Focus RS Confirmed for Australia

[aiboart]

Focus RS Confirmed for Australia


Ford's WRX STI rival coming
JEZ SPINKS / SMH
August 2, 2010 - 3:25PM
Ford Focus RS


Focus RS confirmed for Australia. 224kW five-cylinder turbo. $59,990 price tag.
Ford Australia will take on Japan's hottest hatches after announcing it will introduce the 224kW Focus RS at the end of the year.

The RS was launched in Europe 18 months ago but Ford's local outpost says it has finally managed to create a business case for the powerful three-door that will compete against the likes of the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, as well as Volkswagen's Golf R.

Ford's hot-hatch will be priced from $59,990 (plus on-road costs) and numbers will be limited to 315. It is based on the current Focus that will be replaced by a new-generation model in 2011.

The RS uses a heavily modified version of the Focus XR5 Turbo's (Volvo-sourced) 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine, with a bigger turbo and revised exhaust system helping to lift power and torque to 220kW (up 54kW) and 410Nm (up 90Nm) respectively.

The engine is mated to a beefier, shorter-shifting version of the XR5 Turbo's six-speed manual gearbox.

Unlike its aforementioned rivals, the Focus RS puts its power to the ground through the front wheels only rather than all four wheels, though Ford claims to have virtually eliminated torque steer (forceful tugging on the steering wheel when torque overcomes front tyre grip) with a special front-suspension set-up it calls RevoKnuckle.

The RS's front axle also includes a limited-slip differential to help optimise the hotter Focus's handling and traction.

The Focus RS gets many other performance enhancements over the Focus XR5 Turbo that was the car's starting point. The RS has wider front and rear tracks (up 40mm), stiffer springs, bigger wheels (19 inches) and brakes, bigger rear stabiliser bar, and steering tuned for sharper responses.

Ford claims the Focus RS is significantly quicker than the Focus XR5 Turbo despite being up to 100kg heavier - sprinting from 0-100km/h in less than six seconds and capable of reaching a top speed of 250km/h.

The RS certainly looks racier than the XR5 Turbo, with a big roof spoiler and rear diffuser at the rear (both contributing to the car's aerodynamics), deep side skirts, bonnet vents, and those wheelarch-filling 19-inch wheels.

Inside, the RS's cabin is colour-matched to the exterior and features body-hugging Recaro sports bucket seats (and heavily bolstered rear seats), brushed-aluminium and carbonfibre-style trim, and three dashtop gauges that include a turbo boost dial.

Other standard features for the German-built RS include voice-activated Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control, xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and engine start, and an eight-speaker, six-CD Sony audio system with iPod/MP3 compatibility.

Three colours are available: 'Ultimate green', 'Performance blue' and 'Frozen white'.