The third-generation Ford Focus RS is one of the most exhilarating hot hatches money can buy 🔥 Here's how to get a used model into your garage
“The Focus RS is a brilliant car. It can be antisocial if you put it into Sport mode, with pops and bangs from the exhaust, but it’s a fantastic all-rounder, too. It’s a standard family vehicle – you can drive to work and have heated seats – that on the right road transforms into a completely different car. It puts a smile on your face and makes you feel like a child. Just be aware that cars from 2016 and some from early 2017 had a recall for an issue that would make the head gasket blow up.
Ford’s Sync 2 infotainment system was included on the RS, so it got an 8.0in touchscreen, a DAB radio, Bluetooth and voice control as standard. If you want sat-nav, however, you will have to hope the original owner ticked the £465 option box for the premium system, adding a 10-speaker Sony system and a rear-view camera.
The trio of ‘worry dials’ on the top of the dashboard are a fast-Ford signifier and will be familiar to any ST owner. The background hue of blue is exclusive to the Focus RS, though. The standard rims were double 10-spoke 19in alloys; some cars have black forged 19s, which were a £595 option. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres were standard but were often swapped for sticky Sport Cup 2s.