Pics Aplenty: Ford Focus RS gets its blue on
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Ford Focus RS
The most popular car color in Europe may be Black, but the new Focus RS isn't one for blending in a crowd. Until now we've only seen images of the car in a bright, almost Kermit-like green color, but now thanks to iMotorMag.com based in the UK, we have a gallery's worth of new images that shows off the fastest Ford ever produced for Europe. iMotorMag tells us that we still have to wait until this Friday, December 12th, for official performance specs and pricing from Ford, but they do let slip the new RS will reach 62 mph in 5.9 seconds. That may not sound so fast for a car brandishing a 296bhp turbocharged five-cylinder engine, but remember that European Fords are famous for their balanced handling over brutal straight-line speed. That's why we're so excited Ford's turnaround plan for North America involves selling the next-gen European Focus here in the U.S. Maybe one day we'll know what it's like to drive the extroverted Focus RS. Until then, have fun in the gallery below.
Gallery: 2009 Ford Focus RS (blue)
[Source: iMotorMag.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ben 10:36AM (12/10/2008)
Pure sex!
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Randy 1:23PM (12/10/2008)
Here's some Fiesta Porn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO0hCILrgNA&eurl=http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/10/video-top-gear-ford-fiesta-beach-assault-wow/3
SimbaDogg 8:06PM (12/11/2008)
yeah...i wish there was word on a price. if they could release this in the US i guarantee, for the right price, this would take a good amount of sales from The Evo, Sti, Mazdaspeed 3, Si crowd. This car is seriously very very very very aggressive looking, and as loyal honda guy...i would def buy it if i were a few years younger. heck for the right price i'd buy it period.
mdm-adph 10:37AM (12/10/2008)
Nice car, but "balanced handling" aside, there's something wrong with that zero to 60 time.
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spdracerut 10:43AM (12/10/2008)
It's FWD; no AWD option for this generation as far as I know. Any FWD car under 6 seconds is doing well. The real measure of its power will be it's quarter mile trap speed.
BigMcLargeHuge 10:46AM (12/10/2008)
Might be interesting to see its power-curve. Anyone know the torque on this beast?
Zamafir 11:13AM (12/10/2008)
It's enough to create serious torque steer and slow weaker better balanced cars to beat it as many recent European reviews of the previous van have shown. It'll still be fun but not at all that different of an animal from the ms3 - more fun but not as adroit as something like a scirocco
mdm-adph 11:21AM (12/10/2008)
I just don't know -- I know base FWD 180hp Celica's that can go zero to 60 in 6.5 seconds with just a new airbox under the hood. Is there really that much diminishing returns between 6.5 and 6 that a nearly 300hp car can't go faster?
mdm-adph 11:24AM (12/10/2008)
Just to clarify -- I still like the car, and would still choose handling over power (that's why I love a Lotus Elise) -- I'm just wondering where those 300 turbocharged horses are going.
MUSASHI66 11:42AM (12/10/2008)
STI does that in less than 5 sec, so pretty big difference for the lack of AWD. I presume that STI is heavier as well, but I am not sure of the weight on this Ford.
Still, this car is pure sex on wheels, and compared with the US Focus...
Chase 11:47AM (12/10/2008)
mdm-adph: Manufacturer's claimed acceleration and "the best people can get" are different.
0-60 is an archaic measure even for acceleration though. 1/4 mile is better. Regardless, acceleration isn't everything. For me, its all about the chassis -- how smooth and fast forces are transfered across the car, and the level of input precision. "To much power" is largely a myth created by people who have never driven a car that requires throttle modulation and have gotten burnt by their sloppiness.
Travis 12:09PM (12/10/2008)
keep a few things in mind:
1) Euro's test to 62mph (100km/h) instead of 60.
2) Gearing is huge, if you can hit 60 in 2nd you'll gain 1/2 second by not having to shift into 3rd. Obviously, the reverse is true (longer to shift to 3rd).
3) Independent tests are far, far different than manufacturer's stated times.
4) It's a FWD car. Any 0-whatever time is going to be hindered by routing all of that power through the front wheels, and unlike the 1/4-mile there's no time to make up for a poor-launching car.
4) 0-60 is relatively useless nowadays anyway. At one point it used to be indicative of a vehicles overall speed/power, but now that you have Camry's and Accord's getting into the 5s it's totally pointless. That's why so much has been made about certain times around the Nurburgring, it rates overall power, handling, control, speed, etc.
And yes, I'd be all over this if they decided to bring it over here...
Jay Evans 12:10PM (12/10/2008)
@mdm-adph
"Is there really that much diminishing returns between 6.5 and 6"
Yep, BIG difference.
Crackberry Addict 10:55AM (12/10/2008)
My new wallpaper! Uber Sexy in my favorite color!
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Stingers 4:49PM (12/10/2008)
Yeah, I love this color blue.
Looks much better than dayglo-green.
Stumpy 10:58AM (12/10/2008)
Much better than that neon green!
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cameron42985 11:00AM (12/10/2008)
Why we still love Ford.
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rockinrobbie 12:38PM (12/10/2008)
you said it! Man we need this in NA.
cray 11:03AM (12/10/2008)
The Euro Focus should be/have been in NA a long time ago. This will certainly be a welcomed edition. Love the overall look of the car. As for 0 - 60 times...who cares if the car can handle well in the corners.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
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Alex 11:09AM (12/10/2008)
one please.
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