Used Ford Focus RS (Mk1, 2002-2003) review – redemption for Ford's ultimate modern classic?

Ah, the mk1 Ford Focus RS. It’s fair to say we’ve had something of a rollercoaster relationship with Ford’s early-noughties superhatch over the years – and on more than one occasion it’s been a genuine white-knuckle ride, the RS charming its way into, then torquesteering its way out of our affections numerous times over the years. Nonetheless it’s become a darling of fast Ford fans, even lacking AWD as it does.

In fairness what was a comprehensive if occasionally compromised package was clothed in the most wonderfully judged battledress. Compared with previous RSs, the Focus was a model of restraint, with just enough muscle and menace in the deep mesh grille, squared jaw-line and flared arches, beautifully filled by those chunky OZs, to hint at its potential. 

Inside wasn’t quite so restrained. The basic Focus was already a riot of curves and slashes; the RS added flourishes of blue leather to match the Imperial Blue paintwork and flashes of polished metal – the spherical gearknob, the machined handbrake handle and aluminium pedals, all custom-made by Sparco, who also supplied the wing-backed seats.

Among the blue-faced dials and in place of the coolant temperature gauge was a boost gauge reading to 1.5 bar. A nice touch, though having both might have been preferable. Oh, and down by the handbrake the starter button was green, which seemed odd even in 2002…

History

32

The Focus was never a homologation special the way, say, the Sierra RSs had been. Nor was it the starting point for the WRC car the way the Escort Cossie or indeed the Focus’s Impreza and Evo rivals were. It might have lacked that stardust, but there was no doubting the seriousness with which Ford approached the RS Focus after appetites were whetted by the Focus Cosworth concept, revealed in March 1999.

The team of 60 dedicated engineers, under the direction of industry legend Jost Capito, were a combination of Ford personnel and a detachment from Tickford Engineering in Milton Keynes. It was Aston Martin offshoot Tickford, you might recall, that built the Ford Racing Puma (as well as working on the Sierra Cosworth RS500). At one stage the Focus was set to get the Racing appellation too, but slow sales of the Puma persuaded Ford boss Martin Leach to revive the venerated RS badge instead. It would have been Leach, too, who decided that the car would be built on its own dedicated line at Ford’s Saarlouis plant.

> Ford GT (2004 - 2006): review, history and specs of an icon

Deliveries didn’t begin until October 2002, three and a half years after the concept’s unveiling. We chided Ford for taking so long – mostly out of frustration because the potential was so obvious. I mean, how good was the source material. Even as a family hatchback, the Mk1 Focus was better than it had any right to be, but then it needed to be something special to exorcise memories of lacklustre latterday Escorts (the RS Cossie being the most honourable exception). As a humble 1.6 petrol or TDCi, the Focus handled and steered beautifully. So the basics were already good, but the RS upgraded or replaced a whopping 70 per cent of the standard car.

Engine, gearbox and technical highlights

32

• 50-percent stiffer chassis, 25mm lower on Sachs dampers
• Quaife limited-slip differential
• 212bhp and 219lb ft from a 2-litre turbo Duratec

Ford was typically astute in exploiting links with the Focus WRC programme, enlisting the help of key suppliers Brembo, Quaife, Sachs, AP Racing and Garrett. The latter’s contribution was the first petrol engine turbo to use stainless steel for the turbine housing, better to withstand high internal loads. The installation also featured a boost recirculation valve to maintain optimum pressure between gearchanges – the effect being similar to an anti-lag system, but without the firecracker sound effects – plus a water-cooled charge air cooler. 

The 2-litre Duratec ‘four’ to which the blower was attached was itself extensively uprated, with forged aluminium pistons and con rods, hardened valve seats and sodium-filled exhaust valves, and it produced a (for the day) very respectable 212bhp at 5500rpm, with 229lb ft of torque at 3500. Stats that made it the most powerful front-drive hatch on sale in 2002 (though only by a whisker from SEAT’s Leon Cupra R). Driving through Ford’s five-speed MTX–75 gearbox and an uprated AP clutch, it dispatched the 0-60mph benchmark in 5.9sec (our own independently recorded figure) and topped out at 144mph.

The chassis was equally bespoke: 50 per cent stiffer on its Sachs Racing dampers, it sat 25mm lower with a 65mm wider track to mimic that of a tarmac-spec Focus WRC, with 1.5 degrees of negative camber tucking the front wheels into the arches for an extra shot of attitude. Those starfish-pattern five-spoke OZ Racing alloys were wrapped in 225/40 ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sports, and the front wheels framed huge Brembo brakes – 324mm discs, no less, with four-piston calipers.

Most notable on the list of new hardware, though, was the Quaife limited-slip differential whose job it was to improve traction when the front wheels were struggling to deploy all 212bhp and 229lb ft (though torque was limited in first and second to give it a fighting chance).

Performance, ride and handling

32

• Fighty ride shows brilliance on occasion
• Front end with a penchant for torque steer
• It might be flawed but it's also very exciting

Dickie Meaden was first to drive it back in 2002, on the handling circuit at Ford’s Lommel proving ground in Belgium (issue 048). His conclusion: that the RS’s ‘ground-breaking fusion of front-drive hot hatch ability and packaging with the punch, presence and performance of an all-wheel-drive rally-bred saloon makes it everything we were expecting and more’. Five stars and cigars all round? Not quite…

In the same issue we took another example to the Yorkshire Dales with a Clio Cup, Cooper S and Impreza WRX for company, and the Ford struggled with the occasionally lumpen topography, the stiff ride proving bruising, the torque steer distracting. It was much better, though, on smooth tarmac. ‘When it works, the Focus RS does so truly brilliantly,’ wrote John Barker, and we gave it a slightly hedging-our-bets four stars.

Then at the 2002 evo Car of the Year another Ford-supplied car proved a torque-steering liability. ‘On an open, bumpy road, every time you get on the gas it feels like you’ve lit a firework,’ we said. ‘When will the bang arrive? And which way is it going to go?’ 

32

The Focus, it transpired in the months and years that followed, was particularly sensitive to set-up and sub-par tyres. There were also rumours that Quaife made unpublicised mods to the diff to endow the car with even more grip on a racetrack. After subsequently driving a couple of well-behaved cars supplied by owners, we bumped the star rating up to four and a half, but a few months later an extensive test of another privately owned car seemed to confirm all our worst early impressions and the RS was demoted to the ignominy of three stars, where it stayed for years.

However, the next time the RS appeared in evo (issue 188, November 2013) it was under the cover line ‘Future Icons’. The RS had clear icon potential, we reasoned. The looks, the Rallye Sport heritage, the performance, the hardware, the associations with McRae’s Focus WRC, the RS badging… How could it not? ‘As the years pass, this prodigal hot hatch is rapidly finding redemption,’ we wrote. Four stars restored. 

Time for a fresh – and hopefully unambiguous – evaluation. The distance and perspective of 20 years should allow us to determine once and for all whether the Focus RS is a solid, nailed-on, gold-plated, ermine-trimmed evo icon. Ford’s own example, from its wonderfully extensive Heritage collection, is as good as they get – production car 0001, no less. Meticulously serviced, pampered and preened, and fettled till its belts squeak.

32

As I slip behind the wheel of 0001. The winged Sparco seems to be set at least a couple of inches too high. Eventually I locate a hand-wheel under the leading edge of the seat and spinning it anti-clockwise lowers the seat base by an inch or so. Better, but still a touch too high. And it’s worse for your passenger, because their seat has no height adjustment, so when all six-feet-and-a-bit of photographer Dean Smith jumps in later, his bonce is brushing the headlining.

Green for go, and the Duratec fires thrummily, busily. Dip the meaty clutch, ease the slightly knuckly gearshift into first, a tickle of revs and away. The first few miles as we leave Ford’s Daventry base and head into the countryside provide plenty of positive impressions. All-round visibility is outstanding; control weightings well-matched; the ride muscular but not crashy; the bodyshell drum-tight, and the whole car feels shot through with quality and engineering integrity. The RS is quite happy to bimble along, easing into its work, as am I.

At the first opportunity to really open the taps, on the exit of a roundabout, the Focus feels bursting with energy, belying the modest-sounding power and torque outputs. But then it only has 1278 kilos to propel – read that and weep, owners of all those 1500kg-plus Golf Rs. We’re not fully ‘on it’ just yet, but on reasonably smooth tarmac there’s no hint of rampant torque-steer, just the gentlest tugging at the rim of the wheel; throw in a ridge or pothole and things get a little livelier but never out of hand. It just makes the drive that bit more involving. 

The fun is enhanced by a thin metallic whistling/grating sound that appears to be emanating from the passenger glovebox. Open the throttle wider, keep it there, and as the revs rise past 3500rpm, the whistling is subsumed by the fulsome bark of the Duratec twin-cam and the power really starts to swell. Come sharply off the throttle for up-changes and there’s a totally delightful pishhh-ahh! from the turbo. This thing feels and sounds alive! And with only 14,500 miles under its OZs, just nicely run-in. 

32

The gearchange isn’t the slickest but it’s still satisfying to palm that small metal sphere around the gate, while the ratios themselves are nicely spaced – rarely if ever does the engine feel off the boil. And when you need to wipe off 20 or 30mph in a hurry, those big front Brembos combine ample stopping power with a nice, firm pedal feel and no hint of snatchiness.

I’m loving these early miles, and when we pause for the static photography after 30 minutes or so, I’m fairly buzzing. Before I forget, I check what tyres this example’s wearing – fresh-looking Pilot Sport 3s all round, and very good they are too. Don’t underestimate the part they play here. 

Back into the fray and we head deeper into the pretty Warwickshire countryside south of Gaydon. Whipping up and down this road, carrying as much speed as I feel comfortable with, the RS just gets better and better. Turn-in is keen, but it’s what happens when you get hard on the power that’s really special. 

As the diff goes to work, the car appears to take a set and leech itself to the road surface, finding a whole new level of mechanical grip. Meanwhile through a sequence of corners it dances through direction changes with real fluidity and poise. So throttle-reactive, too, and if the steering’s not overflowing with feedback, you can still feel what’s going on through the seat of your trousers.

32

Gun the engine on the short straights between some of these turns and as maximum boost arrives around 3500rpm it pulls with increasing vigour – until an orange shift-light illuminates in the rev-counter to remind you to change up before the 6500 red line. Now pivot the car in on the brakes, back on the power and let the Focus work its magic all over again. 

It’s completely absorbing, and the Mk1’s modest dimensions and mass allow you to play with the throttle and your trajectory without the feeling that things could get quickly out of hand. Yes, if you floor it over some really rough tarmac, it can get a little busy, but most of the time it’s just a blast. And just enough performance that you can enjoy exploring every bit of it without risking your licence. 

Brimful of character, interaction and ability, the Mk1 Focus RS is fully deserving of icon status. It is flawed, mind, hence not quite five stars. If there were a way of retaining the front seats but placing them a good inch lower, that would be a big improvement. The interior generally hasn’t aged as well as the outside, but it all functions well enough and I’d take old-fashioned dials and switches over touchscreens any day. 

The ride, though generally well-damped and not as fidgety as many more recent hatches on their ultra-low-profile rubber, can get a little Tiggerish at times. And I’m sure if you set out to provoke it, you could induce the torque steer of yore. Particularly if it’s not as well set up as this one. But as an ownership proposition it’s extremely attractive, especially bearing in mind the way prices are currently going for anything wearing an RS badge.

Ford Focus RS (Mk1) values and buying guide

32

There are certainly more powerful, more competent hot hatches out there, but the Mk1 RS has a unique flair and charisma that makes every drive special. It can also lay claim to being one of the very first superhatches. The trouble is, its relative rarity (2147 examples came to the UK) and the provenance of the RS badge have catapulted it to modern classic status, with prices to match.

A potential issue is rust. Even well-kept RSs can hide rotten secrets behind those plastic sill cover extensions, so have a look underneath for signs of structural corrosion or poor repairs. The floor pans and jacking points should be solid unless you fancy your chances with a welding gun, and replacements aren’t available for the bulging RS-specific front and rear wings. 

A useable RS with reasonable mileage will set you back upwards of £20,000, but be warned, it’s a car that varies dramatically depending on maintenance and set-up. It’s worth accounting for decent tyres, fresh suspension components and geometry correction in your budget, or else you might not uncover the car’s full potential. At worst, you’ll wonder why you’ve spent FK8 Civic Type R money on a raggedy old Focus.

Find a tidy example, though, and the Mk1 Focus RS should be no less demanding to own than other hot hatches of the time, while also being immune to depreciation.

Specs