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Ford boss Alan Mulally’s vision of selling the same cars around the world rumbles on, but so far, all the North American markets have been offered is a portfolio of cooking hatchbacks. Now the fun begins, as orders open for this new hot Focus, which arrives this autumn priced at between $24,495 to $28,930. Ford is preparing the ground this summer, with a series of ST road shows at race tracks across the country aimed at convincing committed drivers what a potential giant killer this little bolide will be.

Will it? Look beyond the ‘Tangerine-Scream’ paint job and there’s a lot to like here. The basic 171.7-in. long, 5-door hatchback is the familiar shape unveiled in Detroit two years ago. The ST benefits from chromium headlamp backgrounds, a snazzy gloss-black lower grille, roof spoilers, curvaceous fenders and side skirts, plus grey alloy wheels, red brake calipers and illuminated scuff plates. It adds a purposeful look to what is a pretty good-looking car.

The cabin is mildly reworked with Recaro sports seats and the fascia gets a series of ancillary gauges on the dash top. The ST has been developed jointly by Ford’s RS team in Europe and the Special Vehicles Team (SVT) in the U.S. Under the hood is a reworked version of the Ecoboost 2.0-liter, punching out 246 bhp (SAE) and 250 lb.-ft. of torque. This all-aluminum mill has direct fuel injection into the cylinders, and a Borg Warner twin-scroll turbocharger attached to exhaust manifolds integrated into the cylinder head, which is claimed to reduce turbo lag. The transmission is Ford’s MMT6 6-speed manual shifter driving the front wheels. Top speed is quoted as 154 mph, with 0-60 mph acceleration in 6.2 sec. No U.S. mileage figures yet, but in the NEDC, the ST delivers 23.7 mpg (U.S.) in the urban cycle and 32.7 mpg (U.S.) in the combined cycle.

The ST’s MacPherson-strut front and control-blade independent rear suspension gets reworked springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, plus a 0.4-in. drop in the ride height. The recalibrated electronically assisted steering has a variable rate to aid low-speed maneuvering, while retaining a good response at speed.

Start her up and the engine sounds a bit flat, although a passive, noise-enhancing ‘Symposer’ attached to the firewall makes the best of the four-pot’s song once under way – a sort of Rottweiler-on-demand. The seats are superbly supportive and the gear shifter has short, but firm throws, with a meaty, but not heavy clutch. We’d have liked a little more rear adjustment to the steering, however.

Just yards up the road, you realize this is a very fine piece of engineering execution. The steering tugs in your hands under hard acceleration, but is accurate and full of feel and the engine’s flat torque curve means it is ready to answer the call at almost any revs. The ride is supple rather than firm and body roll is well controlled. This isn’t a blindingly fast car, but it makes the maximum use of every single one of its horses.

The nose points readily into the turns and the body settles quickly. Go faster and it maintains its line. Go even faster and the torque vectoring system trails the brakes on the inside wheel to reduce nose-on understeer. Defenestrate your brain and throw it into the turns and the 3223-lb. ST steadfastly keeps turning even when the ignition keys are flying horizontally and your earwax is draining onto the side windows. And when the wheels do start to slide, the reaction is faithful and intuitive. It flatters the driver and allows time to correct a slide smoothly without terrifying everyone on board.

The brakes deserve special mention being powerful, but with a pedal feel that allows you to brake just short of the anti-lock threshold.

While the special parts from the old RS Focus models haven’t been included in this new ST, it is important to remember that the ST is a mild performance car designed to be a daily driver as well as a thrilling fairground ride. What Ford has taken out in trick differentials and suspension components, it has put back with loving refinement and engineering execution. Despite its modest specification, the ST is a true performer and a hugely entertaining machine that won’t break the bank to buy or run. It’s a blue-collar supercar and that’s going to win it a lot of friends when it goes on sale later this year.

Articles Source : roadandtrack