London Motor Show 2008: Ford Focus RS

This month’s Top Gear magazine features it on the cover with a There’s nothing like a fast Ford. innit? (there’s nothing like a fast Ford, is there?) and after seeing it live and in person we can answer clearly: of course there is no.

The Focus RS is a successor; there was already a Focus RS with the Mk1, though a fairly low-key one, and at heart it is a dedication to the brand’s enthusiasts who saw in the ST something more affordable than truly fast. Well, with 300 horsepower and less weight they won’t be able to say the same anymore.

Its times around the Nürburgring stayed close to those of the Mégane R26.R without beating it, but I don’t know about you… I like the little Hulk quite a bit more. Its engine is still the ST’s, the 2.5 five-cylinder turbocharged Duratec, but with 75 more horsepower making the difference.

Since the Escort Cosworth no European Ford has looked so devilishly sporty; it is also the living image of the WRC car with which Hirvonen won the championship last year.

The brand makes one thing clear: this is not a tuned ST. Not at all: the engine has undergone an intensive overhaul, and the turbo and the boost pressure it runs at are completely different. It is 40 mm wider and its centre of gravity is lower; the ventilated disc brakes measure 336 mm at the front and 300 mm at the rear. The front suspension has been redesigned: it is a double-wishbone setup using something similar to MacPherson, but improved. Oh, and it has a new limited-slip differential.

All in all, the RS not only does the Nordschleife in under 8 and a half minutes and accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds… it also gives the driver unmatched sensations, which is above all what the brand is after.

All of this is complemented by an incredible exterior look thanks to the chosen paint, the widened wheel arches, the huge grille, air intakes in the bonnet, and grilles and diffuser, among other parts, in carbon fibre. The interior is completed with Recaro bucket seats and a sports steering wheel.

It will arrive in 2009 and is estimated to cost around 32,000 euros. That is quite good value if we consider that the Golf R32 costs 4,000 euros more with less power and performance, though, admittedly, with a bigger engine, all-wheel drive and more equipment. Which one would you choose? I think I’d opt to try the unruly front-wheel drive.

Photos | Highmotor
Note: Some of the data has been obtained from Top Gear magazine.