First Drive: 2013 Ford Focus ST

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Ford, First Drives

Screaming Yellow Zonker



We're having a strong sense of déjà vu, and it isn't just because we find ourselves in Southern France. Yes, we've driven these very roads that drape over the region's Edenic mountains like doctors' signatures several times before. They're some of the best in the world, replete with tight switchbacks bookending snaking climbs and descents interrupted only by the occasional masochistic cyclist or tour bus. The Mediterranean vistas don't exactly suck, either.

We've even navigated some of these routes around Nice in a performance-minded Ford Focus. Two years ago, Blue Oval operatives brought us to this same area for an early drive of their C-Max people mover, spicing up the trip by giving us a short stint behind the wheel of their then-new Focus RS500, a limited edition matte-black monster marshaling a scarcely believable 345 horsepower and 338 pound-feet of torque through the front wheels. Today, though, our 2013 Ford Focus ST driving companion is toned-down but no less outré thanks to its Tangerine Scream paint.

Compared to the RS500, the ST drops a cylinder in favor of a less powerful 2.0-liter EcoBoost four generating 252 hp and 270 lb-ft. Fortunately, it's also a lot less costly, starting from just $24,495 delivered - a price that shades the far less powerful 200-hp, five-door Volkswagen GTI ($25,365). In fact, the ST is nearly as powerful as the Golf R while offering more torque (VW's all-wheel drive hot hatch registers 256 hp/243 lb ft) for a lot less money - the R starts around $35k. Subaru's AWD WRX is an interesting option, too, with more power (265 hp) but less torque (244 lb-ft) for more money ($26,345). The ST's closest natural rival, however, is the Mazdaspeed3 - ironic, as it rides atop the last-generation Focus' platform. The Mazda carries a marginally bigger stick, though: 263 ponies and 280 torques, coming in at $24,795.

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2013 Ford Focus ST originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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