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2019 Ford Focus ST will use 2.3-liter EcoBoost-four after all, report says

The 2019 Ford Focus made its debut in hatch, wagon and sedan form earlier in April.

No replacement for displacement for the last of the non-hybrid Focus hot hatches

Expected to debut at the 2019 Geneva motor show, the next generation Ford Focus ST will use a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, Autocar reports, up from the current 2-liter turbo. The four-cylinder will be a version used by the current Focus RS (in which it churns out 350 hp) but will be tuned to around 250 hp for the front-wheel-drive ST. This engine will be paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission; an automatic will not be on the menu at all.

That's not all the ST will offer: The new Focus will be some 194 pounds lighter than the outgoing model, in addition to having a structure 20 percent more rigid, Autocar notes. The ST can be expected to shed a few more pounds, though perhaps not as much as the next Focus RS.

Ford reportedly chose the 2.3-liter over the 1.5-liter borrowed from the Fiesta ST because the smaller engine would have to run close to its limit to produce the output Ford wants. Indeed, it's much easier to modify the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, which can churn out as much as 370 hp in the Focus RS Red Edition, to produce 250 hp than to pump up the smaller 1.5-liter three-cylinder produce 250 hp.

The 1.5-liter isn't completely out of the picture -- it will still power lesser versions of the Focus amid a general downsizing trend before hybridization really takes off. Given reports that the next RS will feature a hybrid powerplant, the ST can be seen as the last of the line when it comes to pure internal combustion power in hot versions of the Focus.

When will we see the ST on sale? Ford has pushed back the debut to early 2019, making the Geneva motor show a natural candidate for its first appearance in production guise. Sales are expected to start in spring 2019.

Ford's new Focus ST tipped to receive RS's 2.3-liter engine

2020 Ford Focus ST spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

Ford has just redesigned its Focus but the sporty ST version isn't quite ready yet. (The debut is expected to take place at the 2019 Geneva auto show next March.)

Prototypes for the new Focus ST suggest the car will follow a familiar path in terms of styling, but what's making up the mechanicals remains unclear.

Last year we heard reports that Ford will ditch the current model's 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 in favor of a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4. Despite the engine downsizing, power was said to be going up still.

Autocar has since learned that the new ST will likely receive a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 related to the engine found in the current Focus RS. The RS's engine can safely be tuned to as much as 370 horsepower but the new ST will likely have something closer to the current model's 252 hp because of its planned front-wheel-drive layout. Autocar also reports that the new ST will be offered exclusively with a 6-speed manual to maintain a driver's car attitude.

Underpinning the redesigned Focus is Ford's next-generation modular platform for small cars. In the regular Focus the chassis and suspension design ups torsional rigidity by 20 percent compared to the last Focus, and this bodes well for its upcoming ST model's ride and handling.

But if the ST gets a similar engine to the current RS, what will power the next generation of the Focus flagship? We hear the car will receive a hybrid powertrain with as much as 400 hp.

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2019 Ford Focus ST spy shots

Ford engineers have been caught testing a new Focus ST hot hatch at the Nürburgring. It's set for a reveal early next year.

Ford unveiled a redesigned Focus in April, but the only variant of the popular compact we'll see in the United States will be a soft-roader called the Focus Active (shown below). It's expected here in the fall of 2019 as a 2020 model, and will likely be sourced from a plant in China.

That means other variants like the regular hatch and sedan plus this Focus ST won't make it here. The reason? Ford sees the shift toward utility-type vehicles such as SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vans in North America as permanent. It's why the automaker's only passenger cars on sale here beyond 2020 will be the Focus Active and Mustang.

That's a shame because the new Focus ST is shaping up to be a significant improvement on the current model, which is already one of the best cars in the segment.

Underpinning the car is Ford's next-generation front-wheel-drive platform. In the new Focus, the chassis and suspension design ups torsional rigidity by 20 percent compared to the outgoing model, and this bodes well for the upcoming ST variant's ride and handling.

All versions of the new Focus receive a color touchscreen at the top of the dash and Ford's Co-Pilot360 suite of electronic driver aids. In the ST, expect some special extras like Recaro front seats, ST badging, and perhaps additional performance options for the driving modes selector.

It isn't clear what the powertrain will be. We last heard the car will receive a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 related to the engine found in the outgoing Focus RS. The RS's engine can safely be tuned to as much as 370 horsepower but for the new ST it will be detuned to something closer to the outgoing model's 252 hp because drive will be to the front wheels only. A six-speed manual is expected to be the sole transmission.

But if the ST gets a similar engine to the outgoing RS, what will power the next generation of the Focus flagship? We hear the car will receive a hybrid powertrain with as much as 400 hp.

Stay tuned for updates as development continues.

2019 Ford Focus ST spy shots

Ford engineers have been caught testing the new Focus ST hot hatch set for a reveal very soon.

Ford unveiled a new generation of the Focus in April, and we were meant to get one variant of the popular compact in the United States, a soft-roader called the Focus Active to be sourced from China. However, new tariffs on Chinese-made cars entering the country introduced in July has caused Ford to drop those plans.

That means we won't see any new Focus variants in the U.S., including this Focus ST. The reason? Ford sees the shift toward utility-type vehicles such as SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vans in North America as permanent. It's why the automaker's only passenger car on sale here beyond 2020 will be the Mustang.

That's a shame because the new Focus ST is shaping up to be a significant improvement on the current model, which is already one of the best cars in the segment.

Underpinning the new car is Ford's next-generation front-wheel-drive platform. In the Focus, the chassis and suspension design ups torsional rigidity by 20 percent compared to the outgoing model, and this bodes well for the upcoming ST variant's ride and handling.

All versions of the new Focus receive a color touchscreen at the top of the dash and Ford's Co-Pilot360 suite of electronic driver aids. In the ST, expect some special extras like Recaro front seats, ST badging, and perhaps additional performance options for the driving modes selector.

It isn't clear what the powertrain will be. We last heard the car will receive a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 related to the engine found in the outgoing Focus RS. The RS's engine can safely be tuned to as much as 370 horsepower but for the new ST it will be detuned to something closer to the outgoing model's 252 hp because drive will be to the front wheels only. A six-speed manual is expected to be the sole transmission.

But if the ST gets a similar engine to the outgoing RS, what will power the next generation of the Focus flagship? We hear the car will receive a hybrid powertrain with as much as 400 hp.

Stay tuned for updates as development continues.

Ford släpper ST-version av nya Focus

Nu uppdateras Fords populära Focus-familj med en ny Focus ST, utvecklad av Ford Performance.

Nu uppdateras Fords populära Focus-familj med en ny Focus ST. Bilen, som är utvecklad av Ford Performance och berikad med avancerade sporttekniker, kommer börja säljas till sommaren som både femdörrars och kombi. För att tillverka Focus ST med högsta kvalitet och hantverksskicklighet har Ford investerat mer än 6 miljarder kronor i sin fabrik i tyska Saarlouis.

Sedan Ford släppte sin nya generation Ford Focus förra året har bilen överösts med bäst-i-test-titlar, priser och utmärkelser, både i Sverige och övriga Europa. Nu är det dags för en helt ny version av den sportigare modellen Focus ST att se dagens ljus. Modellen är utvecklad för att kombinera prestanda på racingbanan, landsvägskörglädje och bekvämlighet i vardagskörningen bättre än någon annan bil i sin klass.

Premiär för körlägen i Focus ST
För första gången kommer Focus ST nu med olika körlägen för att elektroniskt anpassa bland annat dämpning, styrning, gasläge, växellåda och klimatanläggning för olika typer av körning. I lägena sport och bankörning har Ford introducerat tekniken ESE, electronic sound enhancement, som helt enkelt förstärker ljud från motorn och avgasrören för att höja sportupplevelsen och ge extra gensvar som kan hjälpa prestandaförare.

– När du väljer bankörningsläget blir bromsarnas respons omedelbart mer direkt och vass, styrningen ger mer feedback, gaspedalen blir mer aggressiv och föraren får mer spelrum inom antisladdsystemet. Förare kan ha fullt förtroende för att Focus ST kommer kunna leverera på banan, säger David Put, på Ford Performance fordonsdynamik.

Kraftigaste motorerna någonsin i Focus ST
En ny generation av Fords 2,3-liters EcoBoost-motor helt i aluminium är den mest kraftfulla som någonsin har erbjudits för Focus ST. En avancerad turboladdningsteknik levererar 280 hästkrafter vid 5500 varv och 420 Newtonmeters vridmoment från 3000 till 4000 varv per minut. Det är också den mest frivarvande motorn någonsin i en Focus ST, och väntas göra 0–100 kilometer i timmen på under 6 sekunder.

Fords 190 hästkrafter starka 2,0-liters EcoBlue-motor är på dieselsidan också den mest kraftfulla som någonsin suttit i en Focus ST. Den ger maxkraft vid 3500 varv och 400 Newtonmeter vridmoment mellan 2000 och 3000 varv per minut, och 360 Newtonmeter från 1500 varv, för omedelbar och linjär acceleration.

– EcoBoost- och EcoBlue-motorerna är unika karaktärer men lika karismatiska. Focus ST:s sportiga soundtrack av “knall och pang”matchar bilens lättretliga prestanda och är en essentiell del av ST-upplevelsen, säger Leo Roeks, Europachef på Ford Performance.

Varvtalsmatchning gör det möjligt även för mindre erfarna prestandaförare att njuta av sömlösa växlingar och bevara drivkraften framåt, som annars förknippas med den så kallade häl-och-tå-körtekniken, medan mer erfarna förare kan avaktivera systemet om de vill.

Avancerad teknik underlättar vardagskörningen
Focus ST erbjuds med antingen sexväxlad manuell växellåda eller en snabbväxlande sjustegad automat. På tekniksidan finns gott om assistanssystem som adaptiv farthållare med Stop & Go, skyltigenkänning och filhållningsassistent, Fords adaptiva belysning som använder en kamera för att se kurvor, och läsa vägskyltar, längre fram på vägen, en ny generation av aktiv parkeringshjälp som numera sköter såväl gas och växling för helt automatisk parkering och Evasive Steering Assist, som hjälper föraren att styra undan från hinder på vägen för att undvika olyckor.

Information om priser, tillgänglighet och leverans för Sverige släpps i den senare delen av mars.