2012 Ford Focus ST on the money

Successor to the Ford Focus XR5 Turbo, the Focus ST is undergoing testing in Europe and North America simultaneously as Ford's "first global performance car", with FoMoCo's respective high performance groups (Team RS and SVT engineering) fine-tuning the hot hatch to ensure it's up to scratch.

Some 60 prototype cars have been deployed, all of which will be used to gather information and improve the Focus ST's dynamics.

"We've done all the engineering groundwork," noted Jost Capito, Ford's director of Global Performance Vehicles. "Now we're using some of the most demanding roads we can find in Europe and North America to validate and fine tune the performance and driving dynamics."

Capito added the new Focus ST has a lot to live up to while the added pressure of being Ford's first ever global performance vehicle means the car will have to be a world beater.

"The new Focus ST is eagerly awaited around the world, which is appropriate as this is our first global performance model. It must live up to Ford's reputation for producing affordable yet exciting and sporty versions of its smaller cars that reward and delight enthusiast drivers, but can also be used every day."

Scheduled to hit the streets of all major continents in 2012, it was initially thought the Ford Focus ST would be a Volkswagen Golf GTI rival but with an anticipated output of around 181kW (246hp), the hi-po Focus will compete against highly lauded vehicles such as the Renault Megane RS250 (184kW), Volkswagen Golf R (188kW), Mazda3 MPS (190kW) and Subaru WRX (195kW).

The vehicle's Australian-market name has not been set in stone according to sources at Ford Australia, though it is understood that 'Ford Focus XR4 Turbo' is on the shortlist.

Ford's new-look Focus range will be arriving in Australia from August, with the go-fast ST models to follow in 2012.

Like any self-respecting performance car, testing on the Nürburgring has been organised: "Like the Focus ST and RS models before it, the new Focus ST's final set-up will be achieved after painstaking tuning on some of the most demanding roads we can find, from California to the Nürburgring, and from high-speed German autobahns to classic British B-roads," Capito explained.

The Blue Oval brand says it will 'target' 246hp, or 181kW and has confirmed that power for the go-fast Ford Focus will be provided by a fettled version of its 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo petrol engine which is destined for the locally-made Ford Falcon.

The 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine will be first available in Australia paired with the Mondeo, which will offer 149kW/300Nn. Based on those figures, a 180kW version of the four-cylinder engine could be good for up to 350Nm of torque, which would give the hot hatch a level of acceleration that should easily eclipse its 166kW predecessor.

Some of the other details that have been confirmed include a lower, sportier seating position.

"The seats and seating position were very good in the previous Focus ST but the new model is sleeker and the driver will sit lower," explained Matthias Tonn, chief program engineer, Global Performance Products, Ford of Europe. "The new seats will provide even more support."

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