This is the FINAL YEAR the Ford will be offering a Focus ST in the United States. Does the ST still have the performance, fun, and everyday versatility for you to be motivated to buy one? Find out more now before they are all gone!
I bought my '18 ST2 back in early March 2021. It's a HUGE upgrade from a '96 Crown Victoria I inherited. I love daily driving it. Recently had an intake and aftermarket blow-off valve installed and it's got me driving with the radio off and a smile on my face.
I can now watch this video and apply 20/20 hindsight to it. And with that knowledge I can honestly say that I miss my 2013 ST3. That Tangerine Scream hot hatch was SO much fun to drive! The manual six speed was a wonder to shift. Tight, short throws are awesome. The 252hp turbo inter-cooled 4 pot had virtually no turbo lag. 275ft lbs of torqued located down low. Great Recaro seats. A turning radius of 1.8 turns was more like a Go cart than a street legal car. Practical, fast and handling like a track car. Did I mention reliable as well? Decent gas mileage and a functional back seat. Spend about $500 bucks and throw a tune on her and you will be putting out over 300hp! Buy one, you will love it!
Joe, Thank you for all you do for our enthusiast. I bought my 2018 ST3 a few months ago. I have the Oxford White and I'm having a blast every time I step in my car! Thanks Joe and your beautiful wife Lori with her driving review! Can't wait to see her drive your RS.
@@Ballsack44 I have owned a 2018 focus st for almost 5 years now and I still love it. Granted I did modify it a bit. I got better tires and wheels, Mishimoto intercooler(recommend because oem intercooler makes the car heat soaked), Ford Racing Catback( imo the best sounding exhaust for the car with no drone), Steeda shifter bushings, Boomba short shifter adapter plate, Boomba short throw shifter, Cobb rear motor mount( help with wheel hop & torque steer), Stx coilover( funny enough lowering the car made torque steer even less prominent), ford performance tune(90ib ft of torque on 93, better throttle response, gets rid of rev hang, peak hp for 2k higher, keep’s warranty). Pretty much the more I drive the car the more I love it and strengthening its weak points makes it so much better. For car I got 23k out the door(taxes and fees) I can’t think of a better car.
Watching this in 2021. Just detailed my 2014 Focus ST3, bone stock. Makes me really happy I bought mine years ago now. Creepy passenger in the back of the car during the ride. 😆
I test drove an ST when I purchased my RS, if my budget we're a little tighter I would have been happy to get an ST. It pulls much harder than I imagined and has a very similar driving dynamic. It really makes me sad they're at their end of life in the USA. Btw, I agree with you the spacer was a huge help for the RS pedal. Love the focus vids
Raiti's Rides I ended up getting frozen white and wrapped the roof matte black, something about the black and white contrast gets me excited. My friend has a NB one, we're constantly drooling for each other's, haha.
I just don’t see how only offering 2 cars in America is gonna do them any good. A lot of people will never buy a truck or suv because either they don’t like them or can’t afford them. Or even in some cases like my mom, with bad legs, can’t climb into them.
Being a Ford family (2017 Fusion Energi & 2015 C-max Energi) they will be losing us as customers as our leases expire. Ford already made this decision sometime ago though so Adios goes both ways!
Just got a 2018 focus st st3 with 40k miles on it with the upgraded rims you mentioned. Had to relearn how to drive stick but it’s been a blast driving it. More than my mustang
you absolutely should, I've driven mine new 100k miles and taken across 35+ states with just normal maintenance. these Ford hot hatches are going to be cult classics in the next 5-10 years.
I bought a used 2013 focus ST3 about a year ago and the car is a blast! Great daily driver as long as you don't mind driving manual. Once you start to add aftermarket parts it gets even better. I hate that they won't be here in the US any longer makes me want to go get a 2018 but it would not be the smartest financial decision. lol
Men I'm happy I'm from south africa we been driving the ST. I Started driving with the Ford escort 1.3 ltr.. And when I was in high school I'm high schoo I drove the ford cortina 3l v6. Now we driving focus 2 ltr.
I was able to get the last brand new tri-metallic yellow 2018 Ford Focus ST in Southern California from a Ford dealership. I picked it up in February 2019. I traveled from Las Vegas to get it. Well worth it.
Another top notch video. I always ramble on in your comment section but ill try to be brief.. focus st..best daily driver! The fun factor is unlimited with these cars. Coming from an onwer of the 2013 to a 2017 st3 i can shed some light/opinions on the changes. I love the front end differences on the 17 over the 13. Much more aggressive and the larger opening for the intercooler looks amazing with an aftermarket cooler. As for the rear bumper i dislike the 17. I liked the way the 13 had a split in the black plastic across the back. As for the interior, its the main reason why i upgraded to a 17. The flat bottum HEATED steering wheel is a big plus. Also that cubby below the climate control, the 13 has no storage space and no cubby! All usb and charge ports were in the console. The 17 also has cup holders in the door panels. Another plus. Of course the heated recaro seats but the 17 has lumbar in the drivers seat, the 13 did not. The carbon fiber trim is a nice touch also not available on the 13 st3. I did have the carbon knob i purchased online for my 13. A must have!!! As far as torque steer, the 13 had such bad torque steer. It didnt bother me but could become dangerous at times if you werent expecting it or ready for it. The 17 has almost no torque steer. Ive heard you knock the boost gauge cluster on the dash. You are right as far as it being useless. The main reason for that pod on the dash is heritage. Look back at older st/rs in Europe theres a similar pod on them as well. Some had round individual gauges in them. I do love the wrx with its digital boost gauge set up. Im sure an aftermarket company has or will produce one for the focus. So for anyone in the market for the st dont shy from the 2013-14 if its in your budget. Same power as the 15-17 and basicly the same car. And the aftermarket is flooded with upgrades for these cars. Just adding a 90.00 short shift arm greatly improves the driving experience. Add a cobb accessport gives you alot more power and massive torque increase, plus tuning capabilities for better tune companies to greatly improve power. And adjustable launch control, and full digital live readouts to monitor boost and 100s of other important functions. So hurry up and get one, people talk down the focus st unti they drive one. Lol ok i said id be brief..just wanted toadd some input.
Bobby4v I appreciate your kind words! I am grateful for viewers to share their experiences. I really want the channel to be a community where everyone can contribute and help one another. Great job on the comparisons between the 2013 and your 2017! Thank you for your support!
You said it, Joe. Great performance, good mileage, and everyday usability. You can drive this daily, have some fun with it on a twisty road, and fit some people or cargo in it when you need to. For the money, it's a very fun car, and it'll last for years. Another nice thing about it: It's a Ford, which they've been making since 2013. All the bugs are fixed. There's a huge aftermarket. If you want a little more power, it's easy to do, and the engine can handle it. Great bang for the buck.
Hi - great to watch your content on running the RS and ST. I literally just took delivery, 2 hours before you uploaded this (!!), of a new 2018 ST-3 here in the UK. Worth putting the shout out that the production in Germany for European STs is finished, so it's only what is left in store and on the dealer's lots that's available, and when it's gone it's gone. There aren't many ST-3s specced up with options and extras left here in UK. Interesting that you talk about the cup holders not being covered - there's detail like that in the spec of the european STs that is different - here they do have a sliding roller cover. We also get heated front windscreen as standard (it fills the button blank below the fan minus button on the aircon panel), and the option of 19" wheels in silver or black - most of the last production seem to have these (they must have had a load to use up in the factory!), as well as start-stop, and option of door edge protectors. We don't get the carbon fibre trim or ST gear knob though. At least here in Europe Ford aren't cutting cars and new Focus and others are coming - others are saying that in the States they are struggling to compete with Hyundai and other Korean manufacturers, so I wonder if this is the real reason for it - strange as they seemed to be heading the right direction by unifying their entire range across the world and bringing cars like the Focus and Fiesta (with the European underpinnings) to the US. Here in the UK the Fiesta is the top selling car of all manufacturers, followed by the Focus. I think they'll ultimately regret it.
I agree 1000% I hope they come to their senses and bring us the new Focus and possibly Fiesta hatchbacks in the U.S. I mean, they are already engineered/developed by Ford Europe, why not just use the global Ford platform? They should take advantage of this system and bring the cars to the American market - even if they don't sell as many Focuses and Fiestas as they do behemoth Explorers and F150 trucks, it still builds the Ford brand loyalty by selling quality small cars people actually want to buy. Then the other car in the driveway might be a Ford SUV/Truck. But this decision only costs them potential customers in the end. Bad business move that I hope is reversed in a couple of years.
We also get a slightly thicker steering wheel with red stitching I believe as well plus the push button start as standard. Ford really did screw the US market.
If I needed a new car tomorrow, this is the car I'd buy - or maybe the Fiesta ST, tough choice! But alas, I'm dreaming - my current ride is far from old, so I have no excuse to buy a new one...yet! I'm hoping Ford comes to their senses and brings us the ST hatchbacks at the very least. Thank you for your efforts to spread the word and kick-off the letter-writing campaign to Ford! Let's hope they listen!
Use to have a 15 fist and love it . I kinda want a Fost now but kinda hard to find one with somewhat of low mileage . Found couple in my area but they want like 22-23k for a base with 18-20k miles
Love the Video man! Im an FoST2 owner myself (full stage 3 custom tune) and Im too sad about what Ford is doing, I was really looking forward to the next gen ST. The Focus ST is a blast to drive, Ive put 10k miles on mine within 6 months of owning it (bought it new) I make an excuse just to drive it lol specially with bolt ons and tuned its a beast! Im making about 282hp and 394tq to the wheels!
Keep _boostin What have you done to it so far if you don't mind me asking? For the engine (im still on warranty and im not trying to void the shit out of it). I have a cold air intake, a tial bov and an performance air filter planned plus a ford performance exhaust with a high flow cat planned. Im not looking for a drag racer just something that will make me smile on my 40 mile each way daily trip to work.
StillNotTellingYouMyName Im complete bolts ons, also suspension wheels, etc... there is nothing left for me to do other than a big turbo lol as far as engine mods I have a cp-e intercooler, 1 step colder spark plugs, depo racing downpipe, mbrp catback, boomba bov, high flow filter and cobb v3 accessport tuned by JST. As far as you wanting to keep the warranty I would suggest just going with all ford performance parts and have the dealer install them, it keeps your warranty but it drops it your warranty from 6yr/72k miles to 3yr/36k miles. Ford performance offers a package with a high flow intake filter, colder spark plugs and the ford performance calibration which brings the car to like 260hp and 340tq while maintaining a warranty, you could add an Intercooler your self to keep the temps down and if you ever do a warranty recall you can just swap it out for the stock one before you bring your car in, you really want to look into an aftermarket Intercooler because the stock is crap and brings in a lot of heat soak. Look me up on instagram keep_boostin if you want to see pics of my car.
I have a 2014 Ford Focus ST, and actually love the steering wheel. However, I'm a petite woman with tiny hands, so this is likely why. I've never understood why car manufacturers don't offer options for larger or smaller steering wheels, or adjustments for gas, brake, and clutch pedals to better accommodate drivers of different sizes. I actually test drove a WRX, with the intention of buying several years before I got my ST, but ended up passing because I couldn't fully depress the clutch without extending my foot to the tip toes. Yes, I'm sure I could buy an after market pedal extender..but I don't want to have to spend extra time, effort, money, etc, and then hope it works out. When you're spending thousands on a car, that's a big risk. Things like that should just be a choice provided by the manufacturer, like any other package :/
I have the 2014 Fiesta ST with over 53,000 Miles on it and on just got my 4th set of Tires, what a awesome car to drive, I just put a set of Mitchlen Pilot Sport A/S 3+ and are they ever sticky, better than OME.
Really enjoyed this review! Found it very informative! I'm from South Africa and looking at buying a second hand ST3. I've noticed the shape, interior and engine is the same for the 2016, 2017 & 2018 models. Are there any difference between them and if so....... Which one would you recommend and which one would you stay clear of?
Enjoyed your honesty and knowledgeability about cars in general. I've driven and owned a few performance cars in my life. Last one was a Mazda RX-8 sadly she was totalled and I leased a Nissan sentra s-pec v. After my lease and lots more speeding tickets being a younger man. I decided to buy a simple Lexus es model. I've had it ever since but the time has come to get a new car and I figured I'd ask a couple questions. With a budget around 25k which car would you recommend (to someone like me who is comfortable driving stick) a wrx or this car? Or maybe another car you can think of in that price range?
Thank you for the compliment I really appreciating you saying that! I would say the WRX and the Focus ST are both two really great cars. Overall you are going to get more performance with the WRX. The prices on the Focus ST have a lot of good value for the money. Two others you could look at would be a Civic Si or a Golf GTI. Still the top two would be the WRX and Focus ST. Please let me know what other questions that you might have!
I drive a regular 1.6 ecoboost Focus remapped to about 200ps, and I'd take this ST in a heartbeat. I love my car, and I can only imagine how good the ST must be.
@@df9834 simple stage 1 remap got the car to 194 ps and 333nm of torque. Though now I'm back to stock 182ps software and 240nm (with 270nm with overboost).
I wish Ford offered all-black seats on the ST1 models. Hey Joe, I've also noticed that dealer prices on used ST's seem to have gone up. Must be supply & demand but prices are on the rise, especially on the RS.
In the year 2597. Hood mounted laser cannon to remove left lane slow traffic...doesn't hurt car just disables ignition so they are forced to move over with slower traffic....💡👍
I will subscribe, whenever you can , you should do an SHO REVIEW. I'd seen a few but I'll bet yours is gonna be better, since you know what you're doing.
Been looking at the Yamaha FJ09. Been hearing lots of great reports about that 3 cylinder motor. It is used in 3 of their models, FJ09, FZ09, and the XSR 900. I’m not sure if even that will happen this year but maybe!!! I have gone through some big medical stuff in the last couple of years and I’m recovering well but being off work for almost a year has been a big challenge!! I’m a fighter so like Arnold said in the Terminator movies........ILL BE BACK!!! LOL!!!
Great Video Rat 👍🏽 I’m buying a Focus ST, can’t get the Ricaro seats my ass doesn’t fit well. I’m 6’ tall 240 pounds. So for me the seats suck, I’m going to buy the ST-2.... thanks 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Test drove a new 2017 today, dealership is looking to unload so I'm hoping they're flexible on price. It was a ton of fun to drive, way more so than the GTI and Veloster I also test drove, second only to the WRX I took for a spin, but I'm also a sucker for subies... Seems like a lot of car for the money, and should be a lot cheaper to insure than the WRX (since apparently most insurance companies just considers this a "focus" as opposed to the WRX which is considered a sports car. Who knows...).
14:20 U Cant Change The Interior Lights On The 2018 I know this because I own 2 Focus ST3, one from 2016 where you can adjust the color with the button on the roof. Also in the 2018 they took of the colored lights where the doorhandle is on the interior
I cant agree about the brakes more, my ST has great progressive brake feel at any speed. When I park my cars in the garage I have to lean forward to make sure I keep a good distance from the lower shelves in front of me, with the ST its nice and smooth on the brake. With my GTI sportpack the brakes just instantly grab so while leaning forward I end up smashing head on the roof almost every time without fail, The DSG in it is great though so I can forgive it lol.
Raiti's Rides Yeah! It looks just a bit more grown up. I even consider talking to an importer to bring over a left hand drive model. But it’s really really expensive.
The center console isn’t fully piano black because the sun could constantly reflect off the gloss and shine glare on your eyes while driving and blind you
Andrzej Adamczyk I agree with you 100% I just bought an 18 st1 for 19500. I felt the price was very for pretty much the engine. I didn't feel the upgrades were worth the price for an st3. Even by paying for the carbon fiber trim and running ambient lighting yourself is 800+ and you have almost the same car interior.
Great review nice video everything you said about the Focus ST is correct excellent vehicle I have the 2015 Tangerine Scream Focus ST and I love it very unique, however I maybe trading it in for the 2018 RS Limited Edition Nitrous Blue It is expensive but it will be worth it because of how rare it is I am afraid though that I will miss my ST Tangerine Scream it will be a difficult time that is for sure I will have to see.
IKCS I really appreciate your compliments. Tangerine scream is an amazing color on the Focus ST. I know there is a price bump for the RS, but I know you will enjoy it.😊👍🏻
They're honestly a great bang for the buck car. Only complaint I have is the stock exhaust, I've been spoiled driving vq cars and loved the exhaust but driving this, it's like there's nothing there! Hopefully an aftermarket one will make me happy.
Have the cup holders always been open in the U.S. ST Focus..? i have a 16 Focus ST here in the UK and the cup holders have a slide over cover to close them..!!!!!!!!!
I just bought a 2016 ST3 with 23k miles on it. I plan on keeping it for a long time. So far it's one of the most enjoyable fwd cars I've ever driven. Certainly more fun than the new Civic Si.
Just got an ST1 this past weekend. It's a tremendously fun DD. Wish I could have afforded an ST2, or an ST3, but for the money I'm happy for what I got. Curious what other ST owners have done the RS airbox and what do you think of it?
Planning to get one!! But should I get the 2017 model (possibly with promotional rates) or the 2018 model. Is there any differences with the 2? Thanks!
83U Tan there are no changes that were made between 2017 & 2018. I guess it comes down to incentives. You would save big on both. If you are going with a 2017 that has been sitting on a dealer’s lot for a while I would really check for cosmetic damage outside and inside.
Currently have a 14 Focus Titanium hatch, had it for over just 2yrs now. With all going on with Ford state side is really making me want to upgrade to the ST!
Traded my 2016 focus st1 for a premium trim 2018 wrx last year....I'll say this now. I regret it and wish i kept the focus st and leased the wrx. The wrx isnt a bad car. But all means i worried less about the focus st reliability wise (engine). Not sure what it was about the focus but just my panda stage 1 and a boom bov and i found the car fun as hell to drive all the time.
I have a 2017 and had some upgrades done; I love this car. The upgrades done include the FR1 power pack (ECU Flashed, catback exhaust, cold air intake and upgraded spark plugs) along with short throw shifter and rock guards for the mudflaps which were all purchased from the Ford Performance Racing website and installed through he dealer so I could keep my factory warranty intact. I just recently found out that my mistake was waiting to get the Quaife LSD and the upgraded intercooler because since Ford decided to no longer sell the ST in the states the Ford performance group is starting to remove items from their site and that includes both of these. The only reason I waited was I had already spent $3000 on the previously mentioned upgrades and convincing the wife to let me do another $3000 - $3500 in upgrades was not going to be easy, LOL! When I asked the dealer if I could get the parts on my own from Mountune, which is who the Ford Performance group got the parts from in the first place and have the dealer install them they told me yes but they could only warranty the labor. Even though it is the same exact parts they sold before on the Performance site I would void the factory warranty if I had them installed now because the parts are no longer an "authorized" part. If I had decided to purchase them 3 months earlier I could have got them without any issue but the powers that be at Ford have decided to stop supporting this vehicle. Long story short, if you do decide to buy the last year of this vehicle and want to keep the factory warranty intact don't let them sell you on the how easy it is to mod/upgrade through them because they are dropping items almost monthly from their performance site.
@@RaitisRides Thanks, I still love the car and would recommend it to anyone that wants a really nice hot hatch at a decent price. Even knowing I couldn't get the final mods I wanted I still had a couple of aesthetic mods done. I had red racing stripes with a black outline put on my Artic White ST as well as powder coating the rims a glossy black. I get compliments all the time because of my choice to go with a wider striping instead of the more traditional thin stripes. I just wanted to throw out the "buyer beware" if the intention of the buyer is to modify it. And if so to they check the Ford Performance website to make sure the upgrades they want are available and the potential risk if they go 3rd party.
I hope with their cutbacks in Cars/sedans they can afford to add higher quality materials on their SUV/Trucks, and especially on their mustang. Also, maybe bring down the price on their models, since they’re not spending money on producing sedans.
Most turbo cars from the factory dont pull all the way to red line. They all need a tune in order to pull all the way through the rev range. And not one of those can ots tunes
I really thing it will be a supply and demand issue as always. I think there is enough of a cult following here in the States that values will increase overs some time. I don't think there will be any issues with parts for a LOOOOOOONNNNG time.
I have a 2013 Mk3 ST3 in a think the first st mk3 is the best one. this is my reason why the front and back brake lights ar chunkier or the 13reg in that way youf got a chunky look front and back 👀 and a outher thing is that at the back on the 13 reg the full back is the same colour like mine is frozen white so it’s all frozen white now the newer ones have that daft plastic bit and its black in all colours off the st and it makes the exhaust look tucked under that bit more in it’s just not nice and the first ones the exhaust sticks out that bit more so a do think the 13 ones ar the best looking. chunker faster looking in more better over all My opinion 👍
I’m currently in a Pontiac vibe but I’m going to be getting a job with wayyyyy better wages soon and I’ve been stuck between wanting a civic si or a st. But the cargo space pretty much sealed me into a st
We're you able to get the ST? I've had my 2018 ST2 for about 2 yrs now.Love it. Coming from 2018 WRX previously. Don't expect a good launch. These things shine on a roll, 2nd gear, and hitting it 3k+RPM till 4th gear to your revline. You'll feel it. JST tuned. It's fun.
In the UK here our new focus ST arrives later this year and the RS in 2020.only sad thing is 5 door hot hatches look really shite as the 3 doors are no longer made
@@RaitisRides only thing I hate now is like our new fiesta st they've dropped the molten orange.its all boring greys now and that horrible new boring blue colour.nothing like the sporty spirit blue from before.you had a lime green fiesta st didn't you?we never got that. the tangerine scream orange was on our focus st but i think the sts need some more lairy colours to turn heads.our old sts didn't have that Sony stereo you guys had with just a few buttons.ours were riddled with so many buttons.our new fiesta st is so much better but I still cant work out why it has black inserts around the fog lights but the st line is colour coded.the st line front is better because of that...really strange.i wonder what goes through these designer's minds.our new focus st looks to be the same.black plastic fog surrounds but coloured on the st line.plain dsft
I'm looking at a black 2018 they're asking $28k. This is what's on the window sticker...does it mean it's ST2 or upgrade to ST3? EQUIPMENT GROUP 402A 5,680.00 ST2 DUAL ZONE ELEC AIR TEMP CTRL BI-XENON HID HEADLAMPS POWER MOONROOF ST3 8-WAY POWER DRIVER'S SEAT AMBIENT INTERIOR LIGHTING HEATED STEERING WHEEL HEATED MIRRORS NAVIGATION VOICE-ACTIVATED HEATED FRONT SEATS CARBON FIBER INTER ACCENT PKG OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT/OTHER FRONT LICENSE PLATE BRACKET NO CHARGE 50 STATE EMISSIONS NO CHARGE 18" MACH ALUM W/BLACK POCKETS 495.00
One of the best, if not the best hatchback out there. You won't see a lot of them (depending on where you're at) on the road. Also, this is so far a bandwagon repellant. Thanks for Ford's bad reputation, it kind of scared people to buy their cars. This one is an exception. So many fanboys have signed up with the WRX and GT86 club.
2018 may not be the final year, I've found a Motortrend article that states, "But here’s one thing for small-car believers to get excited about: the all-new global Ford Focus will be coming stateside in 2019."
Raiti's Rides Both are great transmissions but if you want performance and versatility, the DSG is the way to go. My GTI has the DSG transmission and I love it. It is just as fun as my previous manual transmission Jetta GLI.
Of course. I bought a 2018 but mine is the ST1 because the Recaro's are uncomfortable for a daily in my opinion and I don't need the bells and whistles. I love a nice driver that is super fun to drive but still can be tame when necessary. Mine still only has 3000 miles on the clock and I'm the first owner. My friend is the admin for my local chapter of ST/RS club and he owned a 2013 ST1 and had he not scored a monster 2008 Z06 with close to 600hp for a steal, he'd likely still have his ST. lol
TheDirtyGoatee congrats on your ST. That’s one of the reasons I really like the ST is that there are tons of options for people. I wish more cars had that, instead of the one size fits all mentality. I really can’t blame your friend for wanting that Z06. What color did you go with?
