Street credibility is important to have if you want to turn heads and impress with your car. It is defined by how fast your car goes, how well it handles and, most importantly, how good it looks.
Most PlayStation 2 games focused on street-racing culture — such as Need for Speed Underground II — will not allow you to progress from one level to another if you do not spend most of your prize money on enhancing your vehicle, under the bonnet and the exterior, with particular emphasis on your car’s paint job, spoilers, decals, alloys and so on. The better your car looks, the more reputation points you score and the more money you earn when you race.
Of course, in reality, acquiring street cred means that you have to spend many tedious hours either modifying your car yourself, as most die-hard petrol-heads do, or you can buy a car that comes equipped with everything you need. The Ford Focus ST is that car.
From the ground up, it has the body kit, the takkies, the paint job, the engine and the sound system in an impressive package that oozes street cred.
My test unit was a striking orange that matched the two-toned orange and black Recaro sports seats perfectly and, yes, it turned many heads wherever I drove.
Slip into the snug seats and it does not take long before you feel confident enough to let the revs climb as you put a little pressure on the accelerator.
The ST — which is turbo-charged, but doesn’t suffer from any noticeable turbo lag — makes a lovely sporty growl as you get past about 3Â 000rpm and that is exactly when the fun starts.
As my sister Sandy put it when I complained about her constantly goading me to put foot: “It is just so nice to be in car that handles so well and leaves practically everything else behind.” Of course, she hit the nail on the head and while there are undoubtedly far more powerful cars around, for R233 000 (for the three-door), the ST is great value for money for those who enjoy a little high-octane excitement from time to time.
Though it has a stiffer suspension, the ride was more than adequately comfortable and the 18-inch 225mm tyres come to a stop with the aid of ABS, traction control and electronic brakeforce distribution.
The steering felt uneasy on high-revving take-offs, but sorted itself out to feel fairly stable at high speeds.
The interior is comfortable enough for at least four adults and features no less than eight air bags, electronic windows, electric mirrors, a CD player and an additional stalk on the steering column with audio controls.
The ST’s natural nemesis is the Golf GTi and, despite the ST being more powerful (by 19kW), both cars are well on their way to becoming iconic mid-range performance vehicles. It is very difficult to choose between them. However, for those in the market for this sort of car, it really does help having the ST option of three doors as not everyone needs the versatility of five doors. And to the GTi’s credit, it sticks to the tar in serious twisties with just a little more confidence than the ST.
Fact file
Model: Focus ST
Price: R233 000
Engine: 2,5 litre turbo charged
Tech: 166kW, 320Nm
Top speed: 240kph, 0-100kph in 6,6 seconds
Tank: 55 litres
Service intervals: 20 000km