Many believe that a name given at birth can influence one's destiny. In the world of cars, the situation is similar: just add a couple of letters to a model's name, and an ordinary car turns into a real projectile. We decided to conduct a comparative test of two "hot" versions — the Ford Focus and the Citroen C4.
In standard trim, without the ST and VTS badges, these cars are typical representatives of the mass segment. Such vehicles travel by the millions on European roads, creating a colorful picture in cities and on highways. But our heroes today are a completely different matter. They refuse to be part of the gray mass and claim a special status. Do they have grounds for this?
Let's start with the "American." Installing the ST badge on the bright orange Ford Focus implies serious changes in appearance: new bumpers, side skirts, and a radiator grille have appeared. The sporty character is emphasized by an aggressive spoiler, dual exhaust, and widened wheel arches. That's a plus. Indeed, the ST version cannot be confused with a regular Focus.
Inside, the changes are not so extensive. Regular seats have given way to sporty Recaro seats. The instrument panel has been slightly updated — the dials received a silver trim, and three additional gauges were added showing boost pressure, oil temperature, and oil pressure — information important for a true pilot. The pedals have aluminum overlays with rubber inserts. In short, the sporty spirit is felt in everything. However, the aluminum-look plastic inserts on the doors turned out to be not very convenient — the hand slips, and the door does not close on the first try.
Technically, there are more changes than in the interior. Under the hood is a powerful 225-horsepower turbo engine from Volvo, paired with a six-speed manual transmission also of Swedish production. Plus, a new subframe and reinforced stabilizer. The stiffness of the shock absorbers has increased by 30%, which positively affected handling. Wheel alignment angles were also changed for better stability in corners. At the same time, the engineers tried to maintain comfort, and it must be said, they succeeded.
Now about the "Frenchman." The sporty ambitions of the Citroen C4 are indicated by the VTS abbreviation on the sills. However, there are not many fundamental external differences from the civilian version. Perhaps because the original appearance of the car is already quite expressive. The main difference is under the hood: a two-liter 180-horsepower engine borrowed from the Peugeot 206GT. Recall that Citroen and Peugeot are brothers within the concern.
A spoiler has appeared on the trunk lid, and the door sills have slightly changed shape. Inside, there are minimal differences. The seats are upholstered in perforated leather with suede inserts. On the front panel — aluminum overlays, on the pedals — metal. However, it is hard to say that they radically enlivened the interior and added sportiness.
Time to hit the road. We get into the Focus. The sporty seats with a pronounced profile tightly embrace the driver. Lateral support compensates for the slippery leather. The steering wheel is moderately soft and thick, pleasant in the hands. The gear lever also pleases tactilely.
A light blip of the throttle — and the cabin fills with a pleasant rumble. This is the work of a special resonator built into the intake tract, which turns the soft sound of the inline five-cylinder into a menacing roar. Clutch, gas, acceleration. The dynamics are hard to call mind-blowing. Rather, it is a smooth and confident acceleration that gently hits the limiter. It's hard to believe there's a turbo engine under the hood. Where is the surge at high revs? Where is the explosive character? Everything is precise and measured.
The suspension, like the engine, behaves in a civil manner. It swallows bumps, giving the driver and passengers comfort unavailable to true sports cars. At the same time, the car handles well and confidently holds its line in corners. The only remark is understeer.
What will the French respond with? The C4's acceleration turned out to be more modest than its rival's. And that's not surprising: the engine is 45 horsepower weaker. The car reaches 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds, while the competitor's figure was a second and a half better. The "long" gears are noticeable: in third, you can easily drive up to 140 km/h, so in the city, fourth and fifth are practically unnecessary. To be fair, the engine revs willingly across the entire rev range.
At first, it seems that we have a well-tuned stiff suspension, which can be forgiven for discomfort on bumps. But as soon as you accelerate in a corner, the illusion disappears. The kinematics of the chassis are such that under lateral loads, it does not have time to absorb bumps. The car starts to bounce and shift outward.
The Focus ST and Citroen C4 VTS are pseudo-sporty cars. They roar loudly, scaring passersby. Drivers feel like real racers, sitting in sporty seats and holding sporty steering wheels. A clear winner cannot be named. The Focus ST has a pronounced sporty appearance and turbocharging. The Frenchman's trump cards are an equally flashy appearance and brakes. It's just a pity that its gearbox is only five-speed.
So in this confrontation, there is neither a clear winner nor a loser. When choosing between these two cars, the buyer should rely on their own taste. By the way, the appearance of another "hot" representative of the golf class is expected soon — the Opel Astra OPC.
Technical specifications Ford Focus ST // Citroen C4 VTS
Body – 3-door hatchback
Curb weight, kg – 1392 // 1337
Dimensions, mm:
- length – 4362 // 4273
- width – 1840 // 1769
- height – 1447 // 1458
Wheelbase, mm – 2640 // 2608
Trunk volume, l – 385 // 342
Maximum speed, km/h – 241 // 227
Control fuel consumption, combined cycle, l/100 km – 9.3 // 8.4
Engine:
- type – 5-cyl., 20-valve with fuel injection and turbocharging // 4-cyl., 16-valve with fuel injection
- displacement, cm3 – 2522 // 1997
- power, hp at rpm – 225/6000 // 180/7000
- torque, Nm at rpm – 320/1600–4000 // 202/4750
Transmission – manual, 6-speed // manual, 5-speed
Tire size – 215/45R17 // 205/50R17
Wheel suspension:
- front – McPherson
- rear – independent, multi-link semi-independent
Brakes (front/rear) – disc, ventilated/disc
Steering – rack and pinion, with power steering
Price, $ – from 29,950 // 29,000.
Advantages and disadvantages
Ford Focus ST
+ Handling, exhaust sound.
– Brakes, steering sharpness.
Citroen C4 VTS
+ Suspension, brakes, interior.
– Gearbox operation, visibility.