Ford has been mum about plans for a super-high-performance version of its European Focus, but a new round of spy photos indicate the automaker is indeed working on a new range-topper.
Don’t be fooled by the looks of this test car. It is not the ordinary Ford Focus ST but the brand new Focus RS. Looking closely at the front end, one can see the bigger air intakes.
According to spy photographers, the sound of the 300 bhp engine was unmistakeable, was was the car’s quick acceleration with all-wheel-drive and the rallye-like sound of that dump valve while shifting gears. Add some wide fenders, a more aggressive front end styling and you have the Focus RS. Gallery after the jump…



10/19, 1:24 PM
posted by:
Foster
Bring it here into the States. Ford keeps saying things about being bold. But everything cool they give to other markets. If they would just bring the cars for euro to here they would be a hit, That would be bold ha 300hp to rivel the Evo/ Sti/ 335ci?? well in hp but not handling of course
10/19, 1:31 PM
posted by:
JS
A great alternative to the more expensive A3. And besides I think it´s gonna look better.
10/19, 1:32 PM
posted by:
JS
^ I meant S3.
10/19, 1:33 PM
posted by:
moogleii
I like.
10/19, 1:44 PM
posted by:
dsmdriver84
i understand why ford of america would not bring this out- with a lower weight and the same hp figure it would be faster than the mustang gt and that just cant happen in america — sucks too they could use the car and we could use the nicer scenary — much tidier than a focus zx4 with a fake evo spoiler
10/19, 1:47 PM
posted by:
Z06ified
I think it is idiotic to not bring that car to the states. Ford has a lot of in-house talent in Europe, and they’re not using it.
10/19, 2:00 PM
posted by:
buenos
NO.. In America, more gas guzzling fat-assed Freestyles for gas emitting fat-assed Americans.
10/19, 2:10 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
its a shame we will never see it…and its a shame ford CEOs will never see all the ppl that are begging for this car over here
10/19, 2:24 PM
posted by:
Zanary
LOL…yeah…”gas guzzling” Freestyles that have among the best fuel economy of 3-row crossovers.
Prood positive that America still has a drug problem….
10/19, 2:25 PM
posted by:
meanpants555
Bring it here and maybe we’ll buy it… does anyone know how the market for WRX/STis and Evos is doing? I thought I heard that GTIs weren’t flying out the door.
10/19, 2:30 PM
posted by:
Random Jerk
If this vehicle showed up in the the states what do you think the MSRP would be?
10/19, 2:32 PM
posted by:
A4
bring the god damn thing here please
even if GTI’s arent flying out the door, are fords? no
please give us these nasty focus’s, cause ours are crap
10/19, 2:44 PM
posted by:
90Z
“focus’s”? Wouldn’t that be “foci”? (ha ha)
10/19, 2:45 PM
posted by:
90Z
A4: You’re right about the US version though…total crap. At least the European ones are good looking.
10/19, 2:52 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
they woudl need to price it under the Evo/STI but more then the Mazdaspeed 3/SRT Caliber i would say 25k-27k
10/19, 3:30 PM
posted by:
kellyp
since we (US Taxpayers) are going to be paying their saleries soon we should be allowed to decide what cars ford brings here. karma should put them out of business for screwing barry sanders alone.
10/19, 3:40 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
Yeah too bad the U.S. hasn’t gotten even a base version of this new iteration of the Focus, well not new to the Europeans anymore, but compared to our outdated piece of crap, its a light from heaven
10/19, 3:44 PM
posted by:
Brendino
The current focus platform is solid, fuel efficient, and reliable. The only thing that isn’t good is the styling, and that’s being fixed for ‘08.
So what’s the problem here?
10/19, 3:58 PM
posted by:
onur
Finally, 4wd is going to be back. Escort RS Cosworth did everything right. I was so upset when they started selling the first RS with FWD. But finally they came back to their senses, at least in Europe.
10/19, 4:06 PM
posted by:
rey323
Seriously. That is a really nice looking car and like everyone else on this post, I cannot begin to fathom why Ford management wouldn’t bring it to the States. *sigh*
10/19, 4:06 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
brendino…who are you kidding? the focus is so far behind the rest of the feild in any messureably feild.
10/19, 5:00 PM
posted by:
CARnut
That would be a sweet ride with the 300 horses. Please bring them over and keep them cheap. Ford, you would be able to sell the crap out of those. If they are quick, reliable, economical (for 300hp) I believe that people would definitely consider buying one of these cars. This could be the “iPod” for Ford.
10/19, 5:00 PM
posted by:
Kaptain75329
I ripped this off from another post, but people need to understand…
.
Imagine you wake up on a mildly sunny August morning — much like today — on an incredibly beautiful steed ranch in Northern California, to be greeted with a musty dew haze rising from the pasture while you slug a hot tankard of coffee and the corn husks gleam. The wind is slow, the noise is low, the birds are in flight and reflections are bright. You stride over to a sun-baked brick barn and creak open the heavy red door, noticing a faint rustling among the picket pens in the dim-lit corner… A sudden guttural shriek emanates…
“OH JEEZUS~!” you scream, in violent horror, abruptly — and staggeringly — awake now it seems, a cold sweat glazes your collar. You recoil in terror before finding the motor action necessary to run over and see what the blazes is happening…
“OH F*** ME, THAT IS GROSS…” you think to yourself, seeing the true nature of the incident in front of you as you stumble to a halt.
Nothing out of the ordinary it seems, just a horrendously ugly, anthracite-haired 160lb man pig leaning on the shivering arse of another equally vulgar ewe pig and mating with all it’s animal might and will.
Imagine watching intensely as the bull of a boar dumps it’s whole steaming load into a sow and falls over exasperated and manly-like as if it’s about to light a cigarette. Then you stroll over to this heavy breathing mass of super-fresh pork meat and nuzzle your head into it’s crotch. You take a well-spent furry bacon sac into your mouth.. and then suck the gritty sweat off with whole-hearted enthusiasm.
THIS… is how much our Focus sucks.
10/19, 5:08 PM
posted by:
A4
hahahah i hate the US focus.
oh and ford, WHEN you bring us the RS, which you will, or we’ll kill you, send over the ST as well. in the electric orange please. youll destroy the SRT-4 and the R32 all at once.
10/19, 5:23 PM
posted by:
sampson
Ford Ford Ford… you got all the right parts but you can’t seem to put them together… Ford needs to quit worrying about mustang competition and just bring it over… It’s a whole different market… AWD turbo hatch vs. RWD V8 coupe. Different buyers… US market could use both… Give the mustang a kick in the pants and make it lose a bit of weight if you really want it to dominate. Bring this here and cash in. Gauranteed to sell…
10/19, 6:11 PM
posted by:
Foster
Its not about how fast this car would be compared to the mustang GT.
Example look at the BMW line up M3 is just as fast as a cheaper and smaller MZ4 roadster. M5 is just as fast as a 20000 thousand dollor more M6. But they are all different sizes. More for less and less for more.
Ford could do the same and still not hert the mustang market
People will still buy a Mustang If there was a Foucus just as Fast or not. Just becasue it is a Mustang.
Same reason someone will buy A Exculade instead of a cheapter GMC dennle.
Hey it wouldnt be the first time ford did it. Remember the early 90’s
SHO MUSTANG HO GT Thurderbird SC
10/19, 6:33 PM
posted by:
Egbert Souse
If they brought this over, I’d consider buying it.
10/19, 9:03 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
Kaptain basically summed it up perfectly why the Focus sucks, though I can’t say that I agree with him about having a desire to drive American, because I don’t, at all, and the fact that the current Focus blows balls isn’t helping that at all. But good job summing up Kaptain
10/19, 9:49 PM
posted by:
mbftw
I like the AMG styled front bumper…
10/19, 11:38 PM
posted by:
gsh
the ONLY “domestic” i would consider buying. and i say “domestic” because america will never get this car…
10/20, 1:41 AM
posted by:
Hyperion
Now when you finally get ready to sell it, Ford, be sure to…
BRING IT TO THE UNITED STATES!
10/20, 6:24 AM
posted by:
Vel
Finally! I loved test driving the ST. I can’t wait to get my hands on the RS and hope it will be a worthy successor to the legendary Cossi.
Now I know when I will rob my piggy bank *g*
10/20, 6:31 AM
posted by:
Carnut4ever
Ford is SO STUPID if it didn’t bring this car to the US. When the chips are down, you need something special to keep customers in the fold. When Mitsubishi was in a tight corner, they still managed to launch the excellent Lancer Evolution series to the US market. Why can’t Ford do it too? Focusing on trucks and Suvs simply will not do anymore today.
10/20, 7:30 AM
posted by:
Brendino
Well said Kaptain. But, all I’m saying is that the the fuel efficiency is right on par with the ‘rolla (i believe the Focus is 27/34, which isn’t light years behind Corolla’s 30/38). This is one of the few Fords that actually rates well for reliability, and while I’ve never driven it personally (have you?), people say it moves well and handles well. The car also sells pretty well considering Fords utter lack of attention given to it, so a complete reskin will spur their sales, get some attention back to the car, and prep them for ‘09 (probably ‘10), when they release the new product.
Now I’m not going to sit here and say that the Euro Focus doesn’t look way better. It does look way better. But even though we rip on Ford marketing so much (mostly deservedly so), I have to trust that there’s a good reason why they don’t bring it to the US, beacuse it does seem so logical to bring it.
I’d also like to add that I see this as the same as the E14 Corolla…All it’s geting is a reskin, because the platform is fine. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And while the Euro Focus platform may be better, you haven’t convinced me that the old platform is broken.
Good post, though…better than the blind hatred that’s out here.
10/20, 2:11 PM
posted by:
YourNameHere
my girlfriend has an 03…its ****. im afraid to drive it over 75mph
10/20, 8:19 PM
posted by:
esuperchicken
Ford please don’t do to the focus what you did to the taurus. As it is now you should change the name to fucus.
10/20, 9:33 PM
posted by:
Brendino
Thanks for the insight and that really long post…it’s good to know that there are well-spoken people who aren’t elitist on this site.
10/20, 11:57 PM
posted by:
Kaptain75329
hahaa
I’ll take that as a compliment.. and thanks for putting up with me.
10/22, 11:25 AM
posted by:
chevy490
lol faster than the mustang gt lol that made me laugh! because its the truth! but then again the mustang looks compleatly plastic so yea it might evan be lighter than this!
10/22, 3:56 PM
posted by:
LamborghiniZ
Nice Kaptain. Most people are too lazy to do really in depth posts like that, myself included, so props haha
11/12, 10:23 PM
posted by:
J.A.N.E.
Mysterious leprechauns or something have been shunting high end European Fords away from North America in the past.Why would this have changed?Pity.
11/28, 8:37 AM
posted by:
Bertjan
I actually think that is not the RS. There is a small badge above the ST badge and to me that one spells TDCI; this is a Diesel version of the ST.