Bored of pushing boundaries further and further only in the horsepower area, the hot hatch segment has now taken itself to a new dimension (literally), thanks to Ford.
Ford today unveiled the 2012 Focus ST, which is its first global performance product (the vehicle will be offered on around 40 markets). Wait, did we say global. Well, it isn't, because only the Europeans will get the wagon version responsible for the first paragraph.
Let's move on CUT under the hood, where the infamous T5 of the replaced model has been ditched for a 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers 250 hp and 265 lb-ft (here's your torque unit globalization 360 Nm) of torque, with Ford promising that the unit will treat us with a menacing soundtrack through that double, centrally-mounted exhaust.
In addition to that, the unit should outperform its predecessor in terms of efficiency by around 20 percent. As for it's best friend, this will be a six-speed manual gearbox.
But the Focus ST has always been about the handling... Ford is giving us not one, but two torque steer antidotes, in the form of a specially tweaked electronic power steering and a torque steer compensation system (we're still lusting for an optional mechanical LSD).
The interior has received quite a lot of specific parts, such as the seats. The front Recaros seem to offer a good compromise between trackday and shopping necessities fulfillment, while in the rear there's a new bench that offers more lateral support.
Let's move on CUT under the hood, where the infamous T5 of the replaced model has been ditched for a 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers 250 hp and 265 lb-ft (here's your torque unit globalization 360 Nm) of torque, with Ford promising that the unit will treat us with a menacing soundtrack through that double, centrally-mounted exhaust.
In addition to that, the unit should outperform its predecessor in terms of efficiency by around 20 percent. As for it's best friend, this will be a six-speed manual gearbox.
But the Focus ST has always been about the handling... Ford is giving us not one, but two torque steer antidotes, in the form of a specially tweaked electronic power steering and a torque steer compensation system (we're still lusting for an optional mechanical LSD).
The interior has received quite a lot of specific parts, such as the seats. The front Recaros seem to offer a good compromise between trackday and shopping necessities fulfillment, while in the rear there's a new bench that offers more lateral support.
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