Ford Focus ST "The Sweeny" Star Priced Up

Pricing, pricing, pricing. It's the type of news we try to keep away from here at Car Throttle, but for the star of the film "The Sweeny", we've got news on how much cash you'll have to drop to spend. Whilst the other big hot hatches such as the Renaultsport Megane, Volkswagen Golf GTI and the new Vauxhall Astra VXR start from around £25,000, the new Ford Focus ST will be available to order from June from a fiver shy of £22,000. The million pound question is why is it that cheap?

It has a very similar engine to its rivals; a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot EcoBoost petrol but it produces 247bhp which isn't as powerful as the Megane 265 or anywhere near Vauxhall's new Astra VXR. However, Ford claim the car will return nearly 40mpg and only produces 169g/km of CO2 out of the tailpipe.

Unlike some rivals, the ST is only available as a 5-door hatchback or a 5-door estate, making it much more practical than the Renaultsport and the VXR, and Volkswagen will charge you something like £500 for an extra two doors on your GTI. So, a slightly less powerful engine but more practical. Where's the catch?

The Focus ST is split into 3 different trim levels: ST, ST2 and ST3. The standard £22,000 car comes with features like cloth Recaro seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, manual air conditioning, an alarm plus a DAB radio with USB and Bluetooth connectivity. If you want things like Sat-Nav, leather heated seats, LED daytime lights or folding mirrors you have to go for the ST3 that costs almost £25,500. If you have a dog that loves fast cars then the Estate model is about £1,000 more.

Still, not everyone is fussed about how much equipment their car has and if all you want is a hot hatch with the basics that all your buddies can get comfortable in for the same price as a boring diesel family hatchback then the ST is pitch perfect.