Ford Mondeo ST spied

By the looks of it Ford’s planning to squeeze out another ST model, with the Mondeo now set to receive the go-fast treatment.

Spied in America by Motor Trend’s spy photographers, it seems Ford has taken to the Mondeo with the sports stick, with certain revealed details hinting the Mondeo will seek rivals more challenging than the Camry.

The news also backs up Ford’s claims it will launch 12 new global performance models by 2020.

Most telling of this is the spied Mondeo’s new exhaust pipe arrangement. Stuffed in place of the dual single-pipe outlets are a pair of twin-tailpipes, an ST signature.

While more subtle, an intercooler is reported to peer through the nose-cladding on the spy car, suggesting a higher output turbo four.

With the current Mondeo offering up to 177kW and front-wheel drive, any more power would be a lot for a mid-size car to force through a front axle.

We do know, though, the Fusion, as the Mondeo’s known in America, is available with all-wheel drive.

With these two ideas, it’s not wild to speculate that a Mondeo ST could borrow some technology from Ford’s Focus RS all-wheel drive setup.

After all, Ford’s Joe Bakaj, Vice President of Ford Europe product planning, earlier this year said the Focus RS’s drivetrain will make its way in to other models to justify the investment developed the system.

That means the Mondeo might take on the RS’ torque vectoring abilities on the rear axle to help hustle its 1.6-tonnes about.

Because Ford has committed its new performance models to be global, and with the Mondeo already here, you could predict that a Mondeo ST might eventually find its way here.

And in bitter sweetness, it’s most likely what will fill the four-door performance car void to be left by the Falcon’s departure in late 2016.

For more photos of Ford’s spied ST model, visit Motor Trend.