As the battle for hot hatch supremacy continues to wage on in Europe, Ford is working on a nuke to bombard the over-confident Germans with next year. It can only be the Focus RS, a legend among car fans, who for the two previous generation have done nothing but to idolize the "RS" badge.
The Mk3 RS comes very late to the party, just as its predecessor did, in the last couple of years of Focus production. Still, a monster with over 300 horsepower is one heck of a way to go!
Under the bonnet of what used to be an average family hatchback is the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo as found in the new 2015 Mustang pony car. It's got the same number of cylinders as a 2-liter ST, four, but thanks to its larger displacement is expected to pop out as many as 330 rampaging American wild horses of power. Bad joke, we know!
We've seen some pretty brutal-looking hyper hatchbacks over the years, but we think not even Subaru can do what Ford is to the Focus RS. Thanks to our spies stationed at the Nurburgring, we have the very first photos of the new front bumper design, boasting massive ducts and blades for that aero effect everybody expects from a mental Ford.
The rest of the car isn't really finished yet. Remember, the last RS had a huge rear wing like the one you got on a WRC rally car and a diffuser that covered up pretty much the whole lower bumper.
Our spy photos do, however, reveal a twin-pipe exhaust system, no-doubt packing plenty of sonorous pops and burbles.
Drivetrain changes will include an evolution of the RevoKnockle front suspension, a mechanical limited slip differential, 19-inch alloys with sticky rubber and probably adjustable suspension as well.
With Honda working on the best Civic Type R ever, rumored to pack 300 horsepower from their first 2-liter turbo, there really isn't going to be any shortage of FWD excitement in 2015. Let's just hope Ford bosses will allow the RS badge to finally make the trip to America.
Under the bonnet of what used to be an average family hatchback is the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo as found in the new 2015 Mustang pony car. It's got the same number of cylinders as a 2-liter ST, four, but thanks to its larger displacement is expected to pop out as many as 330 rampaging American wild horses of power. Bad joke, we know!
We've seen some pretty brutal-looking hyper hatchbacks over the years, but we think not even Subaru can do what Ford is to the Focus RS. Thanks to our spies stationed at the Nurburgring, we have the very first photos of the new front bumper design, boasting massive ducts and blades for that aero effect everybody expects from a mental Ford.
The rest of the car isn't really finished yet. Remember, the last RS had a huge rear wing like the one you got on a WRC rally car and a diffuser that covered up pretty much the whole lower bumper.
Our spy photos do, however, reveal a twin-pipe exhaust system, no-doubt packing plenty of sonorous pops and burbles.
Drivetrain changes will include an evolution of the RevoKnockle front suspension, a mechanical limited slip differential, 19-inch alloys with sticky rubber and probably adjustable suspension as well.
With Honda working on the best Civic Type R ever, rumored to pack 300 horsepower from their first 2-liter turbo, there really isn't going to be any shortage of FWD excitement in 2015. Let's just hope Ford bosses will allow the RS badge to finally make the trip to America.