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Matt LeBlanc Buys Ford Focus RS as Daily Driver

Despite the fact Matt LeBlanc drives the coolest cars in the world on Top Gear, he bought himself a hot hatchback.
Matt LeBlanc's Ford Focus RS 4 photos
Photo: Matt LeBlanc on Instagram
Matt LeBlanc's Ford Focus RSMatt LeBlanc's Ford Focus RSMatt LeBlanc's Ford Focus RS
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Joey Tribbiani from Friends is the proud owner of a brand spanking new Ford Focus RS. Delivered by South Bay Ford in Los Angeles, the Nitrous Blue-painted hot hatchback also prides itself on a Hoonigan license plate frame which “is good for 3 hp,” apparently.

Including destination and delivery, the 2016 Ford Focus RS in U.S. specification costs from $36,605. For almost the same money as a Mustang GT Premium Fastback, the Focus RS comes as standard with creature comforts such as dual-zone automatic climate control, push-button start, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, aluminum pedals and shifter, driver-configurable 4.2-inch LCD display cluster, and SYNC 3 infotainment.

I’m missing the point here, don’t I? What matters about the Focus RS, of course, is what makes it go fast. The belly of the beast comes in the form of a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) of torque. Mated to a good old six-speed manual transmission, the turbo-four mill sends power to all four wheels. Dynamic Torque Vectoring aside, the real deal with the Focus RS is an AWD system with twin electronically controlled clutch packs. As we’ve found in our test drive of the Ford Focus RS, this hot hatchback is exhilarating at every turn.

What makes the Focus RS tick, however, is something called Drift Mode. Engaging that driving mode tells the AWD system to channel up to 70 % of the torque to the rear wheels, then up to 100 % of it to either side of the rear axle. Hence, the Focus RS can be easily persuaded into oversteering.

Don’t know about you, but I believe LeBlanc is definitely into that sort of thing. After all, he’s an out-and-out car guy who's good at hooning around.

 

She's ready. License plate frame is good for 3 hp. @kblock43 @fordperformance @topgear @topgear_bbca

A photo posted by Matt LeBlanc (@mleblanc) on Jun 21, 2016 at 10:23pm PDT

 

My buddy/current Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc (@mleblanc) has been able to drive some of the best cars in the world right now. So what did he choose as his daily driver? A new Ford Focus RS! I approve of this decision. And bonus points for the Hoonigan license plate frame! #FordFocusRS #Hoonigan

A photo posted by Ken Block (@kblock43) on Jul 7, 2016 at 8:49am PDT

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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