"This may be partly explained by its maximum torque output figure of 133 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm, and the fact that this engine has two valves per cylinder, not four, and doesn't offer variable valve timing,..."
This reminds me of the TV commercial for the F-150 where the voice over describes the "innovative" V8 engine with three valves per cylinder. Umm six valves per cylinder might be innovative (whether that would be a technical benefit would be questionable. How many valves become too many?) But VW/Audi has at least one engine with five valves per cylinder, the 2.0L FSI turbo I believe. Four valves is quite common.
For some reason I had assumed that the new engines that Ford put in the Focus were retuned versions of the Mazda designed I4s.
And why did Ford N.A. decide to make the sedan the perforamce variant with the 2.3 engine and better sport suspension,rear disc brakes, etc.
The ST models should have been the ZX3 and ZX5.
The old SVT version, which was a blast to drive, with the Cosworth tuned version of the 2.0L Zetec engine with 170hp was only available as a 3 or 5 door hatch.
I don't think it sold very well, though that probably had more to do with the fact that Ford priced the SVT Focus at $30 000. That was alot for a Focus. And by the time they brought out the SVT in 2002 the Focus had gotten a bad reputation for recalls and reliability.
I think they decided to make the sportier Focus the sedan this time in response to poor sales of the SVT.
I like the Focus, I really do. If Ford cared about this car at all they could make it very competitive with the best cars in this segment. Fantastic drive aside the SVT that I looked at exuded a feeling of cheapness that was hard to overlook for a car that listed at over $30 000. That and the fact that it was already starting to rust at only two years old made it a no brainer to walk away.