Ford Focus RS review – performance and 0-60 time
The Focus RS impresses with strong performance and great handling
As all fast Fords have done, the third generation Focus RS punches above its weight, it delivers remarkable amounts of acceleration and speed for a relatively small amount of money.
The Focus RS produces 345bhp and 347lb ft of torque, that's enough to propel it to a maximum claimed speed of 165mph and we recorded a 0-60mph time of 4.7sec. Even though you can only get the Focus RS with a conventional manual, it still has a launch control system to help you get the quickest possible start off the line. It does however require you to abandon all mechanical sympathy and side-step the clutch then hammer each gear in. The Focus RS copes amazingly well with this sort of abuse, though.
Our testing extended a bit further than just a 0-60 time. We recorded a quarter mile time of 13.5sec at a speed of 104.2mph. We also performed an in-gear acceleration test, and found the Focus RS takes five seconds dead to accelerate from 30mph to 70mph in third gear. To put that in context, that’s the same as 5-litre V8 Mustang.
As remarkable as most of the numbers are, there’s one that seems slightly unimpressive; the weight. The RS tips the scales at hefty 1524kg (although it was a little bit more at 1567kg, when we weighed it), that’s 162kg more than a Focus ST. A lot of that extra weight is likely the 4WD drivetrain, but without that, the RS wouldn't be as quick.
