Next-gen Ford Focus ST arriving Q1 2020 priced from $44,690

The all-new Ford Focus ST will arrive in Australia in early 2020 with a wider line-up including the first paddleshift automatic to the high performance model to broaden its appeal.

Sourced from Ford’s European factory in Germany, the Focus ST will retail for $44,690 plus on-road costs for the 6-speed manual. A 7-speed paddleshift automatic is offered as a no-cost-option for the first time.

The all-new Focus ST is built on the new C2 platform as the regular Focus range but enhanced with unique suspension, brakes and powertrain. It sits 10mm lower than the regular Focus and rolls on unique 18-inch alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, behind which hide red brake calipers.

Up front, the ST has unique honeycomb upper and lower grilles – including an Active Grille Shutter – finished in striking dark grey. It is flanked by a pair of LED headlights with daytime running lights and adaptive cornering LED foglamps.

Along the sides, the Focus ST features ST-specific side-skirts, while the rear features a roof-mounted spoiler and rear fascia unique to the model.

The colour palette is also distinct from the base Focus range, with Ford Performance Blue and Orange Fury paint choices specific to Ford Performance vehicles.

Interior features include a flat-bottom steering wheel, supportive Recaro seats and a unique digital instrumentation for the Drive Modes – another Focus ST first.

An 8.0-inch full-colour touchscreen with SYNC 3, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, as well as a 10-speaker B&O Play audio system, DAB radio, built-in sat-nav and reversing camera is standard on Focus ST.

All Focus ST models also come equipped with Launch Control, Shift Lights, Rev-matching and an exclusive ‘Track’ Driving Mode.

Under the bonnet, the Focus ST features Ford’s 2.3-litre EcoBoost all-aluminium four-cylinder engine delivering 206kW – an increase of 22kW over its predecessor – and 420Nm of torque, up from 360Nm. Ford says it’s also the most free-revving Focus ST engine ever and has the ‘raw character and appeal’ of the Focus RS with sporty ‘pops and bangs’ soundtrack to match the hot hatch’s feisty performance.

An innovative anti-lag technology developed for the Ford GT supercar is introduced to the Focus ST, for immediate power delivery in Sport and Track mode. Anti‑lag keeps the throttle open when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal, alleviating the reversal of airflow from the turbocharger to maintain compressor wheel speed and enabling boost pressure to build faster on demand.

Also improving capability is the eLSD. It’s claimed that the Borg Warner-developed technology is faster to deploy and offers greater precision than a traditional mechanical LSD. The system can pre-emptively adjust torque distribution using inputs from powertrain and vehicle dynamics sensors, rather than responding to wheelspin as it occurs, and can apply differential locking gradually for fine-tuning performance.

The new-generation Focus ST will arrive in Australian showrooms in Q1, 2020.

2020 Ford Focus ST Pricing (excluding on-roads)