Focus RS is a long-awaited Fast Ford

Ford fanatics will rejoice themselves. The latest Fast Ford...the Focus RS. 

THE Ford Focus is now into its third incarnation (even though it has recently been facelifted), and the fastest one you can buy at the moment is the Focus ST. 

There isn't an RS model in the range, the current Focus has been around since 2011. So it has been a while since Ford have made a Focus RS. Earlier this month, they unveiled the all-new Focus RS at the Geneva Motor Show. Oh boy doesn’t it look great!?  

The new Focus RS will pack a punch. Powered by the 2.3 litre EcoBoost engine, which will also be found in the Mustang, that produces 314bhp. Unlike the muscle car, Ford’s Hot Hatch will have two turbo chargers, a bigger intercooler and a bigger compressor to increase airflow — meaning more power.

This time round, the Focus RS will be four-wheel-drive — the first Fast Ford since the Escort RS Cosworth. It's to ensure the Focus RS will handle the power. When the car accelerates, so Ford will ensure it gathers the momentum and keeps it going.

Of course, the Focus RS won’t be just about how fast it will be in a straight line, but also going fast round corners when the roads get twisty. So the four-wheel-drive setup the Focus gets will also be key to sticking to the tarmac when hurling round the bends.

Subtle, it is not. Ford know a thing or two on how to tart up a car. Aggressive body kits, side skirts, big spoilers, big wheels, big air scoops, flared wheel arches. It all looks and means business and the Focus RS certainly has a purposeful stance. Completing the transformation from the humdrum Focus.

Competition for Hardcore Hot Hatches and performance cars has never been more fierce. There's the Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, Audi RS3, and the up and coming Honda Civic Type-R. Then you have the Mitsubishi Evo, and Subaru Impreza WRX STi, thrown into the mix as well. 

While Ford have been in the game for many years of making attainable high performance cars, that are more than capable of showing up and shaming supercars. There are some serious performance cars that the Focus RS will compete against. It's going to be interesting.

I shall confess that I am a Ford fan, so it won’t come to a surprise that I like Fast Fords. The latest Focus RS is one that will whet my appetite. I want one.