Sensible by default
Did somebody say RS? Yes, Curtis Moldrich
Over the last few months, the Focus ST has proven itself to be a capable all-rounder. It can lug people around in relative comfort, has tonnes of boot space and strong performance, too. This month, however, its practical bias is starting to grate.
There isn’t one glaring problem with the Focus ST – after all, it’s proving to be a great car. Instead, it’s a collection of small things that seem to be making me hanker for the new Focus RS that Ford has confirmed it won’t build. When you fire-up the Focus ST, it starts in Normal mode by default – whereas the Honda Civic Type R starts in Sport. It’s a small difference, but it means the Honda gives you stiffened suspension and rev-matching straight away – in the Ford you flick an extra switch.
It’s a statement of intent from the Honda as well as the Ford; my ST has toys but is sensible by default, whereas the Type R is a toy, but can be more grown-up. Aside from being a little safe, Ford’s approach also has a major drawback: if you’re used to driving in Sport with rev-matching enabled, it’s easy to start the car up in Normal mode and forget. Cue at least one rather jolty gearchange at the beginning of the journey.
There are a few other issues. Although you can change the ST’s personality a little by flicking between modes, it never reaches the ‘BTCC car on the road’ levels of aggressiveness the Type R or the RS could. And this isn’t a question of power – even if the Focus ST does fall short of the 300bhp-plus offered by the Type R and old RS – it’s more in its ethos and handling. The Focus ST has the same super-twitchy steering as the Fiesta ST and the RS, but it lacks the hunkered-down, ultra-weighty feel the Type R has when in R mode. It’s an inherent drawback of the ST’s balance of comfort and grip, prioritised over surgical precision.
Perhaps it’s time to see what aftermarket parts can expand the ST’s already large performance window and skew it towards the RS end of the spectrum.