Ford Focus ST 170 Roadtest

Anyone who goes boating in East Anglia will be familiar with the traditional Fenland hymn ' For those in peril on the Cam.' Frequently sung by the Norfolk Broads and other female groups, it could equally apply to a few cars I have driven, in which being up on the cam was tantamount to risking life and limb.

How many people, I wonder, have invested in performance metal only to find the car too hot to handle or that race-tuned suspension is not so much fun on the cobbled streets of Birmingham. I am not thinking of the likes of Porsches and Ferraris but rather the spiced-up family hatches that seem to top every manufacturers' food chain.

So when Ford announced the Focus ST 170, with it's exclusive VVT engine delivering 33 per cent more power than the existing 2.0-litre Zetec model, I half expected it to be a bit of a handful. Not so. Exploiting the much-praised Focus platform, it proves that Ford's seminal fleet car is what we always suspected - a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering division at Dunton has a long and distinguished career as the progenitors of sex-on-wheels. The Escort Mexico, Sierra XR4 and, more recently, the seminal Escort Cosworth were all from that particular stable and as the ST follows suit you can expect something special. And that means more than just straight-line performance. Tractability is high on the agenda, as is not losing sight of the fact that this car is not just a toy. It has a job of work to do as well, and dialling out day-to-day driveability in favour of pure muscle-tone is not their trademark.

As you might expect, the suspension geometry has been tweaked in favour of a firmer ride, with less roll, but not to such an extent that ride quality notably suffers. Focii naturally handle well and the best just got better although some evidence of bump self-steer is evident on poor road surfaces. To a keen driver, this is not a problem except in very slippery conditions when a softer platform is ultimately safer. Under heavy acceleration, there is also the merest hint of torque steer, which can be viewed as no more than a slightly mischievous grin on the face of a car intended to offer accessible performance to novices and old hands alike.

With peak horsepower occurring just a few hundred rpm short of the red line, this car begs to be driven on the cam. Or does it? Enter the sheep in sheep's clothing. With a fairly rich spread of torque over the middle range of engine speed, it is perfectly possible to drive this car just as you would one of the coat-hanger models. This is not a peaky, twitchy sort of car. If you never went above 4000 rpm it wouldn't complain and, cosmetics aside, your granny might not know the difference except perhaps to wonder where the extra gear came from.

The Getrag six-speeder (as used on the new Cooper S) not only provides hot-blooded journos with the means to keep the mill at Mach 1, it also does its bit for ratio relations when it comes to matching road speed with the torque envelope to exploit the ST's alter ego. A complex twin layshaft arrangement allows a close-ratio configuration for gears four, five and six, while delivering normal spacing in the lower gears. Add to this the fact that 85 per cent of the 196 Nm peak torque is accessible from just 2200 rpm and it becomes obvious that the ST is a tale of two kitties. It will purr along like your favourite moggie or deliver cheetah-like performance when the mood strikes.

I have to say, the mood frequently struck. Never one to fight shy of temptation, I thought I would explore the upper limits of the ST's output curve, which climbs like a lift from the basement to seventh heaven before abruptly hitting the stops at 7350 rpm. The peak power is quoted as 173 PS (Pfunde Starke), which as just over 170 bhp, hence the moniker. And with torque peaking at 5500 rpm it is easy to work out that the playground is quite small, hence the close ratios in the upper reaches of the 'box.

In my opinion, the rev limiter is set too low. When it cuts in, the engine is still breathing easily and surely has to be good for at least 8k, which would just raise it above the sweet spot at which snap changes would do most good. But a word of warning: do not drive this car with the window closed. In a similar fashion to the Honda VTEC engine, near the top of its curve Ford's new Duratec VVT unit emits a sound signature guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Not the rictus grin you see on the face of certain MPV drivers, but genuine mirth as the engine note strikes a chord deep down in the human psyche. Why God invented horses before Karl Benz I shall never know.

But all of this is no good if the thing lets go at the slightest provocation, which would sometimes happen in the good old, bad old days when extra power was added to platforms lacking the torsional stiffness to make it stick. Modern production techniques like laser welding have changed all that and the Focus platform is stiffer than a Connex baguette. Even so, the men (and women) in white coats have not relied on the intrinsic qualities alone and much has been done to balance the infusion of steroids.

Starting with the drive shafts, which have been enlarged to cope with the extra power and torque, the ST also has heftier anti-roll bars, lowered and stiffened suspension, larger wheels, bigger brakes (ex-Mondeo) and a slightly revised steering rack. Meaning 'Sports Technologies', the ST is said by the company to be '...engineered for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts.'

But the enthusiasm stops short of dropping in class-leading power. Fun as it might be, the ST Focus occupies only a mid-field position in a trio of new-age hot hatches. Its power and performance is no match for the 200 bhp Civic Type-R but it just manages to outpace the 5-cylinder Stilo Abarth, which is also plated at 170 bhp. The Fiat clocks 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and the Ford in 8.1 seconds. Both have a top speed of 134 mph.

At 31 mpg on the combined cycle, the ST looks to have a slight drink problem, both relative to the Civic, which is altogether faster, and to the Stilo, which has a much bigger engine.

Pricewise, the Honda offers best pound-to-performance value at £15,995. Otherwise it's a toss-up between the Ford at an identical £15,995 or the Fiat at £15,635, which is cheaper but a bit tardy. The Ford has the strongest pedigree but straight out of the box lacks some of the kit that makes the others arguably better value. Recaro seats are a must, if only because the standard sports seats have no height adjustment.

But the Recaros come with baggage - a music upgrade and metallic paint - neither of which improve the ergonomics but bump the option up to a hefty £2,000. Those weren't fitted to the test car but it did have ESP (£750 and best left switched off for maximum performance and tactile feedback, and therefore pointless unless you wear a cardigan) and a £750 'comfort pack', which comprises electronic temperature control, heated front screen and those gimmicky Xenon headlamps that turn the road ahead into a Hitchcock movie. In case you've lost track, the car as tested would cost you £17,445.

Aimed at Golf buyers (what isn't?), the ST paves the way for the blown RS model due in the shops in the autumn. Both cars, plus the 2.0-litre Zetec model, represent the 'sporting' arm of the Focus model hierarchy, which splits at mid range. The other arm pursues the half-timbered look and is topped with the wood 'n' leather Ghia.

Instead of being resplendent with life's little luxuries, the ST package assumes you are mildly techie and will appreciate muted greys and plain, part-leather upholstery. The fascia is pretty much standard Focus but with the addition of two extra gauges - oil temperature and pressure - that are so small and so far off the line of sight that they serve little purpose. More meaningful is the oil cooler slotted behind the 'New Edge' grille to which these minuscule instruments are attached.

Drivers will feel equally well attached to the ST. In traditional Ford fashion, the Focus is ergonomically sound although shorter drivers will perhaps whinge about the low fixed seating position, not helped by limited adjustment to the steering-wheel rake. But, that aside, this is a car to live with. Fast when you want it, docile if needs be and packed with the sound common-sense engineering and usability that has made the Focus a market leader. And thanks to the Dunton boffins you most certainly will not be in peril on the cam.