Car and driver ford focus rs first driven

See photos of this 350hp allwheeldrive hot hatch right here. I dont think any car in 2016as in, a car that you can actually buy, unlike certain others that shall remain namelessdebuted with as much hype as the new ford focus rs. Yes, two years of painstaking research and development and a consultation process that took on board the desires of ken block, us rally driver and selflabelled hoonigan. The options are scarce as the car is fully inclusive, but for r1890 you can get the recaro shell seats, a power sunroof will set you back r6870, metallic paint costs r750 while rs blue brembo brake callipers and gunmetal alloy wheels are both no. The widest range of products, outstanding quality, and affordable prices are the three pillars on which carid bases its work. There were delays, and the first cars arrived in march, 2016, but my. Former stig ben collins describes the rs as having the beating heart of a rally car. Though a nextgeneration focus and fiesta have debuted in other parts of the. Watch ken block meet and drift the ford focus rs rx. The perfect hoonigan and drifting legend i spent a couple of intense days driving fords ultimate focus rs.

Is fords awd megahatch as special as we first thought. True, there are a couple guys here who wistfully point out that theres an even hairier euro focus due, the 220hp turbocharged focus rs, and that itll never set foot in ford stores on these shores. The new ford focus rs is a purists car designed to push the hatchbacks chassis to its limits. Its the allwheeldrive 315plus hp hot hatch with the 2. Ford has been hyping its allwheel drive hatchback for pretty much a full year, most recently with a viral video campaign featuring more. A very fair point, given the length of buildup this car has had. Car has been lucky enough to bag the first passenger ride in the new 2009 ford focus rs with jost capito, the man responsible for ford europes fastestever production car. Ford focus rs500 first drive motor trend motortrend. Find out how quick the 2016 ford focus rs is right here at motor trend. We finally slide behind the wheel of americas first rs model.

Finally, we experience the 350hp, awd hot hatch expect photos of the completed cars to be released later, but for now, chew on these ford performance renderings. The ford focus rs combines 345bhp with fourwheel drive and drift mode at. The world rallycross season is one third of the way through, and hoonigan racings ken block and andreas bakkerud have managed to get the new ford focus rs rx into a final in three out of four events. Drift mode take the good ole ford focus a sturdy, lowkey if not a little boring daily driver and add some functional aerodynamic tweaks like. Every used car for sale comes with a free carfax report. The ford focus has been around since the turn of the millennium when the bugeyed first generation car debuted in north america for the 2000 model year.

This is the fourth generation focus st, the subrs sporty version having been with us. Ford has been hyping its allwheel drive hatchback for pretty much a full year, most recently with a viral video campaign featuring more episodes than many hbo dramas. The ford world rally team, also known as the ford motor co. Mountune usa builds many of the engines for the factorysupported rally and rallycross teams and have kits available at ford dealerships in europe. The ford focus rs is the cheapest m car you can buy new.

Its on sale now, with the first deliveries arriving earlier this year, and weve got. Research, compare and save listings, or contact sellers directly from 105 focus rs models nationwide. We squeeze the aluminum throttle pedal of the ford focus rs and the engine takes a giant lungful, hurling us under the impulsion of the 305hp, 2. Ford focus rs price in south africa the ford focus rs has a recommended retail price of r699 900. The standard drivetrain in the 2006 ford focus is a refined 2. The focus rs powered by a specially engineered version of fords new.

We drive fords hot, hot, hot hatch, the focus rs what car. A sweeping statement, to be sure, but if you look at car and driver s favorites among these sporty but practical small carsthe. The decision to name the new car the ford focus was made in early 1998, as fords senior management had. The ford focus is a compact car csegment in europe manufactured by the ford motor.

But as certified gofast geeks and weekend road racers, what we wanted to know was how fast. The ford focus rs is a car that needs little introduction. We finally drive americas firstever rs model, and it doesnt disappoint. We have 67 ford focus rs vehicles for sale that are reported accident free, 40 1owner cars, and 69 personal use cars. The ford focus rs shares the spafrancorchamps circuit with the likes of ferraris 458 italia and audis r8 i darent take my eyes off the. At first, the ford service department rep didnt think he had a loaner car available. While the meaty steering keeps you informed with whats going on, theres none of the playful handling traits of a hot hatch. The ford focus is an extroverted compact car that handles well and can go uptown.

All this gives the new focus st a wider bandwidth of ability. The idea that you could get something as fun to drive as the fiesta st. Gone is the inline 5 cylinder that was used on the last generation rs. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when ford motor companys motorsport arm selected the malcolm wilson motorsport company to run its factory team, entering the ford escort world. We asked ford performance bigwigs to explain the new heromaking mode of the 2017 focus rs. The 2016 ford focus rs is powered by a turbocharged 2. Where the focus st would push wide, the rs grips and goes with the efficiency of a true supercar. Fast, usable, temptingly priced and huge fun to drive, the new focus rs isnt just the affordable drivers car of the moment, its also probably the. The 2016 ford focus rs is nothing short of a rally car for the road but less edgy and easier to drive than the subaru sti. Unlike some sports cars or hot hatches, there isnt a central driving theme to the focus rs, no familiar dna that. Its torquevectoring allwheel drive is capable of conquering snowcovered streets or gravelstrewn back roads. The ford focus rs on the other hand, will try to kill you if you get lazy or stop paying attention. Team prior to 2005, is ford motor companys full factory world rally championship team. Ford focus rs driver drifts into wall motor authority.

In pursuit of speed and driver involvement, it also comes with a few compromises in the. Under the hood of the 600hp awd ford focus rs rx rallycross car. Last year ford finally brought one of its rs models stateside in the form of the focus rs. The 2017 ford focus rs is the hottest compact hatchback the company has ever made. Here comes the new focus rs the yobbedup, fullbore version of fords trusty hatch and, just like that, sliding a car on purpose will never be the same again. The ford focus rs is the worlds best hot hatchback. Ford held its first drives of the rs in valencia, spain last weekend. The traction benefits are clear, the focus st hitting 062 mph in 5.