Ford regards the ST170 as the link between the mainstream Focus range and the top-rated RS. Well, this is a model which certainly looks the business, and it does have a more powerful engine than the usual run of these cars, but I'd say that, when pushed, its dynamics are barely halfway towards those of the RS.Of course, the ST170 is much less rarefied in specification than the RS, and not restricted to the 30-per-day maximum production level of the fancier car.I was about to say that, like the RS, it's available only as a three-door, but then checked - and sure enough, there's a five-door version too, at £500 over the price of the test car.You can't miss the ST170 on the road, thanks to the low-profile tyres on 15-spoke 7" alloy wheels, the sportier-looking bumpers and side skirts, and the foglamps of a type not fitted to less expensive Focus models. There's also a chrome-finished tailpipe.Inside, the specification includes hip-hugging sports front seats (Recaros are an extra-cost option), a dark blue and black colour scheme, alloy pedals and a couple of extra gauges to the far left of the deep fascia cowl, one for oil pressure and the other for oil temperature.Drivers may not pay much attention to these particular dials, since they're rarely fitted these days, but they help to provide a full range of information and complete what is always, on a Focus, a very attractive fascia layout.It's curious, as more and more sports hatches or sportingly-inclined saloons appear, and their designers try to go for individual cabin layouts, that the Focus still gets such high marks for presentation. That's just one of the features, built in from the start, which keep the car top of the UK sales charts even after more than two years on the market.Additional interior kit in the ST170 includes uprated air-conditioning and alarm systems, and a fascia-mounted CD autochanger.One major the ST170 has that lesser models in the Focus catalogue don't is a six-speed manual gearbox. That's added to the variable valve timing two-litre Duratec engine with its power boosted well beyond what's on offer in the similarly sized Zetec unit. In fact, there's a hike of no less than 42bhp, which helps to explain why the ST170's insurance rating is sky-high compared with the Zetec's.So the ST170 really rips off in a straight line. It has sports suspension, of course, and this is the level at which the Focus catalogue provides traction control as standard, as well as a very strong all-disc brake set-up.The ST170 is a quick car on mixed roads, but I don't see it being absolutely au point on a track day. In a manner of speaking, it may be off at a slight tangent from the RS, but it is, after all, more of a mainstream model, and you can hardly fault either the external styling or the appeal of its well presented cabin.Second opinion: There are the makings of a very good hot hatch here, but something has gone desperately wrong with the suspension. Under-damping seems to be the problem. If you hit a small bump, or hit a large bump, or come over a crest, or brake, or accelerate, or turn the steering wheel, the front end becomes confused and you end up waiting for it to react. Most well set-up cars feel smaller than they actually are. The ST170 feels much larger - it was a constant surprise to get out after a journey on challenging roads and remember I had been driving something as compact as a Focus. There are whispers from Ford that a new team will look at the set-up and revise it where necessary. This can't come a moment too soon. David Finlay. Engine 1989cc, 4cylinders Power 173bhp @7000rpm Torque 145ib/ft @5500rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 31mpg / 218g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.2sec Top speed 134mph Price From £16278.00 approx Release date 01/01/2002
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