MOTORS: Ford Focus ST EcoBoost is a delight to drive during road journey full of drama
We call them potholes but in the depths of the roads department of Aberdeenshire Council they have their own term, as I discovered when I reported a couple of really nasty ones in the south of the county.
According to their automatically-generated response, a pothole is a “serviceable defect within the public road envelope”. By way of assuring me that the defect would be attended to, they said they would be using a “scoring matrix” to carry out the “higher priority reactive repair”.
I shall watch with interest to see if the matrix does the job better than some properly-laid asphalt on the relevant “envelope”.
The pothole issue is big news across the country as local authorities balance fragile budgets, seemingly preferring to contest motorists’ tyre damage claims rather than carry out much-needed “envelope” repairs.
I spent a week on edge while behind the featured test car, the latest version of Ford’s Focus ST. It wasn’t the blistering pace it offered of 62mph in less than six seconds along with its stunning stability and superb roadholding.
No, what created the anxiety was the knowledge of the spectacularly-slim, Pirelli P-Zero low-profile tyres on big 19-inch alloys and their vulnerability should they encounter one of the causeway craters.
Bumps and ruts are bad enough but once or twice I failed to spot even a modest pothole which sent a spine-jangling bang and tremor through the structure of the car.
I believe I was lucky not to have a blowout or damage a wheel but the fear of it took a little of the sparkle off what would otherwise have been a brilliant week of driving.
For a start the car looked dramatic in its exclusive and distinctive Mean Green paint job – an £825 option – and the bright red brake calipers lurking behind the alloys. The designers have done some tweaking of the exterior around the front grille and dynamic-matrix LED headlights and on the inside, the hard body-hugging Recaro sports seats have been replaced by Ford’s own Performance seats which offer just as much support but are a bit more gentle on the hips and backside.
The dash now features a 13.2 inch touchscreen with Ford’s excellent SYNC 4 navigation system with DAB radio, Apple Carplay and Android Auto along with B&O Premium audio with 10 speakers. There’s also wireless phone charging, rear view camera and a 12.3 inch full digital cluster on the dash along with a head-up display which added £450 to the price tag.
The whole package has a feel of quality, well put-together and cleverly thought out so there’s little to cause irritation either in function or accessibility.
It’s on the road though that this car comes into its own and is a delight in a world which seems dominated by eco-friendly EVs and super-efficient runabouts.
Quite rightly, the engineers haven’t done much to change the successful formula of the previous model so it has the same 2.3 litre EcoBoost petrol engine which pumps out bags of power with plenty of torque. The six-speed manual gearbox is slick and makes the journey up and down the box a delight.
The test car came with the £850 Performance Pack which included lowered, continuously controlled firm damping, even in Normal mode, and big twin exhausts at the back end which produced a lovely rasp at a touch of the throttle. If you’re feeling adventurous, and have access to private tarmac, there’s the option of track mode to get the senses going in the relative safety of a closed environment.
Away from the track, the car is also remarkably practical for everyday use. There’s plenty of room inside for back seat passengers and all their luggage in the boot, but they, like the driver, will have to hold onto their hats – and their joints – until our councils can find the cash to fill our public road “envelopes”.
CAR: Ford Focus ST 5 door 2.3L EcoBoost 6 speed manual
PRICE: £36,855 (£39,830 as tested)
ENGINE: 2261cc EcoBoost turbocharged petrol
POWER: 280 PS
TORQUE: 420 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 155mph. 0-62mph 5.7 secs
ECONOMY: 35 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 183 g/km
