The Ford Focus ST has always been one of the hot hatch segment’s benchmarks. With an all-new Focus headed our way next year, expect the ST to be an even bigger thorn in the sides of its competitors.
The next generation ST, due sometime in 2012, debuted at the recent Paris Motor show. Onlookers were bedazzled by the show car’s new paint, dubbed “tangerine orange”, and the aggressive new bodykit. Other notable exterior features include LED headlamps, a large rear spoiler and 19-inch alloys.
The Volvo-derived turbocharged 2,5-litre five-cylinder unit doing service in the current ST makes way for Ford’s 2,0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder powerplant, which produces 184 kW – nearly 20 kW more than the model it replaces. The ST will come standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, which sends torque to front wheels.
Ford is rumoured to be incorporating its new torque-vectoring power control system into the new ST, which should help minimise both understeer and torque steer.
Watch a video of the new Focus ST