I drove Ford Focus ST Track Pack – it’s a family friendly performance car that’s fast & noisy but also safe & practical
THERE are two ways to spend the autumn of your life.
You can choose to become a hermit and sit at home all day eating ready meals and watching Countdown and the cricket.
Or you can have some fun with the kids’ inheritance and let rip on a Med cruise. They never visit anyway.
It’s the same with cars.
Some are quietly discontinued and never spoken about again.
Like a Mondeo.
Others put on some red lippy and big earrings and go out with a bang.
Like a Focus.
We’ve already told you the mega-selling Focus is being axed in 2025 as Ford develops a new line-up of electric cars.
Fiesta goes any day now.
Which means this 280hp Focus ST Track Pack will be the last hot hatch, and soon to be consigned to the history books alongside the Escort XR3i and more.
There’s still time to do another “special” between now and 2025 to spike sales, like a new trim and paint job, but we won’t see any hike in performance.
Now let’s start with the price.
The regular Focus ST is £36,855, plus another £3k for the Track Pack.
Almost £40k, then.
That’s a lot of money for a fast Ford. But also not really.
Laugh-out-loud fun
Not when Volkswagen slap a £66k price tag on a Golf R 333 and it sells out in eight minutes.
The Focus ST is a family-friendly performance car: Fast, grippy and noisy when you want it to be. But also safe, comfy and practical when you want it to be.
The Track Pack takes things to the next level by adding adjustable coilover suspension, Brembo brakes, lighter alloys and sticky Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres.
As well as a black roof and gloss-black detailing. Will you ever sit the car on axle stands to try all 28 suspension settings? Probably not.
But it does gives the car added credibility and an edge over everything else.
Hurry this car down your favourite B-road and no one will catch you. Unless they drive for Red Bull.
The throttle response from the 2.3-litre turbo is urgent.
The handling is razor-sharp. The body control is first-rate. It’s laugh-out-loud fun.
Then you’ll remember you’ve got two kids in the back and you need to be sensible.
For the most part, the cabin is smart and tech-rich and crowned by that slick 13in touchscreen.
There are buttons to warm your back and pinkies, wireless charging, reversing camera and more, and the Ford Performance seats are surprisingly comfy.
But Ford also do the simple things well.
Ten things YOU should know as a car owner
- When is your MOT due? Find out here
- When is your car tax due? Find out here
- Is it illegal to drive barefoot?
- How many units can you drink and drive?
- What do dashboard warning lights mean?
- Is it illegal to drive without road tax?
- Can you be fined for breaking the highway code?
- How to change the address on your driving licence
- What does MOT stand for?
- Is it illegal to park across someone’s driveway?
Adjustable cup holders grip drive-thru drinks tightly.
The heated windscreen is a godsend in winter. The capless fuel filler.
To conclude, then. The Focus is a fabulous everyday car whether you’re 18 or 88.
The Focus ST is a fabulous everyday performance car whether you’re 18 or 88 and up for a bit of mischief.
We’re gonna miss them when they’re gone.
Time to tackle Chinese
THE man charged with reinventing Ford has admitted facing new competition besides Vauxhall and Volkswagen – from the Chinese.
Ford Europe boss Martin Sander said: “Let’s be honest, our sector was static for a long time. Maybe we got too comfortable building and selling the same kind of cars and worrying about the same old competitors.
“Maybe we were sometimes a little slow to respond to the technological changes that were happening in other industries, like electronics.
“No longer. That old world has been swept away as our customers demand to go electric and digital and we suddenly experience growing competition from Chinese automakers eyeing up the European market.”
Sander’s plan for the “total reinvention of Ford” starts with the £45k electric Explorer arriving later this year.
Next year Capri returns as an electric sports crossover and Puma will get a battery-powered version.
He added: “Look at the iconic vehicles Ford has put on European roads: The Transit, the Fiesta and the Mustang, to name only three. Creating a line-up of equally iconic electric vehicles and carving the new Ford’s place in Europe is the best job anyone could have.”
He’s right about the Chinese.
MG can’t ship cars here quick enough and there’s a queue of new brands on the way including BYD, Ora and Chery Automobile.