Skip advert
Advertisement

Ford Focus ST review (2011 - 2019) - MPG and running costs

Expect 25-30mpg in the real world from the petrol model, and 45-50mpg from the ST TDCi.

Evo rating
RRP
from £25,735
  • Storming performance, price undercuts most rivals
  • Can become unruly with torque steer, cheap-feeling cabin

MPG and running costs

You’ll have to drive extremely gently to get near the claimed official 39mpg combined figure, which equates to 169g/km of CO2. Under what we have to admit was fairly extreme testing we managed a rather alarming 15mpg according to the trip computer.

In regular mixed (though still enthusiastic) driving, we've been achieving around 30mpg in our long-term ST estate. That's a whole lot better than you could expect from the old five-cylinder car. More frugal as it is, the ST still can't quite match the Golf GTI, which records official figures of 47.1mpg and 139g/km of CO2.

Advertisement - Article continues below

If fuel costs are a big concern, then the diesel ST presents a much rosier picture, achieving 64.2mpg on the combined cycle, which meas a modest 114g/km of CO2. Don't expect to achieve those numbers in real-world driving, but over most journeys the diesel should sip significantly lower quantities of fuel than the petrol. We achieved 47mpg on a long continental road trip in our long-term ST TDCi estate, and comfortably over 40mpg in normal running.

Depreciation is where Ford habitually falls down, and, fine value as it undoubtedly is on the showroom floor, the Focus ST is a consierably better buy used. Residual values simply aren’t in the same league as a Golf GTI’s and the ST will struggle to hold onto 40 per cent of its value after three years.

 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI
Cheap sports cars
Best cars

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI

With the sun shining and fuel prices palatable, now is the time to indulge your used sports car desires
1 Jul 2025
Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?
Lotus factory
Opinion

Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?

Lotus’s latest troubles are grabbing headlines, but the writing’s been on the wall for some time.
28 Jun 2025
New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement
Ferrari Amalfi front
News

New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement

The Ferrari Amalfi picks up where the Roma left off, as a more capable, debugged super GT that’s finally brought back buttons
1 Jul 2025