SPY PICS: Bigger turbo-four for new Ford Focus ST
Next Ford Focus ST hot hatch to get rip-snorting RS engine – albeit with a few less herbs and spicesThe new 2019 Ford Focus range will arrive in Australia from November and, although the fiery new Focus ST hot hatch won’t lob here until well into 2019, the wait could be worth it.
New reports insist Ford’s new rival for hot hatches like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai i30 N rival will pack more firepower in the form of the 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine from the current-generation Ford Focus RS.
In that form the 2.3-litre turbo four produces a healthy 257kW, and the same engine makes 224kW in the Mustang EcoBoost.
However, while UK publication Autocar reckons the engine will be worth around 250hp (186kW), which is only 4kW more than the current 2.0-litre Focus ST offers, performance levels are likely to be significantly higher thanks to more torque than the current car’s 340Nm.
The spy photographers who nabbed the photos of the new Focus ST reckon the car is good for 275hp or 205kW. Time will tell.
The beefier 2.3-litre powerplant in the new 2019 Ford Focus ST will be hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission that drives through the front wheels, eschewing the highly-lauded Twinster AWD system of the Focus RS.
Although an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is expected, Autocar says the new Focus ST will remain manual-only.
While the standard 2019 Ford Focus hatch range will get the same three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that propels the Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch, the new Focus ST’s muscled-up attitude will be augmented by a lighter overall kerb weight thanks to the latest Blue Oval small car’s new platform architecture.
The new Focus ST could be the last high-performance Focus model to use combustion power exclusively, because the 2020 Ford Focus RS is likely to incorporate a hybrid or 48-volt mild-hybrid system to add more oomph.
Apart from the chunkier front and rear bumpers you see here, other features unique to the 2019 Ford Focus ST will include stiffer suspension, stronger brakes, sports seats and an upgraded interior with more technology.
Expect to see the new Ford Focus ST break cover by the 2019 Geneva motor show next March.
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