Ford Focus ST - Colony Test Drive


Ford Focus ST - Colony Test Drive

When the first Focus ST arrived to our dealership, we created a review
video comparing it to our Colony Custom edition Focus SE. This video was
mainly a comparison on styling and interior features, along with the
power numbers that both engines made. Visually, both cars looked very
appealing but with the ST having more sporty interior features.

the options and power differences between these two cars is one thing,
but when the ST is actually put to the test as to what it has been built
to do, you can see why this car is priced significantly higher than any
other Focus model.
We handed one of the sales rep's Focus ST's to
our experienced racecar driver at Colony, to hear his opinion on the car
since he has experience on the track with all kinds of high-end and
low-end sports cars. Here's what he had to say...

The interior is
nicely laid out, gauges are all very easy to use and see. The turbo
boost gauge swings consistently with the turbo surge yet the "hiss" you
get from most turbocharged cars isn't too apparent. For such an
aggressive looking car, it's very quiet. Which is a good thing, it keeps
the car low-key on the street and there's always options of making it
louder through the aftermarket world of intakes and exhausts. What was
evident was the tone the motor made above 2,500 RPMs, you can hear the
deep tone from the intake which was pleasant but also surprising that
you don't hear it at every RPM, it sort of just turns on.
The Focus
ST is indeed one of the fastest front-wheel-drive cars on the streets
today available through a manufacturer, considering it's putting out
over 250hp to the front wheels, it does it with finesse which is
certainly important when achieving a proper balance of a well performing
front-wheel-drive car. A lot of reviews say that the torque-steer is
overwhelming with the amount of torque the ST puts out, it's really not
though. Sure, if you're going to drive the car with no hands on the
steering wheel while accelerating, the steering will pull randomly in a
direction, but it takes no effort at all to keep the car straight. If
you're driving the ST hard, it takes the same amount of effort on the
steering wheel as any other car to keep it pointed to where you want to
go, this is probably thanks to it's electronic-power-assisted-steering.

of steering, this was probably the most amazing part of the car. Due to
the naturally tendency of a FWD vehicle to understeer (i.e the car
wants to skid straight instead of following the driver's steering
direction), the Focus ST is actually very balanced and response like no
other FWD car on the road. Sure the ride-height is higher than that of a
racecar, but when you turn in, the ST response so well that you have to
adjust your driving style. It literally darts into the corners and with
more steering input you can feel the back-end wanting to rotate to
allow the car to turn in even more... Something that well-tuned racecars
are set-up for, yet this car you don't have to worry about scrapping
speed humps since it's not a lowered.

The Recaro seats in the ST
are up to the same standards to the ones you would see in such cars
like the Boss Mustang or even a Porsche 911 Turbo, and it's a good thing
too because the way that this car can change directions, you can really
feel your body being supported by the high-quality bolsters. The pedals
and shifter are like butter to operate, the clutch pedal is easy to
apply but the shifter could use a shorter throw just for a more
mechanical feel.

Overall, the ST is an amazing package and worth
every dollar. It's easy to drive at the limit and does not wear out the
driver. Ford really did their research along with proper test and
tuning to assure that this car is a top contender on the track, yet
without any inconvenient drawbacks if used as a daily driver.

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