Frankfurt Motor Show 2011: Ford Focus ST. 2-litre, 247bhp EcoBoost

Good news. The new Ford Focus ST is fully official. And it sounds fast! Bad news. It won’t be available to buy until around the summertime of next year. Let’s hope the time flies while we’re waiting for near-250bhp Focus ST fun.

Ford’s first global performance car (to be sold in 40 markets on six continents) – based, of course, on the new global Focus – made its highly anticipated debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this very evening. Aren’t you happy we stayed up late to give you the news? And it's the production-ready car posing under the bright-show-lights in Germany. If you like it, this is what you’ll be driving next year. 

New Focus ST (Sport Technologies) looks pretty darn tough but, in keeping with the ST through RS evolutions, not totally wild-styled and in one’s face. It’s cheeky, but not outrageous. But, deep down, it’s all about the front-driving, sticky-chassis dynamics when it comes to keeping the diehard (and hopefully plenty of new) ST fans happy, so let’s look under those almost-bulging 5-door and estate (for Europe only) bodies first. 

Turbocharged petrol engines already beat naturally aspirated motors in the power-to-pollution ratio, and Ford turned their focus to fast yet frugal petrol turbocharging sometime ago with their EcoBoost engines. The lower CO2 targets still remain for this ST - the new 2-litre, 247bhp 4-cylinder ST engine reduces CO2 and fuel consumption by more than 20 per cent compared to the previous-generation 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder motor. There's substantial power to look forward to, but also lots of new handling-tech.



Engine:
The new Focus ST drops a whole 500cc and one cylinder against the outgoing car, so this new lightweight, all-aluminum EcoBoost engine must work harder for its old-221bhp-ST-beating 247bhp. 

High pressure direct injection, low-inertia turbocharging and Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) are the three main keys to the new car’s near 125bhp-per-litre performance score, with new ST’s redesigned intake and exhaust systems and unique engine calibration also promising to deliver the power with responsiveness. 

Official performance figures-wise, 247bhp sure sounds like a lot of fun, but in the real world chunky torque (360Nm for the new car) is more useful than just heady horsepower. And while power and torque are happily on the up; CO2 and economy also progress in the right directions. Ford expect 20 per cent better, in fact.

“This is the first time we have used a 4-cylinder Ford EcoBoost engine in a high performance model and the results are phenomenal,” said Jost Capito, director of Global Performance Vehicles at Ford. “Drivers will have a lot of power and torque throughout the rev range to use. For everyday driving, though, the characteristics of this car will let them drive in a more fuel efficient way than previously, which is an essential part of the ST’s DNA.” 

And the gearbox is a crucial partner to fast ‘n’ frugal fun and Ford will employ a 6-speed manual transmission for the new ST with revised, sporting gearing and a 6th gear that looks after cruising economy and quick lorry motorway overtakes. Ford are promising that the new 4-cylinder ST will be just as audibly-exciting as the out-going 5-cylinder car; using their “sound symposer”, but I guess we’ll have get them both side-by-side, exhaust-to-exhaust in an ST sound-off challenge to confirm our fruity favourite…



Suspension:
The new, non-ST Ford Focus is already one sweet-handling car - we’ve test-driven the silky-torquey, 5-door Focus 1.6-litre EcoBoost 150 (147bhp), and it cunningly combines cornering control and grip with smooth comfort, so it’s no surprise that Ford engineers looked forward to giving this modern and refined chassis the ST treatment. 

“Focus ST hasn’t come around by chance,” said Capito. “What came first was our global performance strategy, which has been developed with North America, Europe and Asia together. With this, the core DNA attributes like the steering, driving dynamics, the sound quality and the power enhancements for all ST models have all been defined to the extent that our engineers can take that global DNA fingerprint and use it to create the new Focus ST.” 

Up front, the new ST gets its own bespoke suspension set-up, with uprated shock absorbers and springs that lower it by 10mm bringing the centre of gravity closer to the road.

Out back, the rear suspension has a number of new parts developed specifically for the Focus ST, including uprated suspension knuckles and an all-new anti-roll bar. 

The out-going ST gave the back lane grins but it was also every-day-usable, and Ford look to continue this ST tradition with the new car. 



Electronics:
“Driver aids” are often dirty words when it comes to performance cars, but judging by the long list of acronyms behind the new ST badge; most of which can be flicked to the “off” position, it seems that Ford see the future of friendly but fast front-drivers under electronic control, rather than mechanical LSD-style mastery. 

First on the finely-fettled handling front is the newly-developed Ford Sport Steering System; a variable ratio steering rack designed to increase the agility of the Focus ST on winding roads, yet still inspire high-speed confidence. It’s less sensitive when driving in a straight line, but increases the sensitivity during cornering. Sounds very neat indeed, as long as the electronics are in tune with the human. 

Another concern with powerful front-wheel drive cars is torque steer; the steering wheel chopping and snatching that occurs when all that grunt comes in contact with variable road surfaces and conditions. Focus ST’s Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) is also assisted by Ford’s Torque Steer Compensation (TSC) system. 

More aggressive tuning of the TSC is said to allow new Focus ST drivers to accelerate at full throttle and yet still find grip on roads with uneven levels of grip. The TSC system detects the torque steer that those conditions can create and communicates with the EPAS software which then counteracts the effect to “virtually eliminate the sensation for the driver.” A mechanical limited-slip differential used to do this job. 

The Focus ST’s Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is now tuned with the emphasis on driver enjoyment. Three selectable modes can be applied by the driver to suit conditions with the standard mode supporting the driver on all surfaces, whether dry, wet or snow-covered. 

The second ESP mode, called reduced or wide-slip mode, dramatically reduces ESP input; it’ll intrude only as absolutely necessary. As the hedge looms large, perhaps.

And to keep the anti-driver-aids lobby happy, ST’s ESP be switched off completely for the purest of ST action, with only sub-features such as the Enhanced Dynamic Cornering Control (EDCC) remaining watchful. So that’s off but not totally naked, then. 



Bodywork:
Globally, the new Focus ST will be available as a 5-door hatchback, with European markets also offered an ST estate. Fido never travelled so fast! And while both of these new STs look a little quiet next to the eye-popping RS cars, there’s still a pleasant level of malevolence to the new ST style. 

There’s a new signature production colour too, Tangerine Scream, but also the welcome return of some classic paint colour names like Performance Blue and Race Red and Race White. 

Under the wild paint jobs are some quite subtle bodywork beef-ups to the now deeper front and rear bumpers and sculpted sideskirts, while – of course – there’s a roof-tip spoiler on both models that’s said to improve high-speed stability and reduced drag; sitting above a unique centre-exit exhaust with a tailpipe design based on the hexagonal mesh in the front bumper. 

You might also recognize the Y-shaped, 5-spoke alloys as seen – but tweaked for the new car – on the previous generation Focus ST. Eighteen-inches tall and wrapped in 235/40 R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 rubber. “Performance Pack” option buyers can order the wheels in black with a high contrast red brake calipers. 



Interior:
Famous seaters Recaro are back in action with the new Focus ST, bringing many years of sports experience to the ST’s cabin. The new seats were designed to hold the driver fast during quick cornering, but also offer some comforting adjustments like cushion tilt and length adjustment; apparently unique options in this class of vehicle. Drivers will also sit lower in the ST. 

New Focus ST will be offered to European customers in three trim options – ST1, ST2 and ST3, as seen already on the previous Focus ST in the UK. 

ST1 is the standard model, offering features like cloth Recaro seats, keyless start, front door scuff plates with ST logo and standard ST rear bench with centre armrest. 

Focus ST2 adds partial leather to the Recaros and dual zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (EATC), unique ST floor mats, automatic headlamp control, auto-dimming rear view mirror and automatic wipers. 

The top spec Focus ST3 features exclusive heated leather Recaro seats with 8-way adjustability and a pull out cushion, plus the newly developed Recaro rear bench seat, as well as Bi-Xenon headlights.



So, it sounds like there’s plenty of excitement-R&D – and some solid fast-front-driver experience – in the new-for-2012 Ford Focus ST, with even more power and a wide range of electronic driver assistance. The out-going ST (and RS) Focus cars found fanatical fans through sharp styling, torquey turbo power and class-leading front-wheel drive handling, and the new car so far looks along the right ST-lines. Price and full performance figures are yet to be confirmed but we’d expect the new ST to exceed-the-speed of the out-going car, so that's quikcer than 6.6secs to 62mph and 152mph. Roll on summer…






The new Ford Focus ST estate hauls big loads, fast!




Enjoying the show so far? Why not check out our Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 mega gallery of hot new models…


By Daniel Anslow

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