2021 Ford Focus ST Acceleration Test Mirrors Claimed Performance

Available with the 2.0-liter EcoBlue turbo diesel and a detuned version of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, the Focus ST with gasoline power is the one to have thanks to a limited-slip differential up front and an optional automatic.

If specified with the seven-speed tranny, Ford says that zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) is possible in 5.7 seconds flat. Scott Newman of MOTOR dipped below that figure with a 5.69-second run at Heathcote Park Raceway in Victoria, Australia, which is pretty good for a vehicle of this footprint and heft. In ideal conditions, the quarter mile is covered in 13.82 seconds at 167 kilometers per hour (103 miles per hour).

Accelerating from 80 to 120 kilometers per hour (50 to 75 miles per hour) takes 3.5 seconds, and the car stops on a dime in the braking test as well despite considerable ABS intervention. Be that as it may, these results are underwhelming because we all know the Focus RS would've done better.

The Blue Oval intends to be fully electric in Europe by 2030, the year it expects 40 percent of global sales to be represented by EVs. Given these circumstances, canning the Focus RS was the right call for the Dearborn-based automaker that prepares to roll out an electric truck next spring.

It’s also worth mentioning that hot hatchbacks are getting ridiculously powerful and expensive. The 2021 model year Honda Civic Type R, for example, costs $37,895 sans taxes and dealership markups. Volkswagen is charging $44,640 for the all-wheel-drive Golf R, and Mercedes-AMG really brings the point home with 415 horsepower (421 PS) and 368 pound-feet (500 Nm) of torque from 2.0 liters of displacement in the A 45 S 4Matic+.