Review: 2014 Ford Focus ST

Review: 2014 Ford Focus ST, Conventional wisdom dictates that, if you want to build a sporty car with more than 200 horsepower, it should be rear or all wheel drive. The Focus ST is front wheel drive.

By all logic, it shouldn’t be very good - it’s a nose heavy car with a lot of power - 252 horsepower and 270 foot pounds of torque, to be exact. Those numbers produce some...interesting results on the street.

So, yes, there’s torque steer despite Ford’s efforts to quash it. But - it’s not the monster Internet car forums and YouTube comment fights have made it out to be. Sure, there’s plenty of power for spontaneous moments of idiocy, but when you just want to drive home, the car calms down. It’s just as happy cruising around town as it is shouting through the mountains.

With that said though, the power is spooky. It’s not like the Fiesta ST, where the turbo spools, then LOUD NOISES happen and you go sailing down the road. The Focus endures and surges along with a remarkably flat power curve. It almost feels supercharged.

I love how accessible it is - it’s not hard to drive at all, and it doesn’t ask you to compromise your lifestyle much. It’s still a five door hatchback that’s quiet and comfortable enough to work for you every day.

But it’s more than that. From just about every angle, the car is just...correct. It all looks right, and it’s tough for me to say that about modern cars. I usually find automotive styling these days too fussy, too heavyhanded, but the Focus ST has the perfect look about it. Yes, it has broad shoulders and tough angles, but also swooping rear arches and the hips of a matron. It wears a permanent stoic look on its face, confident in its abilities...but never cocky.

It’s a wonder what an independent rear suspension setup does for a car! Sure, the Focus is much heavier than it used to be, but it can still swing like it did when the size 30 pants fit. There’s plenty of lift-off oversteer, though it’ll stay in line until you give the command.

Still, for as much as I love this car, it’s got a few flaws - most annoying of which is SYNC. I hated SYNC in the Fiesta ST, and I still hate it here. It’s slow, the GPS has trouble recognizing anything in metro areas, and the voice commands are downright infuriating. Just give us full iOS and Android control already, please.

As for the actual driving experience, there’s one major issue: the pedals.

Look, I know I have big feet, but there is zero room for activities down here.

But even with that fault, there’s so much to like about this car.

Now, there’s a saying amongst car enthusiasts: If you don’t look back at your car after you park it, you didn’t buy the right one. When I had the Focus couldn’t help but stare every time, but more importantly - I couldn’t help but smile whenever I drove it..

Review: 2014 Ford Focus ST

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