This week I was lucky enough to attend the preview of the all-new Ford Focus RS in Cologne, Germany – the city where the RS legend was born in 1968 with the Ford 15M RS.
The glitzy lead up to the event – featuring Gymkhana and World Rallycross legend Ken Block – was thrilling in itself, but the high-performance road car was always going to steal the show.
That’s because the all-new Focus RS is the first ever RS model that will be sold around the world – and will be produced for all markets at Ford’s Saarlouis, Germany, manufacturing plant beginning late this year.
Equipped with a special 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine engineered to produce well in excess of 320 PS – it’s the latest vehicle to be unveiled as part of a new era of Ford performance that will bring more than 12 performance vehicles to global customers by 2020.
It will be the 30th car to wear the legendary RS badge, following such technology trendsetters as the 16-valve 1970 Escort RS1600, the turbocharged Sierra RS Cosworth of 1985 with its radical aerodynamics, and the four-wheel-drive 1992 Escort RS Cosworth.
Sporting a dramatic exterior design that delivers enhanced aerodynamics and cooling, the new Focus RS offers technologies new to the RS marque, including Ford SYNC connectivity system.
“The new Focus RS represents Ford at its passionate best – delivering innovation, unmatched driving dynamics and stunning performance that was previously the sole province of high-priced performance luxury marques and exotics,” said Jim Farley, president, Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We are acutely aware of the benchmarks we have set ourselves with RS performance models through the years, and rest assured that this new car raises the game to a new level.”
Ford’s EcoBoost technology powers the Focus RS and nearly every new Ford vehicle. The 2.3-litre lump has levels of power and torque that translate into impressive acceleration when combined with all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction.
The Focus RS exterior design is both dramatic and functional, with a more powerful and muscular character. Designers worked closely with Ford Performance to ensure that the necessary functional attributes were achieved, focusing on the aerodynamic downforce and balance delivered by the design, as well as the cooling demands of the powertrain and brakes.
“This is the ultimate Focus – stunning to look at, and entirely fit for purpose,” said Joel Piaskowski, director, Design, Ford of Europe. “RS models have always been striking, high-performance cars where function is paramount. This new Focus RS is true to that heritage.”
Based on the new Focus, the RS features a powerful new front-end appearance with a bold upper trapezoidal grille above the deep front splitter, incorporating the largest possible apertures for engine cooling. A wide, muscular stance is emphasised by the lower wings and large outboard openings on each side of the car, which feed the brake cooling ducts and house vertically-mounted fog lamps.
At the rear, the fascia panel is dominated by the exceptionally large diffuser, which optimises air flow from under the vehicle to reduce drag, and contains the twin round high-performance exhaust outlets and, in Europe and Asia, a clear central fog lamp. The distinctive rear roof spoiler is carefully integrated with the car’s silhouette through body-coloured side panels featuring a subtle embossed RS logo.
The dynamic side-profile is emphasised by sculptured rocker panels, and the bold wheel lips that house a choice of multi-spoke 19-inch RS alloy wheels – including a high-performance lightweight forged design finished in low-gloss black, which offers enhanced strength and impact resistance with weight savings of 1 kg per wheel.
The high-performance character of the RS is reflected inside the car with heavily-bolstered partial-leather Recaro sports seats as the centrepiece of the cockpit. Signature RS Recaro shell seats, with authentic motorsport microfibre fabric panels, are an option for customers in Europe and Asia.
The interior features the redesigned Focus control layout with its simpler, more intuitive design. SYNC connectivity provides access to audio, navigation, climate control and mobile phones via voice control, and via a high-definition, 8-inch colour touchscreen. Simple voice commands such as “Find a race track” enable RS owners to get instant directions to the nearest public circuit. SYNC also can be specified with Rear View Camera with park distance control, as well as a Sony premium sound system with 10-speakers including a subwoofer.
The RS driving experience is reinforced by a new flat-bottomed steering wheel with a soft-feel leather covered rim, alloy foot pedals, and unique instrument graphics within the main cluster. An additional bank of gauges above the centre console display turbocharger boost pressure, oil temperature and oil pressure.
Throughout the cabin, the distinctive blue RS theme is echoed through stitching on the seats, steering wheel, floor mats and interior trim, the coloured graphic on the gear shifter, and via the RS logo itself, which is proudly displayed on the seats, steering wheel and door scuff plates.
Four striking exterior colours include Nitrous Blue, a vibrant four-coat metallic finish exclusive to the RS, as well as Stealth Grey, Absolute Black and Frozen White. The car revealed in Cologne features the same special Liquid Blue colour scheme first seen on the all-new Ford GT revealed last month at the North American International Auto Show.
The all-new Focus RS appears true to the core RS principles of innovative engineering and high performance. Over the years many driving enthusiasts have set themselves the goal of owning an RS vehicle. This new model is set to continue that aspiration for generations of petrolheads to come.
By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist
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