Photo: Ford After our capsule review of the Mazda3, we thought we'd kick it up a notch by "focusing" on the Ford Focus ST. Our "Race Red" example certainly fit the bill as a "Pocket Rocket" or "Hot Hatch" or whatever you want to nickname today's extraordinary performance small cars.
With 252 horsepower, 23/32 city/highway miles per gallon and a well-equipped version going for under $24,000 MSRP, this car is a barrel of fun for budget-minded enthusiasts. The six-speed manual transmission is smooth, the handling is European-tight on the back roads and comfortable for daily commutes, and the sport seats fit like a glove. We were occasionally reminded that we were in an econobox and there was ample torque steer through the shifts, but that didn't keep us from craving this little bruiser.
If we were still single, in our 20s and looking for a car to make the commute more exciting and dates more plentiful, this hatch would be one of our favorite picks. A new Focus ST is expected in Ford showrooms early next year and we can't wait. It appears the coming Mazdaspeed3 will have even stiffer competition, but we're not complaining.
BY THE NUMBERS
Price: $23,625
Horsepower: 252
0-60: 5.9 secs (TopSpeed)
Curb weight: 3,223 lbs
TO LEARN MORE
Ford
Car and Driver
Motor Trend
With 252 horsepower, 23/32 city/highway miles per gallon and a well-equipped version going for under $24,000 MSRP, this car is a barrel of fun for budget-minded enthusiasts. The six-speed manual transmission is smooth, the handling is European-tight on the back roads and comfortable for daily commutes, and the sport seats fit like a glove. We were occasionally reminded that we were in an econobox and there was ample torque steer through the shifts, but that didn't keep us from craving this little bruiser.
If we were still single, in our 20s and looking for a car to make the commute more exciting and dates more plentiful, this hatch would be one of our favorite picks. A new Focus ST is expected in Ford showrooms early next year and we can't wait. It appears the coming Mazdaspeed3 will have even stiffer competition, but we're not complaining.
BY THE NUMBERS
Price: $23,625
Horsepower: 252
0-60: 5.9 secs (TopSpeed)
Curb weight: 3,223 lbs
TO LEARN MORE
Ford
Car and Driver
Motor Trend
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