Ford has released photos of the 2012 Focus ST production car, and sure enough, the five-door hatch looks just like the concept we saw last year in Paris. The little surprise is what you see here: Ford is also building a fantastic-looking Focus ST wagon. For Europe. Only. Sorry.
Both cars will use the drivetrain you've been reading about: a turbocharged and direct-injected, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder (with variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing) hooked to a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. Horsepower is rated at 247; torque comes in at 266 pound-feet. Ford hasn't disclosed the rpm thresholds for either, yet, but redline is marked at 6,800.
Torque steer is going to be a problem on any front-driver with this much torque, and Ford has chosen to rein it in through electronic means (rather the Focus RS' RevoKnuckle), using the car's electric-assist power steering to counteract it. Ford says it has adopted variable-ratio steering for the ST to make it more fun on tight, twisty roads without making the car twitchy and annoying on the highway (we're hoping to get more details on that while we're here in Frankfurt).
Torque Vectoring Control will help you modulate the power through turns, but in addition to braking individual wheels as on the regular Focus, it can also apply torque to either of the front wheels to create yaw and snub understeer, so maybe, just maybe, you won't miss having a conventional limited-slip differential. Stability control has three modes, one of which is indeed completely off.
If it's any consolation about us not getting the ST wagon, consider that the wagon has to make do with the same angled shock absorbers you'll find on any lower-line Focus, instead of adopting the more upright dampers (which presumably have a more direct motion ratio) on the ST hatchback -- a necessary compromise, says Ford, so that it can still haul around wagon-like payloads.
Otherwise, both cars have the same 10mm (0.4 inch) lowered ride height, with upgraded knuckles and a more effective antiroll bar in the rear. We're still waiting for details on brake hardware. Tires are 235/40R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 summer rubber, but we'll be very surprised if Ford doesn't at least offer all-seasons at no extra cost in the U.S.
Recaros (standard cloth, optional leather) are evidently coming, too, though it can be costly to certify those for the U.S. market (what with our occupant sensor requirements). We'd love to have them, but we wonder if Ford will bother when VW, Mazda and Subaru aren't. This nook of the market is price-sensitive and you have to get people out the door under $30K if you want to play. Stay tuned.
moparbad says:
11:12 AM, 09/12/11
Wagon for me please.
ed124c says:
11:25 AM, 09/12/11
Doesn't this no-wagon deal make you feel.... I don't know, but maybe how I feel is just angry. How and why is a 5 door hatch more acceptable to US buyers than the much more useful wagon?
addicted2sp33d says:
11:28 AM, 09/12/11
Another "No Wagons for US"!? SONOFA_____!
Pre-emptive for LouisWei from "No Regal Wagon" post: There ARE people who care.
kain77 says:
11:44 AM, 09/12/11
Damn you, Ford.
This car would catapult to the top of my Next Car list if they brought it here... I honestly believe there are enough people who want the cargo space with the driving dynamics of a car to make a business case for it.
bodyblue says:
11:49 AM, 09/12/11
"but maybe how I feel is just angry."
You feel "angry" about something a car company wont offer? Really?
devnix says:
11:56 AM, 09/12/11
Are we sure that either of these are coming to the States? I would appreciate a domestic (and non-VW) alternative to the GTI.
sherief says:
12:00 PM, 09/12/11
"Pre-emptive for LouisWei from "No Regal Wagon" post: There ARE people who care. "
+1.
I'll still check out the ST hatch, but a wagon would be way better. Especially when it's that good looking.
stovt001 says:
12:13 PM, 09/12/11
I'm going to have to try to get stationed in Europe or the UK now.
ed124c says:
12:27 PM, 09/12/11
@bodyblue: But Ford does offer the ST wagon-- just not here. That makes me angry.
Ford has to certify the ST for the US. How much more would it cost to certify the wagon? They both have the same engine and drivetrain, don't they? What else needs to be certified that would be different on the wagon?
cml says:
12:46 PM, 09/12/11
That wagon looks sharp! too bad it's not coming stateside. :(
blueprint1 says:
01:58 PM, 09/12/11
In Canada, 50% of 1st-gen Focus sales were wagons. The interim car (trunked only) bombed big time. New Focus doing well, but sedan sightings reveal only rentals.
Ford of Canada: please bring this wagon !!! ST trim might be pushing it, but at least consider the wagon body. Tremendous market response expected.
minibro77 says:
03:48 PM, 09/12/11
Calling all car enthusiasts here on Inside Line!!! Let's petition Ford to bring this awesome wagon here to the U.S. Forget the lower models. Just bring it in ST trim. You have a winner of a car here and why not help to reduce your economies of scale worldwide and raise your profits higher with a great car like this!!! Who agrees with me???
forohagen says:
04:09 PM, 09/12/11
If the ST1-3 trim lines come to the us as outlined in the press release for European models I'll be disappointed because the xenon lamps are only on the ST3. Oh well, other than the Wagon, nothing really new here. I'LL take one in performance blue or race red. However, it'd be nice if they released some pricing.
firstwagon says:
04:43 PM, 09/12/11
+1 blueprint1
1st gen Focus wagons are everywhere. Then a bunch of 3 and 5 door hatchbacks. If you look long enough you can find a few sedans
The second gen Focus was a major disappointment.
They can fix that now but will they?
Same for the Taurus/Sable wagons. Ford sold huge numbers of them here. So what they do? Cancelled it. Lame. The new Taurus is too bloated but how about a Fusion wagon? Bet they would see a 50% jump in sales overnight.
bodyblue says:
05:20 PM, 09/12/11
A "huge number" in Canada is not the same thing as a "huge number" in the US. If they could sell enough to make money on them, they would.....end of story.
firstwagon says:
06:32 PM, 09/12/11
Yeah, why bother with a market of only 33 million people?
twistgrip says:
06:51 PM, 09/12/11
Wagon in the USA please!!!
ne1butu2 says:
08:53 PM, 09/12/11
We all want what we can't have. The reality is that it still remains to be seen if the hatchback and sedan versions of the Focus will be a success. We can probably assume that the wagon will be offered here if the hatch and sedan configurations are a homerun success. I think they will be.
canuckrs says:
05:55 AM, 09/13/11
I think that Subaru's 2002-2007 WRX Wagon did pretty well in North America...as did the Forester XT 5pd. I really hope automakers eventually start bringing more high performance wagons across the water.
bodyblue says:
07:22 AM, 09/13/11
"Yeah, why bother with a market of only 33 million people?"
Yep. Selling cars is not a charity or a social program, nor should it be. The market of 300 million to the south is far more important, period. Canada, like Europe, is a different market that likes different things, but why should the tail wag the dog? If they can sell enough of one model to make money, they will....if not......oh well.
lolxd says:
09:42 AM, 09/13/11
Why can't we have the wagon? T_T
lolxd says:
09:46 AM, 09/13/11
Why can't we have the wagon? T_T
Seriously, Frankfurt Auto Show's teasing us quite badly. First the Civic, now this? I seriously hope Ford include their Focus ST Wagon in their "One Ford Plan" or they will be missing out quite a lot of potential customers.
Honda should consider a "one Honda plan" or even Toyota. Have you seen their new Avensis? Oh if only the Camry looked like the new Avensis. These Japanese Auto Makers are making a BIG mistake not sharing some blessings from Europe.
firstwagon says:
04:42 PM, 09/13/11
"Yep. Selling cars is not a charity or a social program, nor should it be"
Come on. Are you seriously telling me the minor cost of making a sedan into a wagon isn't worthwhile for a market of over 30 million?
The truth is American companies are are too uneducated to see beyond their borders. I could expand on that idea but I'm sure I don't need to.
Ever seen one of these?
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/ctd/2581966271.html
How about?
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/ctd/2597111690.html
bestjinjo says:
07:36 AM, 09/14/11
The hatchback focus looks much better than this.