A few pointers if you find yourself in a bar fight:
First, don’t get into bar fights.
Second, don’t pick on the little guy. He’s been little his entire life. He’s learned to compensate.
Third, don’t be worried about the loudest guy in the room. It’s the quiet one in the corner that hurts the worst.
Fourth, seriously, don’t take my advice for surviving bar fights. And don’t find yourself in a bar fight in the first place.
I can’t escape the idea that the 2013 Ford Focus ST is most definitely the type of guy your friends should pull you back from. Going toe-to-toe with this little foe is one you’ll feel in the morning, trust me.
Now, the shocking orange ST with a black grille is the automotive equivalent of looking like Billy Idol on speed bender, I get that. But under normal circumstances, the Focus ST has a habit of fading into the background like a Focus should. You can even get one of these whiter than Billy Idol’s hair (my preference) and with plain black leather rather than orange-striped Recaro hides I’m snuggly sitting in right now.
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a turbo hatchback. Until now, there have only been a small few that have made it stateside, namely the Volkswagen GTI and Subaru WRX STI. Although the Focus ST slots nicely into that company today, you have to go a ways back to the 1980s Escort GT to find the Focus ST’s spiritual predecessor. That car, like the new Focus ST, was a manual hatchback with European flair and an American badge. I loved that one, and it’s hard to ask this one to take its place.
On paper, it gives plenty of reasons to fall in love. The small, 2.0-liter EcoBoost four in the Focus ST rasps out 252 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of twist at a reasonable 5,500 rpm and 2,700 rpm respectively. That’s helped by a turbocharger — thus the EcoBoost badge — but it’s funny that the Focus ST is “turboed and mean” whereas the other Fords sharing the same engine are “eco-friendly and green.” Point, Ford marketing department.
The power and fury are the Focus ST’s selling point, but lost in the mix is the chassis. Like it’s competitors, the skeleton of the Focus ST is rock solid and stiff, allowing for plenty of tail whipping turns and steering feel to come through the leather wrapped wheel. The Focus ST is 0.4 inches lower than lesser Focus models, which allows the 18-inch alloys to lose their minds on acceleration and cornering.
And that’s the best part: The Focus ST is a little crazy. The buyer-picked options — like aforementioned shocking color and seats to match — are one thing, but the powertrain and setup take it to a new level. The Focus ST is front-wheel drive like the Mazdaspeed 3 and GTI before it; that’s not new. But Ford’s hands-off approach to how it’s handled is truly spectacular. Simply put, you can have as much as you want, for as long as you can handle it. The near-instant torque presses the front wheels into duty if you’re standing on the throttle, and all 270 lb.-ft. of torque can be pressed into duty all at once, not in higher gears like other models. Race the Focus ST off the line and you’ve got your hands full. There is a peculiarity reserved for front-wheel drive, high-horsepower cars and it’s called torque steer. Torque steer is where physics supersedes where brains leave off and the grip limit of the two front tires is surpassed and physical force takes over. Or, the car veers hard right because you’re laying down too much acceleration for the car and tires to manage. The Mazdaspeed 3 had it in spades, and Ford attempted to mitigate with compensation that dulls the torque steer to a dull roar, but find a low gear with high revs and tap at the throttle and you’ll see what I mean. On top of the hard-right tendency, the Focus ST also feels light in the front when you gun it, which along with “rollercoaster drop” is among my favorite stomach-sinking moments. Way to poke your fingers into the eyes of the nanny state, Ford.
Settling down your right foot does have its benefits in the Focus ST. Under normal driving, the Focus ST feels firmly rooted in reality with cargo space and seating for four adults plus plenty of gear. The artificial acceleration noise piped in by the intake doesn’t kick in under sedate driving, and the Focus ST feels downright friendly for hauling around the in-laws. Gas mileage isn’t bad either. Rated at 23/32 mpg city/highway, the Focus ST isn’t a bad commuter option — with benefits of course. Our tester, which was fitted with option ST3 package that included navigation, premium heated seats and HID headlights, clocked in at just over $28,000, less than the WRX STI and GTI.
For the money, the Focus ST is a hot hatch with a loveable attitude. Just don’t get on the wrong side of it, or you’ll end up with a black eye.
Oh yeah, and don’t fight the guy in uniform either. That’s always a bad idea.
Aaron Cole is managing editor of the Aurora Sentinel. He’s driven hundreds of cars, but only briefly. Reach him at aaron.m.cole@gmail.com