•  POSTED 05.13.2009

• Finding a Ford Focus RS

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• By Oliver Cook

Ford has been applying the RS badge to high-performance models since 1970, and there was a time when it did so almost at the drop of a hat. But the company is being more cautious these days, and the new Ford Focus RS is the first model to have that iconic pair of initials applied to it in seven years.

Its Volvo-designed 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine, also used elsewhere in the Ford range, has been tweaked to give a maximum of 301bhp. That makes it the most powerful RS ever in standard form (though competition versions of earlier cars have been more powerful still), and one of the most controversial aspects of the car is that all that energy is transferred to the road through just the front wheels, rather than through all four as in the case of several competitors such as the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Evo.

The company says that it always intended the Focus RS to be front-wheel drive for technical reasons, though it may be that financial imperatives also had something to do with it. Be that as it may, 4x4 simply isn't an option, and the fact is that if you buy a Ford with this level of performance you're going to have to accept that it will feel exactly like a front-wheel drive car and nothing like a four-wheel drive one.

Whether or not this is an issue depends on what you do with your right foot. Ford has been careful to make the RS relatively tame if driven clumsily - largely through its patented Revoknuckle suspension system, which helps to reduce torque steer - but if you apply the throttle in a stupid manner the car is going to do stupid things in return.

The important thing is not to over-drive it. Apply the power only when the car is ready for it and you will go whistling through corners at an impressive rate. Yes, there will still be a slight tug on the steering wheel, but it will be a sign of just how potent the car is rather than a problem that might make you wish you had bought something else instead.

The arguments over whether Ford should have divided the RS's power among all four wheels will probably last for decades, but there is no doubt that Ford has tackled the difficulty of creating a 300bhp front-wheel drive car with great skill, and arrived at a magnificent result.

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