Ford Focus RS 'Red' Edition – farwell to this fast Ford, but is £40,000 too much for a blue-collar hero?
Hard to believe we are now waving farewell to the current generation of Ford Focus RS, but wave farewell we must. For despite the RS itself only being on sale for a little over two years, the third-generation of Focus on which it is based has now been kicking around since 2011, and so its replacement is imminent.
Ford tends to go out on a bang with cars like this, so it is no surprise to find it offering not one but two special editions of the RS to mark the end of production. Rarest will be the Heritage Edition, a limited run of 50 deep (“Tief”) orange cars each costing £39,895, the “heritage” angle being a somewhat tenuous connection with it being 50 years since the Escort nameplate first appeared.
The other car, tested here, is the Red Edition, which is less tenuous because it is indeed red ('Race red', to be specific). Production in this instance is limited to 300 units each costing £36,295.
There are differences between editions Heritage and Red aside from their colour and quantity, but they are minimal. The Heritage has a sunroof whereas the Race doesn’t, for example. On paper the Heritage is also more powerful on account of being equipped with a Ford-approved Mountune power upgrade, which lifts power by 20bhp to give a total of 370bhp, and torque by 30lb ft to 376lb ft. However, as you can add the same kit to the Red Edition (or indeed any Focus RS) for £899, it’s less important than it first appears.
Both also benefit from a mechanical limited-slip differential on the front axle in addition to the RS’s all-wheel-drive system with its various driving modes, plus part-leather Recaro seats, black body detailing (including the roof), 19-inch alloy wheels, grey brake calipers, some questionable carbon-fibre interior trim and power folding mirrors.
Given that a standard Focus RS retailed for £32,795 you might think the price of these special editions a little optimistic. However, it is worth remembering that limited edition fast Fords can make great investments, with the runout models of the previous Focus RS, the RS500, now being offered up for well over the original £35,750 asking price. Whether or not these newer cars will find themselves in the same boat only time will tell, but it does at least make the prospect of spending almost £40,000 on a Ford Focus somewhat easier to stomach.
As indeed is the appeal of this car when you see it in the metal. For a fast Ford (and a seriously fast one at that, with a 0-62mph time of just 4.5 seconds) the RS Red is relatively subtle, but that's not to say you won't get noticed. The enormous rear wing, deep bumpers and twin exhausts will see to that, even if the overall effect is not quite as extreme as the Honda Civic Type R.
Climb inside and there are more clues you’ve bought something special, not least those Recaro seats which clamp you in place firmly enough to give off a rally car vibe, while still being comfortable enough for longer stints behind the wheel. The driving position is too high but not disastrous, and the controls all fall within easy reach because, well, this is a Ford Focus after all.
The engine starts noisily but not antisocially so, and from there on you’re in dream drive territory. The first thing you notice is how perfect the clutch is. Precise, meaty and strong, there is more feel through this one pedal alone than some cars muster in the whole driving experience. So it continues as you interact with the rest of the controls, from the short-throw gear lever to the positive heft of the steering and the responsive brakes. Within 100 metres you already know this Red Edition is made of the right stuff.
By 200 metres you might be starting to wonder if the ride isn’t too stiff, for even with the adaptive dampers in the softer of their two modes the RS hops and thumps its way down a road, but this all starts to make sense when you wind more speed into the car and feel just how taut and responsive it is.
Then there’s the engine. At 2.3 litres and with four cylinders it’s a smaller unit than in the second-generation RS, but it is so effective that you are unlikely to care. That’s particularly so if you’ve got the Mountune upgrade, which consists of a few bits of silicone hose and alloy duct, an air filter and some clips, all made to work in harmony by a remapped ECU. Remember too that as long as the kit is installed by an approved Ford agent it won’t affect the original three-year warranty.
Even without the kit the RS is not a car short on pace, but with the added layer of muscle, plus the obligatory whooshes, pops and bangs, the Focus is even more impressive, whether you’re flexing the mid-range or revving it all the way out.
Meanwhile the Red Edition’s appetite for corners puts it among the very fastest road cars around, that diff helping the front tyres to dig in even more than before, although again it’s not like the standard RS is exactly lacking when it comes to this kind of thing. Drift mode remains, as does the reality that you’re unlikely to use it away from the race track, but even in its less lairy settings the RS dazzles by combining enormous grip with real adjustability.
Bearing all this in mind it’s hard to conclude with anything other than the assurance that this car is an absolute riot to drive, whether it be in a straight line or around corners. True to form, the RS is going out in style.
FORD FOCUS RS 'RED EDITION' – THE FACTS
Ford Focus RS Red Edition (with Mountune FPM375 Kit)
TESTED 2,261cc four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, six-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel drive
PRICE/ON SALE From £36,295, as tested £38,254/now
POWER/TORQUE 370bhp @ 6,000rpm/376lb ft @ 3,200rpm
ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds
TOP SPEED 165mph
FUEL ECONOMY 36.7mpg (EU Combined). On test 25mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS 175g/km
VED £830 first year, then £140 per year
VERDICT Cars like this are not to everybody’s taste, but if you like hot hatches the RS represents one of the best of the modern breed – and this Red Edition serves as a very fast and suitably fitting send off.
TELEGRAPH RATING Five out of five stars
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