2018 Ford Focus RS: Limited Edition Revealed

2018 Ford Focus RS: Limited Edition Revealed

Ford Performance fans talking to each other and posting comments online about the Ford Focus RS hot hatch performance car have led to a special 1,500 unit limited-edition celebrating the end of run of this generation hot hatch.

Passion from the enthusiast community led Ford to introduce an exclusive new version of its critically acclaimed Focus RS for North America. Ford was listening.The new 2018 Focus RS limited-edition hot hatch adds a few commonly requested features that unique interior and exterior styling, and a new mechanical limited-slip differential.

Available in new Race Red or signature Nitrous Blue body color – both featuring striking new gloss black roof and mirror caps. The rear roof spoiler also features gloss black finish, with blue RS logos on the side wings. Now standard are 19-inch premium painted forged alloy wheels with blue RS center caps.

From the cockpit, the door handles, handbrake lever and turbo boost gauge surround are wrapped in carbon fiber skin, while equipment from the RS2 Package is standard, offering black leather-trimmed RECARO® seats with Miko-Dinamica eco-friendly suede microfiber inserts and RS logo, heated front seats with eight-way power driver’s seat, heated steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors and voice-activated navigation system.

To really excite driving enthusiasts, the global Ford Performance team developed a standard mechanical Quaife® limited-slip differential for the front axle that further improves Focus RS performance. This limited-edition Focus RS will more easily carry speed through a corner on the track, and allow for maximum acceleration on the way out.

“To satisfy strong demand for the ever-popular Focus RS, I’m very excited that we’re bringing this limited-edition vehicle to North America,” said Henry Ford, Ford Performance marketing manager. “We have spent a great deal of time listening to our customers, speaking to owners’ club members, reading comments and suggestions on enthusiast websites, and even studying various forum Photoshop renderings.”

A tight grip on performance

By controlling the torque delivered to each front wheel, the Quaife limited-slip differential enables 2018 Focus RS drivers to fully tap the 2.3-liter EcoBoost® engine’s 350 horsepower. The limited-slip differential limits engine torque delivered to a particular front wheel that has reduced traction on the road surface, redistributing torque to the wheel with more traction to reduce differences in wheel spin that can hamper acceleration and stability.

“Our new limited-edition Focus RS represents accessible performance at its finest,” said Jamal Hameedi, Ford Performance chief engineer. “Improving on the thrilling driving dynamics of the Focus RS is no small task – but our Ford Performance engineers have delivered a drivetrain capable of wringing every drop of performance from the engine.”

The new system seamlessly integrates with standard Focus RS driving technologies, including:

  • Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive, which varies front-to-rear torque distribution to suit a given driving situation – monitoring inputs from vehicle sensors 100 times per second and sending an average of 70 percent of drive torque to the rear axle
  • Dynamic Torque Vectoring, which uses electronically controlled clutch packs on the rear axle to send 100 percent of an average 70 percent available torque to either rear wheel, and can switch drive from one side to the other in as little as 0.06 second – or about the time it takes a humming bird to flap its wings 4 times.
  • Torque Vectoring Control, which automatically applies small amounts of brake force to limit wheel spin at the front axle, further enhancing the tractive force available
  • Focus RS Drive Modes, which include Ford-first drift mode for controlled oversteer drifts under circuit conditions, and launch control for ultimate performance off the start line and 4.7-second 0‑62 mph acceleration

Coming to a track near you

Only one thousand limited-edition 2018 Focus RS performance cars will be available in the United States and 500 in Canada, with deliveries beginning in late 2017, marking the last opportunity to order the current generation Focus RS in North America.

The limited-edition Focus RS joins Ford’s iconic Ford Performance vehicle range in North America, alongside the recently launched Ford GT supercar, F-150 Raptor, and much-loved Shelby GT350 Mustang, Focus ST and Fiesta ST.

 

courtesy: media.ford.com

Ford Focus RS

Ford-Focus_RS

Ford-Focus_RS

The Ford Focus RS engine shares its fundamental structure with that of Focus ST, but there the similarities end. Powertrain manager Len Urwin knew from the beginning that simply adjusting the engine management system for more power would be insufficient for a true RS.

He explains: “There was never an intention to try to ‘chip’ the ST engine. We evaluated several approaches using the ST engine and none gave us the combination of power delivery, character and durability that we wanted, so we opted to create an RS Duratec, using the ST unit as our base.”

The objective was increasing power and torque without affecting durability. To meet that, multiple detail changes were made to the powertrain including a revised cylinder head gasket, ultra-durable metal sprayed cylinder bores, revised pistons and a bespoke camshaft profile and connecting rods, allowing bigger small end bearings.

However, the most obvious changes are the new intake system, exhaust manifold and turbocharger. The larger Borg Warner K16 turbo fitted to Ford Focus RS offers a maximum steady state boost pressure of 1.4 bar – double that of Focus ST’s 0.7 bar – to generate the car’s 35 per cent power increase.

Committed to maintaining responsiveness of the engine, Urwin’s team focused on three areas:

  • Integrating the turbo with the exhaust manifold, to allow subtle manifold tuning and strategically locating the turbo in the engine bay, to optimise crash performance and minimise revision to the exhaust system and associated oil and water pipes;
  • Carefully sizing the required larger turbo, to closely match the ‘bottom end’ engine responsiveness of Focus ST;
  • Reducing the induction system and exhaust losses.
  • Ford Focus RS needed its own, more aggressive performance character so engineers also modified the torque ‘ramp-up’, to enhance performance feel when on boost.

“While we wanted to be equal on low-end responsiveness and minimise the common off-boost inertia of larger turbos, we didn’t want RS to have the same character as ST,” explains Urwin. “We wanted a stronger feel of increasing boost; we wanted you to really feel the surge of the turbo.”

With the turbo spinning, power arrives quickly. The 305PS peak is reached at 6,500 rpm and holds until the 7,050 rpm redline, to allow full use of the top of the power band. After three seconds at this redline, the engine management system recognises no gear shift and then limits revs to the car’s maximum continuous running rpm of 6,500.

“Turbo engines with flat torque curves can often feel like they run out of steam at the top-end, but we wanted to reward drivers who took Ford Focus RS to the red line,” states Urwin. “We’re really proud of the result – strong mid-range transient response and a free revving top-end.”