2020 Ford Focus ST Review: Golf GTI drag race, 0-100 & 1/4 mile. We test Ford's automatic hot hatch!
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- For the first time ever, the Ford Focus ST is available with an automatic transmission and it's NOT a dual-clutch! Paul Maric does a detailed review on the 2020 Ford Focus ST Automatic, along with performance testing at the drag strip, PLUS a drag race against the Volkswagen Golf GTI! How does it go? Watch and find out!
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 01:05
Interior: 02:38
Infotainment: 03:56
Features: 05:14
Practicality: 06:19
On the Road: 09:52
Acceleration (0-100 & 1/4 mile): 11:53
Focus ST v Golf GTI Drag Race: 15:22
On the Road: 16:42
Verdict: 21:50
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@fordofaustralia @ford 
Авто/Мото
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 01:05
Interior: 02:38
Infotainment: 03:56
Features: 05:14
Practicality: 06:19
On the Road: 09:52
Acceleration (0-100 & 1/4 mile): 11:53
Focus ST v Golf GTI Drag Race: 15:22
On the Road: 16:42
Verdict: 21:50
Does it have the VrrrrPhaaaa?
I’ve got a Manual here in the UK, remapped to 340bhp with 505nm torque. It’s a very quick capable car, it’s my daily driver and I have no issues with it. My niggles are build quality inside and out. My bonnet was fitted from factory and was not aligned, also the interior has buzzing coming from the front door cards. But the main issue for me is that the steering failed twice! Once when driving luckily at low speed and again when I started the car. I just had the steering rack replaced, which for a brand new car I cannot accept so I am rejecting the car and currently waiting to hand it back to Ford. I’ve decided to go for a Mk3 RS instead as I think they will hold their money far better in long term.
really solid review man. great work, keep it up!
Sorry to hear about that, @Leon TheProfessional! It must be frustrating when that stuff happens on a brand new car :-(
Thank you, @Chuckles McGee!
Firstly, this is one of the best reviews I've watched in a while. Fantastic job to you and the team. I'm not a GTi fan as there's tons of them from where I'm from and given that it got its butt kicked by a Ford makes me smile in disbelief. I would surely opt for the manual. The exterior is gorgeous, especially in that color.
I’m still frustrated that we aren’t getting these in the US. Beautiful car
😢
I know what you mean, but I’m still happy with my 2017 st
I was so ready to buy this until they stopped selling them...
ford: us american car company, ford focus: produced in saarlouis & developed in cologne (both citys are in germany). :D
I work for Ford and our dumbass president is why we don’t have it here in the US
Love the speedo overlay while doing the drag races & acceleration tests........... Top vid, amazing review.......... this channel will go FAR for sure💪👍👊
Thank you mate! Appreciate it.
The best and most in depth mk4 Focus ST video I’ve seen on RUclips so far in my opinion. And I’m coming from the UK as well. Very good review lads.
Wow, thanks! Appreciate it!
The best Ozzie car reviewer ever! The only Australian car journalist to take it to the Brits! Keep killing it sir.
What a great review. So much information exactly how a review should be done. Anyone who's thinking of buying the Focus ST needs to see this review👍
Glad it was helpful! And greatly appreciate the feedback :-D
Bought my '17 ST three weeks ago. First time I drove stick and managed to get it off the lot and haven't looked back. So much fun to drive!
Glad you’re enjoying it, Chris!
Great review & loving the new channel. It’s a small thing but the time codes are sooo handy!
Glad you're finding them useful, Chris! :-D
Keep up guys with these good reviews
Thanks! We will 😁
Love the channel! Keep it up! Nice to hear an accent from this part of the world. Cheers from NZ!
Once again a great review Paul,you covered all the bases,being a avid Golf driver it was great to see the great GTi on test.Looking forward to driving the new 8 GTi.
Glad you enjoyed it And can't wait to drive the new Golf! It was a pretty close race, so there's a chance the new Golf will be quicker than the Focus when it rolls out.
I like watching reviews of cars I will never buy
Me too :-D
Especially ones I can't buy
Great content, this channel will be big soon!
Thanks mate!
I love your honesty in your reviews, keep it up :)
Thank you! Appreciate it :-D
I really liked this format, especially the thinking behind the choice vis a vis competitors. Indeed, I'm always keen for similar types of thoughts during all car reviews - thinking through the pros and cons of a car for different types of buyer, including as compared to both new and second hand competitors (since 2nd hand is always a factor for any price point).
PS: Congrats on getting this car!
Another wonderful video Paul As always Thanks big fan. 🏁.
👏👏
Great review! Have given me a lot to think about in terms of transmission option and ride comfort. Subscribed.
Thanks Kurt! Glad we could help. Make sure you drive both back-to-back to get cemented on the decision.
What a great channel, just stumbled across it. I'm glad I did.
Thanks mate! Welcome 😁
Gratz to all the team at CarExpert, note to Alborz, very clever, very clever indeed - no doubt the mudguard is not happy :)
Thanks David! What do you mean by the mudguard?
Paul gives the best car reviews
Fantastic review!
Another excellent review! The car does look pretty decent. And the anti-lag that got my attention!
Glad you liked it! And yes, the anti lag tech is pretty cool for a road car!
it's almost 1am here, I really should go to bed asap, but still a lot of unfinished work and suddenly I realise there's a new review from CarExpert ... and I go like 😳🥺😭😫🤬😱🤯 and - at least - with my last breath I hit 👍.
😁 thank you for that!!
Very , very good review , cheers
Very good review , cheers
I feel like I'm watching Seth McFarlane doing a car review 🤣👍.
😅
How good is that Thanks 😊 Paul 💙
Quality video. Keep it up.
Thanks, Adam!
Brilliant video cheers steve 😀 👍
Thanks mate!
Excellent comprehensive review. Well done! (I'm getting one of these as a lease car... :-))
I could be wrong but this is the first Automatic Review in English that is on RUclips? I’ve had mine for about 3 weeks now. Couple of things I thought I’d mention. I get pops and crackles whilst in Sport and Manual shifting selected. Road Noise isn’t such a problem when you have the music at a reasonable level and I drive on bumpy roads often in my area. And I also found the cornering in the car is a lot more precise than the current GTI/R.
Well could U elaborate on real life km/L, city/ highway??
Thanks for the feedback, Matt!
We ended up getting a couple of noises out of the exhaust, but if you watch our drag race video (goes live next week), we do a sound comparison between the auto and the manual. The manual sounds like a machine gun - I just don't know why they couldn't make the automatic do the same things.
Either way, it's great fun to drive. Enjoy the new wheels!
@@CarExpertAus Because the AT has a different tune and the AT needs to balance fuel efficiency vs power, The Focus 2.3 turbo is in its lean form of tune, means one can tune it way higher into the 350 hp range, so it dosent need to have that pops and bangs which quiet frankly is unnecessary specially in an auto hot hatch
An amazing vehicle! Very capable indeed. Road noise and ride superior to the Hyundai and the B&O sound system leaves the Hyundai’s for dead. This is my first automatic and I have found it to be extremely good, smooth and refined. Bangs and pops in Sport mode and haven’t experienced the downshift lag you commented on Paul. I have previously owned the last model and the new generation has improved in every area it needed to. Ford Performance heritage is very hard to overlook when buying a hot hatch!
@@edz1965 Wow..a customer already, I drive the Fiesta ST and I love it and to be frank new Focus ST doesnt drive as good as new Fiesta ST, but its got some magic when it comes to grip levels, I mean even an amateur driver like me was able to set lap times that rivaled lap times of cars like Golf GTi TCR with the MSP4s tires. With the Cup2s I am pretty sure its probably hitting the boots of Type R
I went from the manual Mk3 FL ST to the MK4 St with Auto. I am not regretting this. It is my daily driver to work, etc. therefore the auto is great. Yes, DualClutch would have been better, I still favor this auto over the manual now. There is room for improvement in the auto gearbox, but for me it's simply good enough. And my STs love(d) the unlimted parts of our Autobahn :)
been loving the new channel came over from your other channel, just one criticism the hardness test I feel like you can put the explanation of it in text rather than saying it every video, other than that loved the reviews. :)
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah we’ve been tossing up what to do there. We will try and speed up the explanation a bit, it’s just handy if you haven’t seen a video before to understand what it means.
Great review, love the detail and quality 👌
Those exhaust tips look strangely black already 🤨
great video all the way from South Africa
Thanks mate! Appreciate you watching 😁
Great review 👌👌
Thanks mate!
Excellent video mate, you have a very amiable personality. I actually recognised where you were instantly when you were talking about the sat nav, because I happen to attend Citylife church which is very close to where you filmed the first segment haha. Are you still with CarAdvice too?
Thanks, @Zhen! Yes that's one of our shooting locations :-D no longer with CarAdvice, we started a new site! It's called www.carexpert.com.au
Let’s talk let’s talk let’s talk. You are doing a review so clearly your talking 👊🏻
Great Video, watched alot manual ones and waited for a automatic one.
I actually ordered one automatic back in october, i had 4 Cars now all manual, but if you driven an automatic before in dense city traffic or traffic jam on the highway, then you dont want a manual, thats why i got an automatic.
The interior is SOOO much nicer than my '18
Excellent review Paul and Team. Camera work really tops. Given that this car originated in the UK or even as built in Germany, automatics are not of special interest to drivers of 'so called, performance cars' in these countries or indeed greater Europe in general, and thus the limits of said automatic seem apparent for this very reason. In Australia, the reverse is the case with ordinary car purchases with autos ruling the Aussie roost. Even performance cars are not immune. The Focus ST looked especially good in that shade of blue. Performance is pretty much as expected, which is really very good. To finish. In Australia, city stuff along with long drives and really very long hauls on roads not dissimilar to yours' to the dragstrip are largely the rule. Driver's bums can only stand so much of the rough rides and noise into the cabin can be a real a negative. You're right. Quieter tyres might not be quite as fast or enable grip at the limit but as handling seems a wee bit skittish on those currently used, maybe the lesser tryres would a case of 'less' meaning more overall livability. Which begs the question. Why didn't Ford Australia try a fix. At Ford's Aussie Test track abeam the You Yangs this bespoke testing ground would have certainly helped, but nothing beats long run in the bush. After all Hyundai Aust did it with their i30's. Aussie really is like a 'Tale of two Cities but differs because ours' is in truth, a Tale of Big City, Commutes, city 7 town shopping trips, and motoring on through the Australian bush, the Outback, through deserts and beyond.
Good points! It's a shame they missed the mark with the ride. The rest of the car is good fun!
I for one would love a quick car without needing to resort to harsh suspensions, uncomfortable seats or manual transmissions. A lot of the time these are daily drivers, driven through suburbs, cities and on highways on cruise control for hours on end. I just want a normal car but one that doesn't need to be floored to get out of its way when merging onto busy highways. I want to tap the accelerator and reach my desired speed without having to ring the neck of the underpowered engine. No wonder the Tesla Model 3 is quickly becoming a best-seller for its segment, it delivers useful rapid acceleration without the impractical pretenses of a sports car.
We need this in the states. Come on now!
You’re obviously around the Heathcote area & honestly all back roads outside there, are pretty ordinary Paul. I’m from Bendigo & I know those back roads very well, so your literally on service road territory around Knowsley & Eppalock.😖🤪 Great review👍🏼😎
I really like the looks of this car. Nice that it comes with those exceptional Pilot sport 4s's
They're a great tyre too!
@@CarExpertAus sure are, have them on all 4 corners of my Megane RS 😉
Bought one a few months ago. It had been sitting at the dealers as an unloved demo car. Previously I owned a 2016 ST (Mountune fitted). When I first drove it, it was like getting into the old ST, but with more oomph. It's nice, I guess as the type of car, its pretty limited to being a fast car with the electronics added (definitely more than the 2016), though mine doesn't have the premium sound system or the overtake warning stuff. It is a decent car, though I think (like the ST 170 that started this family of cars) it could do with the extra power the Mountune kit (now not part of the deal in Australia) gives it. I don't find the ride too bad, the difference between normal and sport modes is huge, normal mode will sit in 7th gear on the motorway, same motorway in sport mode only sits in 6th. Sport mode hangs on the gears longer and unlike the one tested here, mine pops and snorts (in whatever mode) especially on overrun.
I reckon this is the only Focus review that highlights the 180 degree rearview camera.
Thanks!
Top review paul, i’ve driven a previous model and the ride was stiff as well
Thanks, Zeljko! You'll have to have a spin of the new one :-D
Great review Paul. I’ve not heard from you since listening to Pricie on 2GB. The car sounds like it’s great, but I’ll take heed of your comments about it not really being a comfortable daily driver. Any chance of a comparison between the latest ST and an I30 sedan?
I've had mine for a month now and agree with most comments. However, whilst I haven't used the gearbox in manual mode, it's been quite OK so far.
The tyres are very noisy on some surfaces but do have a lot of grip
I have to use extra Lumbar support (as I do in all cars) and the seat cushion is a bit hard
Ride in normal mode is very choppy on some surfaces. It needs a comfort mode!
Goes like the clappers...................
Thanks for the feedback Roger! That all sounds pretty spot on 😁
It has a comfort mode, its called the ST-Line.............
If it was a DSG, I would go with automatic. My 2017 ST obviously is standard. But I would love to see the ST/RS come back to Canada and would love to see it with the DSG.
Nothing goes over a real automatic torque converter. (8 speed in this case with locked 2nd gear)
DSG ist quite fragile imo.
FINALLY AN AUTOMATC ST!
😁👏
Treigh Washington why are you so hyped for an auto?
@@michaelhoundus2457 As a manual Mk. III owner in the US it's pretty neat. Nobody buys manuals here- the automatic will bring this awesome car into the public eye, and that is what will allow it to continue to exist. There will always be a manual ST and maybe someday it will return to the states.
I really don't get this trend today with verifying if there's soft plastic on the top of the doors in front and especially in the back. Do you touch that surface? does this affect the performance and the handling of the car ? Does this affect the safety of the passengers ? Why is it disappointing if you have hard plastic there ? I'm really curios ?
wow theyve really improved the design since i bought my 2016
Nice video
Thanks mate!
Have one of these in Manual, upgraded from the 2017 STD, absolutely amazing... don't expect much in the way of mpg in the first few thousand miles though (but who buys a car like this to be economic) xD
Glad you're enjoying it! The manual sounds damn good too :-D
Great review mate. Not sure if I would want to live with it as a daily. Plus, Ford worry me a little in after sale support. Any word yet on the new sports Corolla ? I know it wont be suitable for a Race Track, but will be easier to live with long term and has decent performance ?
Nothing yet for Australia but if the Yaris GR is anything to go by it should be a weapon!
Beautiful car
If it wasn’t for all that wheelspin, I think the ST could get a 5.3 - 5.4 sec run to 100kph. It is pretty quick!
Potentially! I think ultimately without slicks there’s too much torque to handle for a front-wheel drive car to get faster times.
I’ve the previous ST and I’m torn between the n30 fastback or the new ST but it will definitely be a manual either way for me!
It seems like you went with the st
@@12344567abc I went for the Focus ST but due to covid the dealership tried to change the deal they’d agreed upon and as my office closed I no longer needed a bigger car so picked up a performance edition fiesta St and has been a cracking little car.
How does this guy not have more subscribers 😮. Love the depth👍
Should review the Type R has the best seats in the business.
This guy has a look of Elon musk😁
I appreciate that, Cam! Will try and get our hands on a Civic Type R soon :-D
Pauly, what watch is that you are wearing? Looks pretty good. Great comparison too.
I wear a Seiko Astron 😁 thanks for watching!
Wow surprised by your review of the rear seats. I have 2 sons that are 6"5 and 150Kg. They both love the Focus and fit behind me when I am driving. BTW I am 6"1
Oh wow. That’s crazy - do you sit close to the wheel? I normally have my seat quite far back because of my gangly legs.
i much prefer an exhaust with no artificial cracks and pops. This focus is just amazing though. It doesn`t sound like a ricer car. It actually is pretty elegant
cracking review mate, yes i thought that when test drove the new ST manual last August, not comfortable in comfort mode (too much vertical bounce), and long distance travel, with lack of comfort/lumbar support on the Recaro's was the reason I sold my 2015 MK3.5 Focus ST (keeping the wife happy also). Be interesting so see who many auto's sell, it was popular in the last ST's diesel model, not available for the MK4 diesel this time (weird), but not as dumb as not selling the Focus ST in US/CAN! 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Got to disagree. I have owned a MK3.5 ST 17 plate which I had for 18 months before trading it in for the MK4 ST at Christmas. The ride in comfort mode in my opinion is more composed than the MK3 was, although I agree that in Sport mode it is harder. Not really sure what the issue with the ride is anyway, this is the performance version and I think that Ford have got it spot on.
If the ride quality was that important then I would not be looking at the ST anyway........
Thanks, @Mogsy28uk!
Great review mate! Shame the plate mount is terribly big.
Thanks! And you’re right - it’s an odd size! It looks like it’d suit a Japanese number plate.
An American car not available in the US. Crazy.
😅 it’s certainly strange!
Riley Japhet-Gekas Ford Europe.
Let's all do our part: call or write Ford US Customer Relationship Center and tell them what their American customers want. If we all contact them, maybe they'll realize it's a profitable business decision to bring the Mk4 Focus ST 6 spd manual transmission to the US/North American market. Wouldn't hurt to ask for the Fiesta ST and/or the Puma ST 6 speed manual as well!
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
Ford U.S. Phone: 1-800-392-3673
Try doing the 1/4 mile in race mode with the transmission in Manual mode and use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
I'll stick with my ST250, love driving it everyday
😄
Good review, but I think the acceleration and the drag race part can put it in another episode
Don’t worry, there’s another episode coming with more in it. Keep an eye out for it this week!
What about the suspension compared to the golf gti? Is it that much firmer? Is it too much?
Can you talk a little about the headlights? I hear they're better than matrix LEDs. I know I've been going on about head lights a lot but driving in dark rural roads I think this tech is great.
And what are your thoughts on this vs Megane RS?
The headlights in this are great. I used the matrix function when we drove back from the drag strip and it worked well for the most part. The high beam is excellent. In terms of this against an RS - I need to drive them back to back. An RS is potent but firm, we will try and line it up!
Amo este coche, una lastima que en México no lo hay.
Nice review :-)
Luckily the wife insist's on not wanting to drive an automatic :-) this one has to be manual. This decision is made even easier back here in Germany, they charge 2000 € for the auto over the manual.
Great choice!! The manual is fantastic fun 😁
@@CarExpertAus Yeah, unfortunately this'll be relevant only towards the end of 2021. For now it's a (stage1-tuned) 182 ST-Line, the real thing wasn't available back in 2018.
But as my 1.5 puts out figures of about 210PS/320Nm thanks to the tune i can imagine how the 2.3 will feel like :-)
The start was filmed in the car park at the state basketball centre off Eastlink, right around the corner from me ☺️ It’s a shame there’s no RS anymore due to Euro emissions reasons, would loved to have seen a new one of those (manual of course)
Spotto! 😁
@@CarExpertAus Would have been fun to bump into you :)
As there is little to no info on gearbox, how "long" is the last gear ? What is the real rpm on highway ?
Great review, good looking car pity here in South Africa the Ford Focus has been discontinued. VW has formed a cult here.
🤯 that’s crazy - even the ST?
Anyone know what the model name of the gearbox is? Would like to get some more info on it. Maybe ford or tuning companies can fix some of the issues with it in the future 🤔 would also be interesting to know how much NM it can take if the car gets tuned.
fishermans friend should honestly just come as standard in all cars now, as part of the central storage compartment
😅😅
From the UK. The manual, it's a hot hatch. I'd driven autos for 4 years before this and it's was great to get back into a manual. Plus you can map the manual with Mountune or Dreamscience. Mine is running 330 brake and it's a beast.
Nice!
Great review I wonder do they sell this automatic version in the Uk? 🇬🇧
Yes, they do
Great video mate, to bad most of the other hatchbacks look much better (Objectively speaking)
Thanks, @White Fox! Fair enough - which hot hatches are you a bigger fan of?
@@CarExpertAus Funny enough the Old Focus Hatchback ST this new one isn't good looking at all.
the Renault RS Trophy Magane looks away much better than the ford or golf , and it puts a bigger smile on your face when driving it!! and the sound from the exhaust is awesome!!
We will have to give it a shot :-D
@@CarExpertAus Don't if you think the ST has put your back out.........The RS certainly will.
The gearbox on the auto remind me of the gearbox from the PSA group, similiar behavior as in the mondeo diesel, from 2015 i think
Solid review. As an American, I want to buy American. But for the same money I'd buy a GTI instead. Much more refined.
Not sure I could buy a car from the company that killed the car industry in Europe with deiselgate and the resulting clampdown on emissions. They don't deserve anyones money.
@@GaryDarbyshire EU emissions would have clamped eventually anyway. The scandal just hastened it. I'm buying a vehicle. Dont care about the legacy much. Mitsubishi built the Zeros. FORD and GM helped Hitler as well as VW. They're all still here.
Thanks! You’re right - the GTI is a very refined hot hatch!
@@stablestoic1491 Wow, invoke what companies did during wars 80 years ago. The fact remains they lied to there customers. They sold cars on the back of a lie to pursue corporate greed because they weren't competent enough to build an engine that met the regulations. How quickly people forget.
Focus ST is most certainly not an “American” Ford 😂
I am going to test drive the Ford Focus ST this week and the Renault megane RS Trophy by the way it would be great if you could do a review on the Renault megane RS trophy
O yes so nice to see you beat the VW 🥂🍾👏👏👏
vw over rated:-)
😁
Awesome review. I have had the MK3 Focus ST and the MK7 Fiesta ST. I now have the MK8 Fiesta ST. In NZ, we are only getting the Auto Focus ST. Took one out on a test drive and was a little disappointed. I couldn't see or feel the $25k price difference over the Fiesta (NZ pricing). Maybe the MK8 Fiesta ST is just an absolute bargain?
Only the auto?? Damn, that's a real shame. The manual is good fun and more engaging than the automatic - it's a shame they won't offer it in NZ. Yes agreed, the Fiesta is awesome fun and excellent value for money!
I would want the RS
Ford Australia website doesn't say the Focus ST manual or automatic being available here yet. When is it coming out?
Cars are in dealers right now. On the Ford website they’re under the Focus ST tab instead of the Focus tab.
Nice video is the new ST available in estate? Thanks
Thanks for the comment, @mnl493x! Yes the Focus ST is available in an estate too! Just not in Australia :-(
Don’t mind me I’m just commenting for the algorithm ❤️
The algorithm says hello and thanks.
As a super old car, the gti is holding up very nice
Agreed!
I would still take a mk7 golf gti over the new focus st.
I like the car! as Borat would say "Very Nice"
So just with the auto, would you not "stall" it against the torque converter because its an Auto & not use the 2 step (Launch Control) even if it did (Needlessly) have it??
Paul if you're still reading comments can you explain the difference between the static led headlights we get on this car VS the dynamic (adaptive) headlights overseas models can be optioned with?
Of course! The static LED in this car uses a projector LED unit. Other Focus models have adaptive headlights that allow the light unit to swivel with the wheel and I’m almost certain they also have the matrix LED function too.
@@CarExpertAus so I suppose this model gets the lesser Version LED, at least on paper... However, I think the look of this one is alot better. Makes it look alot more aggressive. Thanks!
Really wish we had this in South Africa 💔
17.10 killed it for me
I love sport hatch I have C30 T5 R design I'm not sure why Volvo stopped production.
1 more question when you going too road test the Ford Mustang. 💙
Soon! 😁
I wonder if the 3 cylinder 1.5L ST-Line would be a better buy for some people that where going to buy the auto? Sounds like the ST should be had with the manual and be bought by people that drive away from the suburbs.
Can the ST run on E10? The ST-Line says 95 and E10 in instruction manual and fuel filler (different engine I know)
I know you miss out on some emotion with the auto but it should be mentioned you score a more functional autonomous cruise control with the auto. Manual probably doesn’t have AEB either.
Manual gets AEB, but you’re right that the automatic misses out on the self steering function. The 1.5 is actually a great motor too - just not as hardcore as the ST. The brakes on the ST are excellent too; so they’re a must if you’re going to do track days as well.