Ford Performance product? Possibly so.
Fear not though. Because there’s a whole different Focus a button push away. You feel it first in the steering, which snaps to attention and immediately makes the ST feel alert and ready for action. From the numbers you’d fear it might feel a bit nervy and twitchy but not a bit of it – it’s fast, smooth and responsive but there’s no danger of the rest of the car being left behind. Chatting with senior engineer Stefan Muenzinger he highlights the steering as his favourite bit of the car and what elevates it over the SEAT Leon Cupra, Golf GTI, Hyundai i30 N and Civic Type R they benchmarked during development. What does he know? Well, he’s got a Mustang GT350 and a mint Mk2 RS he bought from new and upgraded to RS500 tune in the garage at home. Good to know the guys building fast Fords are, as ever, the kind of guys who might read Fast Ford magazine too.
The piped-in engine sound in Sport