A limited number of Ford’s Focus RS are headed to South Africa. First, the headline numbers: 224 kW, 440 N.m, 100 km/h in 5,9 seconds and a top whack of 263 km/h. Exciting stuff. And were it not for the images above or the introductory blurb one could easily have expected this piece to be about some German sportscar. And judging by the other major figure – a price tag of R479 000 – you would be forgiven for that error. It may be a lot of dosh for a tricked out Focus but Ford’s high-performance division has created, what could be, the ultimate hot hatch, or very close to it.
Focus RS has everything that a boy racer could want in a car; outlandish looks – scope that rear wing nicked from Ford’s WRC parts bin – huge alloys, immense amounts of power and a great soundtrack. As is the aim of any car customiser – to create a unique vehicle – only 60 Rally Sport Focuses (Focii?) will be imported by Ford SA, available only in white, blue or a freaky shade of metallic green.
That earlier power output comes from a massaged version of Ford’s turbocharged inline five. Unlike some competitors – read Subaru Impreza WRX STi – that boast all-wheel drive, the Daddy of all Fords delivers its drive solely to the front axle. Drive is transferred through a short-throw six-speed gearbox with a precise feel to it. Thankfully powertrain engineers have added a limited-slip differential to ensure that you wear out the front rubber at equal rates.
A widened track, revised damper and spring rates as well as sticky 255 mm-wide Conti rubber help keep you on the black stuff.
So, how does that translate onto the road… well I can’t actually tell you as I did not drive it on the road. But on the track it is suitably impressive. The tight confines of Zwartkops layout did not allow us to experience RS at full steam from standstill through the gears. The tight corners of the clockwise circuit did, however, give us a good indication of how exceptionally well this car puts down its power.
One would guess that trying to apply 440 N.m of twist through the front footwear AND asking them to steer at the same time would result in forearm developing torque-steer but that is not the case here. Thanks to some wizardry dreamed up by Ford’s engineers RS possesses a bespoke front suspension component dubbed RevoKnuckle. Suffice to say that it works, and pretty damn well, too.
Ford obviously expect RS to be bought and driven by real enthusiasts and have set-up the underpinnings for a rewarding drive. Turn-in is positive and sharp thanks to a quicker steering rack. There is a hint of oversteer initially, just enough to set the car up for a corner. Feed in the power and even when one is judicious with the loud pedal there is very little interference from the retuned ESP; an obvious sign of a car that is well set-up and not overwhelmed by its power output.
Another impressive characteristic is the torque delivery. All the pulling power is available from 2 300 – 4 500 r/min so even the slow corners at the Big Z require just 3rd gear. Courtesy of a 7 000 r/min rev range just third and fourth can be wrung out for the entire lap.
I’ll reserve my judgement about its on-road manners when we put RS through our full test regimen. Until then, RS rates as one of the most fun cars I’ve driven this year.
Click on the VIDEO tab above the pictures of the Ford Focus RS to view its transition from track prototype to road-going racer.
