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The Ford Focus MK2 RS occupies a sweet spot in Ford’s high-performance history. As a muscular hatchback that pioneered innovations we now take for granted, it set new standards when launched in 2009. More than a decade later, this iconic Ford Focus still delivers an intense thrill ride.
A Pedigree Ford Focus for the Road and Track
When the Ford Focus MK2 RS roared onto the scene in 2009. It represented an exciting new chapter for the Ford Focus nameplate. Developed by Ford TeamRS, the division responsible for Ford’s rally championship winners. This special Ford Focus demonstrated racing credibility from the outset. Significant upgrades transformed the MK2 Ford Focus into a tightly honed. Front-wheel-drive hot hatch designed to devour winding back roads and racetracks alike. Visually, the Ford Focus MK2 RS stood out via an aggressive body kit, 19-inch alloy wheels, and a lowered sports suspension. Peer under the sheet metal, and the differences prove even more dramatic.
Power and precision from a Volcanic Ford Focus engine
The crowning glory of the Ford Focus MK2 RS experience is its powertrain. Pop the hood, and mounted behind the front strut tower sits a specially developed 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine. Constructed from a durable iron block and aluminum head, this high-revving Ford Focus powerplant utilizes direct injection and variable cam timing to maximize power delivery. On the road, the engine’s character changes dramatically based on driving style and throttle inputs. Cruising around town, the Ford Focus remains refined and quiet.
But squeeze the throttle, let the turbochargers spool up, and this Volcano engine erupts with a guttural snarl, hurtling the Ford Focus forward on a relentless wave of power. With a peak output of 305 horsepower and 325 lb-ft torque. The MK2 RS remained the hottest Ford Focus model until the all-wheel-drive Focus RS arrived in 2016. But while subsequent RS Fords produce even more brutal acceleration. The front- Wheel-drive MK2 delivers its power in a surgical manner. Scalpel-like precision guiding you toward the apex rather than sledgehammer torque shock. This precision derives from carefully optimized underpinnings …
Balanced Handling Elevates the Ford Focus RS Experience
While the snarling 5-cylinder grabs headlines, dedicated chassis engineering enables the full spectrum of Mk2 Ford Focus RS talents to shine through. At the front, specially developed dampers work in concert with uprated springs and anti-roll bars to precisely guide the front wheels over broken pavement and through demanding corners. To counteract the engine’s prodigious torque, the rear twist-beam suspension features stiffer bushes plus another anti-roll bar keeping backwheel breakaway at bay.
Bespoke tuning for the electronic power steering improves feedback and accuracy. It all combines to elevate the Ford Focus into an instrument for exploiting challenging back roads. Turn-in proves razor sharp, increased steering feedback telegraphing exactly what’s happening down below. High cornering loads result in tenacious grip rather than sloppy understeer. Quick steering allows minor adjustments to your line as scenic routes open up ahead.
Plus a Limited Slip Differential for Improved Grip
To help transfer the Ford Focus RS’s substantial power to the road surface, Ford fitted a clever Limited Slip Differential on the MK2. This LSD proactively shifts torque side-to-side, helping mitigate loss of traction. As a front-wheel-drive hot hatch, maintaining grip represented a potential Achilles heel for the Ford Focus platform. But clever engineering meant torque steer rarely appeared apparent while accelerating hard in a straight line.
Through sweeping corners, the LSD enhanced chassis poise and driver confidence levels, especially in slippery conditions. It all added up to a Ford Focus package that could carve through twisty sections at speed. Change direction with precision. and punch from apex-to-apex rapidly. For keen drivers, the MK2 RS promised a heightened state of exhilaration and commitment that modern electronic driving aids struggled to replicate.
An Interior Prioritizing Driving Focus (and the Ford Focus Name)
Given its performance pedigree, Ford sensibly eschewed cabin luxuries to save weight. Instead, the no-nonsense interior focuses directly on amplifying driver engagement with the Ford Focus RS experience. Deeply bolstered Recaro sport seats keep you locked tightly in place as lateral forces build. A thick-rimmed leather steering wheel with perforated grip zones enhances wheel control when pushing hard. Alternating white and black faces for the tachometer and speedometer improve focus on key driving metrics. Blue stitching and RS logos feature prominently across the cabin as reminders you occupy no ordinary Ford Focus. Switchgear displays a precise and weighty action at odds with the entry-level Ford Focus models sold alongside it.
Novel Gadgets Enhance the Ford Focus RS’s Allure
Cracking open the options list when ordering your Focus RS provides access to several funky features further differentiating this fast Ford from fewer variants. Most eye-catching is the Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing differential available on later Ford Focus RS press cars and customer vehicles. Working automatically without driver inputs, this high-tech Quaife diff shifts torque diagonally across the Ford Focus’s front axle to maximize traction. Essentially it operates like a limited-slip differential but without any of the mechanical drawbacks associated with traditional LSD units.
For track day aficionados, carbon-ceramic brake discs promised fade-free stopping power when pushing hard lap after lap. Though expensive, these durable brakes saved significant unsprung weight while shrugging off immense heat buildup – perfect for Ford Focus RS owners who took regular track sessions seriously. Meanwhile, Recaro’s optional Shell RS model seats went beyond the standard pews to provide hardcore bolstering and cushioning for weekend racing and high-performance driving schools.
How a Decade Later, the Ford Focus RS Remains a Benchmark
More than 13 years have passed since the Ford Focus MK 2 RS arrived, but even today. Ford’s spicy hot hatch retains a sharpness absent from some newer performance models relying on driving aids and artificial sound enhancement. Its purity of experience and intoxicating engine performance mean seeking out a well-maintained Ford Focus RS promises seriously old-school kicks for discerning driving enthusiasts. While a 2024 Ford Focus RS likely outpaces its legendary predecessor on paper. Odds are it will struggle matching the visceral sensations and analog commitment hardwired into the MK2’s DNA.
And as emissions rules and electrification shape Ford’s future model plans. We may never see another RS model as single-mindedly focused on the joys of performance driving as this landmark Ford Focus. So for dyed-in-the-wool driving enthusiasts who place subjective driving commitment above objective performance metrics. The Focus MK2 RS remains the pinnacle Ford hot hatch – blisteringly quick yet sublimely balanced. Feeling more alive than any modern fast Ford. Over a decade later, it is still the ultimate expression of what RS truly signifies.
