Drives Like A Rally Car And Good For Groceries Too……….

Ford recently invited us to an event up in Los Angeles to drive a few of their cars, but it was one on particular I was keen to get behind the wheel of. The 2016 Ford Focus RS is nothing short of a rally car for the road but less edgy and easier to drive than the Subaru STi.

Gone is the inline 5 cylinder that was used on the last generation RS, which was not available here sadly. Instead it borrows the 2.3 liter Ecoboost engine from its Mustang brother. The engine isn’t left untouched in the RS, a new higher flow turbo, a bigger intercooler, radiator and oil cooler have been added.

All that adds up to 350 hp @ 6,000 and 350 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm, enough to launch the RS from zero to sixty in 4.6 seconds, if you get the changes right. Yes you read correctly, this car is ONLY offered with a manual transmission!

How Does it Go?

The engine is very strong and eager even if it doesn’t have the most linear power delivery. Off the line is rapid but once it comes on boost it surges forward with massive urgency. It’s easy to hit the rev limiter, happened to me a couple of times so I paid attention to the tachometer. Ford have tried hard to make it sound more impressive than most 4-cylinder turbo engines on the market and it is pretty good. In normal running it burbles and growls but the best part is when the exhaust pops and crackles on overrun, making you constantly switch gears and let off the gas. Most of the time I changed gear just for the hell of it.

I picked the car shod with the super sticky Michelin Cup 2 tires and they would be my box to tick if I were buying one, despite the extra $2,000. This is a manual, I mentioned that before, but it has launch control, which was a hoot. I chose a launch at 3,000 rpm, then foot flat down, each time the car surges forward faster than a speeding ticket. The higher the rpms the more impressive it gets. Foot flat down there is a slight chirp from each tire, and then the car just takes off. Insert stupid grin.

Cornering is other-worldly with the Cup 2 tires, I floored it on a 270 degree (I’m guessing here) on ramp and I simply couldn’t un-stick them. Of course the AWD system helps here and the lack of rain in Southern California, where it’s so dry the trees are bribing the dogs, means getting this car’s tail out will require a track. The RS all-wheel drive system that can send up to 70 per cent of the power to the rear axle and then up to 100 per cent of that to either of the rear wheels. You can choose Normal, Sport, Track and Drift mode dependiong on your mood.

The brakes on this car are phenomenal. and the steering is very direct, with only 2 turns to lock, in fact it’s hard to find any gripes with the RS, wait I have one. Although the seats are very good, they do take up a lot of space and the driving position is offset to the right, forcing you to sit at an angle. It’s fine for short trips but could become tiresome on a trip to Vegas.

Verdict

The Focus RS is the best Ford product I’ve driven. It’s the best hot hatch I’ve ever driven, and has to be one the most enteratining cars to drive and engage with. It’s also manual only, which we like, however, I can imagine if Ford fitted a great twin clutch gearbox it would be astounding. I’d take this little beast over the STI, Evo or Golf R. It’s a game changer for sure.

2016 Ford Focus RS