FORD FOCUS ST

Hot hatchback is revitalised with a new look, higher spec and improved interior

- MATT SAUNDERS

TESTED 7.7.22, WARWICKSHIRE ON SALE NOW

The headline news about the new facelifted Ford Focus ST might be that you can no longer buy an orange one. If you want bright, you can now choose from a few more pleasant (if prosaic) shades of red or have virulent Mean Green instead. Shame: there was something special about a Tangerine Scream Focus.

The car has some fresh styling features for the new green to draw your eye to, plus the usually enlarged radiator and bumper grilles, side sills, and spoilers. A couple of new alloy wheel designs finish it off, although, as a result of a thinning of the UK line-up, we only get the bigger (19in) one finished in Matt Magnette grey.

There’s also now only one model variant available to us, the ST-2 and ST-3 versions having bitten the dust.

Every UK-bound Focus ST comes fairly generously equipped, then, but they’ve also been subject to close to a £3000 price hike, making the regular manual hatchback a near-£35,000 car and the automatic version tested here another £1450 on the top.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI remains slightly pricier, but if you like your performance value, the Cupra Leon and Hyundai i30 N cost notably less.