This is the new Ford Focus ST Estate – or ‘Wagon’ as Ford insists on calling it

Ford reveals the first photo of the Focus ST Estate, although they insist on calling it a ‘Wagon’. Prices for the ST estate start at £30,595.

It’s three months since the new Ford Focus ST was revealed, but for some reason, despite making it clear it came in Hatch and Estate versions, Ford only released photos of the Hatch.

But now, with both the Hatch and Estate about to go on sale in the UK, Ford has decided to release photos of the ST Estate (above).

For some reason, they insist on calling it a ‘Wagon’. Which it’s not; a Wagon in the UK is a lorry, not an estate car. Creeping Americanisms.

But despite the nonsense of calling it a Wagon in the UK, the Focus ST estate is a very appealing all-rounder, offering much the same performance and equipment as the ST Hatch, but throwing in a chunk of extra load-lugging to make it a very appealing family car.

The pick is clearly the petrol ST estate, complete with Ford’s appealing 2.3 litre EcoBoost engine delivering 276bhp and 310lb/ft of torque and a sub 6.0 second 0-62mph. It gets turbo-lag boosting tech and an electronic limited slip diff, and you can have the Performance Pack with rev-matching too.

But if you must burn diesel, the ST Estate gets a perfectly decent 187bhp and 295lb/ft of torque and will use a chunk less fuel.

A good buy at £30,595 for the diesel and £33,095 for the petrol. But if the salesman at your Ford dealers insists on calling it a Wagon when you go to order, give him a slap and go and by a VW Golf Estate instead.