2013 Ford Focus Hatchback New Car Test Drive

By Bob Plunkett

Pointing north on Peachtree Road through Atlanta's tony Buckhead neighborhood for this drive test, we're strapped in the sporty Recaro driver's bucket of Ford's souped-up Focus ST, a 5-door hatchback for the compact class with a sleek body kit painted in Tangerine Scream and the seemingly conflictive traits of spirited performance and fuel efficiency.

The 2013 Focus ST incorporates a unique direct-injection and turbocharged 4-pack engine with quick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission plus tightly-tuned suspension and steering systems in a look-at-me package.

With a roof rising less than five feet high and the body stretching only 14 feet long, the ST looks seriously sporty in an aero-sleek shell with ultra-fast windshield rake, curt and sporty overhangs front and rear, minimal gaps between tires and fenders, and the trailing ripple of a roof spoiler. [Full review]