Ford Focus ST (2015 – 2018) Review

Ford sought to make its 2015 Focus ST a hot hatch for all occasions and buyers. You could order hatch or estate bodies and choose from petrol or diesel engines. All are good, but there are some raw edges to the way it behaves in the wet. Where a Volkswagen Golf GTI is a polished alternative and the Honda Civic Type R slightly wild, the Ford sits somewhere in the middle. Read on for our full Ford Focus ST review.

It might not be the quickest or cheapest fast Ford money can buy, but the Focus ST has lots of universal appeal thanks to its ability to mix hot hatch performance with everyday usability. Indeed, when it comes to matching fun and value, the Focus ST is in a class of its own.

The Ford Focus ST could be specified as a hatchback or estate and there are two 2.0-litre engines to choose from – one petrol and one diesel. As you might expect, it’s the 250PS four-cylinder petrol that provides the most fun, with 0-62mph taking 6.5 seconds and 360Nm of torque flowing all the way to 5000rpm.

Claimed fuel economy is decent, too, with 41.5mpg and 159g/km of CO2. Admittedly, this is less than the Golf GTI of the same period, but it’s worth noting that the Ford packs 30PS more power than the Volkswagen. 

The ST could also be ordered with a performance-biased 185PS diesel, which matches its Volkswagen Golf GTD rival on economy with 110g/km of CO2 and a claimed 67.3mpg. However, while the economy ratings impress on paper, the Focus ST diesel fails to excite on the road, with lacklustre performance and disappointing power delivery.

Indeed, unless you really want your diesel to look like a hot hatch, we’d recommend opting for the petrol.

While the front-wheel-drive set-up can provide some challenges in the wet, the Focus ST largely impresses with firm but rewarding handling. The steering is well weighted and the chassis feels light and nimble, with a keen turn-in and lots of feedback.

The only area of criticism we would level at the Ford is its lack of upmarket feel in the cabin. Compared to the Golf GTI, the Focus ST feels somewhat low-frills, with lots of cheap and flimsy plastics. Boot space is also disappointing and hatchback versions offer a meagre 316 litres.

That said, the Focus ST is perfectly comfortable for families and the Recaro front seats provide good levels of back and upper leg support for long-distance drives. Estate versions address this lack of storage, offering 476 litres.

However, the Focus ST cannot be faulted on value. What’s more, in estate form, the Focus ST is almost unrivalled aside from the Skoda Octavia vRS.

Ford decided against giving the Focus ST a mechanical limited-slip differential. Instead it uses a torque vectoring system that electronically manages the power delivery to the front wheels.

For the most part, this system works fine, but it does struggle in wet or less than perfect road conditions. As a result, the Focus ST has a tendency to tug at the steering wheel under hard acceleration, as it struggles for traction or attempts to follow the camber of the road.

However, in the dry or under moderate power, the Focus ST is easy to drive and hugely rewarding with a sharp turn-in and lots of grip in corners.

Both the hatch and estate benefit from superb steering, which increases the feedback with each turn of the wheel. 

The electronic stability system can also be switched to Sport mode, which gives fuller control over engine torque, while reducing computerised brake interventions.

There are two four-cylinder engines to choose from, but it’s the excellent 250PS 2.0-litre petrol that strikes the better balance between performance and value.

Capable of covering 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, the high-revving four-cylinder unit provides effortless performance and will easily surpass 150mph on track. It will also return meaningful fuel economy, with Ford claiming 41.5mpg and 159g/km of CO2. 

If you favour fuel economy over performance then you can specify the Focus ST with diesel power, but we wouldn’t recommend it. The 185PS four-cylinder unit does boast more torque than the petrol version, but lacks the free-revving nature that makes the Focus ST so likeable.

By comparison, the diesel delivers all of its power at around 3000rpm, causing unintentional wheel spin as you attempt to leave junctions quickly, resulting in lots of frustration. Keep your foot planted and you’ll discover that the power fades away at 3500rpm, leaving the Focus feeling rather gutless. 

Both the petrol and diesel engines are linked to a short-shifting six-speed manual gearbox as standard. There is no automatic option.

Ford fitted the Focus ST with an ESP system where you could have it fully engaged, fully off or opt for a Sport mode that allows the driver to indulge a little, while retaining a safety net.

Ford also offered the Focus ST with adaptive headlights, Cross Traffic Alert and its Active City Stop automatic emergency braking. There was also lane-keep assist included in addition to seven airbags.

All of this earned the Focus a five-star result in Euro NCAP crash tests, although this score has since expired due to updated test methods.

Ford did not quote any towing capacities for the Focus ST line-up of this generation.

The interior is comfortable and there’s more than enough space for a family of four, although the 316-litre boot for the hatchback is on the small side, especially when compared to the 380 litres you get in the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The Focus ST Estate fixes this though, extending storage to 476 litres.

All models get Recaro sports seats as standard, which are extremely comfortable, with lots of back support. This makes them superb for long-distance driving, although you’ll have to spec up to ST3 to get powered adjustment.

Aside from the ST branding and front seats, the cabin is pretty much identical to the highest-trim Focus and six-footers will have little trouble fitting into the rear seats.

Some of the interior plastics do feel a little cheap and flimsy. The centre stack is also prone to emitting the odd creak and groan as you travel over rough roads, which raises some concerns over interior build quality.

We also dislike the steering-wheel mounted controls. There are far too many buttons on the wheel and the voice control switch is annoyingly located between the volume buttons, which makes it all too easy to activate it by mistake. 

The Focus ST’s interior was a significant improvement over the old model, with the messy, button-laden centre stack gone in favour of a smarter and cleaner layout.

We’d recommend looking for a car with SYNC2, which adds an eight-inch touchscreen and DAB audio. Not only does this cull the button count even further, but it also allows the driver to operate the media and heating controls via the large and easy-to-use colour screen.

None of the ST trims includes navigation as standard.

To bag yourself an eight-year-old Ford Focus ST in good condition and with average mileage for its years, you’ll be looking at a spend of around £12,000. This gets you a car in ST-2 trim and a pick of petrol or diesel versions.

Go for a five-year-old car with low mileage, and you’ll have to find around £19,000 for the smartest examples in the ST-3 specification.

The biggest trade-off in deciding which Ford Focus ST of this generation you want comes when choosing between petrol or diesel power.

Go for the petrol and all the fun that brings, and you’ll have to put up with claimed economy of 41.5mpg for the hatch or estate, which is nearer 38.9mpg according to our Real MPG data.

If you can live with a car that’s not nearly as entertaining to drive, the diesel Focus ST offers a tempting 67.3mpg claimed combined consumption. In the our Real MPG tables, that comes out as mpg in the mid-40s, which possibly makes the decision to choose the petrol model easier.

However, bear in mind that in hatch form, the petrol emits 159g/km of carbon dioxide compared with 110g/km for the diesel.

This means the diesel will be cheaper on road tax, and the diesel models also sit several groups lower for insurance than their direct petrol equivalents.

The basic Ford Focus ST-1 offers 18-inch ST alloy wheels and body kit, manual air-conditioning, Ford Sync with Bluetooth and voice control, a colour 4.2-inch infotainment display, keyless start, ST leather gear knob, ST front scuff plates and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

To this lot, the Ford Focus ST-2 adds Recaro sports seats, heated windscreen, LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror, dual automatic temperature control, plus front and rear carpet mats.

As a result, it’s easy to see why this and the higher ST-3 trim are more appealing to buyers.

With the Ford Focus ST-3, there are Rock metallic 18-inch ST alloy wheels, Xenon headlights with adaptive front lighting, red brake callipers, rear parking sensors, SYNC2 with eight-inch touchscreen infotainment, Recaro heated front sports seats with leather seat upholstery, driver and passenger eight way power adjustable seats, cruise control, Ford keyf-ree system and power-fold door mirrors.