Ford’s decision to discontinue all of its cars in the U.S. except for the Ford Mustang is a very controversial business decision. No matte whether you think it’s the right or wrong path to take, it’s likely that we can all agree that the decision is rather disappointing. We must admit that we love a good hot hatch, and now we must watch from afar as lucky folks in other countries get sweet new Ford cars like the 2020 Ford Focus ST.
Making matters worse, the latest Ford Focus ST is quite a hot hatch, as we can clearly see in a rather cool video from Ford Europe. The short clip shows the 2020 Ford Focus ST ripping from zero to 62 miles-per-hour (or 100 kilometers per hour, for Europeans) in just 5.7 seconds. That may not seem like blazing result by today’s standards, but the goal here is to make a pleasurable and utilitarian driving machine, not an all-out speed demon.
Many have called the 2020 Ford Focus ST the greatest iteration of the legendary model yet, and it’s hard to disagree with that sentiment. After all, it packs the rather potent Ford 2.3L EcoBoost I-4 making a very healthy 280 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, which is a lot for a car its size and weight. It’s also mated to a proper six-speed manual transmission, just like it should be. Plus, the whole shebang has a very nice purr to it.
Then there’s the incredible steering feel this little hatch possesses, which Ford likes to point out takes only two turns to go lock-to-lock. Other cool performance tech includes Adaptive Continuously Controlled Damping and an active, torque-distributing front axle. Throw in some Recaro seats, a surprisingly premium cabin, as well as sporty (yet elegant) looks, and the 2020 Ford Focus ST is a winner in our book.
But alas, most Americans don’t care about things like weekend jaunts around mountain passes. They’d rather cruise around in their SUVs and sit in traffic while getting to the local big box store after picking up their kids from school. And as we like to remind ourselves often, it’s ultimately our fault we can’t have cool toys like the Focus ST anymore.
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Yes, please! Why do the Europeans get to have all this fun! Guess I’ll hang onto my 2016 ST for a few more years…