FINAL SHOOTOUT BBADC 2019
28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 53
instant driver engagement;
whereas, in a simpler sense, the
Civic just goes big – on size, on
pa c e a nd on v i s u a l at t it ude.
But whereas the Focus’s chief
assets as a driver’s car might be
the vivacity and accessibility
right there on the surface of its
mot i v e c h a r a c t e r, w h at r e a l l y
convinces you about the Civic is
w h at it hold s i n r e s e r v e – on l y
to be uncovered when you wring
out its motor to high revs, carry
that extra speed you pick up around
corner and over bump, and unearth
the remarkable pace and composure
t h at l ie s b e ne at h. S o i f y ou l i k e t o go
fast – on track, I would recommend,
given that this Honda gives up very
l it t le pa c e t o s p or t s c a r s of t w o or
three times its price – you’ll be a Civic
Type R type of, well, type.
The Focus’s engine sounds better
and it responds slightly more smartly
and strongly from middling revs. It’s
the motor you’d pick for give-and-
take driving on the road, warbling
away as distinctively as it does, and
giving the car a really muscly turn
of speed out of tighter bends. The
Civic’s smaller four-pot needs to take
a bi gge r br e at h b e for e it ge t s goi n g
and that doesn’t really happen until
it’s spinning above 4500rpm, but it
revs all the way to 7000rpm, develops
notably more high-end power than
the Focus and sounds simpler ◊
`
If you like your hot hatches
relatively small, lively and agile,
you’re a Focus ST sort of person
a
Type R feels at home
on a track and is far
quicker than an MX-5
All smiles (^) again as Prio
r remembers biscuits
FORD FOCUS ST
MATT PRIOR
The Focus ST was
pretty brutal to its
outside front tyre on
track, not dissimilarly
to the old five-cylinder
Focus RS. Will have
to see whether that’s
a theme common to
STs, or just caused by
a circuit with lots of
fast right-handers.