The Ford Focus ST is Officially Dead but Will Never Be Forgotten

For those old enough to remember, the first Ford Focus came online and sold in Europe in 1998 followed by the U.S. version coming here in 1999 as a 2000 model. Offered in a high-performance SVT trim from 2002–04, Ford also sold a slightly detuned version called the ST from 2005–07. Both the SVT and the ST were the venerable sport compacts that showed Americans just how good a small car could be, especially when compared to the old U.S. Escort. Ford sold the Focus here until 2018, but Europe got the fourth-generation Focus for another seven years. Now, production has officially ended in Europe, and after nearly 20 years of production, the Ford Focus ST says goodbye completely.

The Focus ST was Ford's answer to performance compacts like the Honda Civic Si, Mini Cooper John Cooper Works, Toyota Celica GTS, and others. Sadly, September marks the end of the ST trim that was built at Ford's German production plant, according to a report from The Drive. Sadder still, November will bring the end of Focus production overall as Ford concentrates on crossovers and electric vehicles in Europe for the foreseeable future due to emissions regulations.

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The first U.S.-market Focus ST was based off the 2005 ZX4 trim with some loose relation to the first-generation Focus SVT. It came with less power, a five-speed manual transmission, and softer springs, but the performance was still there in the dampers as they were the same units from that hotter hatch. After 2005, the U.S. lost the Focus ST variant, but the rest of the world gained it along with a true next-generation chassis. America was stuck with a fully repackaged first-generation model and none of the true performance trim options. The Focus ST wouldn’t return to the U.S. until the entire globe got the third-generation Focus under the “One Ford” plan in 2013. But, man, did that ST shine. It was a favorite of ours against even the Focus RS until they both disappeared from our shores again in 2018. Ford decided it didn’t want to give us the wonder hatches, but the 2019 Focus and ST continued production for other markets.

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With production beginning in 2019, the final generation of the Focus ST was a stunner. It featured a 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost I-4 with 276 hp pumped to its front wheels, and it used anti-lag to reduce power reduction off-throttle. Optionally, the overseas ST could also get the 2.0-liter EcoBlue I-4 diesel engine with 187 hp. Either way, the standard transmission was a six-speed manual but a seven-speed auto with paddle shifters and sport tuning was also made available. Controlling the wheel slip was an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD) that utilized torque-steer reduction software and steering geometry. As if that wasn’t enough, the Focus ST also got a Performance Pack that included launch control, a shift light, rev matching on the EcoBoost 2.3-liter, Track Mode, electronically adjustable dampers, and red brake calipers. By 2022, there was a Track Pack option for the facelifted model that included Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, four-piston brake calipers and 14.3-inch rotors from the Mustang Mach E, and new Ford Performance seats.

While that later Track Pack was impressive enough, Ford introduced the Edition models for 2021 and 2024. These were limited-production versions of the ST that added a new hydraulically activated eLSD, a KW V3 coilover suspension with adjustable ride height and manually adjustable dampers, and lighter flow-formed 19-inch wheels. 2024 included the Mach E brake and Pirelli tire updates from the Track Pack. However, that would be the crescendo of the Focus ST line. But enthusiasts of a certain age will remember, and likely covet, performance-tuned Focus models for years to come.