FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION

The Mk3 ST packs a potent but usable hot hatch punch

- JOHN EVANS

At its launch in 2012, the Ford Focus 2.0T ST-3 was around £1000 cheaper than the Volkswagen Golf GTI manual that arrived the following year. Used examples now cost up to £2000 less than the VW.

Which one has the edge? The Focus, with 247bhp, or the Golf, with 217bhp? In the opinion of Autocar's road testers, the Focus was a four-and-a-half-star car while the Golf scored four stars, and the team praised the fast Ford's poised, interactive handling and responsive and flexible engine.

It was offered in multiple guises: five-door hatch and estate, a choice of 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol or, from 2015, 182bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engines, and in three trims, called ST-1, -2 and -3. Here, we're zeroing in on the petrol hatch.