2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: 2013 Ford Focus ST Revealed, Europe Gets a Wagon

Ford has released photos of the 2012 Focus ST production car, and sure enough, the five-door hatch looks just like the concept we saw last year in Paris. The little surprise is what you see here: Ford is also building a fantastic-looking Focus ST wagon. For Europe. Only. Sorry.

Both cars will use the drivetrain you've been reading about: a turbocharged and direct-injected, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder (with variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing) hooked to a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. Horsepower is rated at 247; torque comes in at 266 pound-feet. Ford hasn't disclosed the rpm thresholds for either, yet, but redline is marked at 6,800.

Torque steer is going to be a problem on any front-driver with this much torque, and Ford has chosen to rein it in through electronic means (rather the Focus RS' RevoKnuckle), using the car's electric-assist power steering to counteract it. Ford says it has adopted variable-ratio steering for the ST to make it more fun on tight, twisty roads without making the car twitchy and annoying on the highway (we're hoping to get more details on that while we're here in Frankfurt).

Torque Vectoring Control will help you modulate the power through turns, but in addition to braking individual wheels as on the regular Focus, it can also apply torque to either of the front wheels to create yaw and snub understeer, so maybe, just maybe, you won't miss having a conventional limited-slip differential. Stability control has three modes, one of which is indeed completely off.

If it's any consolation about us not getting the ST wagon, consider that the wagon has to make do with the same angled shock absorbers you'll find on any lower-line Focus, instead of adopting the more upright dampers (which presumably have a more direct motion ratio) on the ST hatchback -- a necessary compromise, says Ford, so that it can still haul around wagon-like payloads.

Otherwise, both cars have the same 10mm (0.4 inch) lowered ride height, with upgraded knuckles and a more effective antiroll bar in the rear. We're still waiting for details on brake hardware. Tires are 235/40R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 summer rubber, but we'll be very surprised if Ford doesn't at least offer all-seasons at no extra cost in the U.S.

Recaros (standard cloth, optional leather) are evidently coming, too, though it can be costly to certify those for the U.S. market (what with our occupant sensor requirements). We'd love to have them, but we wonder if Ford will bother when VW, Mazda and Subaru aren't. This nook of the market is price-sensitive and you have to get people out the door under $30K if you want to play. Stay tuned.-blogs.insideline.com