Ford has said the new rally sport version of its small car will compete directly against the Subaru WRX STI, VW Golf R and Mitsubishi EVO.
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For a quicker refresher, the new Ford Focus RS is all-wheel drive, unlike its front-drive predecessors. The driver selects Launch Control from the cluster menu, engages first gear, applies full throttle and then releases the clutch. The rest of the work is sorted out by Ford’s Dynamic Torque Vectoring system, which ensures the correct amount of power goes to the correct wheel at the right time.
Ford is already taking orders for the Focus RS with European deliveries scheduled to kick off in early 2016. That puts the Focus RS toe-to-toe with the Golf GTI or Seat Leon Cupra, but above the recently announced Renaultsport Megane Cup-S, which looks a bargain at £23,935.
Ford has previously confirmed that the Focus RS will extract 345 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque (347 lb-ft with overboost) from its turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine.
Other all-wheel-drive, RS-badged performers for Ford include the mid-engine 1984 RS200, the 1990 Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4, the Escort RS Cosworth and 1994 Escort RS2000 4×4. The most interesting of these, Drift Mode, aims to help the driver achieve controlled oversteer drifts (on circuits, of course).
Ford last introduced a Focus RS five years ago for the 2009 model, and before that in 2002 – but those cars were sold only in Europe. The old Focus RS was sold in limited numbers in Australia for $59,990.
UPDATE: As Oppo user fourvalleys points out, $35,730 is apparently the official price on Ford’s website as of this morning.
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The good news is that despite the added performance potential, starting price for the 2016 Ford Focus RS is just what we predicted back in February.
