Ford Focus ST-Line hatch 2019 review

I wouldn’t have actually picked this car as a Ford, the Focus has had some serious plastic surgery. The kind where you know something has been done to make it look better, but they’ve cleverly hidden the nips and tucks and overall it’s slicker, sleeker, chic-er and more modern. The exterior now helps it compete effectively in this category.

There is a leather steering wheel which has a flat bottom - it’s not super sharp, but it is flat and I much prefer a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Inside too, has had an overhaul. The Focus ST line has fabric seats, but they are a nice fabric and comfortable to sit on. There is a leather steering wheel which has a flat bottom - it’s not super sharp, but it is flat and I much prefer a flat-bottomed steering wheel, it’s great to get it on a lower-priced car. 

It also has a circular gearshifter which is very similar to the one Land Rover uses. On a Ford. Someone’s punching above their weight with the design in here, and we like it. It looks more expensive than it is and even in the middle of the range car, I felt good driving it.

I wouldn't have actually picked this car as a Ford.

There’s more space than the previous model inside the car. In the front, both my taller husband and I had enough leg and headroom, we didn’t feel squashed. Of course there’s not as much room as in an SUV but still, I didn’t feel like I was in too small a car. I am little though - 161cm.

In the back, my kids aged five and seven had enough room on each side and they were comfortable and happy. I was even able to fit in a third child seat in the middle. It will be squishy, but it does fit.

In the back, my kids aged five and seven had enough room on each side and they were comfortable and happy.

You will probably be sweating while trying to do three seat belts up in the back though, if you choose to have that as a permanent situation. I did it with two booster seats and a baby capsule. 

The boot is quite large for a car this size. It sounds small - 273L - but that is measured just up to the cargo cover and other companies may give their sizes to the roof.

The best indicator is that it fits the bulky CarsGuide pram really easily, and that pram doesn’t fit into some of the small SUVs, like the Mazda CX-3. So the boot is good for a car this size. There was even room around the pram for groceries and school bags.

The boot is good for a car this size. There was even room around the pram for groceries and school bags.

It’s a small car, which are often the easiest to use, but you will have to bend right down every day to do kids’ car seats up, and this is especially annoying if you’ve got a baby capsule. 

There are two cupholders up the front and none in the back, which I think could be improved. You do get good storage in the front though - a large spot for keys and a phone, another flat-ish small section with non-slip rubber so your phone won’t slide around, a decent sized centre storage bin and bottle holders in each door.

Given the size, it’s really easy to park and do U-turns.

The rear has pockets on the back of the front seats and no air vents, but we were driving it on a 38 degree day and the kids didn’t complain about being hot at all, I quizzed them on whether they had enough cool air back there, and they were perfectly happy. 

Apart from that, there’s nothing out of the ordinary with the Focus. All worked and functioned well but there is nothing to stand out about it.

It looks more expensive than it is and even in the middle of the range car, I felt good driving it.

You’ll get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. It’s just the easiest tech to use because you plug your phone in and are instantly hooked up to the 8.0-inch multimedia screen. It takes the main apps from your phone like maps and Spotify and lets you use the screen as you would your phone. You can also use voice control to make calls and send texts. Easy. And safe.

You'll get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

The Ford Focus ST Line starts at $28,990. I drove the one with the Driver Assistance Pack for an extra $1250, and also 'Shadow Black' paint job for $650, taking the car I drove as tested to $30,890 before on-road costs. 

Fuel consumption is a claimed 6.4L/100km and it’s covered by Ford’s five year/unlimited km warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km and services are capped at $299 for the first four services.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 6.4L/100km.