Tuesday 6th February 2018

Ford Focus ST Estate: Spotted

This forgotten fast Ford is still quick, still rare and getting cheaper, too

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Have you seen a Ford Focus ST today? Or this week at least? Chances are you probably have, given their continued popularity. It's deserved, too, the car offering plentiful pace and handling fit for every kind of hooligan - all at a reasonable price. If a Golf GTI is predictable, an i30 N a tad serious and a 308 GTI too plain to look at, then there's a good amount going for the ST still.

But when did you last see a Focus ST Estate? It's likely to have been longer ago, given their scarcity. Of the 595 Focus ST Mk3s on PH currently, just 41 are Estates. Dig down further and you'll discover only 20 petrol models, outnumbered by the STD(iesel) variant. And with half a dozen misplaced ads or car already sold, that leaves just 14 petrol ST wagons available. From nearly 600!

It seems a shame that more STs have not been shifted in this bodystyle because, in truth, it probably has more going for it than the hatch. That car had to face more competition, with models like the Megane offering sharper dynamics, the VW Group cars boasting fancier interiors and the Kia Cee'd GT competing ferociously on value. On all competitive fronts it faced a rival, whereas the Estate had very few - a trend that continues in the used market. There's the Octavia vRS Estate (which is less fun to drive) and the Leon Cupra ST (which isn't yet available for less than £18k). There hasn't been an Impreza estate for yonks, so what else could you realistically consider? You could argue that the styling of this version is better resolved than the hatch too, even if that's not the most prestigious accolade in the world.

The ST looks especially appealing, though, at half its official new price, this ST-3 on sale with just 38,000 miles recorded for £12,990. The colour may not be to all tastes - but, as mentioned, you aren't exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a Focus ST Estate. Being the range-topper you'll get all the equipment you're likely to need (albeit still in a fiddly, slightly tacky interior), plus this particular car has a full service history and an MOT until November.

Those with long memories may recall that we ran a Focus ST Estate on the PH Fleet, and the staff reviews around these parts were overwhelmingly positive. Some found the front axle struggling a little too often, but there was considerable pleasure found in its versatility, playful dynamics and faultless reliability.

Nobody could deny that the facelift improved the ST, quelling a lot of those torque steer concerns as well as improving the looks both inside and out. At the moment you'll need another £5k on top of this one to get an updated model, but the ST's inherent appeal is there in both generations.

Furthermore (can you tell we're quite keen on this?) there are a range of aftermarket parts for the Focus to address the commonly raised problems. Mountune has a Symposer Delete for £20, Sport Springs for £180, and don't forget there's that MP275 upgrade, too.

Before this becomes a full-on Ford fest, it is worth noting the alternatives available for those in need of a C-segment fast estate. The most affordable Octavia vRS on PH presently is £15k, though one look at the more mature interior and aesthetic could be enough to convince some. See too this, er... well, there must be something. Nothing? Surely. Well, this Impreza is similar money, but 14 years older. There really is a dearth of rivals.

So there you have it: tough, good value, fast, fun, practical and rare - the Focus ST Estate really does offer an awful lot. And don't worry, not every single one is orange - it's just somebody had already beaten you to the blue one!

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SPECIFICATION - FORD FOCUS ST

Engine: 2,000cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 250@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 250@1,750rpm
MPG: 41.5 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 159g/km
First registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 38,000
Price new: £26,595
Price now: £12,990

See the original advert here.

[Source: Mountune]

[R66STU]

I never really understood fast estates until i had a family and had to lug lots of crap around.. not to mention holidays...

This sounds like a great car that i had forgotten existed ! time to look at the classifieds

[Johnnytheboy]

If it was 4wd I'd buy one.

[culpz]

Are these actually getting cheaper? I'm sure the last time i looked at them, which was a good few years ago now, i believe they were still hovering around the same mark as this.

I do like fast estates but i'm not sure Ford quite have the same following for them as say the fast Audi's. However, they will be a much cheaper proposition. I do love a bit of Tangerine Scream.

[dibblecorse]

Everyday, next door neighbour has a 67 plate grey one, looks quite stealthy ... I do like a quickish estate ....

[Dale487]

R66STU said:

I never really understood fast estates until i had a family and had to lug lots of crap around.. not to mention holidays...

This sounds like a great car that i had forgotten existed ! time to look at the classifieds

Having a family made me an estate man too - but the Focus isn't a great estate; 476 litre boot compared with 477 litre for a Civic hatch, 590 litre for a Leon ST.

[TristPerrin]

I've been toying with thew idea of one of these new in about a years time. The factory approved Mountune upgrades make these and Fiesta ST very appealing to me.

[jm28]

I'd probably take the Octavia, given it always looks and feels like a car from the class above and would I'd imagine have a useful bit more usable space in the boot. The amount of available space in the boot of your car is inversely proportional to the number of marital arguments you have once kids turn up.

Having said that I've always thought the spec on the 'base' mk 3 vRS is pretty mean, given the kit you get on the supposedly inferior SE-L. No ACC, Nav, small screen, no front sensors... I bet the ST-3 has it licked on toys. That dash tho...

[FN2TypeR]

It would have to be a post face lift model for me, that panel gap between the bonnet and the nose of the car, where the Ford badge is, it's bloody awful and I can't help but fixate on it when I see one

Good cars though, or the hatchback that I drove was; are they much different dynamically? I'm guessing not.

[Toyoda]

culpz said:

Are these actually getting cheaper? I'm sure the last time i looked at them, which was a good few years ago now, i believe they were still hovering around the same mark as this.

I've noticed the same.They sold well under list when new, and used values seem surprisingly strong, especially with the oft-discussed on here bonnet panel gap and line!

[Chrismawa]

culpz said:

Are these actually getting cheaper? I'm sure the last time i looked at them, which was a good few years ago now, i believe they were still hovering around the same mark as this.

The prices of the previous generation STs are crazy as well. The prices are just short of what I sold my 5 year old 35k example for nearly 6 years ago, and now they have double the miles and age....

[HannsG]

We have a 2013 reg ST-3 Estate in Red, its pretty much fully loaded. Fantastic car for lugging the family around and also I have removed the resonator so it sounds fairly fruity.

The 2.0 petrol a very flexible engine and a bit of a hoot to drive as it feels much smaller than it actually is. MPG is woeful, it truly is. My M3 does better

The drawbacks are that the Cabin is fairly cramped, but our kids are fairly tall and also some of the build quality is questionable. The rubbers seals are shocking, hate the panel gaps, the electronic interface is a farce and its a hassle getting your phone connected at times with all the SYNC ste.

Apart from build quality, reliability has been fantastic

Its definitely been built to a price. But I think they are holding their values fairly strong. We purchased ours two years ago with 32,000 miles on the clock with FSH history for £12k. It currently resides on nearly 50,000 now.

If the build quality is similar in the RS, I wont be buying an RS.

Edited by HannsG on Tuesday 6th February 13:10

[loudlashadjuster]

There would have been one more petrol ST3 estate on the roads had the Ford dealers round my way not been living in cloud cuckoo land with the prices they were giving me. Shame, I liked the car.

[dibblecorse]

loudlashadjuster said:

There would have been one more petrol ST3 estate on the roads had the Ford dealers round my way not been living in cloud cuckoo land with the prices they were giving me. Shame, I liked the car.

Why not just buy one from any one of the dealers that sold them at more realistic numbers, there wasn't a shortage of them ?

[ahenners]

I'd probably take the Octavia VRS over the Focus ST estate. The pre-facelift ST interior is a mess of buttons with a tiny screen. Torque steer seemed to be an issue on the ST too.

[morgs_]

dibblecorse said:

loudlashadjuster said:

There would have been one more petrol ST3 estate on the roads had the Ford dealers round my way not been living in cloud cuckoo land with the prices they were giving me. Shame, I liked the car.

Why not just buy one from any one of the dealers that sold them at more realistic numbers, there wasn't a shortage of them ?

Guessing it might be a bit trickier in Luxembourg!

Have a number of customers who love these and have changed to the facelift model when they came out. Their old models always sell quickly as well, so the market definitely seems to be good for them, certainly from my experience.

[Master Bean]

People moan about PH articles and their errors. The advert was crap. Blurry pictures and a 2.5 litre engine.

[Johnnytheboy]

Master Bean said:

People moan about PH articles and their errors. The advert was crap. Blurry pictures and a 2.5 litre engine.

2 litre.

[Prinny]

FN2TypeR said:

It would have to be a post face lift model for me, that panel gap between the bonnet and the nose of the car, where the Ford badge is, it's bloody awful and I can't help but fixate on it when I see one.

This, so much this!

Having had most of the rivals in vanilla-spec (not ST) as a rental at one point or another, the Focus does drive nicely, but I struggle with the centre console - it’s trying too hard. As a choice of this or the Octy at £12k, the Focus would win IMO.

[Fastdruid]

The thing that gets me is that for a fast dog carrier/practical car...you can't tow.

That also means no towbar mounted cycle carriers etc.

[Car-Matt]

The focus drives fairly nicely but overall the octavia has a much better interior and a huge boot and drives well enough. The ford dash is horrific