Wear headphones! The audio in this video was recorded with in-ear binaural microphones. With headphones or earbuds on, you’ll feel like you’re actually sitting in the driver’s seat.
This week we find ourselves behind the wheel of another factory-built hot hatch. Much like the Fiesta we featured in September, the Focus also gets a thorough high performance reworking for ST duty from Ford’s engineers.
Today we’re getting behind the wheel of one of our current favorites in the hot hatch segment. Weighing in at just over 2700 pounds, the ST is outfitted with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder motor which generates 197 horsepower and 214 foot-pounds of torque, up a whopping 77 HP and 102 LB-FT from the standard Fiesta. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that the ST has plenty of oomph when dipping into the throttle, and paired with a stiff chassis, uprated suspension and torque vectoring wizardry which equates to quick turn-in and flat, generally neutral cornering, the Fiesta ST is an amicable companion for attacking your favorite twisty stretch of road.
It’s been a darn good year for the auto enthusiast. We’ve seen the launch of an all-new BMW 3-Series, the hugely anticipated Scion FR-S, a worked-over Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and a bevy of other new performance cars. One of the biggest names, that we’re stuck waiting on until the end of the year, is the all-new Ford Focus ST.
For a while now, rumors have been circulating about that Ford will be launching the hot Focus RS hatchback sometime soon, potentially as a 2015 model. A recent report on Car Advice, however, appears to dispel that rumor somewhat.
Back in 2002, the maniacs at Ford’s Special Vehicle Team took the three-door Focus hatchback and injected some guts, creating the Ford Focus SVT. The SVT lasted until 2005 when it was killed off, in favor of the mundane ST. Now, there is a new ST for 2012. Featuring a 246-horsepower EcoBoosted 2.0-liter I-4, the new ST will be on display at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.