2016 Ford Focus vs 2018

What's the difference?

Supply of the RS is limited by capacity from Ford's Saarlouis plant in Germany, with "up to 500" cars coming to Australia in 2016, according to Ford Australia, and most of those spoken for before the first ship docked... so the queue is already long.

Trust us – it's worth the wait.

If you're looking for a true high-performance car with a staggering depth of engineering built into it for a bargain-basement price, the Focus RS is your car.

It just so happens to be a relatively compact hatchback, too, which adds to its practicality but doesn't detract from its performance car credentials.

The Focus RS is designed as a tool to rebuild the Ford Performance brand around the world, and we can't wait to see what else it has planned.

Even with a 10 per cent price premium the Ford Focus RS Limited Edition is the hot hatch bargain of the decade. It’s properly fast, dynamically outstanding, and sounds the business. Our advice? Get in quick and grab one of this last batch. You won’t regret it.

The RS is not dissimilar to the other warmed-over Focus in Ford's local line up, the ST, but the devil is in the RS's details.

Its design objective is function over flash; it's a distinct move away from the wild and lairy RS from 2010.

The head of the RS build, Tyrone Johnson – a 31-year Ford veteran with stints in both the company's WRC and F1 programs – explained that the object of the bodywork package was to produce zero aerodynamic lift front and rear.

The opening on the front bumper, for example, is physically as large as it can possibly be to both minimise drag and maximise cooling. Even the fine mesh used to protect the radiators is there for a purpose, not just for race car cool looks.

The front brake ducts actually function as intended, too, and contribute to the car's aero tune.

A flat undertray under the front bumper, a large diffuser under the rear bar and a low profile hatch-mounted wing all chip in to smooth airflow, too.

Think hot hatch, and your mind might wander to the more radical end of the design spectrum where Honda’s Kabuki warrior on wheels, the Civic Type R lives. But the Focus RS is an altogether more mature proposition.

The nose is dominated by a single, wide-mouth grille aperture, which frames an opening to the radiator, the central section of the bumper, and the top of the intercooler below it.

Big side gills feed cooling air through to the front brakes, while the slim, raked headlights and hard-edged bonnet give the car a suitably ‘focused’ and purposeful presence.

Strategically placed channels and bulges along the rocker panel, door sills, and shoulder line add a further touch of aero function, the wheelarches are subtly pumped up, while a pronounced roof spoiler and full-width diffuser at the rear complete the track-attack look.

For this LE version, you can have any colour you like as long as it’s ‘Nitrous Blue’, the rear spoiler end plates, mirror shells and roof are black, and privacy glass is standard. The big 19-inch alloys are now black, with beefy four-piston Brembo brakes lurking behind them up front.

Inside, the fascia and console layout is familiar Focus, with an additional trio of gauges (oil temp, turbo boost pressure, and oil pressure) perched on the top of the dash, while the racy Recaro shell seats are trimmed with Nitrous Blue leather highlights.

The nice thing about most hot hatchbacks is that, well, they're still hatchbacks. The five-door Focus RS changes very little from its more pedestrian siblings when it comes to performing life's more mundane tasks, though there are a couple of compromises to be negotiated.

A new rear suspension configuration means that the cargo space has been reduced from 316 litres to 260 litres, despite the RS scoring a bespoke saddlebag fuel tank to gain back real estate.

It also loses its space saver spare wheel.

The RS-branded Recaro sports seats are very comfortable, but lack any form of height adjustment in the base. In typical Focus style, they are also mounted quite high, which may trouble shorter drivers.

The rear seats have been faced with the same leather and suede treatment as the fronts.

There's space for bottles in both the front and back doors, and there's a pair of adjustable cup holders in the centre console. Storage for phones and the like is a little compromised, though.

Despite its performance potential, this RS is almost as practical as a regular, garden-variety Focus.

The front Recaros look like oversize baseball gloves, ready to lock you in place while the Focus does its best to challenge the laws of physics.

But the price you pay for all that location is some extra struggle to slip into, and extricate yourself from, their grippy goodness. Not a huge issue, and one that goes with the territory in this kind of car.

There are two cupholders up front, zero in the back, and bottle holders in all doors. There’s also a 12-volt socket, a USB outlet, as well as a decent glove box, and a lidded bin between the front seats to keep your stuff under control at maximum g-load.

Despite extra intrusion from the front seatbacks, rear legroom is surprisingly good, and headroom in the back is okay for this 183cm tester.

The rear seats flip forward, and the backrests split-fold 60/40 to increase load flexibility. Volume is a relatively modest 260 litres (VDA) with the rear seats upright (laden to the parcel shelf), growing to 1045 litres (laden to the roof) with them folded. There are also two ISOFIX child seat mounts.

Don’t bother looking for a spare tyre; a flat means rolling the dice with the repair kit that takes its place.

At $50,990, the ‘standard’ Focus RS already features a respectable standard equipment list, including dual-zone climate control air, Ford’s latest SYNC3 multimedia system running through an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support), adaptive headlights, ambient interior lighting, alloy faced sports pedals, 19-inch alloy rims, cruise control, keyless entry and start, LED DRLs, front fog lights, auto headlights, nine-speaker audio, a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel and gear knob, rain-sensing wipers, satellite navigation, and the sports seats.

At $56,990, the RS Limited Edition adds a worthwhile basket of extra spec and tech to justify the $6k price premium over the model it replaces.

Headline items are the swap from Michelin Pilot Super Sport to Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber (an option Ford was already listing at $3500), and installation of a tricky Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD).

The Recaro shell seats are trimmed in Nitrous Blue leather, the black 19-inch rims are forged alloy, the standard prestige paint is normally a $450 option, and importantly, Auto Emergency Braking has been added to the standard features list.

A price tag approaching $60,000 is no small number, but it’s sharp for this kind of performance hatch. The Audi RS3 Sportback and Merc-AMG A45 are both at least $20k dearer.

The RS makes use of the 2.3-litre turbo four-potter from the Ford Mustang EcoBoost, albeit in a much higher state of tune.

A Cosworth alloy head sits atop a block with iron-lined cylinder bores, while the turbocharger itself is a totally revised version of the one fitted to the previous RS.

A semi-open air filter pod and a large diameter exhaust that is routed as straight as possible to a pair of oversized tips also underline the RS's intentions.

Power rises to 257kW from the 233kW in the Mustang, while torque rises slightly to 440Nm from 432. While Ford doesn't offer performance numbers, we recorded a 5.4sec 0-100km/h time during testing.

The only gearbox option comes with a third pedal; Johnson told CarsGuide.com.au that a double-clutch gearbox was considered, but didn't pass muster when it came to fulfilling the performance parameters he had set for the RS.

The job is left to a six-speed manual unit with a single-plate clutch.

The Focus's all-wheel-drive system is new, and it's based around a system poached from Ranger Rover's baby Evoque.

Known as the Twinster, the rear set-up is entirely new. Instead of a rear limited slip diff, a pair of clutch packs on the back axle control each rear wheel in a much more precise way.

It effectively gives the RS torque vectoring across the back end; or, in other words, traction and stability control on steroids. Ford says 70 per cent of the car's traction can be fired at the rear wheel in less than a tenth of a second; Johnson says theoretically 90 per cent can be directed rearwards.

The other trick is that the rear axle actually turns slightly faster than the front axle. Known as 'overspeeding', the rear is just two per cent quicker than the front, and it helps to reduce understeer.

Huge 350mm front rotors are clamped by four-pot Brembo calipers, with 302mm rotors out back.

Johnson also told us that the RS is designed to be able to be driven flat-out around a track for 30 minutes without any signs of deterioration in the brake or engine department.

The RS’s 2.3-litre ‘EcoBoost’ four-cylinder petrol engine is an all-alloy unit, featuring direct injection, ‘Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing’ (Ti-VCT), and a Honeywell twin-scroll fixed geometry turbocharger.

It produces 257kW (350hp) at 6000rpm, with 440Nm of torque (470Nm for up to 15sec on ‘transient overboost’) from 2000-4500rpm.

It’s matched with a six-speed (MMT6) manual gearbox (only), driving all four wheels, with the Quaife LSD managing torque distribution across the front axle. The Quaife uses gears rather than clutches, as in a Haldex-type LSD, for smoother operation and to avoid harsh locking.

Up to 70 per cent of drive can be sent to the rear wheels, and once it’s arrived back there, a dedicated control system can vector up to 100 per cent of that torque to the left or right rear wheel.

Over 150km of vigorous testing, we recorded an indicated 12.4L/100km, against Ford's claim of 7.7L/100km.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.7L/100, the car emitting 175g/km of C02 in the process.

Auto stop-start is standard (although it didn’t exactly feature on this circuit drive), and you’ll need 51 litres of premium unleaded to fill the tank.

The press clippings from the launch drive this year were, it's fair to say, glowing in their effusive praise – but Australian roads take fewer prisoners with overly sporty chassis tunes.

In this case, though, the praise was warranted. The Focus RS has taken the hot hatch playbook and thrown it clear over the fence.

Thanks to a four-mode drive switch, the car has two distinct personalities – and both of them have attitude to spare.

In Normal mode, the 1524kg RS rides firmly, but the Tenneco dampers are very sophisticated in their tune and don't punish the occupants over broken terrain or city edges.

Push the mode button into Sport, and everything livens up - except those dampers. It's similar to Ferrari's Bumpy Road Mode that we discovered recently in the California, and it works just as well here.

It has truly prodigious pace both up to and in the middle of a corner, and its turn-in and corner grip is hard to describe, such is its instant response. It actually requires some driver recalibration to keep up with the car.

The engine is as strong as an ox and eminently tractable, though we found the gearbox ratios to be a little bit off. Because the RS can take so much more speed into and out of a bend, second gear wasn't tall enough... but third gear was a good few hundred rpm too tall.

Drift Mode

In fact, breaking the RS's relentless speed and flow with a clutch pedal and wiggly stick felt at odds with how much the car has pushed engine output and chassis grip. A cutting edge, lightning quick double-clutch gearbox seems like it would be a natural fit for the RS.

There's a Track mode that stiffens the dampers up by 40 per cent – and when Ford says 'track', it means it. It's way, way too stiff for everyday use, unless you drive on polished concrete.

There's a price to pay for the tricky suspension set-up; the turning circle is a ponderous 11.8m around.

Oh, and Drift Mode? It's actually kind of silly if we're honest. It has exactly zero usefulness in the real world, and we don't expect the people who can afford a $51 grand hot hatch tearing up $800-a-corner tyres on a track day using it.

Ford laid on its full line-up of performance-oriented Focuses for the launch drive, from the (132kW/240Nm) front-wheel drive S, through the (184kW/354Nm) FWD ST, to the out-going Focus RS, and the hero blue meanie RS Limited Edition.

Intermittent heavy showers were welcome for once, because the wet track highlighted the difference between the variants so graphically, and helped put the RS LE in clear context.

The first surprise was how capable the humble Focus S felt around SMSP’s challenging North Circuit. And the ST stepped things up with more grunt and fatter rubber. But they only served to prove the RS is in another league of dynamic ability.

The RS is fast, as in 0-100km/h in 4.7sec fast (thanks in part to standard launch control), with a maximum velocity of 266km/h available (that’s some track day!).

Fat mid-range torque, linear throttle response, and six ratios means there’s always plenty of acceleration available, and with one of four drive modes the press of a console button away there’s much fun to be had.

The settings modify steering, ESC, dampers, engine and exhaust across ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’, ‘Track’ and ‘Drift’ modes (more on that last one in a minute).

No surprise the jump from front- to all-wheel drive is a big one, but in the wet conditions peddling through SMSP’s enigmatic Turn 2, the RS took way more steering and throttle input than it had any right to.

Strong mid-range punch slingshots the car forward, accompanied by an entertaining symphony of raspy engine note.

Just keep turning the wheel and squeezing the right-hand pedal, to the point where the car’s balance would surely crack, and it simply says, ‘Is that the best you can do?’

Swap into the RS Limited Edition, and the Quaife diff ratchets things up another couple of notches. In Track mode, in the same turn, the LE is ridiculously planted. You can feel the rear slamming the power down and driving the car out of the corner, with the front just sticking wherever you point it.

Strong mid-range punch slingshots the car forward, accompanied by an entertaining symphony of raspy engine note and raucous crackles and pops from the exhaust.

Push hard enough of course and the RS LE will start to slide, but through the fast, sweeping Turn 1 it took the form of a genuine four-wheel drift. That’s how balanced and composed this car is under pressure.

Feel from the electrically-assisted steering is good, and although the stickier Cup 2 Michelins are the same size (235/35) as the Super Sports, thanks to a stiffer sidewall, their footprint is seven per cent wider. And searching for off-line grip around wet corners was a smile-inducing pleasure.

Then there’s the brakes. Even trying to stand the 1.6- tonne RS LE on its nose, while splashing through puddles of standing water, the RS LE washed off speed rapidly without a hint of misbehaviour. Turn in and maintain some trail braking? No problem. The RS’s set-up is properly sorted.

All the while, you remain firmly secured in your Recaro cacoon, with the clutch and short-throw shift working beautifully together.

We also engaged Drift mode for a full-on hoon on the SMSP skidpan. Keep your eye on where you want to go, turn the wheel, pin the throttle and the rear end duly steps out into a classic drift angle. Keep the revs up, tweak the wheel as required, and around you go like a ‘dab of oppo’ legend.

The roll-call of active safety tech fitted to the Focus RS LE includes ABS, AEB, brake assist, EBFD, traction control, DSC, ‘Emergency Brake Lights’ (flashing), reversing camera, parking distance control, and tyre pressure monitoring. Nothing in the way of lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert, though.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are dual front head and side airbags on board.

Although the Focus (generically) is rated at a maximum five ANCAP stars, the RS (specifically) is not rated.

Service intervals for the Focus RS are 12 months or 15,000km, with a three year/100,000km warranty.

Ford also offers upfront scheduled service price information when you get a quote online, a free loan car and 12 months auto club membership with each scheduled service, for up to seven years.

Ford offers a standard three years/100,000km warranty, which isn’t exactly spectacular these days, but with standard servicing at ‘Participating Auto Club Authorised Ford Dealers’, retail and ‘Blue Business Fleet’ customers receive state auto club roadside assistance and membership for up to seven years/105,000km.

The recommended service interval for the Focus RS is 12 months/15,000km, with costs for the first five years lining up as follows - $365, $395, $365, $585, and $365. In fact, Ford’s online service calculator runs out to the 33 year/495,000km service (which, for the record, is $365).

Worth noting brake fluid (every two years), coolant (every 10 years), and timing/drive belts (every 10 years/195,000km) are extra.