In-depth reviews

Ford Focus ST hatchback (2015-2018): owner reviews

"The Ford Focus ST offers great value and proper performance in a practical hatchback body. It’s a bit raw, but it’s very exciting to drive"

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22 Mar 2019

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Carbuyer Rating

3.1 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.6 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
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2 out of 5
1 out of 5

94%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 16

Tell us what you think about your car?

She’s a ST3 TDCi in Frozen White with the black style pack (19 inch rims) and looks totally badass, I may be an old guy of 50 but that doesn’t mean I don’t want a head turning car. Everytime i park up at the local retail park i get comments about how nice she looks. My previous car was a 2015 Mondeo Titanium (178’ish bhp) and the ST3 feels far faster and is much better to drive, the steering is responsive and direct and the sensation of speed is intoxicating. I was a little nervous “dropping down” to a Focus from the Mondeo but I needed have worried I think the ST3 is a far better car. I miss some of the toys in the Mondeo but once you engage the right foot all of that is forgotten. I’ve never been a “Automatic” guy but a problem with my left knee forced the move as using a clutch (especially in traffic) was being coming a problem. Oh boy I’m I glad I bought it. The DCT is a total killer. In normal driving its great, its quick, responsive and smooth. But drop it into Sport Mode and by Christ does it come alive. The already great engine note changes and you feel the engine change its characteristics. It revs higher and it holds on to each gear for longer. Driving purists may scoff but that’s their problem not mine. I’ve timed a 0-62 at about 7.2’ish seconds (Gearbox and ESC in Sport mode.) The wife was timing so that may not be totally F1 standard timing but needless to say it's damn quick. In this mode you can also drive it using the paddles on the wheel to change gears using what Ford call “Select Shift” which is pretty fun. Also having the paddle on the wheel means that even in "D" mode mode i can still drop a couple cogs, get the revs up and nail the overtake. Huge fun. The 19inch wheels provide a firm ride and on the UK's rubbish roads it can be a little harsh, indeed there are some local roads I avoid totally now because they are simply horrible to drive on, patch works of badly rutted tarmac and potholes you could lose a child in. While there are a few cheap plastics round the cabin (especially lower down) the overall build quality is better than the Mondeo (which had some strange panel fit issues both inside and out), maybe the German factory is better than the Spanish one? But what people never say (including reviewers) is that all cars are built to a budget and i would rather that Ford spent their budget on the driving dynamics of the car than pointless stuff in the boot another cupholder. I bought the car to drive it and in those aspects you can't fault it. Would I recommend the ST3 TDCi auto? I sure would. It’s a fantastic car that makes me smile every time I press the start button.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The best car I have ever owned (previous cars have included Toyota Celica, Fiat Coupe turbo, Nissan 200SX and Honda Civic S type). Ride and comfort are superb (the Recaro seats are sublime) and performance is outstanding. What is amazing about the ST, however, is it's practicality. Whether it's just a quick trip down to the local supermarket or a long drive to a holiday destination (complete with our mad Cocker Spaniel, wife and holiday essentials), it brings a huge smile to my face. The only down-side to the ST is that the front tyres need replacing after approx 14k. To sum up; looks, performance, comfort, practicality... BRILLIANT!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic car! Can't believe the previous chaps problems! All I can say is, he must have got a bad one because mine is great. Fantastic pace, mid range pick up for overtaking is immense and the build quality is great! Best car I've ever owned and I've had a few.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

What a big disappointment, having had the car for a while I find the build quality very poor. Already the gear shift gaiter has come away and the fraud badges have already faded and the amount of squeaks and rattles I have had is beyond a joke. It as spent more time at the garage than out side my drive. I have written to fraud and complained and still await a response. Fraud used to build cars in the uk but since they have pulled out of the uk, they seemed to have gone down hill. I will never buy their cars again.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

The best car I have ever owned (previous cars have included Toyota Celica, Fiat Coupe turbo, Nissan 200SX and Honda Civic S type). Ride and comfort are superb ( the Recaro seats are sublime) and performance is outstanding. What is amazing about the ST, however, is its practicality. Whether it's just a quick trip down to the local supermarket or a long drive to a holiday destination (complete with our mad Cocker Spaniel, wife and holiday essentials), it brings a huge smile to my face. The only down-side to the ST is that the front tyres need replacing after approx 14k. To sum up; looks, performance, comfort, practicality... BRILLIANT!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The Focus ST is a pleasure to own. It is a fine drivers car and is exceptional when used on the track, too. Mine is an ST3 and the interior is still in immaculate condition, not a stitch out of place. I can only suspect that the last reviewer let her dog loose to chew the car to bits as mine has been nothing short of exceptional.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Having owed my ST2 for 5 months i can safely say it is a great car. It is quick yet comfortable. Have three kids and they all fit (just). Boot isnt huge but is big enough. It is extremly capable in the corners and puts a smile on your face. The torque means you can be very lazy if you want and pulls like a train from very low revs making long trips very relaxing. Build quality is good, stereo is fantastic and useful having the DAB radio for greater choice. Would say that finding stations can be a little fiddly. Seats are very supportive but if you are on the larger side you might struggle as they are snug. For an all rounder this is a great car. Only negative is the mpg which according to Ford is 39mpg but even driving like a saint I struggle to get 35mpg and if you are having a B road blast then 20mpg is more realistic. Of course if you have bought or thinking of buying on of these mpg figures probably aren't high up on your priorities.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

On your ST TDCI listing the dates are incorrect, was only launched/released in Jan 2015. Biggest issue for any ST owner, is the delays in the builds, sometimes 18 weeks or more due to part shortage. Owner club forums are very handy and useful for all owners -- FOCUSSTOC.com. Car is a brilliant drive, and really shows what a good tuned diesel engine can do, even a new 182bhp Euro 6 rated one, good gear ratios too. Ford missed the chance to properly tune the engine, as it can be correctly done up to 220bhp, and only manages to be slightly above the same engine fitted to the high end Mondeo's and Kuga's (177bhp). Tyres on the 18" metallic alloys are the usual Goodyear Eagle F1's and do the job nicely, though a lot of other long term ST owners have opted for Pilot Sport 3's on their tyre renewal option. Proper TMPS system also good too, with cool metal dust caps (use a dab of copper grease to stop them sticking). ST-3 model has all the extras, including the sill plates and red ambient light, which is a bit much red for me, coming from a Focus MK3 TDCI Titanium X, which had 7 colour variable ambient light, would have been a good move to provide a matching illuminated gear stick, as I had in the Ti X. The Recaro seats are great, though a little snug and take a little getting used to, though handy with some spirited driving and cornering around Scotland. Rear seats are good too, though no pull down arm rest/cup holders like in the regular Focus. ST-3 also has supplied carpet mats, which are handy if you don't have any new ones (passenger foot-well also now has retaining pegs fitted like the driver side), but they are bland/basic carpets, not even an ST logo in sight (another fumble). Finally the options i added were the Premium Sound/Speakers, with Sat Nav, Privacy Glass, Rear Camera and Heated Steering Wheel. Prem. sound has Sony branded speakers on the front door tweaters and a small sub-woofer inside the spare tyre in the boot (raised boot floor a little), this is not a bad setup, takes a little tweaking to the get the audio right, but good all-round sound. Sat Nav in via the SYNC2 system, and is surprisingly good and accurate so far, i can finally dispose of my 7 year old Navman unit used in my last 3 Focus's. Rear camera takes a little getting used to, especially if your previous car had 360 parking sensors, which the ST can only have rear sensors and the camera, but it works well once you get used to the giant picture on the SYNC2 screen (and remember to clean it when doing the rest of the car, it gets dirty real easy -- its beside the boot release button). Heated wheel for the winter, to go with the heated windows and mirrors of course! Internal speakers also used for the engine noise/symposium, which is not too bad really, some nice sounds, but Ford should stop pandering to EU rules for UK cars, and have some decent engine/exhaust noise --induction options (yes i know it not the petrol model, but both variants needs some fixing, getting too tame). Here's hoping the MK4 is a whole new beastie!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Apart from its first service, the car has never had the need to go anywhere need the main dealer, unlike one of the reviewers here. As is to be expected, the tyre life is somewhat limited (I do a lot of B-road driving), and the fronts had to be replaced at just over 14,000 miles. I love the sound the engine makes, and on my B-road journeys it brings a huge smile to my face. It's big enough for my family of 5, and we use this to go on holiday with - I just have to remind the kids not to buy too much! The interior quality is very good, with the Recaro seats scoring very highly with me. The gear change is excellent, and throttle response is also perfectly matched. The only thing that can take a while to get used to is the torque steer - the torque vectoring works quite well, but on challenging surfaces, the wheel can kick like a mule. However, now that I'm used to it, it adds to the driving experience!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I absolutely love this car from day 1. Never had a problem with it, handling is amazing, throttle response is very good and the steering wheel is just lovely. It suits my daily needs for fast commuting without the need to push the car too much. Also, the best performance car you can buy with such a small price tag

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Best car I've ever driven! Engine torque makes the Focus ST so much fun to drive, plus the colour is a head turner. Truly a car to cherish.

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

It puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it.

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Security.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've owned the ST diesel for a year and a half so far and I'm super happy and excited every time I get in like it's the first day. The fun you can have with so much torque (400Nm) for that mpg is unbelievable. No other car is so much fun and economic. I just drive every weekend almost the road to Braemar on Scottish Highlands from Hamilton where I live just for fun on twisty roads. With 50-53mpg return on sporty driving! I love it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A brilliant all rounder. The diesel is a better 70-90mph motorway mileage car than my previous petrol – it has great torque and averages 45-50 on distance trips. The automatic gearbox is awesome, I use a combination of sport and drive modes to optimise the fun. I commute in London hence why I opted for the auto box, best thing I chose. The upgraded Sony system is well worth it and the sound is awesome, It's far better than some more expensive German counterparts. I rate this car as five stars as it’s the perfect balance of real world, sporty and fun. Ford have created a true drivers car on a reasonable budget here.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Only disappointment for me is the fact that it doesn't come with adaptive cruse control, it only has active cruise control. As I added the driver's assist pack which includes city stop etc, I assumed this was included, I can't understand why it is not an option on this top of the range ST-3 as it is available on the normal Focus. I feel like I have been taken for a ride, and not driven by Ford. Also I noticed the US-spec gets the newer SYNC 3 and the updates for the SYNC 2 are available in the US from their website. In the UK, you need pay a dealer - I am guessing the updates are not as regular outside the US? Also the US version also gets a rear armrest, but they also get non-intergrated headrests. That said the car is lovely and by far the most special car I have owned.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Really love this car. I found the quality of the car to be first grade. I've owned French and German cars before and this is just as good as a VW. Fit and finish all very good. But the best thing about this car is the performance. And the sound is brilliant. Economy is as expected for a sporty car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I'm getting worried now iv had my Focus ST nearly 4 years and apart from needing service it's never needed to go to the workshop. All the bad reviews on here are making me nervous! My ST handles superbly, is quick and comfortable, and returns decent fuel economy so I'm loathe to change it. I'm actually waiting for the new Focus ST.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up