An Even Faster Ford Focus RS Is Coming To Blow The Audi RS3 Into The Weeds

There’s little doubt that few cars can hold a torch to the bang for buck factor of the new Ford Focus RS, but there are still quicker ‘mega hatches’ out there. While the Ford is packing 345bhp and will do 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, the recently updated Mercedes-AMG A45 hits the same benchmark five tenths quicker, and the Audi RS3 four tenths quicker.

However, if you remember, the previous Focus RS was turned into an even more bonkers version: the RS500 (see below), a front-wheel drive car that’s actually a smidge more powerful than the new AWD machine. And according to a report in Autocar citing company insiders, something similar is "under consideration" for the new RS.

What’s interesting is how Ford might go about making the RS faster. The 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine is tightly squeezed into the Focus’ small engine bay, making additional cooling - and therefore a significant increase in power - tricky. The expectation from Autocar is for Ford to drastically cut down on the weight, plus make transmission and differential upgrades.

Until any of this is confirmed, though, we’ll still be focusing (sorry…) on the standard RS, which we’ll be driving in January. Watch this space…