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Will Ford bring its highly successful European Focus to the US?
I admit it, I am not a fan of the Ford Focus when it is pushed on us as a performance vehicle. There are other products that do a much better job of including performance with the sport compact segment. I will give it to SVT, the fuel pumps in the SVT Focus are great for high horsepower Mustangs with returnless fuel systems.
I never understood it, even at the height of the sport compact craze several years ago, Ford had a product that could have been one of the tops in the category. Ford Europe had a great little sport compact Focus with all wheel drive and a stout little turbocharged engine. Ford ignored its success and popularity over there. Instead they modified a US-version and came up with an economy car that had some performance. It definitely fell short when compared to WRX and the Evo. And in the looks department, the European buyers definitely had a better looking Focus to buy than the US marketplace.
Now we have a newly designed Focus that is a great economy car and serves its purpose. I would like to have seen it do a little better on its MPG rating, but overall, I think Ford built a nice economy car that fits in today's market. But what about those who want a high performance sport compact? Rumors are circulating that Ford will be bringing its highly successful Euro model to the US—complete with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive.
The Focus ST features a similar engine to the Volvo S70 with five cylinders and a turbocharger. The engine makes 225 horsepower and came out in 2005. The car is used in World Rally Challenge, so you know it is up to snuff in performance with WRX and Evo. Ford even offers a RS version as well as a ST500 limited edition that goes for $42,000 US! Talk about a pricey ride. I even dig the fact that Ford has a several engine options for performance and economy—including a few diesel powerplants.
Rumors have floated around before regarding the Euro Focus heading West, time will tell if Ford actually does it this time around. I think it will be a big hit with its great looks as well as economic and performance potential.
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