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.