Rapid-BLUE Reincarnation
Fast, fantastic, AND affordable. JUST WHAT WE NEED IN 2017
Image via Harry Shipler - http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/USHS_Shipler&CISOPTR=2629&CISOBOX=1&REC=2
Since the year 1903, 113 years go, we got introduced to the first car ever made from Ford, The Model T. Pictured above, it carried and embodied everything about the word manual. It didn't have stability control, or different power modes, or the ever so popular dual clutch 1 million speed gearbox. No, it was a simple car with an engine in the front, a manual gearbox of some sort and just what you need to get from A-B.
Fast forward to the present, 116 years of racing heritage and pedigree have brought us this, The Ford Focus RS. This, Europe's take on a performance Ford will for the first time in 4 decades, available in the US market. This is by far one of the most anticipated hot hatches of the year, and all major motoring publications have praised it in every single way, and for good reason!
The car carries the most prestigious badge ever to be put on a Ford, the iconic RS name. For a normal human it means this. Ford dominated the Rally scene and the name RS was given to the high performance cars that competed in the World Rally Championship, hence RS standing for Rally Sport. Ford then went one step further and made a road legal production version of the rally monsters for the public.
Right, okay, the real reason you're here. Underneath you will find in my opinion one of the best 4 cylinder engines ever made. What you and I are looking at is Ford's EcoBoost engine, in fact the same one you get in the new Mustang. It's 2.3 litres and turbocharged like the Tasmanian Devil himself. The result? 257KW, 440NM of torque and will sprint to 100km/h faster than you can open Instagram. 4.7 seconds if you were wondering.
With great power comes great responsibility. With that said Ford have treated the RS to a beautiful 6 speed manual gearbox and one of the most amazing All Wheel Drive systems on the market today. While normally all four wheels spin and move to deliver power smoothly, the RS does something called torque vectoring. Simply, torque is thrust and pulling power of an engine. At times the RS can send 70% of it to the rear. On top of that up to 100% of it can be sent to either rear wheel, giving it a drift ability, of which it has a mode for and can turn this car into rear wheel drive drift machine.
Driving this car is like being 5 years old at a local drag race or going for a hot lap in a noisy track track car cause that's exactly what it's like. The deep throaty sound of the gorgeous 2.3 EcoBoost engine as the revs build up makes this car sound meaty. As the revs build up you feel the instant boost from the turbocharger with little to no lag as the turbo whooshes and makes the Need For Speed noises we all come to love from boosted cars. As you hit past 3500RPM in sport mode with full exhaust chatter open you get every kind of pop and bang you have come to love and hear while watching your favourite Ken Block video. Then again, Mr Block did have quite a lot of input into the development and making of this car.
Stop! Drop and Roll! No not really, but in the RS it's sure to be a much easier process than that. Thanks to sticky, fat and wide tyres you will have all the grip in the world when driving. Stopping on a dime? Of course yes! With massive 350mm brakes from Brembo you can stop this car from 110km/h to 0 in 47 metres!
It's all serious drama and cosmetic goodness. To accompany the loud shouty exhausts, you get a wide body kit all around to give it a mean stance on the road. A rear diffuser and lift F1 style brake light as well as the signature for any hot hatch these days, a massive rear wing for presence, bad assery and downforce. You may think most of what I said and what you see is unnecessary, but remember this, Ford build a car to have purpose too. It may look pointless sure but there is always a science to things.
John Terry with windscreen wipers. It's the only way to best describe this car and its characteristics. Fast, agile, gets the job done and will kick you in the face when you're not concentrating. Besides dear John, it has aggressive looks, beefy bonnet lines and massive scoops to channel air into the big intercooler, which is made black, and for good reason as well. For reasons we don't understand, a black intercooler is better for a turbocharged car because it cools the car better and quicker by a significant amount more than a silver one. Still confused? You're better off asking John Terry, he might be able to tell you why better than me.
Intelligent headlights that follow steering movement? Yes please! Who doesn't love technology? You also get intelligent suspension to adapt to the road surface with a touch of a button in the different modes the car has, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, bluetooth audio and sync, a touch screen multimedia interface and many more bells and whistles. Let's also not forget the practicality. It has 5 doors and a big boot too!
Ford, my hat goes off to you. In a world full on computer controlled wizardry and technology you have a built a back to basics fun classic hatchback. The simple formula of a strong turbocharged engine and a manual gearbox really resonates well here. Each turn, gear change and rev makes you feel like you and the car have become one connected being. This is something rare, because in todays hatchback rivalries, its all about computing more power and getting millisecond gear changes and how that must then equate to numbers and so on and so forth. The RS is simply a shut up and drive kind of car, and something we need in this far too technological world. With prices starting from R699 900 it certainly is considerably cheaper than its rivals and in my opinion miles better in every single way.
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Comments (6)
Fire son!!! Kanniah fire!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The blue beast!
Too good mate!
Great write up 👌
Absolutely flippen fantastic!!!😀🙌