It seemed that launching just the 3rd generation Focus last night wasn’t enough, expectations had to be breached and so they were when in a surprise announcement, Ford also pulled the sheets off the range-topping Focus ST (Sport Technologies) – Ford’s first global performance car to Malaysia that will make its way here, come November 2012.
The ST has been “built with the driving enthusiast in mind”, meaning to say – the only transmission available is a manual (6-speed) and when ever a Ford dons an ST badge, there’s acknowledgment that the car’s been fairly well performance-tweaked to say the least, whilst still capable of delivering real-world practicality so you can drive it everyday with a smile.
The Ford ST carries a potent 2.0L (turbo) EcoBoost engine around that will dish out all of it’s 248bhp and 360Nm of torque for a sprint time to 100kmh in just 6.5s with its 6-speed manually transmission, all while capable of sipping on 7.2L/100km.
What’s interesting is that Ford’s crammed quite a variety of options that’s generally found in cars with higher price points. But what can be had in the Ford ST are electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system that’s able to detestectand counter torque steer with its Torque STeer Compensation (TSC) system that allows the driver to accelerate at full throttle and yet still able to find grip on roads with uneven surfaces.
The ST’s Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) comes with 3 modes available; On, Semi-On (disables traction control and activates ESP when necessary) and totally OFF. That aside, Ford’s also crammed in Torque Vectoring Control (TVC) – found in all current Focus variants, Corner Under Steer Control (CUSC), but we wonder how often it gets activated with it’s suspension having been uprated and lowered by 10mm in comparison to the newly launched Focus.
Inside, its darker than usual compared to the new focus, accept for a splash of a bright yellow here and there and a hint of glare from the semi-polished aluminium inserts . But the main thing that caught our eye, was the word “RECARO” stitched into the front seats and then the flat-bottom steering wheel comes into view, finally stopping at a set of gauges integrated into the centre of the dash-board which helps to indicate oil temperature, turbo boost pressure and oil pressure, respectively.
All of this can be had for RM208,888 (OTR + Ins) with your choice of draping it in Tangerine Scream, Race Red, Spirit Blue and Panther Black. But get this, the ST still hangs onto the 3-year or 100,000km warranty rather than Ford’s newly announced 5-year or 200,000km warranty. In any case, in terms of pricing, VW and Renault had better watch their backs.
http://youtu.be/DxQl38K3YBI
