autoevolution
 

2016 Focus RS Arrives at UK Dealership, Causes a Stir

The 2016 Ford Focus RS has quietly moved from being an internet sensation to causing a stir in bare metal. The example in the image above has recently landed in a British Ford dealership and its presence has been anything by unnoticed.
2016 Focus RS Arrives at UK Dealership 1 photo
Photo: xXxTommo on Reddit
The picture came to our attention thanks to Redditor xXxTommo and while we're thrilled to see the manic hatch now running free among us, the most important observation here is the buzz the image has generated on Reddit.

Then again, people have quite a lot to be entertained about when it comes to the third generation of the Ford Focus RS, even when talking about a left-hand drive car in the UK.

While the previous incarnations of the uber-fast Ford could be easily labeled as opinion splitters due to their front-wheel-drive, the current model has taken things to a whole new level.

Sure, its all-wheel-drive still relies on what the front axle can do in its default mode, but thanks to the tech wizardry the team over at GKN has used here, the Drift button inside the car is so much more than just a marketing exercise.

To be more precise, the spicy Focus' AWD relies on twin electronically-controlled clutch packs placed on the sides of the rear drive unit, which can control both the car's front/rear torque split (no center diff) and the distribution between the rear wheels.

So not only can up to 70 percent of the torque be sent to the rear but up to 100 percent of this can be thrown onto an individual rear wheel.

Up front, the 2016 Focus RS doesn't come with a limited-slip differential like the FWD Megane RS does, for instance, offering brake-based torque vectoring instead.

We've seen Ken Block sliding the Focus RS at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and while he did appear to be pushing the limits in order to perform impressive sideways stunts, the slip angles he achieved were decent. In fact, you can check out the action in the clip below.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories