The new generation Ford Focus RS is the most powerful ever
production car made by the company in Europe and reaches showrooms at the end
of March priced from just under £25,000.
It is the 22nd model to carry the RS badge since
1970 and the second Focus in the series since 2001.
The new model is a development of the Focus ST but there are
very significant electronic, engine, transmission, steering, brakes and
suspension modifications to produce and cope with 300bhp and 440Nm peak torque
from the 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine and six-speed box.
That punches it to 62mph from standstill in less than six
seconds and top speed is above 160mph.
Focus RS is the first to utilise the Quaife Automatic Torque
Biasing limited slip differential in conjunction with a RevoKnuckle front
suspension link at the bottom of the strut, which effectively gives it a lower
wishbone arrangement.
This is the key to the newcomer's truly sensational
responsiveness and handling as I found out on mountain roads in the south of
France this week.
Without going to the complexity, weight and expense of
four-wheel-drive, the latest Focus RS shows exceptional stability over any
surface and it's matched by a finely tuned electric hydraulic power steering,
some of the biggest brakes on any production car and surprisingly compliant
springs and dampers aided by uprated anti-roll bars. They are set up with a firm bias but they are not jarringly
hard and only really let low speed bumps be felt but once on the move the car's
composure is absolute.
Inside there are unique slim, enveloping colour-coded Recaro
seats, aluminium and carbon effect detailing and the RS boasts a unique body
with different front, rear and side panels designed to accommodate the wider
wheels and tyres on the 40mm stretched track. It is topped off with the
signature RS double wing over the back window.
With a bigger footprint on the ground, the Focus RS is going
to have greater poise and it's not lost its agility but feels even sharper than
the popular ST with a higher ratio rack.
What sets it apart is the additional low speed grunt and
through the gears acceleration.
The 2.5 engine has a bigger turbo, modified profile
camshafts, new pistons, inlet and exhaust systems and revised six-speed box.
It produces a flat power line from 2,300-4,500rpm and
punches out maximum power afterwards.
Even drive it badly, floor the throttle and it immediately
sends out a deep exhaust roar and you hang on while it bites into the tarmac
and shoots away. The reworked steering is sharper without suffering vibrations
and the brakes only need modest effort to bring about huge stopping ability
with complete control.
If you want to drive in a more relaxed manner, the Focus RS
will do that as well. You can happily sit back and let the car gobble up the miles
of a long motorway journey.
The Ford Focus RS will be sold in its halo colour of
ultimate green, while frozen white and performance blue can be ordered, and it
comes with option packs for dual zone air conditioning, auto lights and wipers,
parking sensors, tyre deflation warning and key-less ignition, as well as
touchscreen navigation hands-free phone and leather trim.
It is being tipped as a future classic and with just 4,000
coming to the UK its residual value is expected to be good.
It's still weeks away from the hands of the first
eager owners, but the new generation Ford Focus RS is destined to be a classic
and highly sought after used car in the future.
Conceived three years ago as a natural successor to
the previous Focus RS and a range topping performance car above the new Focus ST, the
latest Focus RS could be the last of its kind with a blue oval badge. Its politically incorrect 300bhp engine under the bulging
bodywork of this 160mph slingshot is the most powerful production unit made by
Ford of Europe and its aimed directly at a niche segment who demand
extraordinary performance from an everyday car. The jeckel and hyde character to the car was always
popular but in today's market where money matters it is also remarkable value. Which explains why Ford has already taken 1,100 orders
in the UK
for the Focus RS with a further 1,000 expressions of interest and expects to
sell 4,000 over the next two years. Ford of Britain managing director Nigel Sharp says
most of these will go to previous RS owners as well as ST enthusiasts who want
more power. The UK
is the biggest market for RS, outselling super-cool Switzerland
which has 1,200 sales planned and under 1,000 in Germany despite its unlimited motorways. He said, "The recession and credit crunch have had a
profound effect and we don't really know where the market will be this year but
we think it will end with about 1.9M cars and commercial vehicles. "We will have a better idea after March but last year
it was about 2.5M so it's a sizeable drop and we don't want to have fields of
unsold cars lying around so it makes sense to reduce our output. "We have acted very quickly to take out production but
it's going to be challenging to cut costs on top. We have effectively moved
onto a four day week but we need to keep the ability to rapidly respond to the
upturn when it comes." He said a further challenge to the company in Britain was the
falling value of the pound. "Over the last 18 months we have seen a 30pc decline
in the value of the pound against the euro and that's hurting us and making it
more expensive to bring cars and raw materials into the country. We are not
alone in this as the exchange rate affects electrical and electronic goods as
well." Mr Sharp said he believed Britain would see a return to
stronger prices to recover some of the additional money lost in exchange rates.
"We will have to revisit our prices in the near future
but we will be as fair as possible and give warning to people so they have a
chance to buy and fix a price before it is raised." Ford's head of global performance vehicles, Jost
Capito, added, "When we were developing the new Focus RS we did not see the
current financial crisis and the recession but we were concerned with creating
a car which appealed to the traditional RS buyer who used it every day and then
enjoyed it more at weekends. "I am not sure if we will be creating another car like
it because the world is changing and pressure is mounting for a different sort
of car. This could be one of the last of a long line but for sure the RS owners
will want it because they enjoy driving so it could make this new series one of
the rarest." He said that RS models which cost £20,000 seven years
ago were still fetching prices of £14,000 and demand was obviously high. Ford
is still awaiting a RV figure for the new car but expects it to be very good. With the newest version of the RS family, every Ford
dealer will be able to sell and service it as it is made on the same production
lines in Saarlouis as the standard Focus with the higher performance engine and
special body parts integrated into the usual production line. Ford has set a target of 8,000 new Focus RS models in
its production run, almost twice that of the last generation from 2001.
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