Ford has released the official Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings for its 2013 Focus ST. The hottest of Blue Oval hatches will manage 32 mpg highway, 23 mpg city and 26 mpg combined from the turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission. Ford notes those numbers best both the Volkswagen GTI five-door at 21 mpg city and 31 mpg highway and the MazdaSpeed3 at 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. At 252 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, the Focus ST also bests the Volkswagen in power, but loses that fight to the Mazda.
Judging by our recent first drive, that doesn’t stop the machine from being plenty entertaining, however. With a conservative 0-62 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top end of 155 mph, this is about as far from a rental Focus at the Hertz lot as one can get. For comparison’s sake, the base, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder Focus is capable of up to 40 mpg highway with a special fuel economy package, but it also delivers 92 fewer horsepower and far fewer thrills.
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