And, while Ford didn’t bother with a label indicating premium fuel is recommended, filling the tank with 87-octane gas results in a 9-hp sacrifice but no change in peak torque. Because the whopper wheels and tires were added without a complete front-suspension overhaul, the ST’s turning circle is an agonizing 40 feet-about the same space that a Chevy Silverado pickup requires. (Fortunately, the headrests can be removed and/or installed backwards.) A few other small complaints: Even though the ST’s interior accommodations are satisfying overall, Team RS could learn from the GTI’s dead pedal and seatback-adjuster details. And when you choose “off,” this stability control remains delightfully disabled.įront-seat headrests tipped too far forward to accommodate helmets top our gripe list. A stability control switch in the center stack allows you to select either a sport mode or an off position. While both of these sportsters feel entirely at home on a racetrack, the Focus ST is nearly two seconds quicker around the 1.6-mile, 10-turn Chrysler circuit where we ran the cars.
F1 2012 CAR COMPARISON DRIVER
Ham-handed operators will surely be intimidated by the two-axle steering, but any driver with a lick of ability can make the ST dance. The tail steps out smartly but never excessively, your arc tightens, you kiss the apex and exit the corner on the most expeditious line. When you sense the front tires slipping wide, a quick reduction of go-pedal pressure remedies the situation. The ST’s ride motions are taut but seldom troubling.īut it’s at the adhesion limit where the Focus ST reveals its most endearing characteristic: lift-throttle oversteer. That said, the road-to-palms feedback is no better here than in the GTI. This Focus never lets you shirk your driving duties, which is fine by us.Įven though the ST is the slightly larger and heavier hatch, it thumps the GTI’s agility with quicker, tighter steering and effort that rises linearly with lock. Instead, it’s up to the driver to apply appropriate amounts of throttle, steering lock, and brain to manage the ST’s combination of ample thrust and dogged grip hammered through a rudimentary front suspension. Ford’s Team RS engineers could have civilized the full-throttle moments by saving maximum torque for third and higher gears, but we’re glad they didn’t. This is torque steer compounded by a potent engine giving its all by 2500 rpm, wide tires struggling for purchase, and suspension struts overwhelmed by what they’re asked to do.
F1 2012 CAR COMPARISON FULL
Recaro seats (in either partial or full leather) are part of two expensive option packages. Inside, the leather-wrapped steering wheel wears the ST badge and there’s an added row of gauges atop the dash to display boost, oil pressure, and oil temperature. Outside, a double-slot roof extension, centered exhaust outlets, and lower body skirts signal the ST’s malevolent intent. And instead of limiting the inevitable front-tire slip by reining in the powertrain, the RS crew programmed the electrically assisted variable-ratio rack-and-pinion gear and the front brakes to counter torque steer and wheelspin. Meaty Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 radials give the Focus the traction edge, while the springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and front and rear suspension uprights are all specifically engineered for this car. Its 270 pound-feet of peak torque mercilessly wallops the GTI’s 207 pound-feet maximum twist. A BorgWarner turbo supplies 19.5 psi of boost with an extra 20 seconds of overboost (up to 21 psi) to wring an impressive 252 horsepower out of the 2.0-liter aluminum-block four-cylinder engine. Knowing precisely what’s required to run with the GTI, Ford’s German Team RS engineers-the group that developed the car-put the Focus on a grueling training regimen. But this one is tuned by SVT’s European allies, hence the ST (Sport Technologies) nameplate. To celebrate, a hot Focus- on hiatus since 2004-rejoins the fold. Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) turns 20 in 2013.
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