Ford Focus RS Promises Cheaper Thrills

There was no question that the 2016 Ford Focus RS was going to be quick. That was always a given. No, the question was always “how quick?”.

Now we know. With 350PS and 440Nm the turbocharged 2.3-litre Ecoboost propels the Focus to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 165mph. That’s nearly a whole second faster than the previous fastest Focus, the RS500, and it’s a lot cheaper than that limited edition RS.

It’s hardly a surprise that this is the fastest accelerating RS model ever, that’s progress for you! What is a surprise is the price that Ford are asking for this level of performance – just £28,940.

In terms of thrills gained against hard-earned money spent there’s nothing that can touch it. It’s cheaper than a 300PS Golf R and makes the Leon Cupra, Megane Renaultsport and Astra VXR look under-endowed. What it emphatically does is stick two fingers up at the Audi RS3 and AMG A45, who tried to convince us that almost £40k was acceptable for a hot hatch. Jürgen Gagstatter, chief program engineer for Focus RS, puts it quite politely:

“The all-new Focus RS delivers stunning performance and innovative technology at a price that will make both our customers and premium automakers look twice. After experiencing the acceleration and cornering capability of the Focus RS, drivers will question the sense in spending almost £10,000 more on a premium competitor.”

So in other words, you’d have to be barking mad to spend another £10k on one of the German rivals. Unless you really, really want some of those pretty headlights.

2016 Ford Focus RS

Performance & Economy 2016 RS 2009 RS 2010 RS500
Engine 2.3-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-engined, all-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive
Power (PS / bhp) 350 / 345 300 / 295 350 / 345
Torque (Nm / lb.ft) 440 / 324
(470 / 346 on overboost)
440 / 324 460 / 339
0 – 62 mph (seconds) 4.7 5.9 5.6
Top Speed (mph) 165 163 165
CO2 Emissions (g/km) TBA 225 235
VED Band TBA K L
Combined Economy (mpg) TBA 30.1 28.5
Price (OTR) £28,940 £27,925 £35,437

2016 Ford Focus RS (08)
2016 Ford Focus RS Interior
Ford Focus RS Dynamic Torque Vectoring
2016 Ford Focus RS (09)
2016 Ford Focus RS (07)
2016 Ford Focus RS (10)

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350PS And 470Nm From Ford Focus RS

350PS, or 345bhp in old money. That’s a lot of power for any road car but when it’s coming from a mid-sized five door hatchback its bordering on the obscene.

2016 Ford Focus RS (07)

2016 Ford Focus RS

It is, if you haven’t already guessed, the output of the 2.3 litre Ecoboost that propels the Ford Focus RS. Despite losing a cylinder and 200cc displacement the new engine pushes out the same grunt as the limited edition RS500 from 2010, backed up by 440Nm of torque (or 470Nm on overboost, which kicks in for 15 second bursts on full throttle).

No news on the 62mph time or terminal velocity, but suffice to say it’ll be bloody quick thanks to all-wheel drive.

Ford aren’t messing about. The RS’s only serious rivals in the hot hatch world are the Audi RS3 (367PS for £39k) or the AMG A45 (365PS for £38k), and my gut says the RS will be a better drive than both.

With the first public sighting at Goodwood this weekend, it looks like the famous RS badge continues to go from strength to strength.

2016 Ford Focus RS

Performance & Economy 2016 RS 2009 RS 2010 RS500
Engine 2.3-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-engined, all-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive
Power (PS / bhp) 350 / 345 300 / 295 350 / 345
Torque (Nm / lb.ft) 440 / 324
(470 / 346 on overboost)
440 / 324 460 / 339
0 – 62 mph (seconds) 4.7 5.9 5.6
Top Speed (mph) 165 163 165
CO2 Emissions (g/km) TBA 225 235
VED Band TBA K L
Combined Economy (mpg) TBA 30.1 28.5
Price (OTR) £28,940 £27,925 £35,437

350PS And 470Nm From Ford Focus RS

350PS, or 345bhp in old money. That’s a lot of power for any road car but when it’s coming from a mid-sized five door hatchback its bordering on the obscene.

2016 Ford Focus RS (07)

2016 Ford Focus RS

It is, if you haven’t already guessed, the output of the 2.3 litre Ecoboost that propels the Ford Focus RS. Despite losing a cylinder and 200cc displacement the new engine pushes out the same grunt as the limited edition RS500 from 2010, backed up by 440Nm of torque (or 470Nm on overboost, which kicks in for 15 second bursts on full buy ativan online cheap throttle).

No news on the 62mph time or terminal velocity, but suffice to say it’ll be bloody quick thanks to all-wheel drive.

Ford aren’t messing about. The RS’s only serious rivals in the hot hatch world are the Audi RS3 (367PS for £39k) or the AMG A45 (365PS for £38k), and my gut says the RS will be a better drive than both.

With the first public sighting at Goodwood this weekend, it looks like the famous RS badge continues to go from strength to strength.

2016 Ford Focus RS

Performance & Economy 2016 RS 2009 RS 2010 RS500
Engine 2.3-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-engined, all-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive 6-speed manual, front-engined, front-wheel drive
Power (PS / bhp) 350 / 345 300 / 295 350 / 345
Torque (Nm / lb.ft) 440 / 324
(470 / 346 on overboost)
440 / 324 460 / 339
0 – 62 mph (seconds) 4.7 5.9 5.6
Top Speed (mph) 165 163 165
CO2 Emissions (g/km) TBA 225 235
VED Band TBA K L
Combined Economy (mpg) TBA 30.1 28.5
Price (OTR) £28,940 £27,925 £35,437

2016 Ford Focus RS (10)
2016 Ford Focus RS (09)
2016 Ford Focus RS (07)
2016 Ford Focus RS (08)

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Continue reading 350PS And 470Nm From Ford Focus RS