Currently reading: Ford Focus ST: new automatic variant on sale from £34,710
Hot hatch gains new seven-speed automatic gearbox option in top-rung 2.3-litre Ecoboost guise

Ford has revealed UK details of a new seven-speed automatic gearbox option for its Focus ST hot hatchback.

Available on petrol variants of both the standard car and the estate, the automatic option arrives in addition to the existing six-speed manual gearbox, and is said to open “the Ford ST experience to new customers”. 

A rotary gear selector is installed in place of the conventional gearstick, while paddles behind the steering wheel can be used to manually shift. The Sport button and Drive Mode selector function are carried over from the manual car. 

Screenshot 2020 06 16 at 17

Ford claims that the ‘Adaptive Shift Scheduling’ functionality of the new gearbox optimises performance for road or track, altering gearshift timings to suit different driving styles. 

The auto box nonetheless brings a slight performance penalty, adding 0.3sec to the 0-62mph time for both bodystyles - 6.0sec for the hatch and 6.1sec for the estate - but fuel consumption is unaffected, with both cars claiming an unchanged 34.4mpg on the WLTP cycle. 

The 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Ecoboost unit remains the same, too, sending 276bhp and 310lb ft to the front wheels for an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. 

Automatic cars command a £1450 premium over their manual counterparts, with prices for the hatch starting from £34,710 and £34,660 for the estate. Customer deliveries are set to get under way in July, with Ford’s UK dealerships now back open for business with social distancing measures in place. 

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Fiesta XR2 22 June 2020

0-62 difference

Why is the 0-62 slower? I remember seeing a drag race between the Polo GTI auto and the new Fiesta ST and the Polo smoked it despite being heavier because it was able to change gear more quickly. Have Ford just used a slow automatic gearbox? Hopefully Autocar can do a review. 

typos1 18 June 2020

Love the way the styling

Love the way the styling makes it look like theres something very heavy in the boot, wonder what it ll look like if it does have something heavy in the boot ? They can charge what they like, no one will buy it anyway.

RednBlue 17 June 2020

35k for this garbage tool?

Can't believe automotive industry can survive after Covid-19 pandemic if they request 35k for such a piece of automotive garbage in value for money terms. 

I would need to be paid in order to be seen driving that.