2013 Ford Focus ST Harrisburg

 The 2013 Ford Focus ST marks Ford's return to the hot hatch market. It fills the gap left by the 2004 departure of the SVT Focus. Like the SVT Focus, the Ford Focus ST seeks to dethrone the king of the hot hatch segment; the Volkswagen GTI. The newest Focus comes standard with a potent engine and a slick six-speed manual transmission. There is no option for an automatic transmission. This is a car that has been designed exclusively for enthusiasts.

The aforementioned engine is Ford's turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0 liter. The intake and exhaust were both designed specifically for this car and are part of the reason that the motor makes a healthy 252 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque.

The torque curve is very flat. Maximum torque is available at just 2700 RPM. This means that the car will have no trouble accelerating no matter what gear the transmission is in. This effect is enhanced by the overboost feature, unique to the Focus ST, which allows turbo pressure to increase for up to fifteen seconds. Peak horsepower is realized at 5500 RPM.

To handle the increased power, the standard Focus platform had to be improved. The front brake rotors have increased in diameter and the suspension system has been completely re-tuned. This means the Focus ST handles better, and rides .4 inches lower, than a normal Focus. Despite these enhancements, the Focus ST does experience minor torque-steer. This is an ailment that plagues nearly every front-wheel drive sports car, but Ford has made excellent use of advanced electronic controls to mitigate this as much as possible.

If a person feels that the base model is lacking necessary features, there are various optional packages available. The ST2 package upgrades the seats to wonderfully supportive Recaros. It also adds fully automatic climate control and a large, eight inch, touch screen. Even with the ST2 package, the Focus ST can be had for less than $27,000. A bargain, considering the fact that the Focus ST will achieve 32 mpg on the highway and carve up any local race track with ease.