WITH its 110g/km CO2 figures, 67.3 mpg fuel economy and a top speed of 134mph, no corners have been cut in the Focus ST’s transformation from petrol to diesel.

It also represents an ideal opportunity to sell the car into SMEs.

For company car drivers, the reduced CO2 means a lower benefit-in-kind figure (BIK) relative to the established petrol Focus ST model.

Comparing Focus ST2 hatch models, the monthly benefit-in-kind for a 40% tax payer on a diesel would be £155, however on a petrol it would be £206.

So per month, that’s a significant drop.

Up until now, high running costs have put a lot of business buyers off; this concern is substantially reduced with the more economical diesel.

So what are monthly contract hire rates like?

Ford Lease (via ALD) has pitched the Focus ST2 diesel hatch at just £234 over a 6×35 term. With the practical estate just £40 more at £274 per month.