American automakers have historically struggled to make much headway into the sport compact car market. Traditionally dominated by players like Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Honda, there are only a handful of American sport compact cars that have made even a dent in this closed and highly-competitive market.
But don’t tell that to the Ford Focus ST, the Blue Oval’s latest and greatest entry in the sport compact wars. In order to prove that the Focus ST has the gusto to stand toe-to-toe with some of the competition, Ford has put out a series of videos called the Focus ST Sessions. The latest one of these videos to drop is all about control, and the competition, at least on paper, seems to have a distinct advantage.
That is because the competition is the all-wheel drive Subaru WRX, a fan-favorite in the sport compact market. With rally driver Matthew Johnson behind the wheel, the Subaru is a fierce competitor thanks to its 265 horsepower Boxer motor. That is more power than the front-wheel drive, 247 horsepower Focus ST…but don’t count the Ford out.
With rally driver Chrissie Beavis at the wheel, the Focus ST is able to easily outmaneuver the Subaru WRX in the corners. However, the power advantage in the straightaways means the WRX can usually catch up. We won’t spoil the winner for you, but suffice to say, these two drivers kept us on the edge of our seat all the way to the end.