The Focus RS promises to be every enthusiast’s dream, while at the same time still being a civilized and an efficient street car, as is mandatorily required nowadays
If you’re not gnawing your fingernails off, eyes frantically staring in all directions, waiting for the upcoming Ford Focus RS, then you are not an enthusiast (or just not overly-eager…). The Focus RS promises to be every enthusiast’s dream, while at the same time still being a civilized and an efficient street car, as is mandatorily required nowadays.
Why should you be so excited about the RS? Well, it will feature standard all-wheel drive that will send plenty of power to the rear wheels when needed, its engine will make 350 hp/440 NM (324 lb-ft) and it’s set to come with a dedicated “drift mode” too.
The latter is what intrigues us most, since we haven’t heard of such a feature on any other car (although some have a dedicated burnout mode that is also pure fun). It basically signals the Focus RS’s intention of not taking itself too seriously, concentrating more on making the driver feel like a racer than actually setting the fastest lap time.
Don’t get me wrong, hot laps are still going to be possible in the RS, as it will also have a sticky mode for that too. You can imagine it will have all manner of electronic trickery on board, including launch control, torque vectoring (that works front to back on both axles and also side to side on the rear).
Actual performance numbers are said to be 4.7 seconds from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) and a top speed of 266 km/h or 165 mph. Price for the RS start at €39,000 or ~$44,000 in Germany.