IF I were a sales rep, I would love the Ford Focus ST-Line X Estate. In fact, I’m not a sales rep and I still love it.
I once drove with a colleague in a very sedate family car – well, it was sedate when I was driving it but under his hands it turned into the hottest car on the planet. “Slow down,” I yelled at him. “You don’t have to drive like Lewis Hamilton.”
“This is a rep’s car,” he replied. “And they all think they’re Lewis Hamilton.” Well, Lewis, Matt or Joe, no matter what your name is – this blue oval badged machine is the car you’ve been waiting for.
It is very sleek, dressed in the ST-Line bodykit, with a sporty grille and special badging, red brake calipers, lovely twin tailpipes and a large rear body-coloured spoiler, all sitting on 18in matt black alloys. There’s privacy glass at the rear for hiding valuables and a nice, easy-to-open tailgate.
The door mirrors fold in when you lock the car, a feature I am beginning to appreciate more and more as car parking spaces seem to be getting tighter, and they also have lovely puddle lights.
Inside, the sporty theme continues, with alloy pedals and more ST badging. Just for aesthetics, I would have preferred a small gear stick rather than the rotary dial for the automatic gearbox. I know it gives a nod to more high-end cars and it is very easy to use but this car really deserves a gearstick.
The seats are heated and partially leather trimmed with red stitching. They are comfortable and easily adjustable.
As this is an estate, I suppose I should mention the 575 litres of boot space that rises to 1653 when you fold everything down. That’s the practical bit of this car that sales reps will also love – and mums who have to lug loads of kiddie kit around.
But the core feature of this car is the drive – it’s just great. And the more I drove this car, the more I fell in love with it. The steering responds immediately to your command and there’s no skittering – I hate a skittery car. It is sharp and smooth at the same time.
That seems an odd thing to say but what I mean is that it corners really well, never deviating from the line you have chosen, but it has a great balance so it does it all very smoothly.
And it also has some power. It comes with Ford’s amazing EcoBoost engine – a 1.5-litre petrol job paired to an automatic gearbox which delivers 182PS. The more I pushed it, the more it responded.
It comes with sports-tuned suspension and different driving modes – Normal, Eco and Sport. Sport’s for those who prefer the racy end of life on the road. There is a manual option too, with paddles behind the steering wheel.
It also has Ford’s rather good infotainment system, which is easy to use and includes DAB, sat nav, Bluetooth, emergency assist and voice control. There’s Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and two USB ports. There is also a raft of safety systems and brilliant driver aids, such as the Quickclear heated windscreen.
It is, you’ll be pleased to know, not just restricted to sales reps. Other drivers are available.
● All cars being featured in Road Record reviews were test-driven before the coronavirus lockdown. Please only make essential journeys.
Factfile:
- Model: Ford Focus ST-Line X Estate 1.5L EcoBoost 182PS 8-Speed Automatic
- Engine: 1.5-litre petrol
- Power: 182PS
- Top speed: 135mph
- 0-62mph: 8.6 seconds
- Average mpg: 43.5
- CO2 emissions: 128g/km
- Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles
- Price: £29,090
