Ford Focus ST (2012 - 2018) 2.0T ST-2 Navigation Hatchback (01/15-) 5d Owner Review

Bought at 2years old and have covered 9500 miles. Version is fitted with appearance pack, 19in wheels and heated steering wheel. Performance, goes well but not scary, good linked pull of power and very little turbo lag. Many journalists review talk of wild torque steer, it’s not, it might pull a tad in 2nd but nothing that can’t be controlled. Traction control is a annoying if you want to push on, the sport mode which activate with a press of the traction button is a good middle ground between full on or full of. Expect wheel spin in multiple gears whatever, especially when wet. Handling, sharp and fast, hold the road well. Steering is quick and pull back to centre fast. It does feel nervous on poor surfaces and does track a bit into gullies. You can feel the torque vectoring happening as it rotates the nose tighter and is a bit odd when you’ve not experienced before. Ride/comfort, don’t buys if you want comfort, it’s not about that, it rides hard and you feel the bumps and you get a fair bit of road noise. The seat, I didn’t like them at 1st, there I tight fit and I’m not the slimiest chap (15st). They made my ribs ache and I considered getting rid, but after a few weeks we moulded together and now I think they're great. Super supportive and often do 100mile journeys in. NVH is fine even with the Mountune lower engine mount fitted. Interior, nice. Agree searing position could be lower but not a deal breaker. Generally sync 2 works well, voice activation is good but both have a number of menus to work through. Nav is fine but if you going newer the apple car play will allow you to use google maps. Still all looks great at 3 years old. Heated steering wheel, but the 1st buyer didn’t get heated seats! I thought what’s the point, until the first cold morning. Amazing, game changer. I’ll never buy a car again with out one. Finish, mine is deep impact blue, it looks fantastic when clean but looks dirty quick and shows a lot of chips and marks. If you after a hot hatch I’d recommend, it was a toss up for me between this or a Golf GTI but for the golf I’d have been 2 years older and higher miles for my budget. The ST is a bargain.