NEW 163MPH RIGHT HAND DRIVE FORD FOCUS RS
12 April 2009 - Ford

With a specially developed 300PS/440Nm version of Ford’s Duratec 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine

At the press launch of the 163mph right hand drive Ford Focus RS this week, Nigel Sharp, Ford of Britain managing director said, “Out of the 8,000 total production the UK will receive half of these cars over two years and already 2,000 of them are sold.”
First customers will receive their £25,740 cars in April and people ordering now will receive their cars in November.

David Calder, Ford of Britain medium car product manager said, “70% of customers for the new Focus RS have ordered their cars with the additional £750 Luxury Pack 1 or the £1,500 Luxury Pack 2. The RS is available with a choice of three colours, Performance Blue which has received 45% of orders so far, Ultimate Green 30% and Frozen White 25% of sales.”

Calder added, “The UK has such a high proportion of Ford’s build allocation because this country is traditionally regarded as the home of RS. Early adopters are RS enthusiasts and new customers to Ford who are moving away from hardcore race and rally bred all wheel drive models. The RS is now appealing to owners of high performance premium brand sporting cars who are down-sizing or down-pricing but do not want to give up on performance.”

At the heart of the new Ford Focus RS is a specially developed 300PS/440Nm version of Ford’s Duratec 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine which is still capable of delivering a frugal 30mpg in the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 225g/km putting it in the new Band K with a VED annual bill of £215. The all new, front-wheel drive, three-door Focus RS takes just 5.9 seconds to travel from standstill to 62mph and it has a 19A insurance group rating.

The new model marks a welcome return for the RS Rallye Sport badge which has played such an important role in Ford’s rich motorsport heritage. This will be the second Focus model to carry the RS mantle since 2002 and heralds another chapter in an automotive story which began with the iconic Ford Escort RS1600 in 1970.

Nigel Sharp, Ford of Britain managing director, took the press introduction of the Focus RS to point out that despite the slump in new UK vehicle sales, and the boost in sales in Germany following the implementation of their scrappage scheme incentive, the UK still remains Ford’s largest market outside the USA for car and commercial vehicle sales. This year Sharp expects to sell around 300,000 cars and 60,000 CVs, both significantly down on last year due to the continued recession but Ford remains sales leader with an increased market share in both UK car and CV sectors. In March the Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best selling car for the fifth consecutive month and the Ford Focus occupies second position for sales year-to-date. Ford also tops the CV market with their Transit range.

Sharp added, “For Ford the drop in the value of the Pound against the Euro is actually more damaging for our business than the downturn in new car sales. All our cars are built outside the UK so they cost more to buy. We build engines in the UK but even the raw materials for those have to be imported, so the 30 to 35% loss in the value of the Pound against the Euro is critical and that is why we have needed to increase our prices. I would rather sell one vehicle at a profit than a hundred at a loss – we have to remain profitable to secure our future.”

Views

At long last the awesome Ford Focus RS 300PS, three-door supercar is with us and such is the demand in the UK that we are having 4,000 units, 50% of Ford’s lifetime production total of just 8,000 units. And the news from this week’s media launch was that 2,000 are already sold in the UK.

Priced at £25,740, plus options, even a recession in the new car market hasn’t stopped demand from RS enthusiasts and increasing numbers of new buyers moving away from hard-core all wheel drive race and rally bred supercars. In addition enthusiastic drivers of ‘premium’ brand fast cars who still want performance but at a more reasonable price see the RS as a good option.

The RS is a natural progression from the Focus ST which has the same core 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine. But for the RS it has been developed in every area to boost power and more importantly torque. This unit produces a massive 440Nm, available through a huge engine speed range of 2,300 to 4,500 rpm but is still evident up to 6,500rpm. Turbo boost pressure has been doubled from 0.7 bars used for the ST, to 1.4 bars for the RS. Top speed is 163mph and 0-62mph takes 5.9 seconds. So whichever of the six gears the car is being driven in and whatever the speed of the RS there is torque available for phenomenal response and acceleration. The most intriguing thing is that all this power is put on the road just through the front wheels thanks to the latest state of the art Quaife helical limited slip differential and RevoKnuckle front suspension and steering set-up.

RevoKnuckle does many things but to keep it simple the C-shaped mount is connected to both the hub and MacPherson struts either side of the front of the car. This double connection keeps the kingpin offsets much more consistent, no matter what load each front wheel is placed under. It has allowed Ford to fine-tune the handling of the RS and another benefit is that it reduces tyre wear caused by fast cornering. Thicker and longer anti-roll bars and increased diameter front and rear disc brakes over the Focus ST accommodate the added performance.

Torque steer is just about evident, but not very much in wet or dry conditions or on smooth or rough road surfaces. The steering felt pretty heavy at all speeds but it needs to be precise and it is. Power delivery and the use of that power are the real technical highlights of the RS whether an owner wants it for road use or track days. Not having the added weight of an all-wheel drive system, such as those used by Subaru Impreza WRX STI or Lancer Evolutions, allows maximum performance and of course reduces cost. As far as I can tell there is very little loss in performance, grip and traction by having just the front wheel drive system used for the RS over a four-wheel drive layout. Ice and snowy conditions might cause us all to rethink that impression but for now the RS is unbelievably impressive.

So we have raw power, seemingly endless grip, a relatively comfortable ride and a very competitive price. Add to those the high visual impact with a massive rear wing, a very noticeable rear diffuser, 19-inch wheels and tyres plus the usual side body skirts and the RS looks the ‘business’, but thankfully it isn’t ‘over-the-top’. Inside is generally well done with excellent sculptured Recaro front seats and a full instrumentation pack. It takes a while to locate all the controls and dials because there are so many of them but it all adds to the RS image.

MILESTONES. Ford Focus RS 3-Door 2.5-Litre. Price £25,740. Engine/transmission: 2.5-litre, five-cylinders, turbocharged petrol, 305PS (300bhp), 440Nm (324lb ft) from 2,300rpm, 6-speed manual gearbox. Performance: 163mph, 0-62mph 5.9 seconds, 30.5mpg combined cycle (19.8 to 28.6mpg on test), CO2 225g/km, VED new Band K £215, BIK tax 32%. Insurance group: 19A. For: All the P’s - Price, Performance, Pace, just brilliant. Against: Having to wait until November to take delivery.

Miles Better News Agency

http://www.ford.com

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