2012 Ford Focus ST Will Be the Same the World Over

Despite its bottom-feeder fish face, the new Ford Focus ST is shaping up to be a really interesting contender for the hothatch market. We already know that the Dearborn carmaker is going to offer the new “dolphin” as a “worldwide” automobile, but that doesn’t mean it won’t differ from market to market.

Usually, when a car is brought over to the US, it has to be converted to meet different emissions and safety regulations. In addition, some automakers choose to make their products softer and less edgy to meet the demands of the market. However, Ford has recently announced that the new Focus ST “will offer exactly the same exciting driving experience wherever it’s on sale,” which means Asia, Europe and North America.

The model, which will make its debut early next year, will offer up a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine providing 247 hp. This will make it more than a match for eternal rival - the Golf GTI - and will put the ST on equal footing with the Megane RS. However, Ford have always been good at providing extra bang for the buck and raising the bar when it comes to standard options.

Like the Focus ST and RS models before it, the new Focus ST’s final set-up will be achieved after painstaking tuning on some of the most demanding roads we can find from California to the Nurburgring, and from high-speed German autobahns to classic British B-roads, so the 2012 model is undergoing harsh testing at the moment, ensuring it will appeal to both the gentleman and hooligan in you.