A new Focus RS is looking more and more likely if recent reports are anything to go by.
The latest news comes today from German magazine Auto Bild, which is suggesting that the new car will cost somewhere in the region of £34,000, if and when it comes to market in Europe.
Strong sales of Focus ST could spur sign-off
This follows news published in
Autocar
last month that the new RS will go on sale in 2015, and is likely to feature a circa-335hp version of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that’ll also make it into the new Mustang. The new Focus looks set to be front-wheel-drive again, with an early proposal to use electric motors to drive the rear wheels too having reportedly been canned.
A spokesman from Ford wasn’t prepared to comment on the new car’s pricing or its drivetrain, and was keen to stress that nothing has been signed off as yet; however, Barb Samardzich, Ford Europe’s vice president of product development, has previously hinted that the new car is likely to see production. Last week’s news that the Focus ST is now Europe’s best-selling hot hatch will hopefully reinforce the business case for the new RS.
If it does, the likelihood we’ll see a Fiesta RS anytime soon appears slim. A hot version that’d continue the good work of the Fiesta ST had been mooted, but Roelant de Waard, Ford Europe’s head of marketing, told Autocar last week that he’d be “surprised if there was more than one [RS model] at the same time.” As any proposed Focus RS would be Ford’s priority, that suggests that the Fiesta won’t see the light of day.
Mk1 values could rise soon
Of course, if the new car doesn’t become a reality, the previous-generation Focus RSs are still great used buys. Mk1 values are holding steady around the £7,000 mark;
this example
is one of the cheapest in our classifieds and looks to be a solid, relatively unmolested RS. Values of these are unlikely to drop much further, and within a few years we reckon they’ll be on the rise again, so now could be a good time to buy. Or if you prefer the solid torque and five-pot burble of the Mk2, prices are now easily below the £20,000 mark.
Here's one
that looks remarkably cheap, though the advert’s suspiciously free from any of the important details; this
Ultimate Green example
, by comparison, is probably a safer bet, with two Lux packs and a full history.