Ford unveils new Focus RS with AWD and more than 316 hp

Focus RS

Is America ready for a performance hatchback that makes 315 horsepower? This sounds like something out of YouTube, but it will be a reality later this year. And it will have a Ford badge.

The third-generation Ford Focus RS will make its U.S. debut and will include Ford’s Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control. Additionally, the Focus RS will come equipped with a new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that will produce 315 horsepower. This one-of-a-kind engine shares much of the structure with the all-aluminum 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine in the all-new Mustang.

The Focus RS will cater to the enthusiast crowd.

“The all-new Focus RS is a serious machine with high-performance technology and innovative engineering that sets a new benchmark for driving exhilaration on the road and track,” said Raj Nair, group vice president, Global Product Development, Ford Motor Company. “The RS line has a proud history of technical breakthroughs that have migrated to mainstream Ford vehicles to benefit all of our customers, and the new Focus RS is no exception. It’s a great example of our passion for innovation through performance, and creating vehicles that make people’s hearts pound.”

This high-performance hatch will deliver a new level of handling capability and driver enjoyment, combining outstanding traction and grip with exciting agility and cornering speed. The Ford Performance All-Wheel-Drive system is based on twin electronically controlled clutch packs on each side of the rear drive unit.

Appealing to the tuner market, and a younger demographic Ford’s styling team added bold features to the RS including a powerful new front end appearance with a bold upper trapezoidal grille above the deep splitter, incorporating the largest possible apertures for engine cooling. A wide, muscular stance is emphasized by the lower wings and large outboard openings on each side of the car, which feed the brake cooling ducts and house vertically mounted lamps.

Gymkhana and World Rallycross star Ken Block was brought on as a consultant on the all-new Focus RS, and joined the Ford Performance team at the preview event in Cologne, Germany – where the RS legend was born with the Ford 15M RS in 1968.

Dating back to the early days of Ford’s success in Rallye Sport, the first RS models established a reputation for advanced technology and driving exhilaration that continues to this day.

Pricing has yet to be announced for the Focus RS, and a release date in the U.S. has not been confirmed.


Photo Credit: Ford

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