Ford is killing off the Ford Focus – but why?
Thirty years ago, one in five new cars sold in Britain wore a Ford badge. The Escort was the nation’s favourite – as it had been for decades – followed by the Fiesta in second place and the Mondeo in third.
Today, Ford has slipped to fifth place in the UK market, behind Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Kia. And while the Puma topped the car sales chart in 2024, it was the only Ford model in the top 10. So what is going on?
Put simply, Ford has left behind its heartland on the road to electrification. The Fiesta and Mondeo have both been discontinued, while the Focus – heir to the Escort, and another former best-seller – has only a few months to live. In their place have come crossovers such as the Puma and Kuga, plus a plethora of electric SUVs: Explorer, Capri and Mustang Mach-E.
Ford looks unlikely to reclaim its position as Britain’s best-selling car brand anytime soon. Yet, as proven by the furore about the Capri name making a comeback, people still care about Ford and what it stands for. And they care about fast Fords most of all.
The XR-Factor
It’s sad, then, that the Focus ST Edition represents the end of an era, the full-stop for fast Fords as we know them. Yes, you can still buy a V8-powered Mustang, but that’s a very different proposition: a vehicle as American as Coca-Cola or trade tariffs. The more familiar fast Fords, – XR2, XR3, RS Turbo, RS Cosworth, ST and others – felt like cars we could call our own.
The Focus alone has sired some of the greatest hot hatchbacks of recent years, including all three generations of Focus RS. The current ST, first launched in 2019, never scaled such heights, yet it was a credible rival for the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Now, with Focus production due to end in November 2025, the ST is signing off with a special edition called, erm, ‘Edition’. Only 300 examples will be made, all sporting bright Azura Blue paint and flow-formed alloy wheels. It looks a bit shouty, as a fast Ford should, but the special stuff is hidden beneath the surface.
Ready for the ’Ring
The Focus ST is usually available with manual or automatic gearboxes, and in five-door hatchback or estate body styles. The Edition is a manual hatchback only, and priced at £44,000: a hefty £5,200 more than the standard car.
Along with the electronically controlled limited-slip differential found in the ST hatch (but not the estate), the ST adds the components that previously made up the optional Track Pack. That means Brembo front brakes with 363mm discs (up from 330mm) and four-pot callipers, plus KW adjustable coilover suspension with 50 percent stiffer springs and a 10mm lower ride height.
In fact, get your spanners out and the car can be dropped by up to 30mm, with 12 bump and 16 rebound settings for the dampers. There is even a recommended Nurburgring setup. Factor in those lightweight wheels and sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres and the result, on paper at least, is a considerably more focused Focus – despite the regular ST’s 280hp 2.3-litre engine being carried over unchanged.
Inside the Ford Focus ST Edition
Step inside and this fourth-generation Focus now looks a bit dated. Still, when ‘dated’ means proper physical buttons and a dashboard that isn’t overwhelmed by glaring touchscreens, I’m all for it.
I could live without the shiny fake carbon fibre and, like every hot Focus since time immemorial, the driving position is set too high. However, the big-bolstered Ford Performance seats, which replace the Recaros previously fitted in the ST, look great and hug you in all the right places.
Ford’s latest Sync4 touchscreen is also simple to use, with quick smartphone connectivity, voice control and over-the-air updates. The only minus point goes to the EU-mandated speed warning bleeper, which requires a journey through several sub-menus to deactivate it.
Coming into Focus
The reality of daily life with two children meant most of my journeys were local trips at low speeds, doing battle with suburban traffic. In such scenarios, where the standard ST feels ‘measured but forgiving’ (to quote my 2019 review), the Edition can get a tad tiresome. It jolts through potholes and shimmies over sleeping policemen.
Up your pace, though, and Ford’s well-deserved reputation for chassis tuning – one the original 1998 Focus did much to establish – comes to the fore. Its steering is direct and communicative and the coilovers stay perfectly poised as the diff bites hungrily into corners, helped by that bespoke Pirelli rubber.
Among front-driven hot hatchbacks only the Honda Civic Type R boasts greater dynamic polish, albeit for at least £8,000 more than the Ford. The Honda is only sold in very limited numbers, too.
Hot hatch
The finesse and sheer capability of the ST Edition is a world away from the 1980s fast Fords I grew up with, or indeed the unruly Focus RS Mk1. It offers the kind of cross-country pace that is usually the preserve of four-wheel-drive hatches like the Volkswagen Golf R.
In shifting away from the ‘Golf GTI’ middle ground, though, Ford has created a car with a different character. It hits loftier highs, but that uncompromising ride means a standard ST is more enjoyable for daily driving.
The extra breadth of the Editon’s chassis does also leave you wondering if its gruff four-pot engine could handle more power. I’m sure the aftermarket tuning industry could oblige, but do you really want to modify a surefire future classic?
Verdict: Ford Focus ST Edition
And therein, perhaps, lies the point. Flawed and expensive it might be, but the Focus ST Edition will be Ford’s last hot hatchback for the foreseeable future. For those who grew up lusting over sporty cars with a blue oval on the bonnet, that makes it instantly desirable and collectable.
Ford is moving in a different direction now, for better or worse, and the Focus ST Edition will soon be a blast from the past. Right here and now, though, it feels vital and exciting in a way that, for me, no electric SUV ever will. Get ’em while they’re hot…
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
Ford Focus ST Edition
PRICE: £44,000
POWER: 280hp
0-62MPH: 5.7sec
TOP SPEED: 155mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 34.9mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 185g/km