For the past 11 years, I’ve owned a 2014 Ford Focus ST. For the past 10.9 years, I have measured it against my 1998 BMW 328is coupe (the car it replaced) and found it lacking. If you’ve read any of my previous COAL installments, you may suspect that my assessment says more about me than the ST’s numerous positive attributes. Your suspicions are correct.
How Did We Get Here?
Anyway, in the summer of 2014, I decided it was time to move on from the BMW and get something “newer.” “Newer” soon became “new” as I saw no value in taking on a “new car-level” payment without the corresponding new car to accompany it. It was already difficult, even then, to find a suitable late-model, manual-transmission BMW coupe, so I thought I’d broaden my automotive horizons with a price-based (under $25,000) search.
That took me to the local Ford dealer, where, in 2012 Kim, my wife, had purchased her custom ordered (!) Focus SE hatchback. In my limited exposure to new car transactions, the vibe was always that new car dealers are spectacularly uninterested in custom ordering a car for you. But, in this case, the dealer could not have been more helpful in facilitating Kim’s order, at the same under invoice price we would have paid for one off the lot.
The Hocus Focus
Her car, presenting in Sonic Blue metallic (she’d never had a blue car before) and Medium Light Stone cloth interior (neither of us are fans of black interiors) has a power sunroof (my choice), upgraded 6-speaker audio (4-speaker audio seemed archaic to me in 2012), and the Cold Weather Package (heated seats and Rochester, NY are a divine match).
Most critically, it’s a 5-speed. Aware of the paucity of current manual transmission vehicle options, Kim will likely run the Focus until it explodes or (more likely) fails state inspection from invasive structural rust someday. But right now, aged 13, it’s still going strong as it closes in on 150,000 miles. She loves her car; her biggest disappointment is that she can’t get another new one just like it someday.
I consider the 2012-2018 Focus (in manual transmission form; I will not address Ford’s PowerShift dual-clutch automated manual debacle) to be arguably the best product of the Alan Mulally “One Ford” period. Developed in Germany, it’s a lively car to drive, with excellent steering response, a willing engine and transmission, an athletically tuned suspension, a firm-yet-compliant ride, comfortable seats, and a level of what I’ll call “Euro polish.” And, it’s been dead reliable. Still on its original A/C compressor and R134 charge, along with lots of other original things. The cruise control function is intermittent but everything else still works.
Her car was a big influence on my decision in September 2014 to purchase an Ingot Silver ST. Mine is an ST1 trim, which means, “enjoy your sunroof; it’s the only option you can pick.” I got a sunroof. Otherwise, the interior is not much different than Kim’s SE: black and gray cloth seats with ST-badging (black leather Recaros on the ST3 trim made me sad), 6-speaker audio, manual HVAC controls. I would have preferred a light colored interior, but apparently nothing says “sporty performance car” these past 10 or so years like a black interior. Whatever. I also would have liked heated seats but that required the ST3 trim, which for an additional $4,840 brought the aforementioned black leather Recaros and a bunch of other things I didn’t want.
At this point, I was still self-employed, so price was a factor. The only other car I might have considered was a leftover new 2014 Mustang, but the ST seemed like the smarter move (depends on how one defines “smarter”).
Your Mileage May Vary
My test drive occurred in a black ST3 on a scorching June afternoon. The Recaros may score high on the “street cred” scale, but I scored them low on the comfort scale:
- Black leather (in summer, enough said)
- Hard to get in and out of
- Snug where I needed room; roomy where I needed snug.
But, the most important part was how it drove. And, it drove very well, retaining the lively, fun-to-drive nature of Kim’s SE with the added benefit of nearly 100 horsepower. (Yes, age 47 at the time and still ate up with motor.) Critically, the ST managed its torque steer remarkably well; the ABS and engine management pairing unobtrusively to keep it pointed straight.
My Mileage Varied
A couple of months later, I found a new Ingot Silver ST1 on another dealer’s lot. Our local dealer made a vehicle swap; one test drive later, I was the owner of a new ST. As I left the BMW at the lot, I felt as if I was Roy Rogers and I’d just left Trigger at the glue factory.
This is where the story gets interesting. Remember the part about how well the ST managed its torque steer? Yeah, well that perception didn’t last too long. Initially, I was perplexed as to why. Then, I realized that on both test drives, I’d had the perfect storm of circumstances:
- Very warm weather.
- Brand new Goodyear Eagle F1 summer-only tires.
- Freshly paved roads.
As the weather cooled and the tires accumulated miles, the torque steer became more pronounced. Kim and I were returning from Binghamton one day, clipping along on scenic Route 90 next to Cayuga Lake, and encountered a slower moving motorist. I downshifted to fifth and stoked the coals. As we passed the slower car, I felt the front end wandering back and forth, while I firmly held the steering wheel in one position.
It is a most peculiar and unsettling feeling to feel a car wandering left-to-right-to-left-to-right-to-left-to-right-to-left when the steering wheel is centered. I later attributed this behavior to its enhanced Torque Vectoring Control, which uses the brakes as a poor man’s limited-slip differential to control wheelspin.
At this point, I realized my driving style needed to evolve.
Driver’s (Re)Educaton
Some long-held driving habits, formed from driving the BMW for many years, were about to change. I was now driving a relatively high-powered front-wheel drive car, not “zee Juhhrman Car” as we phonetically called the BMW.
New Rules
- No second-gear starts. The BMW would easily accommodate a second gear start. In the ST, it bogged the engine; when I buried the accelerator in response, I endured a sudden rush of torque as the turbo spooled up.
- Keep the RPM above 3,000 RPM. It took me a long time to acclimate to the somewhat elastic power delivery of a turbocharged engine. One way to reduce that was to keep the RPM up.
- Respect the front-end. It has its hands full putting the power to the ground and controlling the vehicle’s direction at the same time. This car could use a real limited-slip differential.
Learning to Get Along
It took a while for the car and me to get to an understanding, if you will. One thing in the ST’s favor is that, as an overall package, it’s very well-developed. It may not be the fastest hot hatch, or the most hardcore, or whatever metric one cares to use when measuring hot hatches. But, it’s generally easy to live with on a day to day basis.
For a car of its handling capabilities, it rides quite well. A little stiff, but quiet and smooth. The switchgear generally has a nice feel, with the exception of the overhead-mounted sunroof switch and its plastic surround which, inexplicably, are of “Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots” level quality, creaking appropriately when touched.
If you like this sort of thing, the ST has what Ford calls an Active Sound Symposer—pipes that route engine sound into the cabin, based upon throttle position, gear selection, and other values. Initially, I thought it was corny and gimmicky and swore I’d disable as soon as I got it home. I still think it’s corny and gimmicky today but it’s still on the car.
One item lost in the Euro-to-U.S.-market translation was the Euro ST’s 14.5-gallon fuel tank. To simplify assembly, U.S. market STs got the same 12.5-gallon tanks as the other Focus trims. By contrast, the BMW had a 16.7-gallon tank, which provided some 500-mile-ish highway runs. The ST could use those extra two gallons of capacity; in mixed driving I get the low-fuel light around 260-270 miles.
In The End . . .
Overall, it’s a perfectly fine car. I bought it 11 years ago expecting it to fill an E36’s shoes; that I still own it now should tell you how good it is. If anything, I probably under-appreciate it, which is another reason to hold on to it. I don’t want to get rid of it just to realize how good it really is. At 58, I guess I’m at the age where there’s nothing new that appeals to me or presents a measurable improvement over what I have.
Like Kim’s Focus, the ST has stayed screwed together right, needing only regular maintenance items, so I’m not in a rush to unload it. At this point, with only 65,000 miles (working from home has its advantages) I’m more focused on finding an interesting pre-2014 car and keeping the ST as a daily driver.
But, if you’d told me in 2000 that 25 years later I’d own a four-door Focus hatchback as my only car, I would have died laughing. Yet, here we are. And we’re at the end of my COAL list. Thanks for reading.
Love this! Actually tried to find out how tall Alan Mulally was because in 2011-2014 I thought about buying a Fiesta or Focus but I could not fit, especially with a sunroof installed. I was 6’3″ at the time, and my height was not in my legs. Thinking, probably foolishly, that the CEO of a car company might actually drive or sit in one of his products before he OK’d production.
This Focus was the same era and chassis as the C-Max, which has the highest roof this side of the New Beetle.
I like the ST in the cluster. All cars should have that. I work in auto parts and half the bozos that wander in have NO CLUE to what they actually drive. True story.
Your ADs take over the “page” b4 I can read the article….very IRRITATING. DFO
Yes!!!
It’s been a very enjoyable COAL series; thanks for taking the time to put it together. And an interesting and rather unexpected ending, although it does make sense. Focii of the generation have become extremely rare in my part of the world, undoubtedly because most of them had the deadly automatic. And you have two in the driveway.
I’ll be curious as to what eventually replaces it; you’ll have to do an update when that happens.
Thank you, Paul. I’ve enjoyed doing it. CCers are a special group.
Eventually, something “new” (to us, at least) is gonna show up in the driveway.
I often feel the Ford sedans around that period were under appreciated by US public, Ford is the one to blame because it is never able to address the reliability gap with Japanese competitors. Compounding US consumers had shifted to SUV, Ford spent more resources on SUV and truck, that yielded a good financial return.
Focus ST is definitely a good car in its own right, but in my opinion, Ford Fiesta ST is even better. It easily outperforms many European and Japanese competitors. Fiesta real problem is Ford under development of its dual catch transmission led to disastrous results. Ford eventually killed the whole product line.
Siesta ST? Yawn… interior inspired by Rodan.
I’ll stick with my 2012 500 Abarth. In nearly 14 years of ownership, it has never failed to put a smile on my face.
My Ford ownership ended with a ‘97 Windstar and the failing head gasket that FOMOCO wouldn’t diagnose.
I have become quite Ford-shy in my later years, but occasionally hear from you apostles of the stick-shift Focus in a way that makes me think about them.
Thanks for doing this series, I have enjoyed it!
J P—I just can’t say enough good things about my wife’s car. She’d probably say it’s her favorite of all the cars she’s owned. (And she was very fond of her 2000 Accord EX coupe 5-speed, which was also a nice car to drive; it just didn’t live up to the “Hondas are indestructible” legend, so I banished it, haha).
And much of it is it’s fun to drive with a stick. The PowerShift automated manual models drive very nicely . . . when they work. (I had a 2018 Titanium sedan with one as a rental and was quite impressed.) But, I don’t trust their longevity, even the 2017/2018 ones.
Like that Harold Lloyd (?) silent movie clip where he drives the car over train tracks or something and the entire car collapses into a pile of loose parts, I fully expect Kim’s car to experience spontaneous multiple component failures someday, because we’ve had to do so little to it. And I would not be angry if that happened—her car has served us very well for many years.
My biggest disappointment is that opportunities to buy cars like this are disappearing as OEM offerings contract. I understand the business end of it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
The Focus ST and RS, and the Fiesta ST (with manual transmissions) were terrific cars.
However, nobody bought them.
It’s curious that you have 2 small hatchbacks in your family. We would never own 2 identical category vehicles.
We have a small TSX Acura 4 door sedan, manual trans, wifey’s car. Dodge 3/4 ton Cummins diesel truck, manual trans.
And a 5.0L heavily modified Fox Mustang that sits around too much, manual trans.
I am not brand biased, buy the best vehicle in the category.
We never planned on owning two of essentially the same car. I am a coupe man myself.
I was just having trouble finding another manual trans BMW 3-Series that fit my price/age/mileage criteria. The best driving and most “practical” new manual transmission car that fit my price/performance criteria was the ST.
The all-new 2015 GTIs were coming out at the same time and I knew the VW dealers wouldn’t deal on them.
We’re also allergic to SUVs, like manual transmissions, and don’t have kids. We’re not brand-biased, either. We buy what we like, although we won’t be buying any more new Fords as they (and other makers) don’t make cars anymore.
I figure when the time comes, my wife’s next car is going to be a Mazda3 hatch, possibly a manual (if the interior/exterior colors work). Otherwise, she’ll end up with an automatic.
Your wife is lucky to have a manual trans TSX; they’re not that common.
Nice write-up on a car I’ve noticed and wondered about but never driven and no one in my circle ever owned. Made between 2013 and 2018. Shucks.
Noticed some good reviews, Car and Driver gave the ’18 model a 9. Maybe I’ll drive one someday.
I just got out of a ’24 GTI the last of the stick shift shifter. Fun car. My senior citizen backside spoke to me and now I’m easing into retire’hood with a Lexus ES.
Enjoy and thanks!
I enjoyed the series which took an unexpected twist at the end. I idly think of adding a second 5 speed Fiesta to the fleet. Our 2011 has held up well enough.
Chris, congrats on finishing the series.
It certainly sounds like you continue to pine for your E36, so I’d certainly suggest finding another. You have two very reasonable, responsible, cars in the driveway. That pretty much argues for your acquiring something less reasonable that could provide entertainment that your Focus does not. There’s quite a bit to choose from in the E36 range.
I do think that it’s admirable that you’ve been able to maintain a 2 small hatchback household!
Jeff! Yes, you’re right. We have a solid duo in our driveway right now.
The E36 question is just hard for me to answer because it would have to be a stick like my old 328. And it’s so hard to find a nice stick 328 that’s not black with a black interior, or the remains of someone’s misguided “drift car” phase.
And, converting an automatic one to manual has become an annoyingly expensive proposition. There have been a couple of times I’ve almost pulled the trigger on buying an automatic one with the intent of “convert to manual later” — then passed because the conversion cost (in one case) was as much as buying the car.
Great story and I can even relate a little. I got to drive a former girlfriend’s Fiesta ST a couple of times. It was a ton of fun to drive, not so fun to enter/exit/ride in. The shifter was butter slick, she didn’t let me go fast though.
Never have had a Focus but I see a couple of STs around sometimes. They look like degenerate fun.
I have a gen 3 Mazda 3 and wish they still made a snorter like the Speed3, but that day’s gone by. I’ve got 125k on my 2.0 Skyactive and it’s still a strong runner.
I like hot and cool hatches of all types.
“Degenerate fun” Ha! Yeah, I guess the ST qualifies. I’m probably not as much of a degenerate as I used to be.
I’ve never driven a Fiesta ST, but the magazine folks loved them. One thing I did read was the ride quality was pretty bad, which would have worn me out after a while.
A friend of mine had a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII and it was fun as hell . . . for about 20 minutes. After that, the Roman chariot ride quality just thumped the enthusiasm out of me.
Hatches are great. Super useful and super fun. An unfortunately overlooked option these days.
It’s nice to hear about cars that have lived longer than the payments!
Back in 2016 my daughter needed a car. I went to the local Ford dealership where they had a Focus sedan with the 3 cylinder and manual transmission. It was loaded and only had 13,000 miles. The dealer was running a great deal on the car because “no one wanted it!”
I negotiated a deal and brought my daughter in to see it. She had forgotten how to drive a manual and without asking me, went for a 2015 with that horrible automatic transmission.
Before I could stop her, she bought it. In the first 24 hours, the transmission failed and the wipers stopped working. I told her to let me handle things-nope. They convinced her to let them put new clutch packs on it, replace the wiper motor and keep it.
After only 2 years and 57,000 miles, Sue called to say that Ford had repaired the transmission a second time and refused her a third fix. By now, when she put it in reverse, it rolled forward, then stopped shifting. She let it get repossessed!
If she’d only listened to dad…
Agreed, Chip. You won’t find very many happy Focus owners that had the PowerShift automated manual. Ford really whiffed hard on that.
I was always fascinated by the 3-cylinder/manual trans ones, although I read they were underpowered. Ironically, the 3-cylinder/automatic ones used a conventional torque converter automatic, not the PowerShift.
In Australia,when the LZ Focus(Mark 3.5)replaced the LW(Mark 3.0)series in 2015,the Powershift(or Powershit,as wags call it)transmission was replaced by the Ford-GM 6F50 torque converter transmission as well replacing the 2.0 litre Duratec engine with the 1.5 litre Ecoboost turbo unit,I have had both cars,and so far I have had no problems with the latter transmission.
Very enjoyable series. We took somewhat similar paths – I purchased one of the Focus’ C-Platform mates; the Volvo C30 in 2012 – and still have it.
Turbocharged 2.5 five, six speed manual, and a beautiful light-blonde Scandinavian interior (I also dislike all black).
I haven’t noticed any significant torque steer issues, though I rarely “jump on it” at my age 🙂
Like yours, it’s been trouble-free – which I attribute to yearly, and somewhat expensive, visits to the Volvo dealer’s service dept.
Jim—Big C30 fan here. Very appealing powertrain, design and interior. And yes, that’s what those trips to the dealer should be getting you: trouble-free driving.
I used to do some technical training development for Volvo USA in NJ, and was always jealous of the employees that chose the C30s as their “employee lease” vehicles, especially the R-Design models. You’d seem them sitting in the company lot.
In fact, I was doing some work for them when I got the ST. At the time, “Ford” was a bit of a dirty word there as they owned Volvo and were in the process of selling it to Geely. The tech training guys there were great to work with and we got along well. But one day we were on a conference call and they asked me if I was still car shopping. I said no, I’d bought a car. They asked what I bought, and I told them.
You could have heard a pin drop on that conference line. Not. A. Word. Not even a “glad you found something.” It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Then the meeting started and we all got to work and moved on. They were not the type to have hard feelings, but at the time I felt like I’d hurt their feelings a little by buying a Ford. But, I was on a budget and the Volvos didn’t fit.
That’s interesting Chris – and kind of mirrors what I’ve heard from fellow C30er’s who were involved with Volvo during those years – they related that the consensus within Volvo was that rather than providing the funding and assistance to help with Volvo’s product line, Ford rather “raided the bins” and took what it wanted. Though I have no proof, my sense is Ford’s Ecoboost engines benefited greatly from Volvo’s extensive turbocharging experience.
I used to pine for a Focus RS, but reading your article reminded me that I’d have likely been disappointed with the Recaro seats and too-firm suspension.
In Australia,when the LZ Focus(Mark 3.5)replaced the LW(Mark 3.0)series in 2015,the Powershift(or Powershit,as wags call it)transmission was replaced by the Ford-GM 6F50 torque converter transmission as well replacing the 2.0 litre Duratec engine with the 1.5 litre Ecoboost turbo unit,I have had both cars,and so far I have had no problems with the latter transmission.
Nice car. I will say that I was standing at a street corner a few days ago and a newish Focus pulled away from the stop sign and its automatic, presumably twin-clutch transmission seemed to upshift smoothly and cleanly. OTOH a couple we vaguely know had one for a very short time, replacing their Chevy Cruze. When I noticed that they’d moved on from the focus a year or two later, the guy just said “Worst. Car. Ever.”
Is the ST a 6 speed? When we were shopping for a new (to us) car for my wife in late 2017 we ended up with a 5 speed non-GTI Golf MkVII. Probably a similar trim to your wife’s SE. Honestly, I don’t think a Focus was even our radar. The Golf is a 2 door and one thing I really miss is a pair of back doors.
“typopete
… Thinking, probably foolishly, that the CEO of a car company might actually drive or sit in one of his products before he OK’d production.”
OK, I have no actual first hand knowledge, but I bet no CEO of an American car company has even sat in, let alone put any miles on anything besides a high end car in decades. GM? Gotta be Cad or maybe Corvette. Ford? Lincoln or maybe Mustang, real maybe. Chrysler? I don’t even know what they make anymore. But upper management considers it a perk of the job to drive something nice. They consider modest, or smallish, to be nothing more than sh**boxes that they have no interest in driving. That’s why they’re the CEO, so they don’t have to drive those things. Which is also of course why most modest cars are sh**boxes, not just modest cars. And if they meet specs on paper that must mean they’re good. Until you drive them which they don’t.
Agreed, we have two Focii of that generation. A 2013 and a 2016 and yes, they are both 5 speeds. Marvelous cars in all respects, except let down a bit by the quality of the interior materials.
It’s the kids that drive them, and since they’re currently living elsewhere we do not get much Focus driving action, we have toyed with the idea of getting another Focus (perhaps an ST) but the Scion tC will do for now.
My Dad also has a (decidedly less sporty) Fusion of the same year. It does have a stick though. It’s got well over 200k and I don’t think it’s had to have anything done to it other than typical maintenance and a clutch replacement under recall. My two complaints about it are that the clutch pedal is way too heavy for a car that size (maybe the recall clutch did that, or maybe they screwed something up), and the interior doesn’t match the quality level of 90s Fords. Oh, it’s a little hard on tires too.
The interior motifs of newer (like 05 and later) Fords are a bit overdone, I also find some pieces lacking in quality, and the materials aren’t very tough. I’d say the difference boils down more to Ford putting more into the 90s interiors though: I’m working on a 94 Explorer that was a smoker and dog car, but it held up amazingly well to the abuse and is cleaning up nicely.
Those quibbles aside, I agree that this generation of Ford is underrated. I can’t think of any models where you have to basically plan on a transmission failure, unlike half the 90s Fords. Ford really upped the fun-to-drive game with the Focus (going back to the original). The Fusion drives fine, but I describe it more as unremarkable. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this era of Ford, save for a caution on the Ecoboosts (more so the first ones, but I’d generally prefer to forgo the complexity).