GIVE IT SOME STICK

WITH THE ST ASSUMING THE MANTLE OF FLAGSHIP FAST FOCUS, DOES IT SINK OR SWIM WHEN FACED WITH THE TWO CARS THAT HAVE COME TO DEFINE THIS CLASS?

- ANDY ENRIGHT

THERE’S SOMETHING magical about 206kW. No, really. Translated to horsepower it’s 276, or 280PS if you prefer. This was Paul Rosche’s target for the M1, BMW’s first and only mid-engined supercar. It’s the claimed power output of the Nissan Skyline GT-R and the original Honda NSX and if it was enough for Ayrton Senna to fling around Suzuka wearing white socks and loafers, it’s probably ample for a five-door Ford Focus hatcback.

This ST version of the latest Focus has some big loafers to fill. There’s no fire-breathing all-wheel-drive RS version of this generation Focus planned, so the ST now has to serve as the sports flagship, bumping power up notably from the last model’s 184kW output. But where that car was a $39K deal, the latest Focus ST jumps up in price to $44,690, placing it right into the crosshairs of some far more serious tackle. We’ve lined up two of the very finest. The last time we put the Honda Civic Type R up against the Hyundai i30N was in April 2018, when the then-Boxfresh Hyundai astounded everyone by just pipping the Civic – an almost unbackable pre-event favorite – for the top spot in our 12-car hot hatch mega test.

While the Civic hasn’t changed a great deal from then, with the asking price still an identical $50,990, the i30N has spawned the Fastback version we’re testing here, along with an Australian tune for its suspension and a five-year warranty that includes track usage. That sounds like a lot of car to beat for the most modest asking price of this trio at $42,910.