Ford has given the Focus hatchback a refresh for 2021, with a new design and an improved infotainment suite.
Ford has unveiled a facelift to the 2022 Focus, including the Focus ST hot hatch.
Shown for the first time in Europe, the facelifted ST will arrive in Australia Q2 2022.
For the greater range (many of which are not sold in Australia) the re-structured range does away with the luxurious Focus Vignale – instead, Vignale now refers to a trim package that can be specified with Titanium, Active and ST-Line cars, bringing additional equipment and bespoke design touches inside and out.
The Focus ST hot-hatch has also been refreshed as part of the facelift. The front-end design is shared with the ST-Line model, but the fully-fledged ST receives a satin grey finish for the lower vent inserts and honeycomb grille mesh. The redesigned alloy wheels are painted in a similar hue, with 18-inch items as standard and larger 19-inch wheels available as an option. A set of revised taillights, and a new ‘Mean Green’ paint colour, complete the exterior makeover.
Inside, the Focus ST ditches the Recaro seats of the outgoing car, replacing them with in-house 14-way adjustable Ford Performance seats. Under the bonnet, the same 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine remains, delivering 206kW and 420Nm of torque. This is mated to either a six-speed manual or a torque converter automatic gearbox, controlled by paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel. Power is put to the tarmac through an electronic limited-slip differential.
First deliveries are scheduled for Q2 2022 and pricing will be announced closer to its Australian launch.
The updated Focus can be specified with Ford’s latest infotainment suite, called SYNC 4, and is standard in the Focus ST. The system is operated via a new 13.2-inch central touchscreen, which features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The climate functions are now embedded within the touchscreen, with the physical controls of the current car being removed for a cleaner dashboard design.
Advanced speech recognition allows the driver to operate media functions, navigation and climate settings through voice control if preferred, and the car’s internet integration allows weather information to be relayed to those on board. The FordPass smartphone app also allows the user to connect to their car remotely to check fuel levels and oil life, for example. An alert system will notify the user of any attempt to enter the vehicle, too.
SYNC 4 benefits from a trial subscription to Ford’s Connected Navigation (Australian details to be confirmed closer to the Focus ST launch), which includes live traffic and weather updates, and the new Focus is also compatible with the brand’s Power-Up system. This enables improved vehicle features over time through software updates, which can be carried out in the background or during scheduled periods with little or no user intervention.
Very useful post I really appreciate thanks for sharing such a nice post.