Ford Focus ST is a front-wheel drive "heated" golf-class car (aka segment "C" according to the European classification), available in two five-door body versions: a hatchback and a station wagon ... Its main target audience is active city dwellers (often family, with one or more children), who want to get a functional vehicle for every day, on which, if desired, you can "give the heat" ...
The "hot" ST-version of the fourth generation Ford Focus in the hatchback body was first presented during an online presentation on February 18, 2019, and its full-scale debut took place a few weeks later at the International Geneva Motor Show. At the same time, the cargo-passenger model, although it was announced simultaneously with the hatch, debuted in all its glory only on May 16.
Compared to its predecessor, the car has changed in all directions - it became more attractive outside and inside, "moved" to a completely new platform and "armed" with new turbo engines, as a result of which it became more dynamic and faster.
Outside, the fourth generation Ford Focus ST, regardless of body type, boasts an attractive, balanced and energetic appearance, but it does not differ much from the "civilian" variants.
Slightly more aggressive bumpers, a large spoiler on the fifth door, two spaced apart "trunks" of the exhaust system, original 18- or 19-inch rims and nameplates with the name of the front and rear versions allow identifying the "hot" modifications of the hatchback and station wagon.
The overall dimensions of the "fourth" Ford Focus ST have not yet been disclosed, but they will not have serious discrepancies with the standard versions, which have the following indicators: length - 4378-4668 mm, width - 1825 mm, height - 1454-1481 mm, distance between wheelsets - 2700 mm.
Inside, the ST-version of "Focus" of the fourth incarnation meets its inhabitants with a beautiful and modern design, in which there are no contradictory solutions, as well as memorable details. Well, you can recognize the interior of the hot model against the background of a standard “brother” due to the sports steering wheel with a “puffy” rim, special decor, bucket-shaped front seats with pronounced lateral support and rigid filler and “ST” logos.
At the same time, in terms of the cargo-and-passenger plan, the "heated" car is no different from that in the basic version (regardless of the body version): the five-door is able to take on board the driver and four of his companions. The hatchback luggage compartment is designed to carry from 374 to 1354 liters of luggage, and the station wagon - from 608 to 1653 liters.
The fourth generation Ford Focus ST is powered by two four-cylinder engines:
- Petrol versions rely on a 2.3-liter EcoBoost unit with a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection, an electronically controlled control valve, variable valve timing and a 16-valve DOHC timing belt, which generates 280 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 420 Nm of torque moment at 3000-4000 rpm.
- Diesel modifications are driven by a 2.0-liter EcoBlue engine with turbocharging, an intercooler, a Common Rail battery system, an integrated intake manifold, a gas recirculation channel built into the head of the block and 16 valves developing 190 hp. at 3500 rpm and 400 Nm of peak potential at 2000-3000 rpm.
The turbo diesel mates exclusively with a 6-speed "mechanics" and a front-wheel drive transmission, equipped with an imitation of a small-wheel lock by wheel braking. At the same time, the gasoline engine already by default works in conjunction with a "manual" gearbox for six gears (for an additional charge - also with an automatic adjustment of the crankshaft revolutions when switching) and an eLSD differential with electronically controlled disc locking from BorgWarner, and as an option - a range "robot" with paddle shifters and adapting to the driving style.
The petrol ST-hatchback accelerates from zero to the first "hundred" after 5.7 seconds, and the heavier station wagon spends 5.8 seconds on the same exercise, while in diesel versions these figures are 7.6 and 7.7 seconds, respectively.
The "maximum speed" of the car is compulsorily limited by electronics: for gasoline versions - 250 km / h, for diesel versions - 220 km / h (regardless of the body type).
The fourth generation Ford Focus ST is based on the "C2" front-wheel drive architecture with a transversely oriented engine and body, in the power structure of which high-strength grades of steel are widely used. As a standard, the car is equipped with fully independent suspensions: on the front axle - of the MacPherson type, and on the rear axle - a multi-link. At the same time, diesel cars are content with only a passive chassis, while the petrol variants rely on adaptive electronically controlled shock absorbers with several operating modes.
Regardless of the modification, the five-door is equipped with a rack and pinion steering unit with an integrated active electric power steering. All wheels of the "German" are equipped with ventilated disc brakes: at the front - with two-piston calipers and 330-mm discs, and at the rear - with single-piston mechanisms and "pancakes" of 302 mm.
In Germany, sales of the "fourth" Ford Focus ST will start in the summer of 2019 at a price of 31,900 euros (~ 2.3 million rubles) - that much will have to pay the minimum for a hatchback with a diesel engine. But most likely, the car will not reach Russia, since they are not going to deliver even a "civilian" model to us.
Already in the "base", the five-door can boast: a scattering of airbags, ABS, ESP, LED optics, adaptive cruise, a media center with a color display, dual-zone "climate", 18-inch wheels, a high-quality audio system and the darkness of other modern equipment.
