Opinion: 2015 Focus ST

The 2015 Ford Focus ST has been unveiled with mixed reviews. This controversial cosmetic ‘upgrade’ has stirred the passions of many focus owners including myself. So Here are my 2 cents on this change.

The Headlights: Thumbs up
I like the sleeker lines of these new projector headlights and improves the aggressiveness of the front end.

The Grills: Thumbs Up
The upper Grill is one large uninterrupted piece which I originally thought to be unattractive on the previous model. I have since grown to love the two bars within the 2013-14 grill. With the enlargement of the lower grill, this has allowed an opportunity to show off intercoolers better. The current model also shows off the intercooler, but it was split between the upper and lower grill. With this new design, It’s all displayed within the lower grill.

Fog Lights: Thumbs Down
While on one hand, I like the enlarged fog light surrounds as it increases the aggressive look of the front end, the lights themselves look like a total afterthought and do not flow with the rest of the car one little bit. I think it would look better without the lights at all, and have it replaced with solid grills.

The Hood: Thumbs Down
The center raised section of the hood is unnecessary and adds a ricer look to the hood. The front and back lines of the raised section line up with nothing else. The only improvement that I can see is that there is no curved cutout at the front for the Ford logo like on the previous version.

The Rear-View Mirrors: Thumbs Down
While I like the idea of mirrors with a smaller profile, I have become accustomed the large mirrors in the 2013-14 ST and appreciate their function. In this case, I’ll take the function over the form.