The new Ford Focus ST: 4 Things you need to know
Ford has just pulled the covers off the all-new Focus ST. If it’s anything like its predecessor, then we can expect to see hundreds of them on South African roads. Although we will have to wait on official word from Ford South Africa as to whether the new Ford Focus ST will be available here, considering that we didn’t get the new Fiesta ST over ‘poor fuel quality’.
If it does make its way to local shores, here are four things you’ll want to know about America’s latest hot-hatch.
1. The new Focus ST will be available in petrol and diesel variants.
The petrol variant is powered by a 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine capable of producing 206kW of power and 420Nm of torque, propelling it from 0-100km/h in just under 6.0-seconds. The diesel, on the other hand, features the most powerful diesel engine ever to power a Ford Focus. A 2.0-litre unit produces 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque and will likely be the more fuel-efficient of the duo. A six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic transmission are available.
2. The new ST borrows tech from the Focus RS and Ford GT.
According to Ford, their new Focus ST will offer “the most responsive and agile Focus ST driving experience ever, on road and track”, mostly due to its new C2 platform and tech pulled straight out of the Mustang and GT.
For starters, the new ST is the first front-wheel drive Ford to feature an electronic limited-slip differential to improve cornering dynamics. There is also a smart new continuously controlled damping system. This adapts the damping responses every two milliseconds to factors like steering, braking and suspension to turn the Focus ST into a track weapon.
The anti-lag system from the Ford GT also makes an appearance on the new ST and works by keeping the throttle slightly open as the driver steps off the accelerator, allowing turbo boost to build up easier to provide a more instantaneous surge of power.
The diesel ST comes with its own bag of tricks, like a new torque vectoring system that cuts understeer by braking the inside front wheel during intense cornering.
3. It’s available with different drive modes.
The new ST changes its personality according to its drive mode. The standard modes are Normal, Sport, Wet and a Track mode for models with the optional Performance Pack, which also includes rev-matching technology on the six-speed manual models.
4. The new Focus ST is pretty.
The ST grille looks angry and sucks in a lot of air to keep the engine cool. A set of exclusive ‘ST’ alloys keep the side-profile looking sporty while a spoiler and twin tailpipes wrap things up at the rear. The interior is brought to life with sporty Recaro seats, an abundance of ST branding and a quick sports steering, and just like the BMWi8 the noise of the exhaust is amplified into the cabin when in Sport and Track mode.
