As the world settles with the new 4th-generation Ford Focus, unveiled just last week, there’s already plenty of talk about where Ford might take its forthcoming high performance variants.
First on the roster is the Focus ST, which will be the default fast Ford hatch until the slated introduction of an all-new - possibly hybrid - Focus RS in the latter half of the car’s life. Already Ford’s incoming front-drive hot hatch has been seen making the rounds at the Nurburgring.
According to the latest set of rumours gathered by Autocar, though, the motors it’s housing is an interesting choice from Ford Performance: a detuned version of the 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder previously seen in the Focus RS and Mustang EcoBoost, producing roughly 190kW and driving the front wheels via a manual transmission.
It was suspected previously that the new Focus ST would use the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder from the Fiesta ST, however it’s understood that this course was rejected due to the engine needing to be running at its reliable limit to achieve desired performance levels.
Being front-driven and less powerful than the RS, the new ST will be a natural foil for the equally new Renault Megane RS, Hyundai i30 N, Peugeot 308 GTi, and Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance. It will also, obviously, receive many enhancements to cement its credentials as a true driver’s car, with the engineering brief being to make it as fun and playful as possible behind the wheel.
For one, the car will benefit from the Mk4 Focus’ new architecture which reduces weight as well as endows it with more structural rigidity. It should tip the scales at under 1,500kg at kerb and, compared to its direct predecessor, some 88kg lighter.
With the Nurburgring tests becoming more frequent, it’s clear that Ford is comfortable with telegraphing the car’s imminent release, which was earmarked for the tail end of 2018. However, new information suggests that a more likely debut is set for early 2019, with a likely venue being next year’s Geneva Motor Show.
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