Used 2018 Ford Focus ST Hatchback

There's something to be said for power and charisma. The 2018 Ford Focus ST may be just as old as the regular Focus, sharing most of the same elements that have made that car lose much of its appeal as newer competitors came along. It's certainly not the newest and hottest thing around anymore. Yet the Focus ST remains just as much fun as ever, delivering exactly the same mix of performance, practicality and pizzazz that first drew us to it five years ago. It's a cool car and always will be.

First and foremost, its 252-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine continues to be a hoot, thrusting you into the ST's Recaro sport seats to the tune of a deep warble. All that power goes through the front wheels only, making it a bit unruly at times, but that's all part of the fun. We also love the six-speed manual transmission, though acknowledge that the availability of a dual-clutch automatic (such as Volkswagen's DSG transmission) would widen its audience. Then there's the ST's entertaining steering and handling. Yes, it's fun to go quickly in a straight line, but the ST has corners licked, too.

As for downsides, the ST's relate mostly to those inherent to the regular Focus' design. The rear seating is cramped, and the base tech interface is behind the times. Cabin quality also isn't as impressive as it once was and is overshadowed by the Volkswagen and Honda competition. Those grippy Recaro seats may also be too confining for drivers of above-average size.

In total, though, the 2018 Focus ST needs to be on the shopping list for anyone looking for a powerful, charismatic car with plenty of practicality at a reasonable price. It was great five years ago and it's still great today.

The 2018 Ford Focus ST is a performance-oriented version of the Focus four-door hatchback. There is no sedan version. Both the regular Focus and the even hotter Focus RS are reviewed separately. Every Focus ST comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (252 hp, 270 lb-ft of torque), a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. There is no automatic variant available. There's only one trim level, though a variety of equipment packages bolster the standard feature content.

Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, summer tires, performance brakes, an electronic limited-slip differential, hill start assist, automatic headlights, foglights, LED daytime running lights, an integrated blind-spot mirror, keyless entry and ignition, air-conditioning, cloth upholstery, front sport seats (with driver height adjustment), 60/40-split folding rear seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, MyKey parental controls, a rearview camera, a 4.2-inch central display, Bluetooth, Sync voice controls, and a six-speaker sound system with a USB port.

The ST2 package (aka the 401A Equipment Group) adds xenon headlights, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, cloth and leather upholstery, Recaro front sport seats, the Sync 3 infotainment interface with an 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone app integration, and a 10-speaker Sony sound system with HD radio, a CD player, satellite radio and dual USB ports.

The ST3 package (aka the 402A Equipment Group) adds all ST2 items but also tacks on heated mirrors, a keyless entry keypad, full leather upholstery, heated front Recaro seats (with eight-way power adjustments for the driver), a heated steering wheel, a rear center armrest, multicolor ambient interior lighting, carbon-fiber interior accents and a navigation system.

Stand-alone options include dark gray 18-inch alloy wheels with red-painted brake calipers, high-performance all-season tires and the navigation system (requires the ST2 package).

Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the 2015 Ford Focus ST (turbo 2.0L inline-4 | 6-speed manual | FWD).

NOTE: Since this test was conducted, the current Focus ST is now available with Ford's latest Sync 3 infotainment system (replacing the old MyFord Touch touchscreen), which we have sampled in other Ford vehicles. Our findings remain applicable to this year's Focus ST.