Okay, so the rumors were wrong and the UK's car magazine was right. The European Focus RS will not have all wheel-drive or 350 horsepower. Ford's officially official announcement: the hot hatch Focus RS will have 278 horses and 295 lb ft of torque from the same turbocharged straight five found in the Focus ST (222 hp), Volvo S40 T5, S-Max, and all manner of other cars. Like the Mazdaspeed3 and Opel Astra OPC, the ponies are harnessed to the front wheels. While this should still be a very entertaining car to drive [for Europeans], it's not the stat-sheet blowing hot hatch we hoped for. And the numbers arrive during the same week as the Lancer Ralliart and Mitsubishi Sportback specs. Ouch. Well not entirely. While the Evo has a high profile in Europe, it's not thought of as the hatchback of choice (until now, it wasn't a hatchback at all, really). The Focus is one of the go-to cars for mainstream buyers. And we conclude this post with the obligatory "it's not coming to America or Canada." Damn!
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I’d be pissed but then I’d realize I can get the same chassis, similiar suspension tuning, and with about a $1000 in mods (while not voiding the warranty). Mazdaspeed 3.
How are they harnessing all of that hp and torque? Mazda detuned the engine in the Mazdaspeed3 (along with other trickery) because the peak power produced in the Mazdaspeed6 version of the engine would have been too much for a front wheel drive car like the Mazdaspeed3. Or, is Ford just going to offer a car wiht wrist breaking torque steer?
This is a great looking car from Ford. It is a shame it will never see Yankee soil, but TEXN3 is right. As an owner of the very wonderful Mazdaspeed 3, I don’t know how willing I would be to jump to something with one more pot to feed, and still FWD. Now if it was AWD… well, that would be another story indeed.
Can you say torque steer? I knew you could.
Have not seen any speculation/news with regards to which Euro-Ford’s are coming to US in the latest crash way-Fordward revision….Ford has called all US manufacturing & UAW chiefs to Dearborn on Friday – what’s the scoop?
(chop chop already!! : )
I don’t understand why Ford raid’s Volvo’s parts bin and doesn’t take the best parts? I mean really, that Focus rides on a platform that can accept the former Volvo R engine which pours out 300HP and 295 ft-lbs of torque, or if smooth was the quest, the Volvo 3.0 turbo I6 was designed to fit in that chassis. Come on Ford if you are going to borrow parts, at least borrow the right ones.
Hope the RS’ steering wheel has an Alcantara wrapped rim…you’re gonna need all the grip you can get!
This car would overnight change the perception of the Focus from a cheap car, with a lipstick refresh, and it’s only major selling point is you can talk to it unlike the door, your blinds or tread mill. The SVT they had was a very quick car and handled very well showing they can make something light, tossable and fun to drive.
Enough of these damn FWDs… sad. I hope it at least has a proper LSD like the old RS. Lighter RWD cars, thank you.
@ Lumbergh: The MS3 is not that much less-powerful than the MS6. The main reason for less power is due to packaging reasons and a more restrictive exhaust and intake.
The 3liter I6 with AWD would be awesome. The C1 platform has AWD car variants from Volvo and Mazda (Asia only).
The system would need to work in a manner that would detect acceleration before it happens to prevent any torque steer, similiar to the new Lincoln MKS system.
@ Geggamoya: I concur. Take the MX-5 chassis, make a Ford RS coupe. Turbocharge the 2.0 MZR/DEH-420 or send it off to Cosworth and get a similiar engine to what is offered in some of the Caterham models.
TEXN3: Maybe so, but all I read was praise for how MAzda reigned in torque steer despite 263 hp and 280 ft-lbs of torque in a FWD vehicle. Ahving test driven a Mazdaspeed3, it feels just fine to me, but it seems to me that 278 hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque is quite a bit for a FWD car. Just curious as to what Ford’s solution was for all that power/torque or if they had a solution.
Maybe I’m being negative, but seeing as how the manual transmission is on the “endangered” list right next to “RWD,” gas-friendly is the new “in,” and electronic steering is popping up frequently, I predict that the new “fix” for torque steer will be a mixture of light engineering and digital coding.
Add some cheap sensors to an electronic steering unit (which might already be there, for all I know), measure where the wheel is pointed vs feedback, and basically emulate a straight steering wheel (programming redirects angle of steer to compensate for torque steer). This will work great for those who still insist that their cars need more horsepower than they could ever learn to handle, but effectively kill steering feel for those who do know how to drive.
/rant
It’s a horrible trend happening all over the place, as I’m sure most readers know. Steering and pedal feel aren’t even on most people’s list for a new car, and as long as it says “Sport” or has a pretty, bright, italicized letter somewhere on the body, people are happy. The average buyer doesn’t know what I- or V- stand for, and the only important _WD is AWD, and only for some. As long as the car has stability control, it must stop fast, right? Excessive nose dive is mistaken for strong brakes. Loose suspension that allows excessive body thrust during acceleration means the car is fast. Dull steering means the car is comfortable. Body lean is nonexistent because taking a turn fast might spill their drink or knock over their laptop, anyway, so why bother?
Cars can, for some people, be easily compared to a toaster. For others, as long as there is a picture of the car on a race track, it must be fast. The SUV is soon to be dead, the “drivers car” soon to follow. For us Americans, anyway, I predict a bleak future. The closest thing that we will get to a drivers car will be econo-boxes, and only because of economic limitations from the manufacturer.
/end rant
Bring the Focus RS over and the raison d’être for the Mazdaspeed 3 goes right out the window. A SVT Focus will most likely be toned down as to not barge in on the 3’s turf.
That’s just how it is. Besides, wouldn’t you rather have an F150 instead? (lol)
I realise engineering abilty is unfashionable at the boardrooms of some car companies, but if some guys in a shop can shoe horn the mustang drive train into the Focus then Ford should have no issues; no torque steer, no problem.
offroadinfrontier; haven’t you heard of aftermaket suppliers?
No, HEATHROI, I’ve never heard of an aftermarket supplier that offers a professional, reliable FWD to RWD swap. Not saying they don’t exist, but in order to “fix” the problem I’m focusing on (no pun intended), they would have a major job ahead of them. Besides, how many people will actually buy a new car and void the warranty by installing an estimated $10K+ modification?
Not to undermine your point, though. I have heard of crazy modifications that non-certified mechanics perform in our grand country. Unfortunately, these great mods are usually for cars 10-15 years old.
/sidenote
I’m waiting to see an AWD/Turbo modification for my xA… parts are available in Japan, yet us here in America are practically force-fed the belief that performance can only be thrown in huge frames (MINI excluded, of course).
Oh my…
For all those lamenting about the torque steer;
The RS will sport an ‘intelligent’ front wheel differential to cancel out Torque steer. The previous Focus RS with 215 HP already had a Quaife (brand) differential which worked quite well, chances are they’ll tweak it some more for this one.
TopGear Ye Olde Focus RS
I’m just hoping they stick to a mechanical differential and not some electronic one, but that’s just me.