Since its reveal a week ago, We’ve been unhealthily preoccupied with the new Ford Focus RS. With this generation of the hot hatch being sold globally, it’s a different beast than the ones that came before it, so we’re eager to scrupulously go over every detail. Fortunately, we’re not alone, and the guys at Evo were lucky enough to get a walk-around tour of the vehicle, giving us all insight on what to expect.
Yeah, a video of the car in action would be ideal, but we get lots of information in lieu of exciting footage as presenter Henry Catchpole asks many of the same questions we’ve been wondering ourselves. Led around the car by Exterior Design supervisor Ernesto Rupar, we get to find out the thought process that went behind some of the decisions in the car’s body shape.
For instance, while inspired by the RS’s that have come before, the team decided against going for a wider stance, focusing rather to put the resources into engineering the performance of a wide-body car without having to stretch out the looks. While the track of the rear wheels does get a 5 millimeter extension, but its kept relatively tight for the sake of global appeal.
Distinguishing the look of the car from the ST was important, but more critical was that every exterior choice had a function that preceded form. For instance, when it came to the front facia, the aggressive face is derivative of the Fiesta rally car currently racing in WRC, incorporating a fine mesh to protect the large intercooler.
The final treat of the video is when the car is started up to be moved from the studio, which is something the handlers allegedly weren’t supposed to do. Yes, we’ve heard the car in the Ken Block video that accompanied the car’s reveal, but this was a more realistic, non-Ford produced moment where we get a little hint at what the production version has in store for us.
We’ve still got a way to go until we get our hands on the third-gen Focus RS, but when we do, we’ll be excited to try all this controlled drifting Ford is so happy to mention repeatedly.