Focus RS has the green light (again) 280BHP, based on Focus ST.

Ford Focus | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

Only trouble is from that piccy it looks like a Hyundai Santa Fe (or whatever they're called).

280 BHP though :eek:

Sounds good! Wonder if it'll be 4wd though :rubchin:

Chris

This will be achieved with a revised engine management system' date=' increased boost pressure, free-flow air filter and performance exhaust. With at least 400Nm of torque, the Focus RS will sprint from 0-60mph in around five seconds and hit a top speed of 155mph.

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So a new exhaust, a new air filter and a remap then

it needs to be 4wd if it wants to keep up with the scooby's and evo's,can't help but think it will just be an st with an exhaust and a re map tho.

Looks cool, Id be shocked if it wasnt 4wd, with active diffs etc.

I know that they were trying to develop an RS version for a while, but ave had to wait fro the go ahead from Ford Europe, and the intention is/was to make it a direct competitor to the impreza/evo.

in that press release you would think if it was going to be 4wd they would be shouting it from the rooftops,why wouldn't they mention somthing important like this?

answer cos its going to be fwd.

So Ford are basically doing what the ST owners have been doing for awhile...

I.M.O It wont be 4wd as that costs to much... same goes for the 'blistered arches' as again it's not cost effective to change that many body panels for what will be a limited run of cars.

We'll just have to wait and see

hmm , I'm a bit concerned that carjacked mike didnt point us towards this first to make us see the error of our ways

hmm , I'm a bit concerned that carjacked mike didnt point us towards this first to make us see the error of our ways

Yes and how you can get an ST with a DSG style gearbox... oh no wait... you can't :eek:

EDIT: The article on Autocar makes better reading... clicky...

4wd is a fairly easy conversion on a Focus, the americans have been doing it for ages, and you can even buy the conversion kit, as well as a nice V8 engine too!!!

Somehow doubt the RS will be 4wd from the factory though.

Just found this on Ford's site... clicky

So it looks like there is going to be an RS... but they're being tight-lipped about exact specs tho.

I.M.O It wont be 4wd as that costs to much... same goes for the 'blistered arches' as again it's not cost effective to change that many body panels for what will be a limited run of cars.

Unless they get someone else to build them like they did for the Racing Puma.

I can see headlights ,foglights and a ford badge.

Am I looking at the wrong picture?

I can't see them developing a one off 4wd system for a low volume niche car TBH. Ford are skint just now and need to make a profit somehow so this doesn't seem the right thing for the men in grey suits to agree to.

300BHP in a FWD though? hmm.

They'll just have to make it RWD instead!

I can't see them developing a one off 4wd system for a low volume niche car TBH. Ford are skint just now and need to make a profit somehow so this doesn't seem the right thing for the men in grey suits to agree to.

300BHP in a FWD though? hmm.

They'll just have to make it RWD instead!

Why would they have to develop a 4wd system, they have plenty at their disposal already just in disguise.

In fact you have one such system in your car. Then there is Volvo, dont some jag's use 4wd, and theres land rover.

300BHP in a FWD though? hmm.

That would make it a mazda

Why would they have to develop a 4wd system, they have plenty at their disposal already just in disguise.

In fact you have one such system in your car. Then there is Volvo, dont some jag's use 4wd, and theres land rover.

its a volvo engine, and its fitted to a 4WD in some of the volvo's its in , so shouldn't be too hard to just use the same volvo 4WD system...

there were some pics of it testing before ford 'canned' the idea last time, and it was speculated that the chassis was a little bigger (sticking from the arches!) , hence hiding a 4WD system.....

The Autocar link posted earlier in the thread suggested that they didn't want all the weight (read expense ) of 4wd and there were other ways to get equivalent traction, presumably by limiting boost and using trick diffs?

I guess we'll see!

Chris

Sorry off topic! Starch i see from your sig your driving an elise!!!! Did'nt have the A4 for long then. I bet that lotus is a blast!!!

john the americans haven't been doing 4wd conversions they have been doing RWD conversions and have you seen them afterwards?? the back end is soo high as they have no where to put the prop and rear diff so they simply raise the whole car and sit it on top of the transmission.

and how would making a 4WD focus not be that difficult other than it would need a whole new floor pan, wiring loom and probably some new panels and things to make things fit right.

the 4x4 octavia is very different underneath to the FWD octavia so it would be no different for the focus. in fact by making the focus 4WD it would have virtually no boot as its quite small already so losing another 4 inches or so to make room for the transmission would make it a token gesture and nothing more.

Yea lotus is fun, reduced millage, and not really needing all the space of the A4 I thought id have something fun whilst I could.

john the americans haven't been doing 4wd conversions they have been doing RWD conversions and have you seen them afterwards?? the back end is soo high as they have no where to put the prop and rear diff so they simply raise the whole car and sit it on top of the transmission.

and how would making a 4WD focus not be that difficult other than it would need a whole new floor pan, wiring loom and probably some new panels and things to make things fit right.

the 4x4 octavia is very different underneath to the FWD octavia so it would be no different for the focus. in fact by making the focus 4WD it would have virtually no boot as its quite small already so losing another 4 inches or so to make room for the transmission would make it a token gesture and nothing more.

But there is already space underneath for a diff, and there's a transmission tunnel there aswell too! dont ask me why, but there is, so it doesn't need a new floorpan, whilst it might not be so easy for us to perform a conversion on an existing car, it would be for Ford to build it from scratch.

Lets not forget the Ford Kuga and Volvo XC50 are based on the same C1 platform as the Focus and these will have 4wd and no doubt the 2.5l 5pot engine so alot of the work has already been done.

A.F.A.I.K the current American Focus is still being built on the old C170 platform, so it's not really a good source for a comparison.

But there is already space underneath for a diff, and there's a transmission tunnel there aswell too! dont ask me why, but there is, so it doesn't need a new floorpan, whilst it might not be so easy for us to perform a conversion on an existing car, it would be for Ford to build it from scratch.

exactly

get rid of that big rear box from the ST exhaust and stick a diff in it's place? there's already room in the tunnel the exhaust runs in for a prop, they've essentially got off the shelf 4wd from the likes of Volvo, Jaguar and Mazda and Volvo already run a higher power variant of the 5-pot that's in the ST. everythings there or there abouts for them to make a 300BHP 4WD FRS. whether they do or not is a different matter all together :(