The Ford Focus RS has exceptional power, fantastic handling, and unmistakable styling in the class of hot hatchback on sale predominantly in the UK. As part of the Ford Performance range, the Focus RS is one of the most popular fast Fords out there and does justice to the ‘RS’ marque that has adorned many performance Fords of the past.
The hatchback made its first public appearance in 2002. The Focus RS has endured three different generations sporting various updates and enhancements to ensure it competes with the very best sports and performance cars. Various packs, options, and special limited editions can be found on more recent models, but older generations are collectors’ items that are becoming increasingly sought after year on year. Below are the three generations of the Focus RS.
First-generation (2002 – 2003)
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The exterior design of the Rs compact car featured a unique front bumper with a broad grille at the bottom, exposing its intercooler. On its sides, the carmaker installed small fog lights that shared the same area as the parking lights. From the profile, its enlarged wheel-arches and the roof-wing were the only noticeable differences, while at the back, only the RS badge and the oval exhaust were unique to the sporty hot-hatch.
Stepping into the car’s interior, you will be greeted with high-bolstered Sparco bucket seats at the front, while the bench was the standard one from the rest of the range. On top of the dashboard, the carmaker installed an additional cluster with three big gauges. Strangely, Ford didn’t put white dials on the instrument panel, nor a particular steering wheel.
The Focus RS give or take, is the highest performance version of the Focus boasting a 2.0-liter turbocharged Duratec RS engine, a Quaife ATB limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, and a host of other performance changes. The Focus RS’s aggressive exterior appearance and performance were very remarkable which the Ford brand cemented with its Imperial blue color.
Notably, most of the components found on the Focus RS were unique, revised, or updated. As the car was targetting the young American buyers who needed cheap and average fuel economy cars for their day-to-day runnings. A limited run of 4501 units was available in Europe as half of its production was sent to the UK.
Second generation (2008 – 2011)
The second generation of the RS came with its mind-blowing features. To spice things up, the compact 3-door Ford Focus RS brought in a much bigger front bumper and received a spoiler plus a huge air scoop. Two air vents were installed on the hood and, in the rear, a massive wing with winglets replaced the ordinary rear roof spoiler.
Carefully going through the interior, was the Recaro high-performance sports seats specially designed and trimmed in authentic motorsport microfiber. Each seat is color-matched to the exterior. As an option, Ford offered Ebony black, partial-leather seats. On the dashboard, new analog dials appeared, showing specific information about boost pressure, oil temperature, and oil pressure.
Underneath the bodywork, there was a new suspension system on the front with a system named RevoKnuckle, a system that limits the torque-steer. Another system involved in diminishing the torque-steer was the limited-slip Quaife differential. Thus, the 305 hp, 5-cylinder engine could send its massive 440 Nm (324.5 lb-ft) torque to the front wheels without causing trouble. The Focus RS 8m26 seconds from 0 to 60mpg was an outstanding performance for that era.
Third generation (2016 – Present)
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The third generation comes with a remarkable fierce look with big bumpers in front and at the rear with air vents and a wing on the back also. A roof spoiler adorned the hatchback which has a zero lift on aerodynamic forces. It was an all-wheel-drive beast that run straight for the crown of the hot-hatches territory. The interior featured sport bucket seats, an integrated 8” touch-screen infotainment unit that had parameters monitoring functions to meet up the 21st-century standard as well as give its rivals some edge.
The car came with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine that produces 320 hp. The standard 6-speed manual was geared for performance. It had 350 mm (13.7”) front discs and 302 mm (11.9”) disc brakes on the rear axle. Ford Performance AWD system was based on twin electronically-controlled clutch packs on each side of the rear-drive unit. This system manages the amount of torque that is sent to each wheel. The AWD system has been tuned to deliver exceptional grip – with lateral acceleration exceeding 1 g.
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