For generations wants Ford with his focus the seemingly unbeatable VW Golf to the plate. What will probably never succeed in the normal models, could now finally finally work in the sporty versions of the otherwise so brave everyday cars: The new Focus RS trumps its corresponding counterpart from Wolfsburg by far. If the VW Golf R sends "only" 221 kW / 300 horsepower to all four wheels, then the Cologne 36 kW / 50 PS is more. And they come even powerful on the road with new Focus.
So far, there was the Rhenish Ballermann only with front-wheel drive. In the model change Ford therefore went into great trouble, donated his saloon athlete a new four-wheel drive system, which banned the merciless sliding of the front axle in fast-driven curves in the past. No wonder then that the new RS offers a completely new Ford driving for its fans. The technicians call their interpretation of the theme four-wheel "intelligent". Because up to 70 percent of the power is given in normal operation of the rear axle. However, the on-board Electronic Super Brain registers 100 times per second when the many horses are needed at another corner of the 4,39 meter long Focus and sends lightning fast commands through the car.
"We've made a real breakthrough," says Dave Pericak, head of the in-house department for performance-hungry models. "Our new system enables first-class cornering and a safe handling even at the limit". Big words from an engineer, which are confirmed at the first exit. The turbo engine blubber dully already idle, reacts when kicking on the right pedal only with a kind of moment of shock, and then vehemently put in the stuff. No real turbo lag when you've made friends with RS after a few kilometers. You just keep it with the accelerator pedal and enjoy the pure acceleration, whose value is recorded in the data sheet with 4,7 seconds at 100 km / h.
The first stage leads to a manageable busy highway. Already in the previously selected by pressing a button normal mode, the focus sounds powerful, but not intrusive. The six-speed gearbox slips through quite short gearshifts, the tachometer pointer crawls steadily to the right, soon reaching values that you only want to reveal behind closed doors these days. The datasheet names 266 km / h, more than other toys of this type allow their users. All the more reassuring that the team of Mr. Pericak has donated his baby well visible brakes from the outside.
The RS then plays out its true values on the winding Black Forest mountain roads. Here, within permitted limits, the clever all-wheel drive comes into play. The distribution of the driving force feels the normal driver only by the fact that he suddenly much more vehemently around curves jet, that he can accelerate a lot faster and earlier again and all this thanks to a tight steering also mastered. After pressing the Sport button, the RS is a fun car for controlled Rumtoben, when far and wide no fellow human being can be endangered. But even for occasional trips on closed routes Ford has a mode ready. Then the otherwise helpful insurance of the skid protection ESP is minimized, the suspension is programmed to bone-hard and the comfort remains outside. Playful RS-ler also lures a drift position of the said button, which facilitates the slanting in curves just before departure. Anyone who uses this often will soon know their tire dealer by their first name.
But the RS can be different too. Since his gene donor is a four-door everyday car, the over-focus is also suitable as a means of transport to the daycare, to visit Aldi and Co. or as a good companion on the way to the office. After all, it has four doors and a large tailgate, offering all the modern blessings and assistance systems that the normal cars in the Ford price list offer. The fact that the RS outed by a thick spoiler under the roof edge, you have to make in the parents' meeting of the gymnasium finally not the topic. Worth mentioning, however, is the standard consumption of 7,7 liters on 100 kilometers. It should be kept in mind that this can be increased well over twice the unbridled use of such a Focus.
40.000 Euros are a lot of money for occasional fun with a car. But the RS will still find its fans, even if the number of sales will certainly remain manageable.
Author: Peter Maahn / SP-X