well that is just great. opped out:

I can speak for everyone is the USA and say... "the USA never gets cool stuff"

Oh and what is with the pop up screen, no one needs to see that whole side of the road? blocks 75% of view? The Audi S3 i test drove had it as well and it was the biggest complaint about the car.


PS: i think they looks ugly but that is just a personal thing so

 

Only we got the cool stuff Nick...

Honda does not have heavy incentives on the Si or Type R, nor does VW on the GTI or Golf R. In-fact as much of the Dieselgate nonsense blew over, VW has ratcheted down the incentives overall.

Ford had to offer incentives on both the Fiesta ST and Focus ST.

Our market has been trending truck for the last two decades. SUV and Truck sales remain high and only dipped a little when the price of gas went up nationally as high as $5. But I knew then it was the oil producers testing the waters to see how much they could charge without undue economic pressure on the average citizen/consumer.

SUV now cover every segment of the market. Women's handbags aren't getting any smaller, they are getting more expensive and I have linked the two it should be pretty obvious.

Every other powerful FWD or AWD sport compact car has disappeared from our market besides the mainstays which are the VW Golf GTI and Subaru WRX.


Just in the last ten or so years -

Dodge Neon SRT-4
Dodge Caliber SRT-4
Chevy Cobalt SS
Saturn Ion Redline
Mazdaspeed 3
Mazdaspeed 6
Toyota Celica GTS
Nissan Sentra SE-R
Hyundai Tiburon/Genesis Coupe

Speaking of Hyundai since they don't have a flagship performance car, they are spreading the N brand to lower platforms first and we'll see what happens later.

The performance mindset has start at the top. Hyundai/Kia changes it's CEO's to German born executives and you get hotter models of the same platforms almost immediately.

The US marketplace is driven by women, so the market adjust to what women want, hence the explosion of SUV's. I have been having this discussion on and off on automotive forums for twenty years.

Ford sealed its own fate with the Focus and Fiesta by offering expensive to manufacture but offered as a market leader in price sedan versions of the cars sold in Europe as hatchbacks only.

Performance despite the SEMA show is about 2% of the overall automotive market. That said brands do depend on you the enthusiasts to spread the word about the brand and it's offerings, so you do serve a purpose.

Just not one that matters that much to their bottom line.

Bean Counters 1 Enthusiasts 0

 

Looks like an SUV, could be the picture angle but not really liking the polished turd look. ugly!! Maybe the rear/sides look better.

 

Like a really really small cross over SUV? click the link and see more photos... the rear looks ok but no no no it is just ugly.

my car doesn't get looks because it has a few extra HP. I drive by and no one is like oh it is stage 3. or in that case 290HP. .LOL nope . Which in the game of HP 290 is just missing the mark. should have been 300+ the RS is "350" and it is the 2.3L so assuming it must have a small turdbo like the current STs or it can be tuned way up and make just as many hurs purs as the RS? marketing just told them no you can not give it more than 300 because it would get to close to RS. Even tho RS is dead now so shouldn't matter

 

Not enough time spend on looks to make it stand out from the ST-light (or just lazy designers). The tablet on the dash is just a current hype in the car industry over in the EU. I would currently say that you guys and girls in the USA are not missing out on anything exciting

 

Looks like a speed..

 

Ok I am glad I am not the only one thinking this. As soon as I saw it I thought it was a recycled Mazdaspeed 3.

 

The only good thing I can say for it is its COLOUR! :cool2:

 

my car doesn't get looks because it has a few extra HP. I drive by and no one is like oh it is stage 3. or in that case 290HP. .LOL nope . Which in the game of HP 290 is just missing the mark. should have been 300+ the RS is "350" and it is the 2.3L so assuming it must have a small turdbo like the current STs or it can be tuned way up and make just as many hurs purs as the RS? marketing just told them no you can not give it more than 300 because it would get to close to RS. Even tho RS is dead now so shouldn't matter

Same horsepower/displacement as our 2.0.

 

what?

 

what?

252 hp divided by 2 liters = 126 hp/liter.

290 hp divided by 2.3 liters = 126 hp/liter.

 

ok... but why does this matter? just shows that they could have put more HP into it, they did it on the RS so.

More HP is MORE HP, how does it matter how many liters it is coming from.

 

Maintaining reliability/durability. Think it through via exaggeration—why not put the 1 liter I3 in and turbo the hell out of it and make 400 hp? More power per displacement=more stress on internal components. Another way stresses can be distributed is by increasing the number of cylinders (which is a big reason why multi cylinders really came about in the 1910s and giant displacement 4 cylinders disappeared, but that's a long history lesson that's only tangentially related here). The RS is a lot more money than the ST and is in a different class with different appeal (albeit with some overlap) nor is Ford making this to be race car—it's a hot hatch, a daily driver that can handle kids or kayaks or whatever—it's meant to be an appealing practical performance car they can sell at a price point competitive with its rivals that isn't a warranty and reputation liability (neither of which was helped by the DCT of this generation). And now with a larger displacement, racers who don't care about warranties can make more power more easily, as well (setting aside potential issues from this likely being an open deck block vs. the closed deck block of the 2.0). Of course, not only is larger displacement less stressed for a given output, but it more easily makes torque on the lower end of the scale (more usable power). Power per displacement is why Honda's Civic Si is only making 205 hp—it's a 1.5L and that's more power per liter than the ST (137hp/L) and I can't remember the source now, but they've acknowledged that they're near the limits of their standards for longevity with the Si and the Type-R even at 2.0L doesn't meet their standard (153hp/L), but also isn't expected to as it appeals to a different market.

Where it doesn't matter is mileage—a given amount of horsepower as measured under full load conditions is a specific value of BTUs that's fixed within a gallon of gasoline whether that power is made by a huge V8 or a small turboed engine (reasonable differences in internal friction and efficiency from technology has an effect, but it's not massive as around 2/3 of the potential energy of gasoline is wasted as heat either way). However, in a low-load state (that may or may not reflect how customers drive in real life), the smaller engine will make less power, using less fuel. Whether that can be fully taken advantage of considering the limitations that aerodynamics and weight has on potential gearing that can be specced and on how often it can run in real world conditions at those low load states is another discussion, but suffice it to say, everything is about balance and compromise of the various demands imposed upon the vehicle and its intended use.

 

i want the seats

 

hmm, i would said, Ford put their badge on hyundai i30

 

Could do worse; I would take an i30 if they were giving them away.

 

Can anyone tell from the pics if they also utilized the fog light area for brake cooling ducts like the RS?

 

I believe the ST TDCI wil get the same 2.0 twinturbo engine as in the Edge with 240HP for europe.

 

Is it just me or is there a LOT of MAZDA influence in the new Focus ST?

 

I agree with the sentiment that it looks like a re-badged Mazda3. It's a bit.....pedestrian? I don't much like it but at the same time I do wish they had been able to keep it here as another enthusiast option.

 

Funny to see so many complaints (not just here) about the new ST.. My only complaint is I'll never have the option to buy one. I've had an '05, an' 07 and now my '17 and up until last April, was excited about the new one. Been a Ford fan for over 25 years. This is such a let down for some of us in the States. For the record not all of us yanks want to drive a boat sized truck or land barge SUV.

 

Looks like a Nissan Juke and a Mazdaspeed3 got into a bad fight IMO.

 

I miss my ST that I sold a few months back. It was great fun every day and reliable as they come. But this preview of the 2020 confirms I made the right decision to pick up a used (7800 miles) RS. The ST was huge fun but the RS is even more huge fun. The infamous HG was replaced at 3400 miles by the first owner and I fitted it with Whiteline springs and rear sway bar to get rid of the Pogo syndrome. I'll drive it until Ford comes out with a suitable replacement and it sure as hell won't have a panel sitting above the middle of the dash. I do like the Tangerine Scream...

 

Not digging the 2020. At all.

 

You can order one now our country, shipping in the summer.

 

Kind of looks like toned down version of the last-gen Mazdaspeed3. Meh can't complain too much since we yanks aren't getting it

 

ugh

looks like a ugly st and rs had sex and here is its bastard baby

 

Been to my local Ford dealer today and...RIP Tangerine Scream...:crying:

 

Are you trading in @Taz ?

 

Nah, I just visit my dealer periodically to have a look round, especially at the performance Focuses and Mustangs. I'm also a fan of TS and don't want it to die out in favour of something like bright orange as they're apparently doing with the new Focus ST. TS was unique to the Focus ST and now I've been told today that they're cutting corners by painting it in the same orange as the Mustang. :sad: