Ford today delighted enthusiasts when it finally took the wraps off the long-awaited all-new Ford Focus RS, a high-performance all-wheel-drive road car promising class-leading cornering speed, thrilling performance and driving fun that will be the first ever RS model to be available globally.
Streaming live from Cologne in Germany, Ford was showing the second car in weeks – following the new Ford GT supercar – in a new era of Ford performance scheduled to deliver more than a dozen performance cars to global customers in the next five years.
While the biggest radiator ever fitted to a Focus promises the cooling needed for hard circuit use, engine calibration aims to deliver excellent low-end response, a powerful mid-range and a free-revving top-end up to redline at 6,800 rpm.
Ken Block, Gymkhana films and World Rallycross star, was a consultant in development of the all-new RS and joined the Ford Performance team at the preview event in Cologne – the city where the RS legend was born in 1968 with the Ford 15M RS. Production will start later this year at Ford’s plant in Saarlouis, Germany.
Key to putting down the power is the new Ford Performance All-Wheel-Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring combining outstanding traction and grip with unmatched agility and cornering speed, based on twin electronically-controlled clutch packs each side of the rear drive unit. These manage the car’s front/rear torque split, and also can control the side-to-side torque distribution on the rear axle.
The control unit in the rear drive unit continuously varies the front/rear and side-to-side torque distribution to suit the driving situation, monitoring inputs from multiple sensors 100 times per second. Up to 70 per cent of the drive torque can be diverted to the rear axle and up to 100 per cent of the available torque at the rear axle can be sent to each rear wheel.
The AWD system has been tuned for exceptional grip – with lateral acceleration exceeding 1g – and class-leading cornering speed and acceleration out of a bend and the ability to achieve controlled oversteer drifts at the track. Dave Pericak, director, Global Ford Performance, said: “We have ripped up the rulebook which says that AWD hatchbacks cannot be fun to drive, and have created a car which will surprise and reward in equal measure.”
Chassis features include sports suspension with spring rates, bushes and anti-roll-bars all stiffer than in the Focus ST, and two-mode switchable dampers offering a firmer setting for the track, while tuned electric power-assisted steering working with a more rigid front suspension knuckle design and shorter link arms delivers outstanding feel.
Ford worked closely with Michelin to develop a choice of high-performance 235/35 R19 tyres, a standard Pilot Super Sport tyre for everyday use and – for the first time on an RS – an optional Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyre for the track.
Developed by a small team of Ford Performance engineers in Europe and US, the new Focus RS – the 30th car the carry the legendary RS badge – is the third generation of Focus RS cars, following models launched in 2002 and 2009. It follows such technology trendsetters as the 16-valve 1970 Escort RS1600, turbocharged Sierra RS Cosworth of 1985 with radical aerodynamics, and the four-wheel-drive 1992 Escort RS Cosworth.
In the driver’s seat the six-speed manual transmission has been optimised with shorter gear lever to deliver faster and more accurate shifts with both transmission and clutch upgraded for the engine’s increased torque output. With direct fuel injection, twin independent variable camshaft timing and advanced turbocharging, the engine also promises significantly improved fuel economy and indications are that CO2 emissions will be significantly reduced against the previous model.
Visually, the The Focus RS is both dramatic and functional. Four striking colours include Nitrous Blue, a vibrant four-coat metallic finish exclusive to the RS, plus Stealth Grey, Absolute Black and Frozen White. The car revealed in Cologne features the same special Liquid Blue colour scheme first seen on the all-new Ford GT revealed last month at the North American International Auto Show.
A more muscular body style at the front features bold upper trapezoidal grille above the deep front splitter, lower wings, and large outboard openings feeding the brake cooling ducts and housing upright fog lamps. Standard Bi-Xenon HID headlamps offer Adaptive Front Lighting.
The back of the car’s fascia is dominated by the large diffuser, optimising under-car air flow to cut drag, and with the twin round exhaust tailpipes and, in Europe and Asia, a clear central fog lamp, while topping it off the distinctive rear roof spoiler has body-colour side panels with subtle embossed RS logo.
Bold wheel arches cover a choice of multi-spoke 19-inch RS alloy wheels – including a high-performance lightweight forged design in low-gloss black, with enhanced strength and impact resistance and saving 1kg per wheel.
In the cabin, fans will recognise the heavily-bolstered partial-leather Recaro sports seats as the centrepiece. Signature RS Recaro shell seats, with authentic motorsport microfibre fabric panels, are optional in Europe and Asia. The RS accent is reinforced by a new flat-bottomed steering wheel with soft-feel leather-covered rim, alloy pedals, and special instrument graphics while in a heritage touch an extra bank of gauges above the centre console display turbo boost pressure, oil temperature and oil pressure.
SYNC connectivity provides access to audio, navigation, climate control and mobile phones via voice control and a high-definition eight-inch colour touchscreen. Simple voice commands such as “Find a race track” enable RS owners to get instant directions to the nearest public circuit!
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