With 350 hp, the RS was the strongest Ford Focus you could buy. Nowadays that is the ST, but then you have to make do with 70 hp less. To ease the pain, the Focus ST is available with a Track Pack, technology from rally sports. Or is Ford fobbing you off with this?
The Ford RS has had to be retired due to stricter emission requirements. The ST was already there, but with 250 hp it was one step lower on the performance ladder. The 280 hp ST is now the sportiest Focus, with the 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo engine from the last RS.
With the Track Pack, the power remains at 280 hp. What you do get extra are lighter alloy wheels, larger brake discs, a body that is closer to the asphalt, stiffer dampers that you can adjust manually. So you have to put on overalls and crawl under the hood yourself to remove the plastic cover above the struts to access the adjustment. Dirty hands are guaranteed.
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Not the first Focus
The engine note coming from the corner-mounted mufflers sounds civilized. But as soon as we set the car in motion, we immediately notice that this is not just any Focus. The steering is unprecedentedly linear, provides good feedback and tells you with millimeter accuracy what the tires are doing.
We did have to get used to the abrupt engagement of the clutch, but that goes quickly. The chassis has been fine-tuned and craves ever higher speeds in order to fine-tune the incoming and outgoing damping as best as possible. Pirelli’s semi-slick tires provide unprecedented grip.
You have to teach yourself to accelerate early in the bend so that the differential lock is activated. Once you master this trick, you will reach cornering speeds that you never thought possible in a C-segment car. The electronic slip differential distributes the torque perfectly across the drive wheels.
Fits comfortably in the hand
The gear lever of the manual 6-speed gearbox fits comfortably in the hand and the shift paths are shorter than short. The well-controlled Brembo brakes get a ten out of ten, especially when they are at operating temperature.
Ford Focus ST test conclusion
The Ford Focus ST with Track Pack is a worthy heir to the famous, discontinued Focus RS. Yes, he has less power, but still a very strong character. And the driving characteristics still appeal to the imagination. The small downside of the coin is that the Track Pack is mainly useful on the track and not so much on public roads.