2003 Ford Focus ST170 review from UK and Ireland

Common faults like the heat shield on the manifold rusted and came loose... simply replaced by a Hi-Flow sports cat; no heat shields, no worries.

Bracket from the cat rubbing against the drive shaft. Again not a big issue; £50 at the local Ford dealer.

This is a fantastic car. I bought it 2nd hand as a replacement for my aging 1.25 Fiesta, which was also a brilliant little car. It looks and sounds like it has just rolled out of the showroom. Not a scratch and a single rattle.

Very comfortable to drive long distances in, economical when in 6th cog, but drop it and put your foot to the floor and it will soon drink your tank dry. Comes with the Xenon headlights and climate control.

I run it on Octane 99 from Tesco garages, and it adds to the torque and generally is still quite economical. It's been serviced every 4000 miles and cleaned twice a week. If you keep the car maintained, it will last for years.

A new panel filter and Hi Flow sports cat have added 10-12bhp, so it's currently running at 183Bhp. What would have really made this car would have been if they put a turbo on the engine.

I have left Golf GTi's, Ibiza Cupra's and thankfully the Nova chav's standing. You can chuck it into corners and it will stay stuck to the road, thanks to its stiff chassis, suspension and help of the wide tyres.

I may stick with Ford as the cars I buy from now on.