2014 Goodwood Festival: New Ford Focus ST on the way

THE revised Focus ST, unveiled at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, receives a number of updates highlighted by new front springs, adjusted shock absorber settings, retuned electronic power-assisted steering and a new flat-bottom steering wheel.

The remaining changes will see a redesign to the front and rear fascias, a bump-up in standard equipment and a rework of the instrument panel center stack.

Although the refreshed Focus ST is confirmed for Australian shores in 2015, don’t expect to see the European-bound diesel powered Focus ST anytime soon.

Martin Gunsberg, Public Affiars of Ford Australia, said that, “There’s not a huge demand for that engine here and with the efficiency we’re achieving with the EcoBoost engine, we think that’s the right option to offer for this market.”

The EcoBoost engine Gunsberg mentions is heavily rumoured to make its Focus debut in Australia alongside the usual mid-generation updates, also due in 2015.

The tiny 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine – found in the Ford EcoSport and Fiesta Sport – has recently been named engine of the year and produces 92kW and 170Nm.

With a fuel consumption rating of just 4.9l/100km, an EcoBoost engine would be the powerplant of choice for frugal Focus buyers.