Besides the Mustang, you can no longer buy a car from Ford in the U.S. It wasn’t all that long ago that Ford offered three different hot hatches, but today the company doesn’t have a single affordable performance car, unless you count the cheaper Mustangs. That hasn’t stopped Ford from serving eager performance car buyers in the rest of the world.
Today the company announced an updated version of the Focus ST in the U.K. called the ST Edition.
Ford calls this ST the most agile ST to date. It comes from the factory with an adjustable coil-over suspension from KW that was tuned by Ford Performance on the Nurburging:
The two-way adjustable coilover suspension system, produced by motorsport specialists KW Automotive, features twin-tube stainless steel damper housings and powder-coated springs, with a distinctive Ford Performance Blue finish. Focus ST Edition’s ride height is lowered 10 mm front and rear compared with the standard Focus ST, with a further adjustment of 20 mm available to the customer. Spring rates are increased by more than 50 per cent compared with the standard Focus ST.
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With lightweight 19-inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, this thing should be a canyon carver. Ford even provides owners with a document that gives setting recommendations for different driving conditions.
Aside from its Azura Blue exterior paint, everything else is standard ST.
Power comes from a 2.3-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder with 280 horsepower and 309 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed manual. This ST is not priced like the fun, affordable U.S. market car you remember. The MSRP on a 2018 ST (The last year the model was offered) was $25,170. At current conversion rates, this new ST starts at $49,086. At that price, maybe it’s best it stays across the pond.