Ford Focus ST vs. Volkswagen Golf GTI 2014 Comparison

The hot hatch segment is alive and well, especially in Australia where buyers have a particular soft spot for these practical yet sporty machines.

The default choice for many years has been the Golf GTI, with Volkswagen’s go-fast five-door variant accounting for 20 per cent of all Golf models sold.

But the hot hatch segment is hotting up, with Ford, Mazda, Renault, Subaru and Volvo all now offering Golf GTI rivals, each priced within a cooee of $40,000.

For this test, we chose Golf’s European-built rival, the Ford Focus ST which, although similarly equipped, is cheaper and more powerful than its GTI-badged adversary.

Both are five-door hatches sourcing motivation from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. Both are also front-wheel drive, sporting beefy 18-inch alloy wheels, athletic aero kits, lowered suspensions, thickly bolstered sports seats, and the usual list of go-faster parts.

For a front-wheel drive hatch the Focus ST offers a serious amount of power –184kW at 5500rpm and 340Nm from 2000-4500rpm. The Golf GTI, on the other hand, delivers its 162kW punch at a higher 6200rpm and its higher torque figure of 350Nm from a more accessible 1500-4000rpm.

The GTI also offers the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch transmission whereas the Focus ST is available with only a DIY option.

But in spite of the on-paper figures favouring the Ford, the Volkswagen’s power delivery is superior in practice. The GTI’s tricky XDS+ electronic locking front differential is a seamless performer. As well as getting power down more readily through corners, it minimises understeer and almost eliminates torque steer, resulting in better acceleration (see break-out box).

Ford offers its own version of the differential braking technology to minimise torque steer. Dubbed Enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (ETVC) the system, like that of the VW, works in cooperation with the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) and stability control systems to compensate for the bias in torque delivery. However, the system is not as fluid as the GTI’s, and you’re at all times conscious of its action through feedback to the steering wheel.

Also in the Golf GTI’s favour is that it’s available with a dual-clutch transmission (as tested). This fast-shifting ‘automatic’-style unit not only helps with acceleration, it reduces the drudgery of the daily commute.

Not that the Focus ST’s six-speeder isn’t fun. As manual ’boxes go, it’s sharp with well-spaced ratios and comes with a communicative clutch. The pedal box is proportioned for quick changes, and heel-toe downshifts are manageable.

Using our trusty V-Box, the Golf GTI scored a 3.5-second sprint to 60km/h and 6.6 seconds to 100km/h. It just pipped the Ford Focus ST which managed 3.8 and 7.1 seconds over the same intervals, although traction proved an issue in dampening conditions.

Longer sprints resulted in a similar outcome for our dynamic duo. Over the 400m track, the Focus ST clocked 15.4 seconds with a terminal speed of 158.2km/h. The Golf GTI was noticeably quicker with 14.5 seconds at 162.8km/h.

But it was a different story during roll-on acceleration; the DSG-equipped GTI taking 1.9 seconds (in Drive-Sport) against the Ford’s 1.7 seconds (held in third gear) in our 80-100km/h simulated passing move.

The braking power of the Golf GTI did, however, prove superior with a hurried stop from 60km/h covering 13.5 metres against the Focus ST’s 14.8.

On track, the Focus ST felt more enthusiast-oriented than the Golf. It communicated proceedings adeptly and if kept flowing, was a joy to punt at speed.

That said, the more focussed suspension and more aggressive power delivery was unforgiving of ham-fisted driving. In contrast to the Golf GTI’s point-and-shoot reflexes, the Focus ST took a little more finesse to drive quickly.

Which is perhaps why the Golf GTI is such a strong seller: it’s capable and a lot of fun, but more than that it’s forgiving. In short, it makes even the average driver look fast.

Some might say the Volkswagen is therefore better engineered, and to a point we’d have to agree. But the character of the Focus ST is one that enthusiasts of the genre are probably more likely to enjoy.

The Focus ST is also a car that looks sportier, both inside and out. The GTI is a little clinical in some respects, which may account for its popularity across a wider demographic. But to us, it lacked that sporty edge the Focus ST has in abundance, perhaps in every respect except ergonomics.

In many ways the Focus ST and Golf GTI are different takes on a similar formula. Each has a personality likely to attract a particular buyer, though in our view, only one is the better all-rounder, and that’s the Volkswagen.

A car equally at home purring around the supermarket car park as it is on the race track, the GTI has both the know-how and the confidence to tackle a greater breadth of tasks. You can happily – and quite comfortably – live with the Golf day-to-day and still have fun on the weekends. It’s easier to drive and ultimately more practical.

Just be prepared to shell out a little extra coin and blend in with an ever-growing crowd. It might be the pick of the pair, but it’s certainly less conspicuous for it.

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