Try our newest merchandise
The ultimate Ford Focus ST has rolled off the manufacturing unit flooring on the Blue Oval model’s Saarlouis plant in Germany after 4 generations of high-performance hatches that proved – in some circumstances – worthy options to the long-lasting Volkswagen Golf GTI sizzling hatch.
A complete of 4231 Focus STs had been offered in Australia between 2012 and the ultimate supply in 2023, though the first-generation Focus ‘ST170’ – named after its 170bhp (127kW) output – arrived right here in 2002 alongside the then-new BA Falcon.
Ford hasn’t formally confirmed the final Focus ST has been made, however a report from The Drive says the ultimate automobile has left the constructing in europe. Ford beforehand stated the ultimate model can be manufactured in November 2025.
The Focus ST is the final in an extended lineage of Ford sizzling hatches, with the ultimate Fiesta ST produced in July 2023.
CarExpert can prevent hundreds on a brand new automobile. Click on right here to get an ideal deal.
The Focus and smaller Fiesta had been each victims of Ford’s transfer away from standard passenger vehicles in favour of a stronger, er, concentrate on extra profitable SUVs, pickups and vehicles.
Their departure was introduced method again in 2018, bringing an finish not solely to 2 well-known Ford nameplates that had been among the best-selling vehicles on the planet, but additionally their well-liked efficiency ST variants, which Ford Australia confirmed in 2022 can be axed, too.
The ultimate Focus ST offered in Australia (mannequin 12 months 22.5) packed a severe 206kW of energy and 420Nm of torque from its turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, matched with a six-speed guide.
There was no computerized model, to the delight of driving lovers, till the ultimate 18 months of the Focus ST’s stint right here, which included the ‘XR5’ variations (powered by Volvo-sourced five-cylinder turbo-petrol engines) after the preliminary 2002 ST170.
A wise limited-slip differential and anti-lag turbo system made the ultimate Focus ST brutally efficient in getting all of its grunt to the bottom via the entrance wheels – with torque vectoring serving to across the twisty stuff.
It made the Focus ST considerably of a hidden gem later in its life, having beforehand been overshadowed by super-sharp rivals and shunned by many hardcore lovers in favour of the Honda Civic Kind R, Subaru WRX and numerous iterations of the Megane RS.
After all, there the Golf GTI was additionally a rival from the 2005 MkV onwards, which grew to become ubiquitous as a byword for warm hatches whereas the XR5 on the time was comparatively soft-edged and fewer partaking.
Being manual-only for many of its life warded off the pretenders and left the ST for individuals who wished the interplay and connectedness {that a} correct sizzling hatch can deliver.
It was becoming then that when it launched the second-generation Ranger Raptor in 2022, Ford Australia bragged about its 0-100kmh acceleration time by saying it was “about the identical as a Focus ST” – which translated to spectacular mid-5.0-second runs.
The ultimate-generation Focus ST was joined by the legendary Focus RS – the 257kW, all-wheel drive, manual-only hyper hatch that punched far past what any small automobile with a Ford badge had beforehand, for a comparatively humble worth.
Ford, after all, has a convention of manufacturing high-performance small vehicles that disgrace a lot pricier rivals, courting again to the Escort and Cortina, however the market shift in direction of SUVs and away from their donor fashions – which had been typically dynamic leaders regardless of their commuter standing – ended the enjoyable.
But Ford’s present president and CEO Jim Farley, a self-confessed petrol-head, has stated the automaker must get again to creating enjoyable automobiles, declaring the corporate will produce “no extra boring vehicles” earlier this 12 months.
In August 2025, chair of the automaker Invoice Ford stated the corporate wanted to do higher with passenger automobiles, and reportedly informed sellers in Europe – the place Fiesta and Focus improvement was beforehand based mostly – that improvement of latest passenger fashions was underway.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply a Focus ST will return, given experiences the Focus title might return on an SUV, just like the Capri title – and with Mr Farley having his sights set on a high-performance 1000hp (745kW) off-road ‘supercar for gravel’.
Whereas it has the Mustang muscle automobile, pricing for which rose by $5000 in July, Ford has little to supply driving lovers proper now, leaving the new hatch market largely to Toyota, Hyundai and Honda in the meanwhile.
MORE: Discover the Ford showroom
