![]() And drivers can further customize things with various driving modes (familiar from other Ford Performance products) and an optional Performance Pack. The traction benefits are clear, the Focus ST hitting 0-62 mph in 5.8 seconds and matching the all-wheel drive RS over a quarter-mile.Īll this gives the new Focus ST a wider bandwidth of ability. He also points to the adaptive Continuously Controlled Damping and an active, torque-distributing front axle similar to the VAQ ‘differential’ Volkswagen fits to the Golf GTI. The Focus ST has a Ferrari-fast rack ratio, taking just two turns to go lock to lock. Asked to pick one quality setting this ST apart from the Golf GTI, Hyundai i30 N (the Euro equivalent to the Veloster N), and Honda Civic Type R they benchmarked, he nominates the steering. But it’s clear Ford is keen to promote a good news story like this.Ĭhatting with Muenzinger his priority with the Focus ST was to carry over the spirit of its Fiesta brother, albeit with the greater sophistication of the Focus. Leo Roeks, Muenzinger’s boss and head of Ford Performance Europe, remains upbeat and says he is busy with new projects. But this new ST has ambitions to become a benchmark all-round hot-hatch king in the mould of the Golf GTI, the addition of diesel and station wagon variants only increasing its appeal.Īmid some significant restructuring, factory closures, and job losses in Ford’s European operation, the launch of the Focus ST is a temporary relief. Sure, the 280-horsepower, 2.3-liter EcoBoost is detuned somewhat compared with its previous application in the Focus RS. If the previous one was jalapeno hot, this new version is more habanero. This is a seriously capable performance hatch and a significant step up in ambition for the new Focus ST. Sadly he can’t return the favor and send a boatload of Focus STs back the other way across the Atlantic. secondment he was able to buy one and ship it home to Germany. He’s lucky – after tasting the GT350 on a U.S. Forbidden fruit retains a powerful appeal though, a fact that Ford Performance’s European Engineering Manager Stefan Muenzinger understands himself. Nice, France - Ford fans upset the new Focus ST won’t be coming to America can take some comfort in the fact their European brothers remain equally envious of the F-150 Raptors and Shelby GT350s the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |