Ford Focus RS: Rally-Bred Super Hatch

Motoring Channel Staff - 18/December/2007

Cologne, Germany — Creating a huge amount of pre-Christmas buzz for its new Ford Focus range, the Blue Oval has released a teaser picture of the new Focus RS.

The Focus RS is the hardcore rally-bred performance model.

Expected to be powered by a heavily tuned version of the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbo petrol engine that powers the Ford Focus XR5 Turbo (named the Focus ST in Europe), the new model even gets hood vents like the BMW M3.

"With two consecutive Manufacturers' World Rally Championship titles under our belt, the time is right to create a new Focus RS," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe's President and CEO. 

"With the Fiesta and Focus ST models, Jost [Capito] and his team have proved already that they can deliver exciting and practical performance road cars. The success of these models, combined with Jost's experience in motorsport and Ford of Europe's positive business results, mean that we now have a credible business case for a no-compromise Focus RS roadcar for more enthusiastic drivers."

Cologne,But does 'no-compromise' mean AWD? That's the sticking point at the moment.

If the new Focus RS is AWD is will may be able to rival the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Evo X head on and be a true super hatch. If not, it'll just be another hot hatch with tough body work.

The new range-topping, potentially Evo-fighting, possibly STI-bashing Focus RS ultra hatch is the spiritual successor to the previous RS Focus (which was AWD) and even the RS Cosworth Escort, and will be shown in concept form in 2008.

The production model will be ready by 2009.

"We're not ready to confirm any of the technical details of the new Focus RS yet - Jost and his team have a lot to do to finalise the exact specification and styling," added Fleming. "But make no mistake, I can assure you that ultimately, the car we plan to launch will be worthy of wearing the coveted Ford RS badge."

As well as the exterior upgrades, it is expected the engine will get a larger turbo and intercooler (hence the hood vents for improved engine bay cooling) which could take power to 200kW+ and would afford the vehicle impressive levels of acceleration. The new model will also likely benefit from Ford's new twin clutch gearbox that will be used in the new Focus model.

Other aspects will be updated too, including the chassis (brakes, suspension, steering).

"We have reviewed our technical options and worked closely with the Design team on how the car might look, and I'm very excited by the results," said Jost Capito, who was the man behind the Fiesta XR4 and will be the Vehicle Line Director for Ford of Europe Performance Vehicles in 2008. 

"Now with the programme going ahead, the hard work really starts as the small team working on the project takes the car from prototype to production," said Capito. Already test mules of the Focus RS have been spotted testing at the Nürburgring recently, suggesting that the chassis and powertrain systems are already being examined.

"We will use the redesigned 2008 Focus ST as the base for a no-compromise RS model that will become the ultimate road-going Focus," Capito added. "Just as the Focus RS WRC owns the rally circuit, we want the new Focus RS to own the road, so we have the major competitors in our sights as we develop the car's performance, design, handling and braking."

Unlike the teaser image for the 2009 Ford Focus RS, we have official images of the new Focus XR5 Turbo. A few months back a major UK car magazine leaked the new images show the Ford Focus ST, known in Australia as the Focus XR5 Turbo, in all its nipped and tucked glory.

Seeing as it is just a face-lift (the cars' mechanicals are expected to remain largely unchanged) the main updates have taken place at the front end, incorporating new headlight lenses that mimic the design seen on the Ford Mondeo.

The grille gets a subtle new finish and the fog light nacelles are new, complete with what appear to be small vents that could be brake cooling ducts, but are more likely to be black plastic inserts.

Apart from what appear to be new LED brake lights, the rear end appears largely unchanged.

The interior will get a mild renovation, including the use of new fabrics and updates to the instrument details, such as a new tachometer and speedometer.

No changes are expected in the engine department but until Ford of Europe officially releases the technical specifications (or a magazine leaks it) we won't know the exact details and there is a chance of a new engine type making a debut.

The Ford Focus pictured here is the ST (XR5 Turbo), a hot hatch by all accounts. It is powered by a 2.5-litre inline 5-cylinder engine that outputs 166kW (225hp) of power and 320Nm of torque and can race to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds. We also have a road test of the current version of the Ford Focus XR5 Turbo vehicle, which scored very highly.

The new-look models are scheduled to go on sale first in Europe in early 2008, and will likely come to Australia later in 2008.

The rally-bred Ford Focus RS will be production ready by early 2009.

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