I purchased a Ford Focus ST just 2 months ago and it is one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever owned. The build quality is very good with Recaro partial leather seats, and no cheap plastic rattles. The 2.0 L turbo charged engine provides significant power through the range of RPMs in every gear. There is plenty of HP and torque to go around, and I cruise through the 6 manual speeds without any noticeable dip in power. The hatch back provides enough storage for the grocery getter and daily driver, but I certainly won't be moving any large amounts of cargo with it. The Sync 3 touchscreen is intuitive and features Apple and Android car play so you can plug your phone into a USB port and have access to travel apps right on your nav system. The suspension is tight, as to be expected on a performance vehicle, and the steering is responsive if a bit wide on the turning circle. I purchased the ST2 package which includes the Sync 3, the HID head lamps, the 10 speaker sound system, and the aforementioned Recaro partial leather seats.

I bought this certified used from a dealer in Western New York. The car itself is not huge, but the acceleration is good. I enjoy driving it very much. The package I bought had heated seats which are a godsend in the winter. With all season tires, I have had no problems at all with it. There is one small design issue that I did not catch when I bought it and one software oddity that annoys me. There are only a few cons for this year’s model. First, the Sync system is clunky and not easy to navigate (even with my iPhone 6). It does not connect properly, and when the automated voice finally acknowledges that you are connected, it sounds garbled. I asked one of my students who had the same car if she had that same weird voice glitch and she said yes. Second, the rear seats do not fold down to make more room in the back for cargo. This is an easy fix but quite annoying if you are used to a vehicle with more storage space. Overall it’s a decent buy for the money due to the zippy fun factor, but in practical terms it needs at least two upgrades to graduate to a very good buy.