Ford Focus ST Track Pack 2023 UK first drive

Ford has revived the – sorry about this – more focused version of the Focus ST by introducing the Track Pack. It’s a more-exciting sounding set of modifications for the hot Mk4 Focus than those known from the pre-facelift ST Edition. 

As our Matt Saunders noted when he drove that in 2021, Ford might have chosen a different name for a set of tweaks that warranted more attention than ‘Edition’ suggested. Verily, the world’s most influential car magazine speaks, and here we are now with the ST Track Pack.

In seriousness, it’s a more fitting name for a set of modifications made to the movable dynamic parts of the Focus ST. As standard, this is a hot hatch that we’re remarkably keen on, because while it doesn’t have the power and ludicrous aero of the Honda Civic Type R, it does have that lovely Ford way of going about life, riding with composure but absorption, responding quickly to your steering inputs and being willing to cock a rear wheel as it tucks itself into a corner. 

The Track Pack gets specially developed Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, 19in flow-formed alloy wheels that are 10% lighter than the usual ones and front brake discs that are 10% larger than standard, at 363mm. Then there’s the bit that’s worth shouting loudest about: adjustable coilover suspension by specialist KW. It uses what KW refers to as its Variant 3 coilovers, which in this set-up drops the ride height by 10mm (a further 15mm is possible) and offers 12-stage adjustment for compression damping and 16-stage adjustment in rebound.

Making those changes isn’t a matter of pushing a button in the cabin, nor opening the bonnet or boot – except the latter, to take out the KW tools. Then you pop the car on a jack or ramp and remove the wheels to make spring-height and compression-damping adjustments, while trim has to be removed from the boot or under the bonnet to change the rebound settings.