Skip to main content

Hennessey Performance works its magic on the Ford Focus RS

Rumors and whispers indicate that Ford is preparing a faster, more dynamic version of the vaunted Focus RS. American tuner Hennessey Performance is catering to enthusiasts who don’t want to wait any longer by introducing a hot-rodded version of the Blue Oval’s latest hot hatch.

The model is called Hennessey HPE400. And as its name loosely implies, it boasts 405 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, generous increases of 55 horses and 75 pound-feet of twist over the stock model. Hennessey achieved the bump by upgrading the engine management software, fitting a high-flow air filter, and installing a new stainless steel exhaust with an electronic dump valve. Performance specifications haven’t been announced yet; for what it’s worth, an unmodified RS hits 60 mph from a stop in about 4.5 seconds.

Recommended Videos

Read more: Dodge should worry about Ford’s next-gen Mustang GT500

Please enable Javascript to view this content

There are no mechanical modifications to report, meaning the RS continues to use a turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. A six-speed manual transmission spins all four wheels via a sport-tuned all-wheel drive system capable of sending up to 70 lb-ft. of the engine’s torque to the rear axle.

Hennessey Performance will soon sell the parts needed to turn the Ford Focus RS into a HPE400 as a complete kit that will retail for $2,995. Alternatively, buyers who aren’t mechanically inclined can ask the tuner to install all the parts and run the car on a dyno for $4,995.

What’s next?

The Ford Focus RS has plenty of potential, and it sounds like Hennessey won’t stop at 405 horsepower. The company has hinted that it’s working on additional tweaks to upgrade the intercooler, the turbocharger, as well as the wheels and tires. We don’t know how much more power the RS’ four-banger can handle, but odds are brake and suspension upgrades will be part of the package, too, in order to keep the additional grunt in check.

Ronan Glon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Honda unveils sleek electric sedan and SUV prototypes at CES 2025
Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV prototypes.

Honda’s next-generation electric vehicles are a step closer to production. At CES 2025, the automaker unveiled prototypes of the 0 Saloon and 0 SUV, the first two of its 0 Series EVs that will start rolling off assembly lines in Ohio next year.

The two EVs follow 0 Series concept cars Honda unveiled at CES 2024. These are closer to what buyers can expect to see in showrooms, hence the label of “prototype” rather than “concept.” How close exactly? When Honda unveils a prototype, that vehicle generally makes the transition to production with minimal changes. But that would be particularly remarkable here.
They still look like concept cars

Read more
Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2025 Awards
Top Tech of CES

Las Vegas is overrun. Every billboard in town is shouting about AI, hotel bar tops now sport a sea of laptops, and after hours The Strip is elbow to elbow with engineers toting yard-long beers.

That means CES, the year’s biggest tech bacchanalia, has come to town, and Digital Trends editors have spent the last four days frolicking among next year’s crop of incredible TVs, computers, tablets, and EVs. We’re in heaven.

Read more
Sony and Honda’s Afeela 1 EV makes more sense at CES than in the real world
Afeela 1 front quarter view.

The Sony car is almost here. After its creation via a joint venture with Honda in 2022 and two years’ worth of prototypes, the electronics giant’s Afeela brand is finally taking reservations for its first electric vehicle, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.

But will it be worth the wait? Coinciding with the opening of reservations, Sony Honda Mobility brought updated prototypes of the Afeela 1 (as it’s now officially known) to CES 2025, representing what California customers (Afeela is only taking reservations in that state) who put down a $200 refundable deposit can expect when they take delivery.

Read more