Let's get this straight, the ST is in a different league from the old RS when it comes to refinement. The ride is firm but well damped, and therefore entirely acceptable, even on rough roads. The engine may emit a wholesome noise under full throttle but under light loads it is almost silent.
Equally, the ST’s steering and brakes may have the kind of responses to make your eyes water in the right circumstances, but when you want to amble along they are no more alive or intrusive than those of a regular Focus. Even road noise is unusually well suppressed considering how fat the tyres are, as is wind noise and rumble from the suspension. In short, the ST is a car most people would be happy to live with everyday.
Inside, the ST is not exactly Audi-like in terms of tactility and design, but bearing in mind the price – just £17,495 – it is more than acceptable in what it offers. The dash is cleanly designed and functional to use, save for the rather naff-looking green LED lights of the clock/stereo, which are curiously hard to focus on when you’re tired. Sports seats in the front come as standard and are excellently shaped, even if most testers complained they couldn’t get low enough behind the wheel. Access to the roomy rear seats is not wonderful in the three-door model as tested, but if this is a serious problem there’s also a five-door version.
Material quality is good but nothing special. Compared with a Golf GTi, for example, it feels at least one rung down the food chain inside. Not so when it comes to equipment. As standard the ST gets a CD player, air-con, six airbags and 18in wheels.
The ST will cost more to run than a GTi, too. Our ST averaged 19.8mpg during its time with us (compared with the Golf’s 24.1mpg test average), and the Ford’s CO2 emissions of 224g/km place it six company tax bands above the 194g/km VW.