Order books for Ford's new Focus ST open this week.

Glass’s motoring guide has forecast a residual value that places the Focus ST one point ahead of the Volkswagen Golf GTI and three points clear of the Vauxhall Astra VXR over three-years/60,000 miles.

The ST has an insurance rating of 17E and comes with a Thatcham Category 1 alarm as standard.

The first 1,500 customers placing an order will get the chance to test their vehicle at the Prodrive facility in Warwickshire in an ‘ST experience day’.

The new Focus ST is set to arrive in UK showrooms in January 2006.