New Ford Focus ST - be afraid to be afraid!

Comparing the Ford brand with the corporation that it apparently is in part, one can easily imagine what the structure of such a company looks like. We have a design department that works on drafting tables and creates new designs. We have assemblers in the production workshop who, working in multi-shift mode, tighten the screws every day. We have neatly dressed accountants sitting at our desks daily calculating the profitability of investments and these projects. And finally, we have the top of the company in the form of a board headed by a president who gives orders with a cigar in his hand. But Ford has another department. The compartment that I imagine is hidden behind a secret passage in the toilet on the fifth floor. A department whose walls in the office are hung with jelly soaked in high-percentage alcohol, and its employees are mad scientists - they have white coats, strange eyes and an ominous laugh. That's how I imagine the Ford Performance department, a place where select Ford toys are taken and where cars are mounted instead of wheels.

Today I met new Ford Focus ST, the latest brainchild of mad scientists. What is this? Just like they are crazy!

New Ford Focus ST - what has changed?

For the presentation of this model, we were taken to the south of France, not far from Nice. I know I could nitpick that the presentation of the regular version was in exactly the same place Фокусwhen it debuted on the market, but it is the ideal place for this variety because of the beautiful, winding mountain routes and many interesting twists and turns. However, before I get into the driving experience and the driving experience that matters most here, it's worth checking out first what the jelly boys have changed about their looks.

Model silhouette Ford Focus ST she is not provocative. I would call it rather a combination of elegant and sporty style with subtle stylistic accents. The focus is on specially designed aluminum rims, a redesigned front bumper and upper and lower front grille shapes that provide optimal engine cooling. The rear spoiler is enlarged and mounted at a steeper angle, which increases downforce and improves handling. Focus ST. Two exhaust pipes, which in the latest version are not located in the center, but classically on both sides of the diffuser, allow you to install a towbar. Here is how the manufacturer explains this procedure, although to me it is completely meaningless in this car. Also noteworthy in the Performance package are the prominent red calipers on the disc brakes. Inside, the highlight are the Recaro sports seats with integrated headrests. Okay, this interior is checked out because apart from the seats, we only find a few ST badges. Little is happening.

No need to extend, let's get down to business. What's under the hood of the new Ford Focus ST?

The main thing that has changed under the hood and so on. Here I must admit that the Ford Performance engineers must have had a really good day. In fact, they may have been designing this machine for up to half a century and I still think it was worth the wait.

Don't let the resemblance to the base version of the Focus fool you, because it's practically a new car. We have two engines to choose from. On the one hand, there is a weaker 2.0 EcoBlue diesel with 190 hp. and 400 Nm of torque, focused mainly on the station wagon. On the other hand, a gasoline engine that does not give a damn about the usually prevailing downsizing, i.e. 2.3 EcoBoost with 280 hp and a torque of 400 Nm. In addition, we currently only have a manual transmission available, but a seven-speed automatic will also be available over time.

Enough theory, although I could list the systems and technologies used for a few more pages. However, I think it would be better if I talk about them, describing the driving experience.

How does the new Ford Focus ST ride?

We picked up the cars at the airport and immediately sent them along winding mountainous country roads, which was an organizational blow. Ford Focus ST in the last incarnation, I got the impression that it was created just for driving on such roads. Despite its name, the eLSD (Electronic Controlled Differential) system used does not make it Focus ST drunk and distracted crazy after taking environmental drug. Focus ST during dynamic driving, he is incredibly focused on how perfect he wants to drive. And you really feel it. Even at higher speeds, the car does not move forward when cornering, which is a fairly common problem with front-wheel drive. In the case of the Ford Focus ST, the opposite is true. The car is incredibly clinging to the road. On the one hand, thanks to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires used, and on the other, thanks to the adaptive CCD suspension.

As soon as I'm suspended, I have to stop for a moment and pay attention to one thing. Suspense new Ford Focus ST has been tuned to give us a great driving experience when driving dynamically, but at the same time, when we want to go on a Sunday trip with the family in peace and quiet, in normal mode it will provide us with decent suppression of any bumps. Path!

Let's move on. AT new Focus ST variant An innovative anti-lag solution was also used, which was previously only installed on models such as the F-150 Raptor and Ford GT. Roughly speaking, in sport mode, the throttle stays open longer when you take your foot off the accelerator, which in turn allows the turbine to keep spinning and the boost pressure builds up faster when the rider wants to accelerate again. As hard as it sounds, it makes the ST really snappy and fast, and the turbo lag is almost imperceptible.

Also noteworthy is the steering system, which, in my opinion, "reads the driver's mind", and the effect of this is that when you want to turn, new Ford Focus ST already knows about it and is 100% ready for your actions. Thanks to this, each subsequent turn you want to overcome faster and more confidently, and all this to the accompaniment of rhythmically firing exhausts. I'm really impressed.

What is the Ford Focus ST in the new incarnation?

Summarize. Ford Preformace surprised me for the second time in six months. The first was the Ford Ranger Report, which turned out to be the conqueror of all types of road surfaces and now a new incarnation of the Ford Focus ST. This car, although only a bridge between the standard Focus and hardcore RS, deserves a lot of attention. It may be an inconspicuous everyday car, but when we want it, it will wake up crazy, but crazy in the positive sense of the word. A lunatic who won't want to kill us and show us that life doesn't have to be the way we've seen it so far. And is it not only the madmen of this kind of the past who are now called geniuses?