OUT OF
FOCUS
FOCUS
Being a child of the 60’s has meant that many of my formative
years crossed over the 70’s/80’s period, these (of course) are in
my opinion some of the most incredible of decades.
Words by Dave Mcleod
photography by dILLON photography
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time to
engage
the Focus
RS’s secret
weapon –
Drift MODE!
T
here were amazing
advancements in the world in
terms of technology, transport,
TV, music and fashion (ok
maybe not fashion) but suffice
to say it’s hard for me not to look back and
bask in what I would deem ‘the wonder
years’ (a phase already coined I know).
Amongst the things I tend to reflect on
are the cars, the mouth watering array of
outrageous designs that came from almost
every Marque; they appeared the bedroom
walls of all my friends and their jaw
dropping stats were recited and bettered
through the likes of top trumps (card
games) – everyone had a favorite.
What also emerged at the time (or maybe
it just became more apparent to me) was
the move from mass production cars to
produce limited sportier versions of their
top sellers. I’m sure you’ll be able to (as I
am) list most of the makes and models I’m
thinking about but Ford had it down pat.
Arguably the Escort has had more than
its fair share of icons and (aside from the
Mexico) the RS versions were the ones that
really stood out and were not beyond the
realms of owning. I loved the look of the
Mk II RS2000, with its twin headlights, RS
decal and mesh headrests on its RECARO
seats. These cars were desirable at the
time and are now collectable investments –
who knew!
Anyway move forward thirty (or so) years
and Ford has just released their new Focus
RS, o lordy!
Through a mixture of good timing and
good fortune, I managed to be one of the
first to review the new RS on NZ soil and
to make it more interesting, I got review
it on Hampton Downs soil (well tarmac) –
game on. Such was the occasion Ford NZ
delivered not one but two Focus RS’s (one
in Frozen White and the other in Nitrous
Blue) and they came escorted (pardon the
pun) with a bright orange Mustang – Plus
Ford NZ’s MD Simon Rutherford, their
Marketing Manager Cameron Thomas and
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Relations Manager Tom Clancy – either
they didn’t trust me or wanted to join in
the fun!
It was a cold and foggy day but to see the
Bi-Xenon headlamps on these three cars
cut through the whiteout was as piercing as
the sun breaking out. In Ford’s own words,
the RS badge is reserved for the best of the
best and the Focus RS wears it with pride.
It has a gaping mouth and huge front vents
to devour all the oxygen it can, and its face
is made more menacing by its cagy looking
headlights. The RS body kit envelops the
entire car and is distinctly different from
the rest of the herd, our ride for the day
even featured the Optimal Performance
Wheel pack with 19” forged design Alloys
(saving 600g per wheel). Every design
line adds to the performance and rear
spoiler completes the cars down force and
balance characteristics – I’ll get to more of
that soon.
Inside is a sea of sportiness. RECARO’s of
course and bright blue contrast stitching.
It has a raft old school gauges and dials
along the dash, the instrument panel is
clear and rugged and it has an 8” touch
screen with the likes of Sync II for those
that want things like navigation and music.
However the music I wanted to hear
comes from the 2.3L GTDi engine via the
dual RS sports exhaust. 257kW’s and a
massive 440Nm dare you to stamp on the
accelerator and bring them to life – and you
so want to! The Focus RS has a 6 speed
manual box that is an absolute delight to
use and it has an All wheel drive system
that offers outstanding grip and cornering
and will only really let loose when you want
it to (via the push of a button – again I’ll get
to that soon).
With the press photography out of the
way, it was time to unleash the hounds!
Hampton Downs had kindly given us
access to its full facilities including
being one of the first to drive on its full
International track, what a great way to put
the Focus RS though its paces.
Next to the gear stick is the Drive Mode
button, you can toggle through to select
the mood or mode you want, despite us
being at the track (and there being a track
mode) I opted for Sport and increased the
suspension via a setting on the indicator
stalk. Call me old fashioned but these are
the first RS’s in the country, I was going to
be one of the first to drive it and I was to be
one of the first to be on the full International
WHEELS
track - I really didn’t want to be the first to
crash, especially with the heavy hitters from
Ford being there.
Out of the pits and on to the track – with
the engine already warm I raced down
the extended straight and up through the
gearbox, the gear selection is tight and
quick, it really wants to race. Signage is
limited and I am still unsure of the track
layout but even so the Brembo 4 pot
ventilated brakes (on the front) happily
pulled me up in time for the sharp right
at what will be the 2nd corner. It is a tight
one and I believe will catch many out
(particularly as it is predicted that speeds
could get up to 280 here) thankfully there’s
plenty of runoff. The following varied
cambers did little to put the RS off its stride
and there was barely a tyre squeal as I
headed back to join the ‘old and familiar’
national track. A short burst of power
before another tight right hander then short
straight before the hairpin, the Focus RS
just lapped it up. A quick look at the speed
as I headed over the home straight saw
the needle around 170kph but there was
plenty left in the tank. We managed to get
a couple of laps in before the Bikes got the
track but plenty enough to see what this
hot hatch was capable of.
We then moved down to the Club track
for a little more cornering experience and
like I said before, even in Sports mode the
RS is not a car you’re going to get tired of
easily. But next up was essentially the icing
on an amazing gateau – free access to the
skidpan and the remote for the sprinklers
– time to engage the Focus RS’s (not so)
secret weapon – Drift MODE!
At the touch of a button the car’s four
wheel drive set up changes and 70% of
the torque is directed to the rear wheels
(delivered through the twin-clutch all-wheeldrive system). It is a drifter’s dream car
and unleashed on Hampton’s glassy and
tractionless skidpan it is probably the most
fun I’ve had in a long long time. At the turn
of the wheel and the stomp on the throttle
you are reenacting almost any scene from
the F&F franchise, all while feeling totally in
control. Your heart is pounding and your
smile is unmovable – it’s worth owning a
Focus RS just for that!
Alas, all good things must come to an end
and unfortunately we all had to go back
to our normal off-track lives (at least the
Fordies had the chance to drive the RS’s
back to Auckland).
With a sad face I began my long drive
home but I took the time to think about
what faults I could find with Ford’s new
super hatch, after about an hour I finally
nailed it, due to the limited production
numbers, the allocation for NZ has already
been used up for 2016 – so the fault is that
Ford are out of Focus (RS). Thankfully the
order books are open for 2017!
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