Ford ST-2 2.0 TDCi

Back in the summer of 2012, when London was host to the Olympics, Ford launched the Focus ST. This 246bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged hot hatch version of the car that is Britain’s second best-selling model immediately became a firm petrolhead favourite. Back then, it would not have found a place in the pages of Diesel Car, but here we are two years on, and the revised Focus ST now revs its way into dervhead territory, available for the first time with a 182bhp, 2.0-litre TDCi engine. Hooray.

This merited a longer than usual test drive, and here at Diesel Car Towers, we always relish a crossing-countries challenge. So this is the story of a 1,000-miles drive from Barcelona, home of the 1992 Olympics, back to London, host to the Games 20 years later. The chosen route would take us over the wintry Pyrenees, up through the spine of France on one of its most scenic autoroutes, via the spectacular Millau bridge, over the Massif Central, skirting south of Paris and up into Champagne country.

The trip started in the Olympic Park on a hill overlooking Barcelona. There, ‘our’ Focus ST in a vivid shade of Race Red awaited in the hotel garage. Capital of Catalonia, Spain’s most north-easterly region, Barcelona is known for its seaside setting, its vibrant nightlife, and its famed ‘unfinished’ Sagrada Familia cathedral, the work of celebrated architect Antoni Gaudi. Work continues on the cathedral, 133 years after it began. Its soaring splendour was a glorious backdrop for our first brief stop with the Focus ST, before unleashing the car’s 182bhp and 295lb ft of torque on some of the wonderful roads leading up to Ripoll, then across the Pyrenees via Puigcerda. A bit too enthusiastically, as it happened, resulting in a brief conversation with the Spanish police and payment of a few Euros in roadside ‘tax’.

…we were appreciative of the ST’s huggy sports seats that grip you into the corners…

That was not the only expense on this section of the route. Overnight snow had made some of the going treacherous, and the ST was not on winter tyres. When tricky surface conditions coincided with freshly falling light snow swishing past the wipers, we decided to play safe and stop to buy a set of snow-chains. It was a well-spent €65 (£48) at a wayside specialist shop, until we saw them advertised for only €50, a £12 saving, further on. Even so, it was no dearer to buy chains in the Pyrenees than back here, where prices start from around £35 online and from £70 to £150 per set at Halfords.

It was a stunning drive over the mountains, on roads that snake through dramatic scenery. Out of the snow zone, we de-chained and pointed towards Carcassonne, for our planned first overnight stop. This ancient city is remarkable for an amazingly well-preserved walled medieval hilltop fortress, which is well worth exploring. The ST made a sporty adornment to the parking outside a small chateau B&B where we stayed the night.

Next morning, the Massif Central beckoned, so we pointed the ST towards Beziers to reach the A75 autoroute heading north to Clermont Ferrand. With a day’s driving already under the wheels, we were appreciative of the ST’s huggy sports seats that grip you into the corners, and its fluid blend of vivid performance and firm-edged but reasonably cushioned ride.

Over the distance you are aware of the bumps, but they are sufficiently damped not to be too jarring. The ride-handling set-up feels well-mixed for a cocktail of stimulation and comfort. The A75 is a stunning road, and the southernmost part of it is toll-free. It weaves between dramatic rocky cliffs, through majestic countryside. For a trip up through France from Spain, it is not only one of the most
convenient routes, but also wonderfully scenic. We wanted to see the famed Millau viaduct that carries the autoroute across the Tarn Valley. This dramatic 2.4 kilometre cable-stayed bridge, designed by British architect Norman Foster, could fit the Eiffel Tower underneath. We couldn’t resist pulling in to the Aire parking area just after the bridge, to get a wider view of it, and did just briefly before a sudden snowstorm obliterated the entire structure from view. Fortunately, the French
authorities seem very efficient on the autoroutes at least in snow clearance, and the next section of our route north was punctuated by frequent snowploughs working to keep the road clear. It was comforting to have the ST’s heated steering wheel switched on while the temperature outside once again lunged below zero.

A visit to the Clermont Ferrand race circuit, briefly home to the French Grand Prix between 1965 and 1972, would have been an interesting stop-off point, but darkness intervened, so we targeted Bourges for the next overnight stop. This well-preserved city is a place of cobbled streets and ancient architecture, including a Gothic cathedral. Our hotel, the Angleterre, takes its name from Edward VIII having stayed in the building.

The next morning we routed around the south side of Paris towards Reims. We were on a mission to reach the old Reims race circuit, just west of the city by the village of Gueux, while winter daylight was still strong enough for some good photos. The circuit was triangular, and in use from 1926 until the 1970s. It was a long-time home to the French Grand Prix, and Fangio held the lap record there in 1951. The old pits and start-finish line are located on the D27, and make a wonderfully evocative place to visit.

When we were last there some years ago, the place was a sad relic of its glorious past, with scuffed concrete and pale, washed-out paintwork. But it has since been
sympathetically restored by a local group of ‘Friends’ of the old circuit, and the ghostly buildings look really good again.

After three days and 1,000 eventful miles in the Focus ST 2.0 TDCi, the lingering impression is of a car that combines sporty performance, grippy roadholding and tautly dynamic handling with grand cruiser civility. Fuel consumption for the long, fast trip averaged just a smidgeon over 50mpg,
which means it has the makings of a new dervhead favourite.