Hot price for Ford Focus RS

FORD Australia has announced a competitive $50,990 plus on-road costs starting price for its blistering Focus RS hot hatch that sprints into showrooms midway through next year.

The price for the all-paw RS is a $12,000 premium over the slightly more sedate Focus ST that kicks off from $38,990, but it undercuts a number of its perceived rivals including the Volkswagen Golf R ($52,740) and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution ($52,990) as well as more premium offerings such as the Mercedes-AMG A45 ($75,800) and the Audi RS3 ($78,900).

It is just $2500 cheaper than Ford's Falcon XR8 V8 flagship, however, the RS is dearer than the Subaru WRX STI which starts at $49,490.

As reported, the Blue Oval's manic hatch is powered by a 2.3-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine, delivering 257kW at 6000rpm and 440Nm at 1600-5000rpm and matched solely with a six-speed manual gearbox.

This is the same unit – albeit in a different state of tune – that sits under the bonnet of the Mustang pony car that is due in December. When paired with the Mustang, it delivers 233kW/432Nm and is priced from $44,990 in Fastback guise.

The 1575kg RS uses 95-98 RON petrol and consumes 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, while emitting 190g/km of CO2 emissions.

The zero to 100km/h sprint is taken care of in 4.7 seconds, which is 1.2s faster than the previous RS, 0.2s quicker than the 221kW/407Nm WRX STI and 0.5s quicker than the manual 206kW/380Nm Golf R, but slightly off the pace of the 270kW/465Nm Audi RS3 (4.3s) and the 265kW/450Nm Mercedes-AMG A45 (4.4s). The top speed is 266km/h.

The RS features Ford's all-wheel drive system with launch control, idle-stop, a drive mode system with 'drift' setting and specially tuned RS suspension with adjustable dampers.

Other standard fare includes bi-Xenon HID headlights with LED daytime running lights, keyless entry, an alarm, push-button start, cruise control and speed limiter, SYNC2 with Emergency Assistance, Recaro leather/microfibre seats, high-resolution 8.0-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, a nine-speaker audio system, sat-nav, reversing camera, voice recognition and dual-zone climate control.

Four exterior colours are available, including White, Nitrous, Magnetic and Shadow Black – the latter three are all $450 prestige paint options.

Another option is the Performance Wheel Pack for an extra $2500, which adds 19-inch forged alloys offering a lightweight design, enhanced strength and impact resistance and in a low gloss-black colour.

Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman said the arrival of the Focus RS highlighted the company's commitment to the Australian market and its investment in research and development.

“The Focus RS is the latest example of our expanded performance line-up in Australia and showcase of the Ford Performance team’s ambitious spirit that is a halo of our innovation locally and across the company,” he said.

“It delivers refined power, a high level of technology, advanced Ford Performance all-wheel drive and uncompromised driving dynamics that is true to the spirit of the RS nameplate.

“Delivering a car like the Focus RS is also the result of the enormous R&D investment the brand puts into its vehicles. In Australia alone, we’re investing more than $300 million in R&D this year, bringing our total R&D investment to almost $2 billion over the past six years.”