| The Good: - Awesome engine and gearbox - Awesome ride and handling - Awesome value for money | The Bad: - Average rear-seat legroom - Some torque-steer on launch - Reduced boot space |
The new Ford Focus ST is freaking brilliant! Now that we’ve delivered our verdict in the first line of this review already, you might as well stop reading and buy one down at your local dealer, assuming they aren’t sold out already. But if you’d like to know more, then read on.
As an honest-to-goodness hot hatch, the Focus ST certainly looks the part. While the regular Focus is already a good-looking car, the ST ramps up the boy-racer factor with a unique front clip, side skirts, cool 18-inch wheels, the obligatory tailgate spoiler and a new rear bumper with nicely-machined central exhaust tips. There is absolutely nothing left unfinished, as Toyota 86 owners can attest.
The build quality is pretty solid, even if certain hidden corners under the tailgate have a haphazard appearance. There’s a big gap at the front edge of the bonnet, apparently to let air into the engine compartment, but it’ll always look like the bonnet isn’t fully closed.
