Having wowed the crowds at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Ford Focus ST will be crated up and shipped to our shores for performance car fanatics at the upcoming Johannesburg International Motor Show.
The new Focus ST will feature a turbocharged 2,0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine developing 184 kW and 360 N.m of torque, placing it squarely in the same league as such performance-hatch luminaries as the Renault Megane RS and Volkswagen Scirocco R. Although the new engine is considerably more powerful than the five-cylinder 2,5-litre turbo unit it replaces, Ford claims that it will improve on the outgoing unit’s fuel economy and emissions outputs by 20 per cent.
Power will be channelled to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. To counter any potential torque steer such a setup may incur, Ford will utilise a system dubbed Torque Vectoring Control, which acts in a similar manner to a limited-slip differential, as well as Cornering Understeer Control which creates yaw torque between the front wheels in both power-on and lift-off cornering scenarios.
Developed under Ford’s global product strategy, the new Focus ST has been developed with even greater emphasis on safety, refinement and powerplant calibration, such as suitability for different fuel grades in various markets, than before to ensure greater durability and performance levels.
The new Ford Focus ST will go on sale locally during the course of 2012.
