Ford Focus ST facelift review: petrol and diesel updates

What’s changed on the Focus ST?

Ford’s most potent Focus (for the time being…) has been refreshed in line with the rest of the hatchback range. This isn’t simply a token tweak involving new headlamps and a crisper grille - although those familiar updates do give it a slightly uncanny likeness to the smaller Fiesta ST - but a more comprehensive reworking aimed at sharpening the car’s overall feel.

The key updates in the Ford Focus ST line-up

The biggest talking point is powertrain choice. The 247bhp 2-litre petrol turbo remains on duty, albeit with light software revisions, and it’s now joined by a 182bhp 2-litre turbodiesel alternative. And, no, it isn’t called the STD. Either way, power is sent rather energetically to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Away from the engines, Ford has also revisited the underpinnings. The suspension has been stiffened, and both the torque vectoring system and the electric power steering have been recalibrated. They’re incremental changes rather than a clean-sheet rethink, yet together they deliver a noticeably keener, more precise-feeling car.

How does it drive?

Very well. The previous car already combined eager, nimble handling with a ride that was firm but still forgiving, and the updated model builds on that. Steering now comes across as more tightly keyed-in, with pleasing heft for an electric set-up, and it feels natural enough that you’re unlikely to find yourself constantly correcting the amount of lock you’ve dialled in.

Ride comfort is fractionally tauter than before, but it feels like a deliberate choice rather than an unwanted side effect. That said, our drive took place on Spanish roads that appeared impressively smooth, so we’ll reserve a definitive verdict until the ST is tried on the UK’s more scarred and patchy surfaces.

Without a proper differential, the ST’s front axle can still feel outgunned by its torque as you accelerate out of bends - but the workaround sounds backwards. Switch the ESP into its more permissive Sport setting and the traction control relaxes its grip, which lets the tyres bite more effectively.

Rivals from VW, Renault and Seat show just how valuable a diff can be, yet Ford counters with an electronic torque vectoring system that proves genuinely convincing. We drove in very wet conditions and still found the front end trustworthy, encouraging ever-higher corner speeds. In other words, it behaves exactly as a proper hot hatch should.

Petrol vs diesel: the ST and ST TDCi engines

The petrol unit behaves much as it always has: it’s impressively flexible across the rev range, but it also rewards being worked hard, giving you every excuse to use the satisfyingly snickety gearshift as often - or as sparingly - as you fancy.

Run it right out and the ST feels seriously quick, arguably quicker than its 6.5sec 0-62mph (0–100km/h) figure implies. Even the synthesised engine sound avoids becoming irritating, and it turns especially entertaining as the rev counter climbs towards the top of the dial.

The diesel is a tougher sell on noise. It’s also given a helping hand artificially, but there’s still a gruff, agricultural note that’s most obvious at lower speeds. Where it earns its keep is on paper: 110g/km and 67.3mpg (against 159g/km and 41.5mpg for the petrol) make it a far more credible company-car proposition.

Although the oil-burning option adds 27kg, it doesn’t seem to blunt the car’s willingness to change direction, and throttle response is commendably sharp for a diesel - crisp enough to make rev matching feel satisfyingly natural.

Even so, the caveat “for a diesel” is difficult to avoid when praising the ST TDCI. It’s clearly the less engaging of the two, with 0-62mph (0–100km/h) dispatched in 8.1sec, and as the power delivery tails off a little beyond 4000rpm, you may feel your enthusiasm ebb with it. With prices starting at £22,195 and no price gap between petrol and diesel, we’d stick with petrol unless economy figures are the deciding factor.

Models, trims and kit: hatchback, estate, ST2 and ST3

As previously, you can choose between a five-door hatchback and an estate, with the estate demanding a £1,100 premium. It’s only 24kg heavier and shares the same wheelbase as its smaller sibling, so any differences in handling are hard to pinpoint. It may even be the more handsome of the two - particularly if you opt for the stealthy solid grey finish.

At around £22k to get into a Focus ST, it undercuts a Golf GTI with 30bhp less by roughly four grand, yet only two per cent of UK customers actually choose the entry specification. Most buyers go for the better-equipped ST2 and ST3 trims, and the ST3 - from £25,995 - is the one that includes Ford’s new Sync touchscreen media system as standard. It clears away the previous button-heavy dashboard layout and makes the Focus feel notably more upmarket than before.

If you’re after more numbers, Ford predicts ST sales will split 50/50 between petrol and diesel, and it expects the new, thriftier engine to lift the current 15 per cent share taken by estates. Also, fewer than ten per cent of buyers are brave enough to pick the “Tangerine Scream” paint shown.

Ford Performance and the prospect of an RS

Ford’s reveal of the dramatic new GT supercar also announced Ford Performance, the new banner covering all of its sporting activities.

Ford Performance is organised into three strands: “ultra-high performance”, “high performance” and “enhanced technology”. With the ST filed under the last of those, there’s space above it for a 300bhp-plus RS - and we’re told we’ll get our first look at that very soon. Ford likens the ST to a pentathlete because of its broad abilities, whereas the RS is set to be far more focused, with track driving firmly on the agenda.

Could there be a Fiesta RS as well? There’s still no confirmation, but performance targets have been set and the necessary hardware has been identified; the remaining hurdle is proving the business case. Ford has little patience for loss-leading performance models built purely for image, so its fast cars must generate profit as well as entertain keen drivers. So, start pestering your dealer - and keep your fingers crossed.