Undercutting the competition...
Undercutting the competition on cost was clearly the blue oval"s intention, because the basic model costs í‚á£1,500 less than Vauxhall"s Astra VXR and is an astonishing í‚á£2,500 cheaper than the comparable Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The hot Ford will be available in three guises: the basic ST; the more luxurious ST 2, priced í‚á£18,495, and the flagship ST 3 costing í‚á£19,495. Crucially, all of them share the same 222bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder powerplant.
Although both the VW and Vauxhall are better equipped, the entry-level Ford"s price is an impressive feat. The base model features huge 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and a six-speed manual gearbox as standard.
With 320Nm of torque arriving at 1,600rpm, the sprint from 0-60mph takes only 6.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 150mph. And the ST"s claimed combined fuel economy figure of 30.1mpg is competitive with hot hatch rivals. Ford is promising to offer both three and five-door models, with the order books scheduled to open on 1 October.