Ford Focus RS, Mike Galimi

Ford bringing the ultra-cool Focus RS to the U.S. market.

I always felt like the U.S. market was slighted in some ways from Ford's foreign operations. Europe always got the better looking Focus and Australia markets got to buy the Ford Falcon with a 5.4-liter engine and Four-Valve heads. These weren't just any Four-Valve heads, the pieces are better than most components in the U.S.

Well, with the attention being put on fuel economy and the Big Three needing to evaluate every aspect of its business, Ford will be bringing several different models to the U.S. market to counter the Japanese auto makers. I am not sure why the risk of bankruptcy was the deciding factor, but in the end Ford is bringing two neat rides to our shores. The first is the Ford Fiesta. It is a tiny car to contend with the likes of the Toyota Yaris, Chevy Aveo, and the other micro cars in the U.S.

The second car coming to the U.S. roadways is actually a Focus I like, Focus RS. It has a turbocharged four-cylinder and sporty looks. The only downside, for me, is that the car boasts front-wheel drive. I would have rather seen an all-wheel drive platform to compete with the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo. Granted, Ford already got beat up by those entries when it had the SVT Focus on the market, but the RS can be a player. The front-wheel drive classification gives up the market to those players. The WRX and Evo have loyal followings but it
would have been nice to see something try to compete with those models.

Ford stated that the engine is an inline 5 with a turbocharger, which produces 295 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque. The manual transmission will be a six-speed box with a short-throw shifter. A new front suspension design, unique to the RS, eliminates torque steer.

The RS looks sporty and has some pep to go along with its looks. I am not sure of the time frame for that car to come to the market, as I find out more I will post the information.