New-Generation Ford Focus RS

Let’s Review The New Ford Focus RS.

Controversial car, the original Focus RS. We liked it rather a lot, but others weren’t so sure. What it unquestionably did was reaffirm the RS badge as a mark of something special.

Good cars though they were, the Escort RS2000 and Fiesta RS1800 of the 1990s were little more than warmed-up versions of existing models. But with the 2002 Focus RS we were presented with something very different: a limited-run, thoroughly re-engineered, driver-focused machine.

On first inspection, this new-generation Focus RS appears to follow in much the same vein; whether physically with its wider tracks and bespoke bodywork, or on paper with 300bhp and a 163mph top speed, right now the new Focus RS is the hottest of hatches.

However, by its own admission Ford’s Team RS wanted to create something different this time: a car just as special and thrilling as the original Focus RS, but more useable day to day.

Has it achieved such an ambitious target, and can 300bhp really be made to work in a front-wheel drive chassis?

During the RS’s gestation, Ford toyed with developing a four-wheel drive system and even got as far as running a couple of prototypes, before dismissing 4WD in favor of a front-wheel drive set-up that very much defines what this car is about.

Ford cites reasons such as weight and complexity for the choice of two-wheel drive, but among the most significant factors is cost.

The first-generation Focus RS was hand-finished well away from the regular car’s production line, but this car could be afforded no such luxury.

The new RS rolls down the same production line as all other Focuses, including the ST on which the RS is ostensibly based.

Changes to the RS over the ST run deep, however. To accommodate a 40mm wider track, its bodywork features bespoke panels, including unique pressings for the flared wheel arches that dominate its sides.

On the Mk1 Focus these were welded into the panels after manufacture. Now they’re fitted while the RS rolls down the line, although if the alignment of our test car’s panels was anything to go by, it’ll take a little tweak before they match regular Focus standards.

Other styling changes, such as the aerodynamic modifications signified by their polished black finish, alter the character of the Focus to the extent where an ST looks positively understated in its company.

The RS’s engine capacity, at 2522cc, is shared with the ST, but its internals have been seriously modified to develop 300bhp, with revisions to the cylinder head, pistons and camshaft and a larger Borg Warner turbo producing twice the boost pressure.

The ventilated front disc brakes are huge at 336mm, while the trick front suspension (see Under the Skin) negates the need for four-wheel drive.

The combination of excellent mechanical grip and the limited-slip differential allow much of the power and torque to be delivered as possible.

Key to the RS’s usability is the torque delivery. A constant 324lb ft from 2300rpm to 4500rpm makes it easy to add speed from almost any point in the rev range.

The RS’s fettled 2.5-litre five-pot revs to 7050rpm, and peak power is produced at 6500rpm.

Like the Focus ST, you sense the engine is delivering its best through the mid-range, but the modifications made for the RS give it a keener, freer-revving top end.

Ford has also incorporated a pronounced ramp-up in torque and power from 1800-2250rpm, which is a bit of trickery to accentuate the sense of the turbo kicking in and mask the linear delivery.

More enjoyable still are the noises emitted from the engine bay: induction thrum, turbo whistle, exhaust crackle or occasional pop. From the outside it is comic book rude.

The gearbox (tougher but with the same ratios as the ST) is good but not great. Overall the shift quality and mechanical interaction are a little ordinary for such an extraordinary car.

Similarly, the brakes could be better. While we have no issue with the outright stopping distance, pedal feel and modulation aren’t quite up to Ford’s exacting standards.

RevoKnuckle or not, the RS torque steers. Throw in a bit of steering angle or a mid-corner bump, or both, and the wheel can tug quite forcibly. However, given the performance available, the level of torque steer is perfectly manageable.

The RS is well judged for road driving; it is exhilarating, confidence inspiring and fun, without ever becoming intimidating.

At town speeds, and sometimes at sub-50mph speeds on really poor B-roads, the ride is firm, but the damping is excellent and with speed the ride calms down significantly. And when the roads get really tough the body control is absolutely first rate.

That there is not a great deal to report here is perhaps the most telling finding. Other than the Recaro bucket seats, a shorter gearlever and a smattering of carbon-effect plastic, the RS is disappointingly similar to the ST.

Flashes of colour on the seats (but thankfully not the steering wheel this time) try to lift the cabin, but overall the interior fails to match the exterior for sense of occasion.

That said, from a functional perspective the Focus is an excellent place to sit, whether up front (where the ergonomics are superb) or in the back (where the RS’s sculptured pews make this a strict four-seater).

The broad Continental tyres generate quite a bit of noise, but this is surface dependent, and although our car suffered from some wind noise, we suspect this is down to a misaligned door.

Overall, the RS should be an easy car to live with, the refined engine and tall sixth gear making light work of long-distance cruising.

Our biggest gripe is the high-set driving position, a result of safety regulations. Even with the seats set in their lower position (adjustment requires an Allen key), you never feel as if you’re sitting low enough.

Some may say £25,745 is a lot to pay for a Focus. We think it’s exceptional value, considering the performance on offer and the depth of chassis engineering, especially next to an Impreza STi or Evolution X. What’s more, strong demand and tight (if not limited) supply should keep residuals strong.

Running costs (group 19 insurance) could be more of an issue, although the RS returned a respectable average of 24.8mpg (better than the ST); that can easily drop to single figures, though. A 62-litre tank helps boost the range.

While we doubt the RS will feature on many company lists, its 225g/km emissions put it in the 33 per cent bracket, higher than the Mk6 Golf GTI.

Despite having 300bhp and all-wheel-drive-humbling acceleration, next to the original Focus RS or even Renault’s Mégane R26R, this new-generation Focus RS isn’t quite as hardcore.

Certainly on track it doesn’t deliver quite the same intense rawness, but then that wasn’t really what Ford was aiming for. What we have instead is an incredibly quick, thrilling, approachable and usable hot hatch.

The seating position isn’t perfect, if you’re pushing on it likes a drink, and at first it can seem large next to some more nimble rivals, but even the briefest seat time banishes these quibbles.

The chassis is a work of genius, delivering stellar grip and adjustability, playfulness even, with no vices, while traction is extraordinary. We were expecting it to be fast, but no one could have predicted that the RS would be quite so much fun.

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