This Is The New Ford Focus RS
The new Ford GT may be the stunning supercar we covet, but the new Ford Focus RS is the performance car that's realistically within reach. Revealed today, the hot hatch packs Ford's new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine and throws its 315 HP down through Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive, using dynamic torque vectoring and more. The car company turned to Gymkhana star and rallying expert Ken Block to help cook up the Focus RS, and best of all, it's confirmed to be coming to the US.
Ford dropped that welcome bombshell back in December, at which point US performance hatch fans started getting a whole lot more interested in the potent five-door.
On the outside, it's clearly a Focus but also far more aggressive. The grille gets a more emphasized trapezoidal shape, topping a deep splitter for engine cooling. Meanwhile, the wings are lower, and there are large – and functional – cooling ducts on the side, to keep the brakes chilled. They also get some visual gloss, thanks to vertical light strips.
At the back, the diffuser is huge and flanked by twin round high-performance tailpipes. Cars in Europe and Asia will get a central fog lamp, too, but every version will have a roof spoiler with body-colored side panels and embossed logos.
A choice of 19-inch multi-spoke wheels, exclusive to the RS, will be offered, including a low-gloss black, lightweight forged option. Four body colors will be up for grabs: Stealth Gray, Absolute Black, Frozen White, and Nitrous Blue.
Inside, Ford is promising part-leather Recaro sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel with leather rim, alloy pedals, and a unique instrument cluster. Extra gages across the top will show turbo boost, oil temperature, and oil pressure details.
The new SYNC system will be installed, too, controlled from an 8-inch touchscreen. A rear-camera will be optional, as will a 10-speaker Sony audio system with subwoofer.
Of course, it's the mechanics of the car that most people are curious about. A custom 2.3-liter engine borrows its structure from that found in the new Mustang, but gets a new twin-scroll turbocharger with a larger compressor and a bigger intercooler, while there's a large-bore exhaust and extra-gaping intake design.
Valves in the exhaust line control back pressure and noise, while there's a bigger radiator for more aggressive cooling, up to the engine's 6,800 rpm rev limit.
No fancy DCT or flappy paddles here, just a six-speed manual transmission with a shortened gear lever and stronger clutch for the extra torque. Ford isn't talking full specs yet, including either torque or economy, but the latter gets at least a nod with auto stop/start as standard.
It's also an opportunity for Ford Performance to show off its new AWD system. That has a pair of electronically controlled clutch packs on each side of the rear drive, and which control front/rear torque split. They can also manipulate side-to-side torque distribution at the rear axle – adjusting 100 times per second – for better handling and stability in corners.
Up to 70-percent of the available drive torque can be pushed to the rear, and then split between the two rear wheels with up to 100-percent going to one or the other. For instance, during cornering, the torque is automatically delivered to the outer rear wheel, the Focus RS using steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration, yaw and speed to figure out what the driver will want.
Twin-mode switchable dampeners with a special "Track" setting, a new Electronic Stability Control system, electric power steering, and a choice of road- or track-centric tires round out the key specs.
Ford isn't saying how much the Focus RS will cost, with those numbers coming close to launch. Europe will get the car initially, in 2016, with a US release later in the year.
