Inside, the Focus ST benefits from better interior materials than were fitted to the Fiesta. The car also benefits from a torque-vectoring control system, which enhances handling and helps put the power to the ground. Steering assist is electrical, and it includes a torque-steer compensation feature, which prevents the haunting sideways pull that can occur with boosted front-wheel-drive vehicles. They allow for a little hooligan behavior on track before they start pulsing and buzzing and whirring under foot. Of course, being a modern car in a world filled with drivers who can’t, well, drive, the Focus ST comes with a full complement of nannies to keep you from getting into trouble, but the interesting thing is that they’re not as intrusive as I would have expected. Acceleration is fun and lively for a 3,223-pound hot hatch, but more boost would make it even more fun, but it would sap the already just-OK fuel economy of 25 mpg in combined driving. The torque comes on at 2,500 rpm, which helps compensate for turbo lag. The turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine delivers 252 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The Focus ST also has some snort to go with its looks. “Since its debut, Focus ST has been bringing our fun-to-drive DNA to the hot hatch segment with a uniquely Ford blend of driving dynamics, performance and style,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. Add ST-specific wheels and a spoiler over the rear window and the Focus gets the job done in the looks department. The front and rear fascias are unique to the ST and they add the aggressive look to the car, with a broad, black honeycomb grille up front and a faux diffuser at the rear with a center exhaust and one of the coolest exhaust tips you’ll find anywhere. Ford did an admirable job turning a compact five-door hatchback into something that looks like a proper hot hatch. More on that in a bit.įirst off, the Focus looks great. ![]() We got to drive the car back-to-back against the Fiest ST, which provided interesting contrasts between the two vehicles. We had the chance to sample a Focus ST at Willow Springs International Raceway during the Motor Press Guild’s Track Days program. The 2016 Ford Focus ST fit his needs nicely, and it’s a good bet that it will fit the needs of many NASA members who seek something as zippy as it is utilitarian. Though he had matured and become a dad with two young kids, he never lost the taste for speed. He was always into cars and owned some fast stuff in his youth. To listen to his wife tell the story, it was as though I had heard it a hundred times before. A friend of mine just bought a new Ford Focus ST.
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