If you’re a fast Ford fan there are two letters in the alphabet that are guaranteed to get your pulse racing: RS. For more than four decades the famous badge has been applied to the blue oval’s fastest and most driver-focused models.
It has been three years since the legendary logo has appeared in Ford showrooms. But that’s all set to change with the arrival of the all-new Ford Focus RS.
Packing a mighty 345bhp turbocharged punch, four-wheel drive heavily uprated suspension and aerodynamically tuned bodywork, the latest Focus RS promises to be the brand’s most extreme hot hatchback since the iconic, rally-bred Escort RS Cosworth of the nineties. So does the newcomer have what it takes to wear the hallowed RS badge?
• We ride in the Focus RS with Ken Block
Ford Focus RS: key tech explained
To find out, we joined Ford’s engineers at the firm’s Lommel test track in Belgium for an exclusive passenger ride. Yet before we get going, we’re given a guided tour of the Focus by the vehicle engineering manager of Ford Performance, Tyrone Johnson.
This is the first time we’ve seen the undisguised Focus RS out in the open, away from the spotlight glare and endless polishing of a motorshow stand. With its gaping front grille, deeper front bumper, RS embossed tailgate spoiler and vast 19-inch alloys, the newcomer certainly doesn’t try and hide its performance potential.
It’s a similar story inside, where the standard Focus has been spiced up with figure hugging Recaro front seats, a chunky three-spoke steering wheel and the same dash-top mounted auxiliary dials found in the Focus ST.
Yet it’s under the skin that the biggest changes have been made. The 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine is a tweaked version of the EcoBoost unit already seen in the new Mustang. Yet as Johnson highlights, “the addition of a larger twin scroll turbo, a high capacity intercooler, a new cylinder head, stronger cast iron cylinder liners and a larger bore exhaust system have enabled us to boost power by ten percent.” That means a dizzying 345bhp and a muscular 440Nm of torque.
Putting all this power down is an all-new electronically controlled all-wheel drive transmission, which is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Not only is this system designed to maximise performance in slippery conditions, it has been tuned to give the Focus the feel of a traditional rear-wheel drive sportscar. As Johnson explains, “We didn’t like what we saw in existing Haldex four-wheel drive systems – they had great traction but no on-limit handling. With our torque vectoring rear drive unit we’ve managed to almost eliminate understeer and maximise rear-wheel drive character”.
There’s even a neat ‘Drift mode’ that, thanks to the rear differential’s twin clutch packs, can send up to 70 percent of the toque to the rear differential, and then 100 percent of that to an individual wheel. In combination with a specially calibrated stability control system, this allows drivers to indulge in sideways showboating without the risk of spinning.
Other driver settings include Normal, Sport and Race, with each tuning the steering weight, throttle response, all-wheel drive transmission and two-stage adaptive dampers to suit the conditions and your mood. These work in combination with the heavily modified and stiffer rear subframe, plus a track that’s about 5mm wider than the Focus ST’s.
On track in the new Ford Focus RS
So how do all these upgrades feel on the move? We climbed aboard with electronic systems engineer, Thomas Binah Amissam for a vivid demonstration of the car’s abilities. Ford claims the Focus RS will sprint from 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds, and it feels as fast as the figures suggest. As Thomas plants his foot on the accelerator pedal, the Ford pins us back in our seats as it explodes down the road. He points out that while maximum torque is quoted at 440Nm, “at full throttle there’s a fifteen second overboost facitlity that increases this figure to 470Nm.”
The 2.3-litre unit sounds good, too. It’s lost a little of the character of the old RS’s five-cylinder powperplant, but careful tuning of the twin exit rear exhausts and inlet manifold have helped deliver a meaty growl that takes on a hard edge as the revs climb past 3,500rpm. Lift of the throttle in anything other than Normal mode and you’re treated to a barrage of pops and bangs from the exhausts, too.
Of course, from our vantage point it’s impossible to tell just how involving the Focus is to drive, but Thomas certainly seems to be enjoying himself. The car responds quickly and accurately to even the smallest steering inputs, plus there’s clearly immense grip as we’re squeezed against the chunky bolsters of the Recaro seats through every corner.
With dampers in their normal setting the ride felt firm but controlled. Selecting Sport stiffens the suspension by a massive 40 percent, and Ford claims this mode should only be used on track.
The four-wheel drive system also appears to work well. Driven in Normal or Sport modes the RS is simply catapulted out of corners with no fuss and zero wheelspin. Yet when Thomas is more aggressive with the throttle out of slow corners, the Focus’ rear steps gracefully sideways.
This mischievous character is the result of Ford’s push to give the various driver settings unmistakable characters. As Thomas explains, “Rival driving modes offer very little distinction between the settings, but we’ve tried to make sure there’s a definite difference in the way the car behaves. In the five years I’ve worked at Ford, this is the most fun I’ve had.” The grin on his face suggests he isn’t lying.
- Model: Ford Focus RS
- Price: £28,940
- Engine: 2.3-litre 4cyl turbo
- Power/torque: 345bhp/440Nm
- Transmission: six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
- 0-62mph/Top speed: 4.7s/165mph
- Economy/CO2: 36.7mpg/175g/km
- On sale : Early 2016