Road Test: Ford Focus RS

Few cars that have been parked in our driveway this year have earned as much attention from passersby, fellow motorists, hot hatch owners and boy-racers of all types. For the uninitiated, it’s the overtly styled body work and oversized, gloss-black, rally-car inspired rear wing that command attention, but for the seasoned enthusiast, the Ford Focus RS about so much more.

The Focus RS is a product of ‘Ford Team RS’, a small team of dedicated performance car and motorsport engineering specialists, headed by Jost Capito and led by Chief Programme Engineer, John Wheeler, both of whom have decades of combined experience with performance and motorsport vehicles. The development team set out to create a car with poise, power and performance, one which could swap lap times with more exotic machinery, while still providing relative ‘bang for your buck’.

So what’s the ‘bang’? Well, the fireworks happen within the 2.5-litre turbocharged, in-line, 5-cylinder engine. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s simply a tweaked version of the punchy 2.5-litre unit already found in the Focus ST. Team RS invested many hours to develop a more powerful engine and although it’s based on the Focus ST’s engine block, the modifications have been extensive enough to warrant a new engine name – the ‘RS Duratec’. Technical developments include a revised cylinder head gasket, metal sprayed cylinder bores, revised pistons and a bespoke camshaft profile and connecting rods, allowing bigger small end bearings. In addition, a new air intake system, exhaust manifold and bigger Borg Warner K16 turbocharger, all serve to produce a heady 224 kW at 6 500 r/min and 440 Nm of torque between 2 300 r/min and 4 500 r/min. These figures give the RS a top speed of 263 km/h and a 5.9 second 0 – 100 km/h sprint time – on par with the more expensive sports cars like the Nissan 370Z Roadster and Porsche Boxster PDK.

Impressive as the power figures are, they only tell half the story. To ensure the Focus RS remains controllable and doesn’t head for the horizon in a manner that resembles a demented thoroughbred race horse, Ford Team RS turned to their counterparts at the company’s World Rally Championship (WRC) team. Years of racing development led to the patented RevoKnuckle system. An adaptation of the otherwise traditional MacPherson strut front suspension layout, the RevoKnuckle front suspension manages to eliminate torque steer significantly by reducing the distance between the centre of the front wheels and the steering axis line. At the end of the day – in conjunction with the Quaife limited-slip differential – the system allows the power to be introduced sooner when exiting a corner and ensures the car follows your steering inputs rather than road imperfections.

As a result, the Ford Focus RS remains well controlled when exiting turns with enthusiasm, considering the amount of power and torque directed through the front wheels. Under heavy braking, provided by the 336 mm ventilated front discs and 302 mm rear units, the tail-end can get a little light and begin to wander slightly, but never enough to question the car’s stability or compromise the turn-in. The car settles well into corners and remains seemingly flat while generating phenomenal levels of grip mid-turn, which translates into rapid cornering speeds. The steering ratio is 10% quicker than the standard ST and provides positive feedback to the driver. The level of power assistance can also be set to one of three modes via the on-board computer, ranging from ‘Comfort’ to ‘Standard’ and ‘Sport’.

Apart from being able to revel in the car’s suspension, brake and steering actions, the 6-speed manual gearbox adds further excitement to the drive. A perfectly weighted clutch provides great feel and quick shifts thanks to the short travel required to engage and disengage the gears. Short throws of the gear lever are all that’s needed to navigate accurately through the six different gates when setting up for one thrill after the other.

Having spent time with the car at the Zwartkops race track earlier this year, we were pleased to find the RS does not have to be driven hard to be enjoyed. The interior is well insulated from wind and road noise, with an unintrusive exhaust note that adds aural stimulation only once the revs begin to rise in anger, along with the rush of boost from the turbo. The ride is hard but even after hundreds of kilometers the Recaro seats remained comfortable. Carbon fibre trim, along with metallic finish pedals and ‘RS’ logos on the alcantara covered seats make the interior anything but boring and there’s also a 8-speaker sound system with bluetooth cell phone connectivity and streaming audio. The final touch in the everyday appeal of the RS is its 385-litre boot.

The Ford Focus RS is an exciting car and one that is more than the sum of its parts. But, like most things, if it’s too good to be true it usually is and so the Focus RS comes with a catch – two actually. The first is that it costs the best part of half a million Rand, which is a tall order by hot hatch standards. The second is that you can’t buy one, as there are only 60 cars in SA and they were all sold before they even boarded the ship from Europe.

Small consolation is that the new Ford Focus is due to arrive in late 2011 and the ST variant has been confirmed for early 2012. Despite the limited numbers, the fact that Ford South Africa has chosen to make the Focus RS available is a step in the right direction in terms of the company’s performance offerings.

What we like…

• Fantastic engine.
• Impressive handling.

What we would like…

• Improved fuel economy – it’s fun while the fuel tank is full.

Comments

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments