New Ford Focus ST Edition is Ford’s “most complete” hot hatch ever

Ford’s heritage when it comes to fast family cars is arguably among the richest of any manufacturer, but now the maker is claiming to have made the “most complete Ford hot hatch ever” with this: the £42,905 Ford Focus ST Edition.

Featuring adjustable KW coilover suspension and 363mm Brembo front brakes, the Ford Focus ST Edition utilises the same 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox as existing Focus STs, boasting 276bhp and 420Nm of torque. Ford says the car will do 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds.

In addition to the “road and track-ready” performance tweaks, the ST Edition features options including a B&O stereo upgrade, plus the Driver Assist Pack and Winter Pack as standard – the latter featuring a heated steering wheel and Ford’s Quickclear windscreen. All cars come in Azura Blue with High Gloss Black details, while inside the cabin gets Motion Blue highlights. 

Going back to that performance hardware, Ford says that adjustable suspension is 10mm lower than standard, and can be adjusted manually by another 20mm. The set-up offers 12 ‘jounce’ settings and 16 ‘rebound’ settings; the car comes with a technical document detailing recommended suspension settings, including parameters specific to the gruelling Nurburgring Nordschleife race circuit.

Elsewhere, there’s a set of 19-inch alloy wheels that reduce unsprung mass by 10 per cent at each corner. These are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, apparently for optimised acceleration, braking and cornering. 

The Ford Focus ST Edition is on sale now, priced from £42,905 – a £5,200 premium over the existing Focus ST. No estate variant is planned at this stage, and that Ford Focus ST Edition isn’t set to be offered with the brand’s seven-speed automatic transmission.

Where do you think the Ford Focus ST Edition ranks within the list of the best hot hatchbacks? Let us know in the comments...