The new Ford Focus just arrived on the European markets, but in Geneva Ford will show the extension of the range with the ST, a fast version with 220 hp.

Ford has not given us many details yet, but the ST Focus (Sport Technologies) will be equipped with a Duratec 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine that delivers 220 hp. We assume this is the same engine that Volvo uses in the S40/V50 with the same configuration and power output. In the ST Focus, this engine is mated to a six-speed stick shift. The fast version stands on 18-inch aluminium wheels with 225/40 rubber.

The body has been enhanced with a larger front bumper, while the grille is different than in the standard Focus, with a longer and less high upper part and a more aggressive looking opening under. On the rear the ST is immediately recognizable by the roof spoiler, a different bumper and two chrome exhaust pipes

The cockpit is equipped with bucket seats, an extra instrument panel on top of the dashboard with gauges for turbo pressure, oil pressure and oil temperature. In the ST the instrument panel has an opal color. Aluminium is used for the shift knob and pedals and the finish of gauges and ventilation openings.

The ST Focus will hit the markets by the end of 2005.

The first hot new Ford Focus has broken cover. Out-powering the last-generation Focus RS, the new Focus ST is revealed in these first official pictures, and is set for a showdown with the new VW Golf GTi and Vauxhall’s 197bhp Astra SRi five-door later this year.

Prior to that, this enthusiast’s Focus will be one of the stars of the Geneva Motor Show, where its plunging bumpers, jutting sills, bespoke interior and 18in alloy wheels will be displayed to the public for the first time.

‘When performance enthusiasts see this car, they are going to have high expectations,’ said Jost Capito, boss of Ford’s performance division, TeamRS. ‘The Focus ST is going to live up to them. Every functional attribute is being engineered to deliver on that expectation.’

If it delivers, the ST will be like no fast Ford before, thanks to its unlikely powerplant. Hot hatch aficionados will doubtless approve of its chassis, which has been honed at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, and the more sporting looks. The ST will also offer 217bhp – eclipsing the Focus RS by 5bhp. But the source of that power has come from an unlikely origin – Volvo.

The engine is the same 2521cc five-cylinder turbo petrol engine found in Volvo’s S40 and V50 T5. TeamRS’s challenge will be to endow the inline five with a character to appeal to hot hatch buyers used to fast-revving four-cylinder engines.

The Focus ST’s chassis is still under development; it will need to be significantly stiffer than the standard car’s to keep the additional nose weight under control, as well as to effectively put 217bhp to use. However, Autocar’s sources suggest that the Focus ST is already lapping the Nürburgring faster than the 212bhp Focus RS, and if that’s the case development must be well advanced.

More focused

Ford sold 9000 Focus ST170s in the UK between 2002 and 2004 – the last three years of the previous Focus’s life-cycle. With the new car, it hopes to improve on that and, by introducing the new ST within a year of the new Focus’s debut, it is allowing it at least five years of production before the third-generation Focus is due.

This time the Blue Oval has the benefit of customer research to back it up. When it surveyed Focus ST170 owners about their cars, most wished theirs resembled a more full-on hot hatch, both in outward appearance and driving experience. That’s why, says Ford, this new ‘Sports Technology’ Focus is bolder, faster, harder and more sporting than the car it succeeds. It’s also why Ford will be able to charge significantly more for the new ST, assured that it is what customers want. Prices are likely to rise by as much as £2500 over those of the ST170 to around £19,000 – slightly cheaper than a Golf GTi and the same as the Astra SRi five-door.

Style

As with the ST170, the new ST will be available as either a three or five-door, but outwardly, there’s no mistaking this car for any other in the range. The designers have worked to increase the Focus’s visual impact.

The front bumper is deeper, and accommodates a new trapezoidal air intake that mirrors the narrower grille above. Beefed up skirts run back along the flanks into blistered wheelarches housing 18-inch, five spoke cast aluminium alloy wheels. Extended side sill mouldings lead rearwards to a similarly reshaped rear valance sculpted to look like a ‘venturi effect’ bumper. Chrome-tipped dual sports exhausts jut from the back, and the reversing and fog lights are surrounded by brushed aluminium. A dramatic extended rear wing spans more the full width of the roof.

The extravagance continues in the bespoke cabin. Leather and orange cloth-trimmed Recaro seats are matched by leather inserts on the doors. Combined with a black-trimmed
headlining, Ford claims these lend the interior a tangible premium ambience.

An extra binnacle has been added to the instrument cluster, housing gauges for turbocharger boost pressure, oil temperature and oil pressure, while the other dials and needles have been accented in aluminium. The thick three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in leather and carries ST badging that also appears on the scuff plates and door pulls.

Drivetrain

Like the ST170 and RS, the Focus ST will direct its power through the front wheels. A six-speed manual will be the only gearbox on offer, but unlike the Focus RS, there will be no expensive limited-slip differential to aid traction and limit torquesteer.

Ford is also aiming to make the Focus ST ‘a comfortable car for everyday driving.’ That will be quite a challenge, given its Nürburgring lap times.

Not that the ST will be the supreme fast Focus: rumours are that a more hardcore 300bhp Focus RS Mk2 is in the pipeline, to combat the forthcoming 240bhp Astra VXR and the next Golf R32.

Ford's engineers have clearly begun work on preparing the new Focus Vignale Coupé Cabriolet for sale. Bearing the name Professor Peach on its front wings, the car is seen having its chassis tuned in Germany in this week's magf.

The coupé is one of three new Focus models - including ST and RS variants - our spies have exclusively snapped in the last week. Professor Peach refers to the engine under the bonnet of the prototype. Engineers often develop codenames to disguise the true identity of the cars being tested.

Aimed at the Peugeot 307 CC and Renault Mégane C+C, the Vignale Coupé Cabriolet is based on the three-door hatchback. To accommodate the fully electric top, the rear of the car is extended and the bootlid hinged to allow the two-piece roof to stow beneath. The folding sequence will take around 30 seconds, but the mechanism has been designed to allow for luggage room even with the top down.

Extra bracing across the rear will make up for the loss of the roof, while reinforced windscreen pillars boost body stiffness and provide extra protection in the event of an accident.

Inside, suede and Alcantara is set to be reserved for flagship models, although special aluminium trim will appear across the range. The car retains the back seats of the three-door, but as with its rivals, rear legroom will be at a premium.

Mechanically, the Vignale picks the best of the Focus engine line-up, with the 1.6-litre Ti-VCT and 2.0-litre Duratec petrol engines expected to be popular. The 2.0-litre TDCi diesel could be offered, too. Ford also has the option of creating a hot ST version of the CC, slotting in the Volvo-sourced 2.5-litre turbo motor. The Focus CC is likely to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, with the base model expected to start at around £18,000, rising to more than £20,000 for the range-topper.

Meanwhile, the burgundy ST170 prototype is new, as it clearly has five doors. Although official pictures, seen in issue 845, revealed it in three-door form, the test car suggests that a five-door model will also be available with the 217bhp, 2.5-litre turbo powerplant. The ST170 range has previously included an estate, too, but there are no immediate plans to add one to the new line-up.

Far away from the testing of CC and ST versions, engineers are working on the fastest production Ford hatchback ever - the new Focus RS. Tipped to offer 300bhp from its 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, the four-wheel-drive machine is being developed to offer the ultimate Focus driving experience.

This latest picture shows how the three-door-only RS will come with a wider front track. Extra cooling for the more powerful engine also features, while the test car is fitted with new wheels previously unseen on the Focus.

Not expected to go on sale before the end of 2007, there are still several obstacles to the car's development, including price. However, customers are apparently already expressing interest in the newcomer, which will cost at least £27,000 when it hits the road.

Ford is rumoured to be considering a 350bhp, four-wheel-drive, six-cylinder turbocharged proposal for the next-generation Focus RS. Right now the Blue Oval’s executives at the company’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany are considering a plan to fit Ford’s new flagship hot hatch, due out in 2007, with a new turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine.

The advanced powerplant (right) has been developed by Volvo as a replacement for the Swedish car maker’s current six-cylinder engine, and is planned to make its debut in the new S80 due out next June.

Conceived for both transverse and longitudinal applications, the four-valve-per-cylinder unit is based around a die-cast aluminium cylinder block for an all-up weight of 180kg. It is also claimed to be 1mm shorter than Volvo’s five-cylinder engine – a feature that makes it suitable for a whole range of different models, including the new Focus RS.

Three different versions of the engine are planned: a base naturally aspirated 3.2-litre and a pair of performance-oriented turbocharged 3.0-litre units. The former receives variable cam timing (VCT) on the inlet valves, with the latter two adopting a system operating both the inlet and exhaust valves as well as a variable-vane Garrett turbocharger.

In 3.2-litre guise, the new six-cylinder produces 235bhp at 6000rpm along with 236lb ft of torque at 3500rpm – an increase of 38bhp and 26lb ft over Volvo’s current 2.9-litre engine. The turbocharged units deliver 285bhp and 295lb ft in light-pressure guise, with the high-pressure unit pumping out a BMW M3-beating 350bhp and 332lb ft.

It’s this latter specification that Ford’s Motorsport boss, Jost Capito, may use to thrust the Blue Oval back to the very top of the European hot-hatch ranks. If Ford’s plans come to fruition, the new RS will boast a whopping 133bhp and 96lb ft more than the upcoming Focus ST, whose turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine generates 217bhp along with 236lb ft of torque.

Unlike the front-wheel-drive ST, the new RS is being developed around new four-wheel-drive underpinnings. This promises to endow it with spectacular levels of grip and traction. One problem, however, is the lack of a suitable six-speed manual transmission for the new car. The gearbox in the Mondeo ST TDCi is rated to 295lb ft, although insiders say measures are being taken to upgrade it for use in performance-oriented Volvos.