New Ford Focus ST 2020 pricing and spec detailed: Increased cost for Hyundai i30 N-rivalling hot hatch

Ford Australia’s recently introduced fourth-generation Focus ST is now $200 pricier than before, bumping up to $44,690 before on-road costs for both the manual and automatic versions.

Why the price increase? With such a small fluctuation, it’s likely due to the weakening Australian dollar as the new Focus ST is built and sourced from Germany.

Equipment levels remain the same, which means standard fitment of Recaro bucket seats, wireless smartphone charger, dual-zone climate control, flat-bottomed steering wheel and 19-inch wheels shot in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.

An 8.0-inch Sync3 multimedia touchscreen is also fitted, with features such as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, voice controls and satellite navigation.

Safety gear includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, reversing camera and, for automatic variants, adaptive cruise control.

Powering the Focus ST is a 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine, good for 206kW/420Nm, which sends drive to the front wheels for a zero-to-100km/h acceleration time in just 5.7 seconds in the six-speed manual and 6.0s in the seven-speed automatic.

The slight bump in price moves the Focus ST closer to the 228kW/400Nm Honda Civic Type R (from $51,990), 205kW/390Nm Renault Megane RS280 Sport ($45,990) and 180kW/370Nm Volkswagen Golf GTI ($47,190), but also away from the 202kW/353Nm Hyundai i30 N ($41,400).