When a celebrity is late to the party and the appearance is worth every cent, you end up with a story that makes it to the first page. This must be the main guideline for Ford when delivering the Focus RS. Just like its predecessor, the third incarnation of the RS comes to the market after years of waiting, but the question is whether it will manage to stun the hot hatch segment once again.
Our spy photographers recently caught the Mk3 Focus RS lapping the Nurburgring and we’re extremely curious to see if the Blue Oval’s hot mad hatch can set a new FWD record. We’re not all that keen on Nordscleife records, but this may just be a side effect of all the work Ford engineers are putting into the RS.
These boots were made for hooning
The previous Focus RS was more like the brute of the hot hatch segment than the most precise tool in the hot hatch shed - not because it lacked technology, since its RevoKnuckle front suspension was probably the best in its class, but simply because it threw 300 horses onto the front axle.
At a certain point, Ford explained it could’ve made the RS all-wheel drive, but the company didn’t see the move as financially worthy, so the Focus ended up with the trick front suspension.
The Nurburgring production FWD record was the topic of the #UNDER8 challenger earlier this year, which saw the SEAT Leon Cupra and the Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R battle it out. The result, an out-of-this-world 7 min 54.36 seconds was registered by the Renault. Nonetheless, the SEAT’s 7 min 58.4 seconds seemed like the better result to our eyes - while the Megane was a stripped out special edition, the Leon achieved this in standard trim.
The Focus RS will land right in the middle of this war and this won’t even be its only battle. Honda has been delaying the new Civic Type R, simply because they want it to be the best FWD hot hatch on the market. This will be the Type R’s first venture into the turbo world and the Japanese hot hatch should deliver around 300 hp.
2016 Focus RS shares its 2.3l turbo with the Mustang EcoBoost
The 2016 Focus RS will be motivated by the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder unit in the Mustang EcoBoost. The unit is expected to place around 330 horses under the driver’s right foot, but the RevoKnuckle stuff will be upgraded. Aided by a limited-slip differential, 19-inch super-sticky rubber and a few other upgrades, the RS will certainly put its ponnies to good use.
As for the soundtrack, many dismissed the fake engine noise on the EcoBoost Mustang, but in hot hatch land the feature has a different taste. Besides, that twin-pipe exhaust looks like it’s ready to deliver some aural kicks.
The Ford Focus RS should come to the world next year as a 2016 model. And while the 2015 Mustang made its way to Europe, we can only hope Ford will allow the Focus RS to thrill US customers.
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
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