More precision, more fun? New Ford Focus ST Edition review | Autocar
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2021
- You know the Ford Focus ST. Everybody knows the Ford Focus ST. It is, after all, one of our absolute favourite senior hot-hatches of the current crop, with an ability to entertain that puts many a rear-driven sports coupe to shame.
But do you know the new Focus ST Edition? If not, pay attention to road-test editor Matt Saunders. This is Ford’s attempt to raise the Focus ST’s game even higher, which is why this car gets manually adjustable coilover suspension from KW Automotive and lightweight, flow-formed 19in wheels. The Edition sits closer to the road than the regular Focus ST, has also received some very subtle but gently menacing aesthetic tweaks and… well, that’s about it.
The point is that Ford doesn’t need to change much when it comes to the Focus ST, so the Edition’s modifications are small but targeted. How much better does it make the best full-sized, front-driven hot-hatch (that isn’t a Honda Civic Type R) around? Time to find out.
Price: £35,785
Engine 4 cyls in line, 2261cc, turbocharged petrol
Power 276bhp at 5500rpm
Torque 310lb ft at 3000-4000rpm
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Kerb weight 1432kg
Top speed 155mph
0-62mph 5.7sec
Economy 34.9mpg
CO2 185-186g/km
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Авто/Мото
I have a 20 reg ST-line X 180hp 8 speed automatic & love it’s road manors. Came out of a 150 hp Vauxhall Astra last year, my 3rd consecutive in 9 years. The difference is outstanding!
I just bought a 2017 Focus ST over here in the US because I test drove it and it's amazing, just love the experience I had driving it. I knew they stopped making them in 2018 and after driving it I thought Ford were idiots for that lol. Did some searching and glad to see they still are making new ones outside the US, this car deserves to exist. Still hope they'd bring new ones back over here, I'd definitely consider jumping into a newer model for sure if they did.
Yoshimatsu...the Ford ST's had rolled out in in the UK originally. Ford decided to bless us with the ST in 2013-2018 and then changed their US production to Mustang/F-Trucks only and the other stupid U.S. things they decided to do, like putting the Specialized Technology in other monstrosities...and then ultimately taking away the ST's from U.S. production and giving it only to the UK. That's okay tho', the body style changed and the front of the UK ST looks more like a MAZDA with a bulbous bonnet freak show. Thanks Ford for being an American company, but now not really...
Ridiculous price. £36k. The 2015 Focus St was available for £23k. Using the Bank of England inflation calculator states that this should be £27k today. No wage growth over the last 10yrs means this is farcical.
Central banks printing money which is the true meaning of inflation & results in higher prices
@@popsbubbles1242 It was still £32k in 2019 so don't give me that one. If inflation goes up so should wages in line with it but it's now. The 2021 Mustang is £19k base price in the USA (£35k UK) and they print money like a mother fucker. The print money argument doesn't apply in that situation. Yes they have to export it but so did Japan with the GR Yaris and that wasnt marked up like the Mustang. The same with the Civic Type R all around the world after being made in Swindon.
Agree. It's absolutely mad how they have increased prices on certain desirable and fun cars. Problem is ( and I know they are different experiences ) but the new price is full on luxury car money. BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Know that those luxury models aren't the same as a hot hatch but it's an awful lot of money for a Ford. Then again if you want a hot hatch from any of those German brands then they are well out of people's price range
@@Stringwar There is a free trade on cars between the UK and Japan so no huge import taxes like there is on US cars which is why there is a huge price increase.
@@motorrecon200 10% import tax. You need to explain these huge price increases. You can't just make a spurious comment without evidencing that it actually has any value.
Managed to get mine 3 weeks ago.. got amazing deal as wouldn’t have paid full price.. love it
How much you pay
@@theshadeofjett I had just short of 5k positive equity in my performance edition fiesta st. And had £1500 knocked off price. Used car prices high due to chip shortage. So with that cost me a lot less than asking price.. more than happy with it
@@davidkay3443 how much monthly or you bought cash?
Fantastic review. Keep up the great work.
Nice i just wish that Ford would make one more RS. I'm sure it would do very well. More power bigger arches bigger spoiler.
Loving my old ‘13 in the US. The FoMoCo performance springs (-15mm & 20% higher rate) make it corner flatter and eliminate dive and crouch when braking and hard acceleration. But you do notice the bumps more. Time for the winter tires this week.
Yes, the '18 is quite good, oh geez...did I just say quite good? LOL! I love this year of the ST and believe that this body style is the best one. I don't prefer the 2019, it's so *ucking ugly, as most would agree that taking away the aggressive looking grill was a great thing (NOT). Going to get rid of the louvers, add great air intake and replace the intercooler and maybe add a tune, to improve on the original build. And what about the symposer? It will most likely be laid to rest. Not sure what I'll do about the suspension or exhaust, but something may lay in the plans. Very happy on the numbers off the lot, I'd been wanting this car for quite awhile (since your year, Charles!), but got around to getting one in 2018. Better late than never, right?
@@lisap1776 : I had the local Lincoln garage install the Mountune MP-275 tune with the Pro Alloy intercooler, Mountune cat-back and a Quaife LSD. The little Ford is a delight to drive and still reliable and convenient. I’ve been driving almost 60 years; this is the best.
It looks really nice. They should have give it a little more power too
That hood prop is crazy
Must incredibly hard to find some fine weather over there to do reviews
I enjoyed watching the Video Review. A very good looking Sporty Hatch
Just KW Coilovers which you can buy and put on a standard St 🤔
All i heard throughout the video was you clicking after every sentence 😂
Hi, you sound sensible - is this ok for a daily driver? How's the sound inside? I can gather from your video it's not that bad, was this driven in normal/slippery mode?
I've got one. In 1 year I have done 9k miles. I daily drove it and no problems. On motorway its very powerful to overtake and in towns its good as well.
The inside sound is nice
Honestly, a good good, will keep for a little longer, I love the colour and new fords like green st or electric kuga don't satisfy me
@@theshadeofjett now I can fully agree with you because I have one since late August. Softened the coilovers, disabled the fake engine noise and I'm happy.
There are few electric issues, battery put by ford is too weak, but all in all after initial palaver I've done over 3000kms with no issues.
Thanks!
Focus ST edition looks good
Make something manually adjustable and people will mess it up. Realistically who’s actually going to bother changing it. I like the styling changes but it’s not worth the money over the standard car.
I'm with you. For 99% of people they want one setting that does it all.....I like the ST but doesn't need to be over complicated to make it appealing to people.
I see the appeal for an owner that wants to take a new car to a specialist for an aggressive geometry setup for fast road/track days. Can make a big difference compared with default tendency for understeer manufacturers generally build into cars. Good quality dampers are also Welcome. That said, ford has been very half hearted with this edition. Nothing like the lengths Renault went with Trophy-R spec cars re light-weighting, roll cages etc.
Lol, Do you know how much “standard car” sells for even used in 2021? 31 to 32k for used 1 year old car. This car has HUD an performance pack and the suspension and is box fresh. I think I know which I would pick.
The audio on his mic kept over boosting and blowing out at weird little intervals. No bueno
Woke my dog up
Do you need to do a wheel alignment every time you adjust the suspension?
No why should you? Youre adjusting compression and rebound not camber
@@captainaverage721 when you do the height it usually requires one. Yes the other adjustments would be fine.
I absolutely love mine, so much fun to drive
No mention of the cupra Leon ?
For 36k i would expect an F1 pit crew to be making those adjustments for me.
I'd expect an RS fully loaded
Kw coil overs a good addition, manual adjustment outside the scope of many if not most drivers... find a good set up specialist and this could be a weapon in the right hands.
Does it have a cd player
I can imagine how many people are going to get in a mess with all that adjustment and then asking the dealership for help when it all goes tits up 😂 Good to see though and hats of to Ford 👍
Dealerships won’t know anything themselves 😔
Good for track days; otherwise, not worth it. And, quite frankly, if I were buying a car for track days, it wouldn't be one of these. I really don't see the point of this suspension setup on what is otherwise just an ST.
I'm not knocking the ST. Great hot hatch, or maybe warm in today's context, for the road. A sensibly fast Ford for everyday use, including as a family car and a B-road blaster. In that context, the ST makes very good sense.
...On the other hand, this makes it better for the track -- although it's not really a track car -- and worse for everything else you would want to use it for.
Basically, I agree with several other posters, and I also thought how many people would mess up their suspension by fiddling with something that is almost infinitely variable, even to the point of making there cars a danger to themselves and others. Furthermore, the fact that Ford does not include a table of suggestions for setting up the suspension for various purposes is quite negligent of them, given that the type of person to buy such a car is more likely a DIYer than someone who will have the car setup by a professional.
Personally, I'd stick with the regular ST, and Ford can stick the Edition version.
Regular ST don’t look as good as blue tho
This channel deserves a 5 star rating for always unfailingly choosing the most boring presenters.
Honestly speaking. I agree with you. This was boooriiiiiing. I slept on my phone while watching this🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Awesome car, only real "problem" is it weighs quite a lot...
But theyve just unveiled the facelift Focus....still want this?
RS version needed with 4x4, this is a stop gap to look like they are doing something.
The GR Yaris cheaper, more fun & capable.
A much smaller car
Bit weird that Ford have just face lifted the Focus and now they’ve brought out this car.
Was thinking the same thing
It's the last of the current gen Focus ST. They do a similar thing with the Fiesta ST. New versions are both on the way. Fiesta ST ( new version ) divides opinion with it's styling ( I don't mind it from the images I've seen ). The new Focus ST looks OK. Possibly a slight improvement on the current one
@@robsmall6466 The new Focus ST IMO looks absolutely retched.
@@lisap1776 I'd like to see it in the metal. Sometimes natural light makes all the difference
i like this guy
Presumably this new suspension set-up now adds cost to servicing over the coming years via a rebuild @ every 15k miles over a standard set of dampers?
What's that? Coilovers require a rebuild every 15k?? 🤔
@@papa_pt it definitely depends on how often you’re tracking the car to be fair, but if you’re not why would you need this level of adjustability?
It’s very BLUE
I had a modified car with lowered suspension. The insurers wanted to know how much the drop in height was as by their reckoning the lower it was the faster it corners. I wonder how the insurers judge this car?
bring back to the us!
Tricky damping was the thing about quick Renault cars. Megane trophy and trophy r, Clio 2 trophy...
Who’s actually gonna think yeah I’ll buy an ST for that price… there’s far to much competition in the segment and too many premiums cars available for the same or less
Depends if you can get a good deal
For two grand more you could have a BMW135i?
Please Ford bean-counters bring this car back to the USA, yes, it will sell!
Stop buying horrible SUV'S then.....
@@paullacey2999 hey, I have a 2017 Fiesta ST! My wife has a 2020 Escape SE Hybrid, she's the one to blame.
@@ecjaye I feel your pain😉
Changing the ride height doesn't affect the amount of suspension travel you get I'm afraid.
I love this car. Great looks great drive. Adjustable suspension is not an issue. The real attraction of this car is it's exclusivity. I would suggest a very rare car.
Great car but does not need the over complicated suspension tweaks IMHO to make it appealing to fast ford fans.
No matter what - still FWD.
Torque steer on fwd are fun af
So you buy a new edition and you are happy to have brand new car. next day Ford shows a facelift lol lol lol
As new car has no physical climate controls I would stick with old rather than having to take my eyes off the road
Autocar gives you the facts, but the presenters are dry and boring, the sound quality is way behind the best, and the music is awful.
Think I'd have a Yaris GR thanks
I love My Ford ST, Honestly no Gimmicks just Fun to drive hatch, basically the driver's hot hatch
I wish we got these in North America
Great car. Not for USA. This makes no sense.
Like the alloys but the front of the car is hideous
£35k. Box of spanners!
Lol This just shows you how people get sucked into complete nonsense. Oh oh let's put some coilovers onit call it a limited edition and make it more expensive.
@@imme4330 I'd rather they give me a bullit proof build and decent 5 or even 7 year warranty! It's about as exciting as that pull the wheels off adjustable suspension, but strangely more appealing to me, for the extra coin.
Sorry, I lasted 4:48, and just couldn't watch any more.
Is she a wagon?
Bring back Matt Prior please. I would go with the faster i30 N personally. Focus has too many corners cut. Hate the low rent Ford steering wheel
European over Oriental every time.
That has to rank as the most painfully dull hot hatch review I have ever seen.
Be way cheaper to get the suspension added yourself on your current ST 🤷♂️
But Ford know there are those that will just go out and buy this for pub chat !!
Brilliant review, a little hard to listen too. Terrible video sound.
and the car is ok too
Whom is choosing the wardrobe for this Journalists,even Jeremy Clarkson dresses better.
Horrible audio
Zzzzzzz!
Ford ST's are a bit long in the tooth now, too many of them and the iterations between models are neglible. Ford need to come up with something refreshing and new...
fiiiiiirst!
Is way too big, not very good looking and also FWD...
Check out all that rubbish at the side of the roads! Disgraceful.
That's because a lot of councils in wales only offer 4-week rubbish collections which force people to fly-tip.
@@barrycrump6189 It's not just Wales Barry! I'm an ex-pat who's lived in France for seventeen years. Four years ago My wife (who is French) and I took the ferry to Portsmouth to visit my Dad who lives in Lincolnshire. I was disgusted and embarrassed to see the amount of rubbish all along the verges on our three hour journey north. My Dad lives in Stamford which is, apparently, one of the most beautiful towns in England. The grass at the side of the main road where he lives was at least a foot high! WTF? What is going on in the UK? Strangely, my Dad has three wheelie bins which he has to push all around the outside of his house on 'certain days' to be collected by the dustbin men even though he is eighty seven years old!
Most boring review ever. Leave it to the professionals!
99% of the people who buy this and mess with the suspension are going make it worse
God listening to this guy is painful... 😴
Worst interview or car review on the planet go and work at Tesco’s
Respectfully I couldn’t get through the intro. So boring.
"Hello folks, welcome to drizzly wet Wales"....and went rapidly downhill from there.
Don't see the point in this car what a waste and so what about suspension who will be faffing around with that on this car. If was a out and out track car maybe fair enough but it isn't so pointless car with pointless little tool kit lol.
Poor review. All very superficial and vague. And who’s actually going to bother removing the wheels and manually adjusting suspension settings for a particular road?