Ford Focus RS Limited Edition

They say a dog is man’s best friend but I reckon that for most of us the Smartphone or Facebook might give the dog a run for its money.  It seems we can’t bear to be without our phones for much more than an hour or two!  Good thing that Ford know we love to keep in touch with our mates because they seem to have all the latest gadgets in their fleet of new cars.  One of the most exciting Fords you can buy is the RS Focus, and currently Ford is making a Limited Edition Ford RS Focus which actually gets the job done even quicker thanks to clever AWD dynamics.  Yes it has the latest gizmos like wireless connection to smartphones and Voice Command but it can also accelerate as quickly as a whippet and handle turns like a foxy!  It turns out that the new Ford Focus RS Limited Edition is pretty apt at being a great travelling companion.  But just in case, the hatchback can easily fit your canine friend in the boot too, thanks to the Focus’s practical shape and split-folding rear seats.

The new Ford Focus RS Limited Edition takes the striking styling, refined power and superb driving dynamics of the Focus RS to new levels of looks and performance. Designed to catch the eye and engineered to deliver every ounce of power from the 257 kW, 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine, this RS Limited Edition will only be enjoyed by 500 lucky owners, so do be in quick and get your mitts on one!

With 257 kW of raw power to deliver the goods instantly, and very quickly, the torque (440 Nm max between 2000 and 4500 rpm) also packs a punch low down in the revs to ensure that you have serious performance from anywhere in the engine revs and at any speed.  The RS is fast, as in 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds fast (thanks in part to standard launch control), with a maximum speed just shy of 270 km/h available should you feel the urge.  Passing manoeuvres are pure joy, with the guarantee of putting a smile on your dial every time.

Life is pretty slick when travelling in the Ford Focus RS Limited Edition Hatch.  The gears are selected quickly and accurately through a six-speed sport-shift manual transmission, and with a Quaife LSD the car packs on the power over any road surface and any road conditions.  What the Quaife LSD actually does is manage the engine’s torque distribution across the front axle.  The Quaife uses gears rather than clutches, as in a Haldex-type LSD.  This gearing ensures smoother operation and avoids harsh locking.  Up to 70 % of the engine twist can be sent to the rear wheels.  Once the torque arrives at the rear wheels a dedicated control system can vector up to 100 per cent of that torque to the left or right rear wheel – even under full load.  The result is phenomenally great grip and control even when going nuts through the corners in slipper conditions.  Ford has given the Limited Edition RS Focus one of four drive modes to choose from to make your drive just the way you want it.  So, you have ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’, ‘Track’ and ‘Drift’ modes.  Yes… Drift mode – that’s right!

Ford Focus RS Limited Edition

Let’s remember that safety is important if things do turn to custard.  Dog’s love to roll in unquestionably the worst places, however the Focus RS Limited Edition has all the wizardry to keep the car the right way up, and out of a roll, even in sticky situations.  ABS, AEB, brake assist, EBFD, TCS, and DSC are the main features that keep you pointing in the right direction and the right way up.  Of course, the 19-inch rubber is Michelin’s very best, and they stick like glue.  The car comes with other safety features like a reversing camera, parking distance control, and tyre pressure monitoring – not that these are useful at speed but you might find that the lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and ‘Emergency Brake Lights’ might offer more substantial help at speed.  Dual front head and side airbags are standard, and the Focus does offer the credible five ANCAP star result.

Curled up by the fire is where most dogs will spend their time given half the chance, so the chances are that you’ll be a law-abiding citizen most of the time.  What’s the Ford Focus RS Limited Edition like on a day-to-day basis?  Well, the flyer does have all the space and usefulness of even the base model Focus.  That means that the split-folding rear seats will come in handy should you care to carry bigger objects (1045 litres rear seats flat and 260 litres rear seats up) like a Saint Bernard or Great Dane.  Storage space throughout the cabin is excellent.  There are two cup-holders up front, and bottle holders in all doors.  There’s also a 12-volt socket, a USB outlet, as well as a decently big glove box, and a lidded bin between the front seats.  A decent 9-speaker audio system makes life nice for music lovers and should drown out Butch when he gets a little excited as you near the dog park.

Everyday sort of driving should see you return around 8 litres/100 km or less – which is pretty sharp considering there is a growling beast with over 250 kW ready to bark in an instant.  The car emits 175 g/km of C0₂ in the everyday process.  Ford’s auto stop-start obviously helps with the low emissions – much better than my smelly canine friend curled up at home in front of the fire!

Ford Focus RS Limited Edition Interior

Limited Edition models are equipped with all that the standard Ford Focus RS hatch boasts, so the Limited Edition is kitted out with dual-zone climate control, Ford’s latest SYNC3 multimedia system, an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, adaptive headlights, ambient interior lighting, alloy faced sports pedals, 19-inch alloy rims, cruise control, keyless entry and start, snazzy LED DRLs, front fog lights, auto headlights, a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel and gear knob, rain-sensing wipers, satellite navigation, and the sports seats.

So what does the Limited Edition add to the standard RS then?  Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, the Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD), the cool Recaro shell seats with Nitrous Blue leather, striking black 19-inch rims, a prestige paint job – in blue, and Auto Emergency Braking to name a few.

The blue paintwork looks awesome and helps the car stand right out from the crowd.  Limited Edition models also get rear privacy glass and gloss painted black highlighting on the roof, spoiler and mirror caps.  At the front, the huge wide grille is intimidating, while the air intakes for the intercooled turbo make a performance statement.  On the side you can see the air apertures which feed cool air through to the front brakes, and the slim trapezoidal headlights give the car plenty of presence.  The wheel arches are flared and there is nice detailing for the car’s aerodynamics which keeps it slippery and racy at the same time.

Remember: the Ford Focus RS Limited Edition gives smiles for the dial – so you’ll be yapping at the heels of many so-called serious performance cars no problems in this AWD Limited Edition Ford Focus RS.  There are other cars that pack similar performance in hatchback guise but few are quite as affordable.  Don’t go barking up the wrong tree and miss out on the purchase of one of the brand new 500 limited edition Focus RS models.  Otherwise you’ll regret it.

Ford Focus RS Limited Edition

The 2018 Ford Focus RS model series includes the:

• Focus RS
• Focus RS Limited Edition

For any more information on the 2018 Ford Focus RS Limited Edition or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Ford and FPV dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!