With the introduction of the Focus RS last year, all the talk has been about that car, one can almost be forgiven for forgetting about the other performance oriented Focus, the ST. With the performance advantage of the RS, is there still room for the Focus ST?

I personally think there is still room for the Focus ST, as much fun as the RS is, it’s hard to get all the performance out of that car on the street, if you really want to have fun with the RS then you need to take it to the track, on the street it seems a bit too tame thanks to its AWD. The Focus ST, on the other hand, is not as powerful and is only FWD, so you can make use of most of the performance on the street and because its FWD, there is a bit more drama, making it feel like you’re going faster than you’re going and you feel like you’re at the limit.

Over the years we’ve reviewed quite a few Ford Focus cars, including the regular versions of this car in hatchback and sedan formats, the ST, RS, and we will also be reviewing the Focus Electric soon. I have reviewed the Focus ST on two occasions in the last few years, I had the opportunity the review the 2017 Focus ST a couple of weeks ago, nothing much has changed in the cars since my latest review from late 2015.

The 2017 Ford Focus ST has a starting price of $29,806, well kind of. When you go to the “build” page, initially the ford.ca website shows the above price but when you hit the “configure” button, the price jumps to $33,698 minus some current incentives. I’m not really sure where the additional charges come from. Our review car showed a starting price of $33,498 with options and fees the price came to $35,548 before destination and delivery of $1,650. Options included were $550 for Triple Yellow paint, $800 for voice activated navigation, and $600 for 18” machined-aluminum wheels.

Nothing has changed with the engine on the 2017 Ford Focus ST, it’s still powered by the same turbocharged 2.0 liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine, which produces 252 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm (with premium fuel). However, you can run the ST on regular fuel, with a bit of a loss of power. Power is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed, smooth shifting, manual transmission, which is still the only transmission offered.

As I mentioned earlier, the Focus ST is quite fun and because it’s not AWD like the Focus RS, there is a bit more drama, making the drive feel more fun on the street. The AWD of the RS would have much more advantage on the track, but driving around on the street, the FWD ST is very fun.

The interior also remains the same as the previous Focus ST I reviewed, our review car did have some extra carbon fiber bits that our previous review car didn’t have. The carbon fiber pieces do make the interior look a little more sporty.

Overall, I had a fun time in the Focus ST. It’s not quite the RS but then again, it’s quite a bit cheaper than the RS and you can get pretty decent discounts at dealerships right now. If you’re looking for a sporty car that still has enough room for a child’s car seat and room in the trunk for a stroller, then the Focus ST should be on your shopping list.