Ford Focus ST: high-performance overboost function revealed | CarAdvice

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Ford Focus ST: high-performance overboost function revealed

FORD FOCUS
By Tim Beissmann
FIND DEALS

Ford has confirmed its all-new hot-hatch, the Ford Focus ST, will feature an overboost function that provides 15-second bursts of extra torque for better mid-range acceleration.

The newly revealed overboost function is a feature of the Focus ST’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost powerplant. The function does not affect the engine’s peak outputs of 188kW of power (252hp) and 366Nm of torque (270lb-ft) – rather, it raises torque by as much as 7.4 per cent between 3000-4500rpm, lifting it closer to the engine’s peak level across a broader band of the rev range.

Ford Focus ST US marketing manager Lisa Schoder said the hot-hatch’s engine was supported by a robust cooling system to handle the added performance.

“The turbo itself is specified for sustained, high-output performance, but [our engineers have] programmed the car’s computer to dial in more boost past 3000rpm to give it that extra something,” Schoder explained.

“We limit peak turbo boost to maintain a wide margin of safety and durability over the life of the car. But overboost is cool in that it tweaks more acceleration through the turbo for brief periods for performance-hungry drivers.”

Although Ford says the engine’s overboost function is “just like hitting the turbo-boost button in a video racing game”, the system actually responds to accelerator pedal inputs rather than the press of a big red button or the flick of a switch.

The Focus ST’s engine is not alone in offering overboost. BMW, Mini, Peugeot and Porsche are among a number of manufacturers to offer similar systems that produce short spurts of extra torque.

The Ford Focus ST hatch will go on sale in Australia in the final quarter of this year, going head to head with the Mazda3 MPS, Renault Megane RS250 and Volkswagen Golf GTI with an estimated price of $40,000.


 

  • Yetiman

    hmm…this or the GT86?

    • theillestlife

       86!
      why? because drift.

      • RSer

        Don’t see the point in drift on public roads with the hoon laws we have in this country, your just askng for trouble.

        • Andrew

           Yes, but if you plan to do the odd track day here or there you will have a RWD car to play with…with this you will always have FWD…

          • Adrian

            yes see the problem with RWD you can only really have fun on a track where’s with FWD you can have fun on public roads without breaking any laws.

          • Phil

            All the places I’ve been to for track days specifiy “no drifting” in the rules. Besides, you can drift in these – Focus and Fiesta are known for having nice lift off oversteer

          • Ford Fairlane

            Phil,lift off oversteer is NOT drifting.

            It’s lift off oversteer.

          • Phil

            Open up a dictionary for once in your life and look up the word drift.
            Lift off oversteer fits into the definition of drifting just as well as power on oversteer.

          • Phil

            All the places I’ve been to for track days specifiy “no drifting” in the rules. Besides, you can drift in these – Focus and Fiesta are known for having nice lift off oversteer

    • FanBoi

      Ford should have added this feature at 0-1000rpm for us Aussies, so that we can take off at the lights faster.

      //

      • Phil

        Or Aussies could just learn to drive manuals. Dump the clutch at 2500rpm and problem solved.

    • TG

       One will be reliable, one won’t.

    • TG

       One will be reliable, one won’t.

    • Smart US

       most importantly its first time a lady admits 15 sec is good enough

  • F1

    That curve above is stupid..

    Where’s the HP/kW curve?

    • whatthe

      It a TORQUE curve! Torque talks, HP is for prety boys (and girls)

      • Roger

        Both hp and torque are important. A truck can have 1000NM but with low hp it doesn’t accelerate as fast as you want.

        • F1

          Overall HP is more important for speed because a transmission essentially is a torque manipulator..

          Plus HP is a derivative of torque.. Generally speaking the more HP the more torque a car has across the RPM..

          This car losses its torque from 2500rpm which is not good..

          • JooberJCW

            Not always, you can have high power and little torque e.g. those N/A hondas (s2000), HP is based around a formula revolving around torque x rotation, so yes in this case the gearing and the RPM the engine is capable of spinning being the manipulator. And correct if it is about acceleration and speed its all about HP. 

            For pulling power and momentum its more about torque. 

    • Springvale Boi

      Power = Torque X RPM X k (a constant). I could convert that plot above to Power vs RPM plot in an excel sheet if I have the time. At the end of the day, it’s the max power and power spread that count. A 5 year old kid could produce 1500Nm of torque or any amount of torque. Just ask him to push down the end of a 5m long pole and viola there’s 1500Nm of torque (5m X 9.8m/s2 X 30kg+ (weight of the 5 year old) = 1500Nm).

    • Springvale Boi

      Power = Torque X RPM X k (a constant). I could convert that plot above to Power vs RPM plot in an excel sheet if I have the time. At the end of the day, it’s the max power and power spread that count. A 5 year old kid could produce 1500Nm of torque or any amount of torque. Just ask him to push down the end of a 5m long pole and viola there’s 1500Nm of torque (5m X 9.8m/s2 X 30kg+ (weight of the 5 year old) = 1500Nm).

  • Utcttd

    All this talk about torque, if that’s the case then why don’t you just rev the engine up to the peak torque which is at 2500rpm and leave it there??

  • F1

    Damn that cars torque falls of way too early! 2500rpm then it goes down from there?

    The 3.5L V6 Ecoboost makes 365HP & 569Nm from 1700-5000rpm … Completley flat horizontal line..

    • Phil

      This is a 2.0 engine, why would you expect it to be as good as a 3.5 litre. Per litre, this 2.0 is doing more than the 3.5.

  • Baji

    I dont get how this overboost works. If its not activated by a switch or button, and simply triggered by the acelerator, how does it differentiate between normal driving and when you want overboost? Im assuming that it activates after a certain point where the acceleartor has been depressed passed? 

    and i agree that torque curve falls away far too steeply and quickly after 2500rpm. It almost seems as if the turbo is only really spooling for 500rpm (2000-2500rpm) after which it just seems to stop. Isn’t the point of a turbo to provide a flat torque curve and more low end torque?

  • PoisonEagle

    So you get a 15 second preview of the RS!!

  • kf

    its like legal ver of nos lolol

  • Tee Jay

    could kill a lot of front rubber.  how do they overcome torque steering??  the original front has more character tough.

  • Tee Jay

    could kill a lot of front rubber.  how do they overcome torque steering??  the original front has more character tough.

  • Supercharger

    Overboost? It’s not unlike overclock in computer speak. What it goes kaboooooom.

  • Daniel

    I don’t really like the idea of this. In normal driving you would always know that it was capable of going faster but it would only ever be there in fifteen second spurts.

    • Spvd02

      You could be getting close to 200km/h by the time 15 seconds is gone. Not so bad…

    • Legnab

      15 secs is plenty of time to use the extra shove in a tight overtake , or just to power out of a slow corner , sounds good , now VW should add this feature .

  • Daniel

    I don’t really like the idea of this. In normal driving you would always know that it was capable of going faster but it would only ever be there in fifteen second spurts.

  • Sleepsy

    Detune the engine in order to add an overboost button… Why not just add a sport mode and program the extra boost depending on throttle inputs? Crap idea. Look no further than the GTR spec V vs 2012 GTR.

  • chubbs

    To be fair to the engine, without this button it has 92.6% of its torque available to 5000rpm = pretty similar to golf r and megane rs. 

    The feature looks like a marketing gimmick to me or they would advertise the actual difference it makes in 0-100 or 80-120 times etc.

    What kind of graph states “torque = power feel” or  “but thats not all” and “just like…in a video game”? marketing gimmick.

  • nugsdad

    have a look at the Ford UK site great HD photos

  • nugsdad

    have a look at the Ford UK site great HD photos

  • No$$CarFan

    If I have itchy fingers, will that void the warranty?

  • Edward

    If i move from a Type-R to one of these, im not sure how ill adjust to this kind of torque band…

  • MichaelLock

    The Police don’t have a 15s overboost function, could come in handy.

  • MichaelLock

    The Police don’t have a 15s overboost function, could come in handy.

    • No$$CarFan

      The Police have the Chevy 6.0L 300KW V8 with 10000000000000000s permanent boost function.

      • Focus ST owner

        With single use brakes and a stoned chassis!

  • trololololol

    Man the ST looks like a real winner! But imagine how good the next RS is gonna be?!??!?

  • Dave

    The previous ST (or xr5) was introduce at around 40k, but spent mot of its life closer to 36k. But the new 86 has redefined the game. Ford can no longer charge 40k for this with 86s at 30k.