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Ford confirmed that the Focus RS will be sold in North America for the first time ever. But it won’t be built here.
As we previously reported, the Focus RS will likely not be built at the Michigan Assembly Plant that builds the other Focus models. According to a Ford source, it won’t fit down the line at MAP. That means it will almost certainly be built in Europe, and imported in limited quantities.
The Focus RS will feature a 2.3L Ecoboost engine, all-wheel drive and be priced a couple of thousand dollars higher than a loaded Ford Focus ST3. But it will also be sold in very limited quantities.
77 Comments on “Ford Focus RS Coming In Limited Quantities, Imported From Europe...”
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Cleaning drool.
$2 gas and someone is gonna buy one of these instead of a 5.0 Mustang?
I concur.
Police Interceptor notchback FTW!!!!
And oh yea, get the 351 Windsor swap in order.
There is a kit for that. http://www.tcf-v8-focus-conversions.com/
“$2 gas and someone is gonna buy one of these instead of a 5.0 Mustang?”
Didn’t we have a story about you a couple weeks ago?!
I certainly would. The Mustang is a boat. It may be a very fast boat, but still a boat.
I guess ’cause I’m old, the idea of hooning in fwd car just seems so unrewarding. I know all the video commercials show their rear ends cutely popping around in handbrake turns, but there’s no substitute for rwd power oversteer.
Did you even read that the RS is AWD?
Yes, you are ‘old’ ;-)
Supposedly it is AWD (can’t respond to that reply). I’m impressed that this doesn’t trip several volumes of regulations that need to be re-federalized/Californiazed.
Still think that the Mustang (especially the new one) will be a huge reason for the ultra-low volume.
There aren’t many similarly sized rwd hooning cars out there. And none with the power. Nor “practicality.” And in the real world, on public roads, while rwd > fwd, smaller >>>>> bigger. IOW, while the Elise rules (ruled), the FiST trumps most other comers, rwd or not.
Test a new one, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I did test drive the new Mustang. I was horribly disappointed. But at least it handles properly on a bumpy Maine back road now. Still a boat.
The only car I was more disappointed by was the Toyobaru. A wonderful chassis in search of an engine that wants to play.
“I certainly would. The Mustang is a boat. It may be a very fast boat, but still a boat.”
Agreed
Absolutely. Gas won’t be $2 forever and this is a more capable/useable car.
Any bets on just how much better mileage it will get over the [5.0] Mustang? 300hp is a ton to get out of 2.3l and I’d expect a miserable compression ratio and likely some rich fuel (or is that a subby thing?).
It looks like low boost turbos can give decent fuel mileage (although mostly through appliance-style driving. Not applicable for this thing).
I also suspect you can buy plenty of [even $4] gas for the price difference between a mustang and this beast (note the entry level v6 Mustang will match the power. The 5.0l should outdo the power/weight easily).
If it has AWD, I wouldn’t expect it to get much better, if at all. I would bet worse than the 2.3T Mustang since that version of the Mustang gets the same combined fuel economy as the Focus ST.
300hp takes 300hp worth of fuel. Doesn’t matter if you make it with 4, 6, or 8 cylinders for the most part. It only takes a few dozen hp to go 70mph though. And that is when the smaller engine will have an advantage, within reason. The real advantage is that a small turbo can be physically smaller and lighter, which means everything else up front can be smaller and lighter, and then you have a hot hatch, instead of a boat of a Mustang that has to be big enough to hold a honking V8.
Well, there’s also the 10k price difference. And some of us like hopped up AWD hatches because we’re sick that way.
Meh. I mean it’s a good idea to give your line-up a shot in the arm, but the V8 version from years past would have been little bit more “special”. They’ll definitely sell out, but I’d prefer something a bit more bonkers, anyone want to go in on a business of importing French cars? Def money there….
Five door? Please?
Jalopnik is suggesting that it may be FWD only. Im sure a FWD RS would be amazing, but I really hope AWD available, I don’t think I would consider it otherwise.
They’d better take another look at their own spy shots….
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hot 3-door hatch. Ahhhhhhhhhhh if only I was 25 again with the income I have now. ;-)
Ah!
Lieutenant Dan’s wanting one of those European Fords, eh?
Don’t worry, Sir. There’s a Merkur Scorpio for you out there somewhere, just waiting for you!!
(Hee hee.)
That’s what I was thinking too, and that didn’t turn out so well for Ford. And the Chevy SS isn’t exactly setting the sales charts on fire. Has there ever been an performance import with a domestic nameplate that sold well?
VW GTI?
Actually, what about the Acura Integra or NSX? Acura is a domestic brand, and those cars were made in Japan. Still not quite what you meant though.
Mercury Capri.
YAASS!!! It’s starting to look like a REAL good time to trade in the ’08 Speed3…
Never did any research on the RS, would it be safe to assume it’s a Mazda tech 2.3 DISI engine? Speed6 came with this engine and some those were awd. For a while I was on the hunt for a cert. used Speed3 but then began reading about blown turbo’s and VVT issues. Have you had any issues with yours? I wouldn’t mind replacing my DSM with one!
Ohhh no, it’s not a DISI. I remember reading before the breakup that Ford wouldn’t touch any of Mazda’s specialty engine designs (DISI or Renesis) even though they had free reign to put them in their own cars. They did however use Mazda’s R&D as a foundation for their own Ecoboost engines.
I guess you could call Ecoboost the DISI’s grandchild that greatly improved upon the original.
Interesting! Thanks for the info.
I’m still wanting one of those old Sierra Cosworths.
What’s a man gotta do??
@Raresleeper
Import one – they are old enough now. A good one will cost you real money these days though.
I wish Ford would do the same for the wagon version – Diesel with start-stop please ;-)
Take that opinion to jalopnik sir! No pie-in-the-sky cars here.
“He’s got… Hiiiiiigh Hopes”…
“He’s got… Hiiiiigh Hopes…”
“He’s got… High Apple Piiiiie in the Skyyyy Hopes…”
Be careful what you wish for, F*rd has failed to bring a competent diesel engine platform to the table. Big reason why they will be the last of the big 3 to bring anything to the table in the light duty truck segment. They’ve fallen too many times, and it keeps getting harder and harder to get back up in today’s market.
Personally, I thought they were huffin’ some high quality glue when they talked about incorporating the stop-start feature on the new 1.0L 3 cylinder.
(PSSST: Euro markets!)
Put me on the waiting list! (Of people who will drool over it here but not spend the money to actually buy it)
good luck with that, it will be like lining up at best buy with 10000 other motherfuckers at 2 am to get one of 200 new xboxes, then when you get shut out they will be on ebay with a $30k premium, golf r425 has a better chance here
I hear ya. At a certain age this would have been at the top of my list. I’ll still spend 10 min examining the first one I see while my wife rolls her eyes and laughs at me.
This coming over is a sure sign of the success of the Focus ST and Fiesta ST. If Ford’s hot hatches weren’t selling in acceptable numbers, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t bring over a third model.
Which makes dream of what would be truly awesome: Offer up all the RS goodness on a 5-door, but with delete options for all the appearance junk. Right now it looks right out of the Mk 5 GTI “unpimp the auto” commercials.
The Evo is dead :( …LONG LIVE THE RS!
Just bring me a 2dr Focus. I don’t need no stinkin’ super duper rocket!
I’ve always heard great things about this car. Would like to drive it and would love to do a few laps at the track in this.
Yawn. Looks like a modernized version of the Pontiac Lemans hatchback. No matter what you do to a hatchback, its still a hatchback.
Oh, that’s cold… Were you run over by a small Ford Aspire as a child?
Nope, but I turned a few of them into speed bumps with my crew cab dodge!
Ha, ha those Ford Aspire speed bumps really make those Dodge crew cabs bounce, Boing!
The pic is the MkII Focus from 2005, that was not built here.
I will pass much rather have a GTI as a hot hatch , this screams kid car and I am way past that stage, depending on pricing It may end up a fords Golf R, but the Internet fan boys wanted Ford to import it so time to pony up all who called for them to bring it over
Why?
You no like “I’m An Assh*le Green”?
I’m rather partial to the Fiesta ST myself, and that’s about as high school kid as you can get.
Come at me bro!
Seriously, a lime green hatchback? And the Fordians love it.
I’d rather get one painted in Ford Mustang Grabber Blue, now that would turn some heads.
Agreed but they’ll actually buy Nissan Rogue Ss and drive them like complete toolboxes in traffic.
I’d take the GTI’s refinement and comfort over the ST/RS extra power. The ST’s Recaros were madly uncomfortable for me, and I know if I couldn’t stand them on a test drive, day-to-day ownership would be impossible.
GTI is hardly in the same class here. Golf R comparison is more apt. I’ll take the better driving experience any day of the week over caring what others might think of me. But…the latest GTI and Golf R have dialed up the performance so much beyond the softies of yore the STIs and Focus RS’s of the world need to really justify their existence by giving something beyond what VW does. In the past that has been the case…but in the future not so sure that Golf R seems so good but have not driven it yet.
I liked the last Golf R, and I owned an MKV R32. This appears to be sufficiently more bonkers than either. I wish it was going to be built in the US, but I’ll be fine it existing.
“2.3L Ecoboost engine, all-wheel drive”
Nice, but can you get an automatic? ;-)
If this arrives in AWD, it will be my first ever American brand car purchase (in 20 years of car buying).
Would you like a cookie a trophy or both?
And, it won’t be “American” per se, but built in Europe.
…The Focus RS will feature a 2.3L Ecoboost engine, all-wheel drive and be priced a couple of thousand dollars higher than a loaded Ford Focus ST3. But it will also be sold in very limited quantities…
Because of this, dealer ADM is expected to be criminal, and due to the limited quantities, there will be just enough stupid people on the planet who will plunk the money down.
Is that still the Volvo I5?
No more 5 cyl, the current Focus ST is a 4 cyl. and the RS looks to have the 2.3 version of this motor.
No AWD, engine souped-up Mustang 2.3 Ecoboost, designed in Dearborn.
http://m.autocar.co.uk/;fitScript=0/car-news/new-cars/new-ford-focus-rs-confirmed-production
It seems the information above may be inaccurate
“Ford insiders confirmed last year that four-wheel drive had been tried for the new RS in early engineering studies but engineers had decided to stick with the front-wheel drive formula of previous models.”
It seems the information above may be inaccurate
“Ford ins1ders confirmed last year that four-wheel drive had been tried for the new RS in early engineering studies but engineers had decided to stick with the front-wheel drive formula of previous models.”
Things change.
Think of all the “factual” automotive hearsay that’s spread compared to what actually happens.
Here’s the way I see it. Sometime in 2015/2016 Ford will sell the Focus RS. A bit before that time, Ford will tell you its specs. Then we’ll know if it indeed is AWD.
This works well for things outside of the automotive space.
Is Brett Favre going to play? Just wait. If he’s on the roster at season start he’s probably playing.
Where’s LeBron going? No need to speculate. He must declare by the deadline. No reason to get into a huff and a puff and have an entire show based on “The Decision”.
JCW MINI parts prices. Gonna be more than lease payments.
FWIW, Fiat [nee Mopar] is planning to bring an AWD Dodge Dart to market, Ford can’t sit and twiddle thumbs. Also, VW, Subaru, and used luxo makes are getting young [yes some kids are buying cars, not all can afford Manhattan micro apts] owners with AWD.
The Focus RS shown is out of production MkII Focus from 2005, no more 2 door versions are built overseas.
Goddamnit, if this does materialize here in AWD at the price point mentioned, I will live off of sardines, kidney beans and Bud Light for the next year to buy me one of these.
You are going to have some digestive issues. It may be worth it though.
I totally get why automakers stick with FWD for these hot hatches…if you aren’t already making AWD versions of the base car like Subaru, it is a big investment and changes need to be made for a low volume model. You’ll price it right out of the target market.
On the other hand, all the tricks in the book, revoknuckle, LSD, brake tricks…being right in the target market for these things I am not interested in ridiculous FWD power. I liked my SRT-4 a lot but at 260hp even with the LSD that car was verrrry inexpensive to buy so an understandable compromise. Anything powered and priced north of the Focus ST does not get the same pass in my book.
I concur. RWD is fun in summer, AWD is fun in winter, and FWD is what you drive when you can’t afford the sort of RWD or AWD vehicle you really want to be driving. It can still be enjoyable, but never as enjoyable, so it has to be cheap for what you get.