Ford’s Focus ST estate is the car maker’s best variant yet – and makes a fantastic family wagon
THERE’S a ton of decent hot hatches out there right now.
Heavy-hitters like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N and the RenaultSport Megane 280 RS.
Soon to be joined by the new VW Golf GTI, Skoda Octavia vRS and Cupra Leon.
Tough crowd for the Ford Focus ST to beat, then, especially as the hatchback left me feeling distinctly “meh”.
Stonking 2.3-litre engine on it, mind, and really nice manners in Normal mode. But not-so-nice manners when you dial it up into Sport or Track, where the steering and diff become needlessly aggressive, and the ride becomes as uncomfortable as being shoved in a phone box with a Covid-19 sufferer.
Yet here we have the ST estate? Does that make more sense?
Well, perhaps not on price.
At nearly 34 grand basic, this is not a cheap car.
However, there are far fewer fast wagons at this sort of price/size level than there are hot hatches. The dominant force for so long was the old VW Golf R estate: 4WD, 300hp, mighty efficient but just a bit boring. So very German, all told.
Storming drivetrain
You could have a spin-off of the Golf R in the form of the Leon Cupra R Estate, which was terrific but pricey and hard to get hold of in its ultimate form, the phenomenal 350hp Abt-tuned end-of-days model.
And yet both of these cars are now out of production. So really, you’re left with the Focus ST estate. Thankfully, the Focus ST 280 Estate isn’t just the best of one. It’s the best Focus ST I’ve yet driven and a fantastic fast family Ford.
Estates, you see, have to take loads of clobber in the boot, and so they get marginally different suspension settings at the back to cope with that.
The ST is no exception and it seems to have made the car ride with good grace in a wider variety of situations than the hatch with the same engine. True, the steering is still oddly elastic in its toughest settings, and the suspension can struggle to cope with big imperfections in the road.
But there’s no denying how brilliant that storming drivetrain is in a smart-looking machine like this, which can convincingly lap a track one minute and then heft a load of junk to the tip the next. They say variety is the spice of life.
But, when it comes to rapid family wagons, I’m happy with the choice of just one.
ASK ALFIE: USED CAR SPECIALIST
Q) I OWN a 2013 Merc C 220 CDI AMG Line Coupe. It is grey metallic with red leather and piano-black detailing, 18in alloys with 31,000 miles on the clock, plus a full service history. I bought it as an ex-demo with 4,000 on it and it has every other conceivable extra. What can I expect as a trade-in on a new Mercedes coupe or private sale?
Alan Chappell
A) Al, I’d say its market value is £11,500 to £12,500. Aim at 12 bags and you should be fine for a private sale. That means you’ll be offered a trade-in price of about £8,000 or thereabouts. If you are hacking in your C 220 CDI for another Merc at a main dealer, they may be a bit more generous to you on the trade-in offer.
Q) WHAT would be the trade-in price for my 2013 Peugeot Active HDi (115 manual, 70,000 miles, good condition, full service history, MOT expires April, two owners)? I’d like a Peugeot 3008 diesel or a Kia Sportage 1.7 diesel, either from 2018.
Raynard Walt
A) You’ve not told me which model it is. However, as it’s a 115hp HDi, it’s likely to be a Mk1 308 SW or a 3008 Mk1. Either way it’s going to be around the £5,000- £5,500 mark. You’re likely to be looking at a trade-in of £2,500-£3,000. Diesel manual 2018 3008s start at about £14,500 and rise to £18,000, while the Kias kick off at about £13,000 and rise to £17,500 for the highest-spec, lowest-mile examples. You’re gonna need about £10,000 at least to make the step up.
Q) ANY idea how much my number plate, 1542 OI, would be worth?
Tony Culverland
A) Valuing private plates is hard. Four random digits and the letters OI on other plates have been valued around £3,000, while OI 3 could be yours for £45,000. Reckon on yours being more like the first figure.
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- Rachel Burgess is deputy editor at Autocar magazine.
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