Hot Hatch History: Ford Focus RS MK1

Welcome to hot hatch history! A weekly look through of some of the most iconic hot hatches from the most prestigious manufacturers of all time! In this weeks hot hatch history we will taking a step back into the history books by reviewing the ever so popular Ford Focus RS.

'Today's hot hatch history review, the legendary RS name in Ford's industry, the Focus RS MK1'

Born from pure RS Cosworth blood, the birth of the Focus in 1999 was Ford's replacement of the Escort line and, after the love of the escort RS Cosworth, Ford decided in 2002 to give the Focus the legendary branding of the RS badge. The MK1 Ford Focus RS was the first in line to get the RS treatment. Based on the MK1.5 face lift 3 door variant, this impressive beast quickly built up popularity in the WRC scene and was also driven by the legendary, late Colin McCrae for 4 years with 9 wins! It was certainly a win for Ford's new RS.

Now down to the lowdown on the heart of this sensational hot hatch. The MK1 RS was juiced up with the 2.0 litre DuraTec engine that was used in it's sister car, the ST170, but ford made some serious changes to give it that deserving RS badge. Most notable is it's armed with a Garret water cooled turbo charger punching over 1 bar into that block, unlike its little sister. It was also given bigger cams, upgraded valves, a improved oil system, forged pistons and rods. All courtesy of Ford RS division poking out a juicy 212bhp out of the box!

'Engine fit for a King. Engine bay packed with the Duratorq RS 2.0 Turbo. The beating heart of this RS variant'

But it wasn’t just 'umpf!' added to the Focus, their RS division had completely reworked the suspension and braking systems. The Focus RS was decked out with MacPherson strut suspension and Sachs racing dampers, finely tuned to make her really stick to the track, whilst still providing a comfortable ride for the everyday Joe on his way to his mothers for his Sunday roast.

'Did someone say boost gauge? Standard in the Focus RS!'

Adding to the yummy RS goodies, the interior is kitted out with full leather Sparco bucket seats, with both front seats being heated to keep your... bottom warm on that cold winter drive home. On the subject of winter, the RS is fitted with 18 inch custom made O.Z. 5 spoke alloys sporting 225/40r/18 tires to really keep you on all 4’s. What puts the shift into this little pocket rocket? The RS has been treated to its sisters 6 speed gearbox, but with that magic RS touch. Modified gear ratios to evenly squeeze out all that power, and a automatic toque biasing diff paired with a solid heavy duty AP racing clutch and upgraded drive shafts. Ford really put the biscuit in the barrel to ensure every drop of the Focus RS’s power was ploughed out efficiently.

'Colour coded, black and blue leather seats, door card inserts and steering wheel, come as standard in the Focus RS. A match made in heaven?'

Now the tech specs are out of the way, the figures. The MK1 RS as mentioned above, spits out 212BHP from her 2.0 Turbo lump and top end torque is a comfy 229lb-ft. 0-60 is hit at 6.4 seconds which is fairly average compared to other hot hatches. Top speed on this demon is a recored 144mph, which is sluggish compaired to VW’s MK4 Golf R32 edition’s 155mph, however the Focus has one advantage and that is weight. As the RS team have given the focus a major pro plus diet! With the standard model weighing 1280KG, the RS weighs 900kg?! Making it no surprise it was so nippy during the WRC. This is most certainly one of my most favourite cars of all time, and since I was young playing all those Colin McCrae games and WRC on the good ol’ PS2. With its proud, strong heritage of the RS that still stands to this day in the new RS focus, she does not disappoint and it is incredibly fun to drive! Id give this hot hatch a twenty5cars rating of 4/5!

'Sibling love. The Focus RS had a reputation to hold as the younger sister of the Escort RS Cosworth and the Sierra RS Cosworth'

And that’s this weeks 'Hot Hatch History' review of the Focus RS! Tune in next week for our next car on '20Five Automotive Hot Hatch History!'

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'Side shot of the elegant RS, sporting the lavish RS Blue'