The Ford Focus RS is a nameplate I?ve long wanted to own. Ever since the first Ford Focus RS launched in 2002, I?ve hoped the iconic-in-Europe hot-hatch would eventually touch American soil. Ford historically sets the Focus RS a level or two above cars such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and even a performance-shelf above the top-spec Golf R.
The Blue Oval tends to tune its turbocharged RS hatchback to be a bit more manic, a bit more, well, focused. Fuel consumption and a stiff ride are compromises that come along with this engineering direction. Euro buyers traditionally understand and embrace these traits. And now, Ford finally decided the Focus RS is ripe for North American buyers with the introduction of the third-generation version. The long wait is over. More importantly, my long wait is over.
The anticipation began in earnest when the all-wheel drive Focus RS reveal took place at the Geneva show in March 2015. I quickly wrote a story with my preliminary thoughts and made a beeline to my local Ford dealer. I was able to secure the store?s first Focus RS allocation. Full pricing and specs were released in September and I worked with my dealer to finalize my Frozen White 2016 Ford Focus RS when the order banks opened on October 1.
Unfortunate delays began shortly thereafter. My car?s initial build date was set for January 4, 2016, then quickly pushed to January 29. February arrived without a build confirmation. I learned that production of all Focus RS orders worldwide was kicked back. All the bolts and screws finally started to become a complete car at Ford?s plant in Saarlouis, Germany, on March 4. More delays meant my Focus RS finally set sail on the ship, Grand Legacy, to Port Newark, New Jersey, on April 18. A handful of small updates to the car at U.S. port postponed everything once again. My RS didn?t arrive at the dealer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until the middle of June, some 15 months after the Geneva reveal. Still, my car was one of the first to touch customer hands in the States.
I added quite a few options to the 350-horsepower hatchback but passed on two items?the track-oriented Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and the headroom-stealing sunroof. I plan to use my car as a daily driver so I stuck with the standard Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires but upgraded to the $1,395 forged 19-inch wheels. The more street-focused tires will no doubt offer superior wet weather grip as well as longer tread life. I also added the not inexpensive $1,995 factory 18-inch winter wheel and tire package. I can?t wait to run the Focus RS and its trick torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system in snow late this year. And bravo to Ford for fitting the RS with a proper handbrake. Volkswagen Golf R owners will be mighty jealous come winter. The VW?s electric parking brake is like the dinner bell to a child on a warm summer evening. Come on, mom, I was just about to have so much fun!
Another pricey but welcomed option for year-around use in Michigan is the $2,785 RS2 package, which brought the total price of my Focus RS to $42,950. The driver?s side Recaro seat gains power controls and lumbar adjustment, while heating elements are added to both front perches with the package upgrade. Also, the leather and cloth seating material used on the base car is replaced with a leather and faux-suede mix. A heated steering wheel and side mirrors as well as navigation also join the RS2 party. The latest SYNC 3 infotainment system is head and shoulders above the lackluster MyFord Touch setup fitted to my old Focus ST. I look forward to playing with SYNC 3 further as I get more seat time but it?s impressive so far.
Early days with the RS have exposed a few faults. Just like with my old Focus ST, the U.S-spec Recaro seats simply don?t fit me. For reference, I?m 6 feet tall, weigh just less than 190 pounds and wear a 44 jacket. I was hoping the power controls and the addition of lumbar adjustment would help the comfort issue but the seats feature too much default lumbar on your middle back and really need separate front and rear height adjustment instead of just overall height movement. Hopefully the seats will break-in a bit or I?ll get used to them. Additionally, cargo room is less than a standard Focus?and, crucially, the Golf R. Finally?and this is not really a fault, but more of a grievance?I?m not a big fan of black wheels or blue brake calipers. I wish Ford offered the optional forged wheels painted either silver or the same matte anthracite grey color as found on the show car in Geneva. Regarding the bright blue Brembo calipers, European cars come standard with subtler grey calipers. Why can?t U.S. buyers have the same choice?
Initial driving impressions reveal no such grumbles. The hooligan-like drift mode will have to wait as I work to accumulate the recommended 1,000 break-in miles but the RS feels special and rewards even at a more sedate pace. The 6-speed manual gearbox is positive and nicely weighted while the sport mode adds a welcome mix of pops and burbles from the dual-outlet exhaust. I?m not sure my neighbors appreciate the adolescent echoes but I love the aural feedback. Even keeping the revs below 5,000 rpm and using less than 3/4 throttle can?t stop the RS from being a very quick car. It?s ability to effortlessly cover ground at a rapid rate is amazing. The ride is stiff, even in the softer of the two suspension modes, but nicely dampened. Grip is plentiful no matter what the road surface. I can?t wait to unleash the full spectrum of performance.
I expect to keep the RS for at least a year?well, assuming I come to terms with those Recaro seats. I have a good friend with a 6-speed manual 2016 Golf R and it will be valuable for us to run both cars back-to-back. My initial impressions based upon past drives in the VW are that the Focus is more fun and has that welcomed edge that the Golf R lacks, both dynamically and aesthetically. But I also find the VW more comfortable?yes, one more dig at the seats in the RS?and the VW?s interior is a step up from the Ford. We?ll see how the top-spec Focus works as a day-to-day driver through Michigan?s varying seasons. Welcome to America, Ford Focus RS. Hopefully you were indeed worth the long, 14-year wait.
The miles keep accumulating on the 2016 Ford Focus RS, but not to the level I had hoped. AUTOMOBILE?s Four Seasons 2016 Nissan Maxima SR graced my presence for a couple of weeks, I spent an extended stint behind the wheel of the new 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic, and I jetted off to England for nearly three weeks. At least time away from the all-wheel-drive, 350-hp Focus RS confirms that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
I truly missed the manic Ford. I?m now playing with the drive modes, pushing the RS harder through the corners. Quite simply, the car is amazing. Activating sport mode and tapping the stability control button to loosen up its level of involvement transforms the hatchback. It?s amazing how naturally the active rear differential juggles torque. I was expecting a bit of a contrived, video-game feel given all that?s going on underneath, but that?s definitely not the case. The standard Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires offer loads of grip, but are progressive at the limit. You can really power out of corners and the pace of the Ford Focus RS is amazing. On a particularly challenging highway on-ramp not far from my house, the RS is astonishing in its ability to counter understeer and carry enormous speed. In most other cars, understeer would rear its ugly head and you?d be forced to lift to restore front-end grip. With the Focus RS, you can just keep pushing and the trick rear diff keeps rotating the car.
Still, I wish there was a separate, user configurable drive mode and, ideally, a stand-alone sport exhaust button. Ford runs this type of setup on the Shelby GT350, so you can play with the settings outside of the set drive modes. The Volkswagen Golf R also has an individual mode. I?d like to adjust the steering, throttle map and exhaust separately on my Focus RS instead of having to rely on four pre-programmed drive modes.
My ideal setup for brisk road driving would be normal throttle, so it?s not too aggressive and more linear. I?d then set the all-wheel drive system into sport mode to get the rear diff to rotate the car. The exhaust also needs to be in sport mode, for the lovely pops and bangs?which surely aren?t helping the fuel economy (more on that below). Stability control is best in sport mode too. Steering is best in normal mode, as the helm is a touch too heavy in sport.
In my intro story on the Focus RS, I complained about the Recaro seats. These have been tempered somewhat by a homemade seat cushion, which added much needed lower lumbar support. I?m still not in love with the aggressive bucket seats but they no longer cause my back agony. Additionally, the bulk of the Recaros means the outside of the side bolsters rub on the center armrest, causing an annoying squeak, especially when someone is seated in the passenger seat. My trip to England put me in a Volkswagen Golf R for a couple of hours and I sure wish I could install those perches in the Focus RS.
Not that I?m able to spend a ton of time in the Ford before needing to stop for a refill of premium unleaded fuel. The U.S. Focus ST is cursed with a small, 12.4-gallon fuel tank. The Focus RS is a bit better at 13.9 gallons, but the faster sibling is also the thirstier one. I?ve been averaging between 19 and 20 mpg in mostly city driving, causing the fuel light to ignite after only around 200 miles or less. And I?m still very much respecting the engine as I continue to obtain more clicks on the odometer before properly thrashing the RS. I?m sure my average will go down even further when I start pushing the throttle hard against the carpet, but I also foresee decent highway fuel economy if I keep my speed in check. We will see.
Speaking of keeping all in check, I?m disappointed that Ford North America fails to supply U.S. buyers with the full story on tire pressures for the Focus RS. Cars that come to our shores only note the full-load tire pressures?46 psi front, 46 psi rear. European RS buyers are given further information including part-load pressures?41 psi front, 38 psi rear. Unless you?re loading down your RS with 4 or 5 people and/or a ton of luggage, you really want to run the part-load numbers for the best handling and ride quality. I tracked down the UK Focus RS owner?s manual online, so I?m running the part-load pressures. We?ll see if this causes any issues with the U.S. tire pressure monitoring system. It hasn?t so far, but I?m militant about checking tire pressures regularly. I tried to have my local Ford dealer reprogram the TPMS system to fully jive with the part-load pressures?like some Ford F-150 owners are doing?but the lead tech could not find a way to sort the RS with the Ford computer.
The only other notable quirks with the Focus RS thus far are the dreadfully large turning circle and some SYNC 3 infotainment foibles. It?s nice that the Focus RS comes with 5 years of free SiriusXM Travel Link including traffic, fuel prices, weather, ski conditions, movie listing and sports info. Unfortunately, not all works so well. A few times, the traffic feature didn?t function when leaving my office at 5:30 pm. I tried refreshing the traffic list but had no luck?rather frustrating when trying to get around busy roads. Also, the Travel Link weather and ski conditions are functioning but the fuel prices are not. I?ve confirmed all aspects of the Travel Link subscription are active in the SYNC 3 system and on my account, and have sent a signal refresh. I may need to visit the dealer and see what they have to say. Also, using the touch screen to search for music on a USB drive isn?t exactly smooth. You can?t go back via each level of music folder easily. Other manufacturers have a better setup in this regard, but at least Ford?s voice search works very well. SYNC 3 is a good system overall and a giant leap ahead of the dreadful MyFord Touch.
My goal now is to finally pile some much needed miles on the RS. While doing just that, I?ll be keeping an eye on the recently-released, Ford-approved Mountune engine upgrade offered to European buyers. Ford North America won?t comment on any timing for the upgrade to be released in the States or confirm that it?s indeed going to be offered here, but I?d love to play with the bump of roughly 25 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque. (Mountune says the kit is awaiting CARB approval and Ford?s final say-so, but all should be a go by the end of the year.) While 25 hp may not be a huge jump in power, the similar upgrade to the Focus ST doesn?t affect your factory warranty if installed by a Ford dealership. That?s key in my mind, and I love Ford?s direct involvement versus random aftermarket ECU flashes that don?t live up to the hype. In truth, it?s not as if the Focus RS feels like it needs a ton more power so I?m not that desperate to make the change. I just want to spend more time in the car.
- On Sale: Spring
- Price: $36,605 (base)
- Engine: 2.3L turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4/350 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 350 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,500 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Layout: 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD hatchback
- EPA Mileage: 21/29 mpg (city/hwy) (est)
- L x W x H: 172.8 x 71.8 x 58.0 in
- Wheelbase: 104.3 in
- Weight: 3,525 lb (est)
- 0-60 mph: 4.4 sec
- Top Speed: 165 mph
Read more on Automobile Magazine.
