American fans of high performance hot hatches have something to look forward to, as the 2016 Ford Focus RS is coming to the United States. There are the current Focus ST and the Fiesta ST available, but the Focus RS takes performance capability to another level. Exact output numbers have not been certified yet, but Ford says the 2.3L four-cylinder EcoBoost will produce “well in excess” of 315 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. This power plant is related to the one you can get in the 2015 Ford Mustang, but the RS engine gets intake, exhaust, and few other tweaks.
Of course, the power is not good if you cannot put it to the ground. The RS sends the horses to the new performance all-wheel-drive system via a 6-speed manual transmission. The latest AWD system is capable of sending up to 70% of power to the rear wheels (and even all 70% to a single rear wheel). There is a special “drift” mode that will allow the driver to hang the tail out and pretend to be Ken Block. (Please, always drive responsibly.)
Ford has not announced pricing yet, but said the RS will go against the Subaru STI and VW Golf R. So, expect the pricing to be competitive to those cars.
The Focus RS will require some extra waiting, as dealerships will not see it until the spring of 2016 (about 12 months from now).
Learn all the details that Ford is able to provide in this TFLcar “everything” video.
