Ford Focus RS

It wears one of the most famous badges in the performance car world, and the Focus lives up to its RS billing with outrageous styling. It ticks all of the fast Ford boxes, and even stands out from the other wacky racers in our line-up.

Its deep sills, huge rear wing, bulging wheelarches and bonnet vents ensure the RS attracts plenty of attention on the road. This was never going to be a car for shy and retiring types – and so it proves. We know from testing the Ford on its European launch that it lives up to its looks as a devastatingly fast performance car, but how will it fare on British tarmac?

It’s clear within only a few miles on typical A and B roads that calling the RS a hot hatch does it an injustice. There are cars that cost three times
as much as this Focus that would struggle to match its point-to-point pace.

Even though the maximum torque from the engine isn’t delivered in first gear (to help preserve the transmission), the immediate response of the five-cylinder powerplant is key to the RS’s appeal. Acceleration is incredible, and every lift of the throttle is accompanied by a twitter from the turbocharger and a pop from the exhausts.

When it comes to drama, the Focus doesn’t disappoint, but the real acid test is how it copes with bumpy UK roads. With 301bhp going through its front wheels, the UK’s crowned and uneven surfaces are unlikely to be its friend. Under hard acceleration, you can feel the front wheels trying to follow the camber of the tarmac as the steering wheel tugs from side to side in your hands. But if you’re sensible with the throttle this is well controlled, and in the dry there’s plenty of grip from the sticky front tyres.

Body control is superb, and there’s tremendous front end bite in corners. However, despite its impressively sharp turn-in, the steering weights up as you apply the power and you’re always aware of the RS’s hefty 1,467kg kerbweight. This doesn’t compromise its punchy in-gear performance, and from a standing start the fast and agile Ford sprinted from 0-60mph in only 6.2 seconds. It does contribute to poor fuel consumption, though, as the RS returned 21.0mpg.

On the test track, the tyres and brakes also have to work very hard, which means the Focus won’t be a cheap car to run if you drive it enthusiastically. Fast Ford fans will love it, though, and there’s no doubt the latest model to wear the famous RS badge lives up to the legend of its predecessors.

Its in-your-face styling won’t be universally popular, but at £24,995, the Focus RS is something of a performance car bargain.

In detail:

* Price: £24,995

* Engine: 2.5-litre 5cyl turbo

* Power: 301bhp

* Torque: 440Nm

* 0-60mph: 6.2 seconds

* Economy: 21.0mpg