Apparently my local Ford dealer is pretty cool. I emailed them a couple weeks ago to ask about when they expected to receive an ST. Heard back from them a couple days ago verifying that they had one. Drove down there today and they were kind enough to pull it out of the display area so I could take it for a spin. I was the first person outside of the dealer staff who has taken it for a spin

This was black, ST2 trim, with moonroof and nav.

Interior: It's basically a Focus Titanium interior; no surprises here. There's a small center dash mounted array of gauges that I honestly didn't take much notice of. IMO, they're a bit small to be that useful. Oil temp, oil pressure, and boost. Aftermarket pillar gauges would be easier to read if you needed them. Recaros were very comfortable - possibly a touch more snug than those in the Evo. I didn't like the headrests, tilt too far forward, common problem with modern cars due to bad safety research. Hoping they can be flipped around or I may just remove the damn things. Was surprised to find that I still had ~1.5" of headroom left with the moonroof. Usually moonroofs = my head against the ceiling. Still won't be getting one. Legroom in the back seat is pretty tight but you can still get adults back there. Hatchback + fold down seats = awesome cargo space.

Exterior: Meh, it's a Focus. I don't like the tail light design on the hatches. Overall look of the car is better than the regular Focus. I'm sure you've all seen pictures. Stopped by another dealer on the way home because they had a Tangerine ST - I didn't like it in person. Too close to school bus yellow in the sunlight.

Engine: The car is quick but not quite as quick as I would expect for 250hp/270tq. The powerband is very smooth and there's a lot of low-end torque available. It was a pleasure to drive in traffic - comfortable, smooth, no power jerks or anything like that. When punching the throttle you can feel a touch of torque steer but then it just goes away when the electric compensation kicks in.

Gearbox: Awesome. Very crisp and accurate shifter, liked it a lot. Clutch pedal had just the right amount of pressure to give good feedback without being tiring to use.

Handling: Limited experience with this, just a number of quick right-hand turns. Car felt neutral, no obvious push and very limited body roll. Steering felt solid, not as direct as an Evo but still gave feedback. Suspension was a bit more rough than a normal Focus but still very nice for daily driving.

Overall: I liked the car quite a bit. Still not thrilled about FWD but I really like everything else about the car and I expect that it'll make for a very fun daily driver. While I did expect it to be a bit faster it's still plenty quick for a FWD car. Will likely head back in early October to put in my order for an ST3 model in Performance Blue.

 

Nice review. Still trying to test drive one myself. I totally agree with the tail lights. What color inserts were on the Recaros? How was the sound system?

Are you planning on ordering ST2 or 3?

 

Straight black recaros, I didn't mess with the sound but I've heard it in a focus before, it's good. I plan on st3 so i can get leather and hids.

 

The tangerine one at the other dealership had orange inserts, did not like it at all.

 

I need to go drive one of these.

The headrests are like my Ford too. You end up keeping the car up for DD use and for AX/track I recline the seat back a little more.

 

was wondering about this.. how tall are u btw

 

6'3".

The car also has a bit better pedal spacing that the automatic Focus. Handy if you have giant feet like me.

 

Great review Otter. This will likely be my next car as well. Been waiting for this for a long time. I will probably wait for a year and see if there are any tweaks to the 2014 models.

 

Bastards will probably add an LSD

Looks like Ford is confirming that ST3 production will begin in October. Assuming I don't bump into any financing issues and place my order when planned I should have a car by December.

 

Some random info - a 1/4 mile video has popped up of a stock ST - 14.4 @ 97.4 MPH, 2.24 60'. A better driver could probably get it down to 14.2-14.3.


I'm currently aware of a handful of tuners that have the car and are starting development - Cobb, Steeda, and FSwerks off the top of my head. I'm sure there's others.

Cobb just did a stock dyno run and came back with some very impressive numbers - 226 hp/284 tq. That torque number explains why it was so pleasant to drive around town during my test drive The car has a power dip at around 5k RPM that tuning should smooth out.



Worth noting, Friday at 4p it was about 102 degrees here in Austin. Hot day for dyno runs.

 

****er makes almost as much tq as my CMC car.

 

So, the real question....
Focus ST or Mazdaspeed 3?

 

Thanks for review, was considering this for my next DD.

 

I wonder how much power it would make if it was converted to E-85.

 

up a Focus ST - a wonderful daily driver!! It's great to haul around my guitar and amps!