2015 Ford Focus ST: Hello Diesel!
This week is the Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the most prestigious automotive events in the world. The majority of automakers are present, and they all try to impress the crowd. Ford has decided to unveil their latest Ford Focus ST there, and they sent us the official pictures and specs a few hours prior to the official reveal.
The visual updates are subtle, and we immediately recognize Ford’s Hot Hatch. The headlights, the hood, the front bumper and the fog lamps are new for 2015. Inside, the steering wheel now sports a flat underside, and the centre console has been updated.
The suspension has been reworked, with new shocks and sportier springs. Ford also improved the Torque Vectoring Control system (that counters the effect of torque steer, inherent to every high-powered front-wheel drive car) and the electrically-assisted steering.
But the biggest change is hidden under the hood. If the turbocharged 2 liter engine still pumps out a pretty respectable 252 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque, it is now accompanied by another mill: a 2 liter turbodiesel. It may only develop 185 horsepower, but it also makes an astonishing 295 lb-ft of torque! This enables the Focus ST Diesel (which will sadly not be called the STD) to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds, and eventually hit a top speed of 217 km/h. it will also be quite frugal on European roads, with a fuel consumption as low as 4.4L/100 km on the highway.
You sadly read that right, the North-American press release makes no mention of the diesel engine, and unless the Good Diesel Fairy decides to smile on us, we likely won’t see the oil-burning Focus ST here.