There’s something about a fast Ford that really gets my pulse going. As much as Ford is an American company, the heart of Ford’s motorsport division and its related road going models has always been in Europe; a place that savours lightweight, nimble performance over cumbersome muscle.
This brings me to the new Focus RS; a car that revels in challenge of being the ultimate hot-hatch. And this one has a few new tricks up its sleeve.
The biggest change over the outgoing model – a car which Alec’s guest at yesterday’s CNBC Africa Power Lunch, Ford’s Sub Saharan chief Jeff Nemeth proudly chose as his company car – is a switch to All-Wheel-Drive. No doubt the change comes in conjunction with the new 2.3 litre EcoBoost motor, set to produce in excess of 235kW.
Controlling all that power is key to great performance. The Ford Performance AWD system is based on twin electronically-controlled clutch packs on each side of the rear drive unit. These manage the car’s front/rear torque split, and also can control the side-to-side torque distribution on the rear axle – delivering the “torque vectoring” capability, which has a dramatic impact on handling and cornering stability.
This means the vehicle monitors various sensors up to 100 times per second, making constant adjustments that include sending as much as 70% of the drive to the rear axle. It can even specify the wheel to which this power is delivered.
The benefit is that during cornering, the rear drive unit pre-emptively diverts torque to the outer rear wheel immediately based on inputs such as steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration, yaw and speed. This torque transfer has the effect of “driving” the car into the bend, achieving improved turn-in and stability, and virtually eliminating understeer.
And of course it looks darn good; flared arches, big wing and menacing front end all playing the hot-hatch game just right – especially in Ford blue.
The new Focus RS is the 30th car to wear the legendary RS badge, following such technology trendsetters as the 16-valve 1970 Escort RS1600, the turbocharged Sierra RS Cosworth of 1985 with its radical aerodynamics, and the four-wheel-drive 1992 Escort RS Cosworth.
It has some serious ‘living-up’ to do; and no doubt the new changes will help it do just that. I wonder if Jeff is considering this as his next company car? I know I would.