Living with the 2022 Ford Focus ST

• Introduction: Arach-Attack
• Month Two: Track Focus
• Month Three: The Grass is Greener

Introduction: Arach-Attack

ST forces Kirby to address his fears with gusto

My custodianship of MOTOR’s new long term Ford Focus ST started on a bad foot.

When I opened the bonnet to look at the engine I had to stop myself from immediately handing the car back to Ford. Staring back at me was a fully assembled cobweb strung between the ‘big block’ 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo unit and the firewall. I cursed quietly as this confirmed I’ll be sharing the vehicle with a spider.

This is a problem for me because I hate spiders. They are demons unleashed upon us mere mortal as a unique and cruel form of torture.

The eight-legged bastard must have set up shop the moment I parked the ST in my driveway. But, for the time being at least he was out of sight, out of mind.

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Helping ease my fear has been how delightful the ST is to drive around town. This is a proper performance car but its domesticated manners are remarkable. Unlike its smaller Fiesta ST sibling which has a suspension tune that’ll rattle your fillings free on the Hume, the Focus’ adaptive dampers are well calibrated. In Comfort the damping is well-suited to Melbourne’s constant tram tracks, speed bumps, and potholes.

The biggest highlight of the ST so far has been the seats. The week prior to picking up the ST I was the temporary custodian of the GR Yaris Rallye that Enright is running. As our fearless Editor can attest to, the seating in the Toyota results in taller individuals rubbing their scalps on the roof liner. Not so in the Focus, with the manually adjustable seats able to be lowered into the perfect seating position. Add to that the Recaro buckets provide excellent lateral support with ample cushioning for comfortable daily use. The pews are a nice distraction from some of the harder plastics that proliferate the cabin.

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There are two things that set BGL 393 apart from the crowd. The first is its Orange Fury paint (which I adore) that adds $650 to the $44,890 MSRP. The second is the six-speed manual transmission.

What makes the manual a compelling choice is all the low-down torque, with 420Nm of twisting power available between 3000-5000rpm. It means you don’t have to wring the ST’s neck and short shifting between gears has you riding a constant wave of torque.

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Ford’s engineers have put effort into making the manual a preferable choice for those that use the ST every day. It’s little things like the fact the cruise control will stay active as you shift between gears that make all the difference.

However, that goodwill is undone somewhat by the same system’s inability to hold your requested speed when battling gravity. On a long but gentle downward slope the ST added as much as 10km/h to where I had set the cruise control before I had to intervene and apply the brakes myself. Kinda defeats the purpose of an active cruise control, no?

While the ST won’t be fixing my arachnophobia any time soon, its charms have been beguiling enough to allow me to risk being within the same capsule as a spider. Next month we’ll see if my nerves can survive a proper drive.- CK

Things we love:

• Recaro seats
• Adaptive dampers
• Torque for days

Things we rue:

• Active cruise
• Interior plastics
• Spiders

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Month Two: Track Focus

Kirby unleashes the ST at Haunted Hills

If you get the chance to drive a Ford Focus ST on the track, take it. And if you own a Focus ST, book yourself in for some track time. You won’t be disappointed.

I was fortunate enough to help out on a recent MOTOR video shoot at Bryant Park Hillclimb in Gippsland, part of which involved thrashing ‘my’ Focus ST around the circuit. Scott Newman was the man setting down the benchmark times during the day for a video comparing the speed difference between the manual and automatic transmissions, but I was along to assist with the action shots. I won’t spoil the result, but if you want to know which is quicker, make sure to keep an eye on the MOTOR YouTube channel for the full video.

With no stopwatch-induced pressures it meant I could focus on getting the most fun – instead of outright speed – out of the ST. Man, did we have some fun. The Focus is responsive, engaging, and feels eager to please.

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The electronically actuated mechanical limited-slip differential fitted to the front axle deploys power wonderfully. In its race mode the ST features an auto-blip feature, which I was thankful for as I focused on learning where the hell the Haunted Hills circuit went instead of perfecting my heel-and-toe technique. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber provide ample grip – and you can even save some tread wear by lifting the inside rear tyre and waggling it in the air for prolonged periods on certain bends.

Most people may dismiss a front-drive hatch as being a beacon of understeer, but the ST has a refreshingly lively rear axle. The car rotates with ease, and even with all the electric nannies left on you can find yourself rolling off the lock mid corner as the rear slips out of line.

The ST sounds fantastic. It has an authentic burble at idle, which grows to an aggressive rat-a-tat-tat at redline that wouldn’t be out of place in a Finnish forest. Slice into another gear and there is an authentic crack and pop of overrun. The vocal theatrics aren’t as aggressive as the likes of a Hyundai i30 N, but feel genuine instead of confected.

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But with all that good has been some minor disappointing revelations. The first has been that I am finding myself wishing a head up display wasn’t omitted from the spec sheet. It’s an extremely minor gripe, but one that for the price of entry doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable.

Next is the ST’s constant gear change suggestions. Even in its sportiest mode, there is a little icon on the dash nagging at me to shift to a more fuel-efficient ratio. This is fine in an eco mode, slightly irritating in comfort, but wholly annoying, not to mention dissonant, in a setting called ‘Race’. Efficiency be damned!

New for 2021 in the Focus ST is a digital dash. There’s not a huge benefit compared to the traditional dials of the previous model year, seeing as the layout isn’t adjustable, and the visuals only change when a new drive mode is selected. Speaking of, change drive modes on the move and you’ll lose all functionality of the dash sans speedo for several seconds as graphics flash up to allow you to cycle through the different options.

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The transition screen remains visible for just longer than I expect every time, always leading me to believe the whole thing has frozen in place before it decides to complete the change. I’m yet to see a major advantage to the fully digital unit compared to analogue dials with a central screen nestled between.

On the plus side, my eight-legged friend has vacated the premises. Note to self – spiders hate racetracks. That’s good news for everyone in my books. -CK

Things we love:

• Track time
• Race mode
• Rally sounds

Things we rue:

• Slow graphics
• Gear suggestions
• No head up display

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Month Two: The Grass is Greener

Kirby discovers jealousy can be a virtue

I’m not usually the jealous type. But I am jealous of Alex Affat. Not only does he maintain an aura of effortless cool at all times, he also owns (and regularly drives, bless him) a genuine Nissan R32 GT-R. I’m not the only person that is jealous of Affat though. He regaled me recently with the dilemma of commuting in a JDM icon. At every other set of traffic lights he is set upon by owners of modern performance cars all looking to demonstrate that their sprightly metal is capable of sending Affat’s geriatric Godzilla out to pasture.

Nissan’s original claimed power figures for the GT-R (which we can take with a lake’s worth of salt) were 206kW and 353Nm; roughly on par with ‘my’ ST’s 206kW and 420Nm. So, why isn’t anyone trying rev their crackle-tuned Golf GTI at me for the traffic light grand prix?

I’ve noticed in my last month of faux-custodianship that the ST somehow flies under the radar, even with its Orange Fury flanks contrasted against Melbourne’s grey spring weather.

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This could be in part because the ST really doesn’t shout about its performance abilities all that hard. There’s no huge wing, the arches aren’t adorned with brutish flares, and the exhaust – while rorty – doesn’t really shout at passers-by.

In fact, line the ST up against more pedestrian Focus variants and I suspect anyone but a car nerd like you and I would be able to pick it from the line-up.

There is certainly something to be said for a vehicle that carries itself with that kind of quiet confidence. But I feel that the outwardly humble personality results in people overlooking the Focus ST’s merits. That disappoints me.

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My time with BGL 393 comes to an end this month, and after nearly 100 hours in its Recaro saddle I’ve become quite fond of the Blue Oval’s hot hatch hero.

That said, before I hand the keys back to Ford, I do need to clear my liver, with the ST’s radar cruise control catching an increasing amount of ire. Ford has seen fit to teach the ST to read road signs, which it does with the same accuracy as Stevie Wonder. This isn’t something Ford should be ashamed of, as almost every vehicle on sale today is terrible at reliably reading speed signs.

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However, Ford has seen fit to give the system the ability to change your set cruising speed to whatever the most recent road sign the vehicle has passed may be. In isolation this system (which, I should note, can be turned off) has merit, acting as a back-up should you fail to notice a freshly reduced speed limit. In reality, it means I have both had my cruise control changed to 60km/h in a 100km/h zone, and 130km/h. Both from the same sign, funnily enough! Poor form.

A co-worker borrowed the keys for the ST recently, and while impressed with its power, they were disappointed in some of the cabin materials. This prompted me to really ponder the ST’s spec offering – was it enough? For me, yes. The only real omission I kept yearning for was a head-up display. But the B&O sound system was crisp, digital instruments clear, there was a large enough and responsive infotainment system, smartphone mirroring, wireless charging pad, and soft padding in the right places to make long drives comfortable.

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Yeah, you can find some scratchy plastics under the steering wheel and on the side of the transmission tunnel, but this is where the ST undersells itself. It’s not a hot hatch for anyone wanting a luxury feel at a budget price.

So, who is the Focus ST for? It’s for people who care more about driving than they do having the most obnoxious exhaust, the biggest wing, or freshest metal at Cars & Coffee. Pretention is left at the door in the ST. There is nothing insincere about its personality. Within its DNA you are informed that this is a vehicle that was built by car people, for car people. You feel this through the controls – the responsively sprung throttle, linear clutch, the reassuring brake and the well-oiled shift. These are likely to be things your local badge snob is going to overlook when searching for their next depreciating asset.

In a sea of loud Tarocash suits, sometimes wearing a comfortable tee shirt is all you need to stand out. – CK

Things we love:

• Sleeper styling
• Control weights
• Unspoken appeal

Things we rue:

• Tad thirsty
• Sentient cruise
• Somewhat unloved

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