Montreal Subaru Club

That power feeds through a six-speed manual gearbox - no highfalutin flappy-paddle affair here - to a bespoke all-wheel drive system capable of continuously varying the torque balance both front-to-back (with a maximum 70 per cent reaching the rear), and across the rear axle. Rather than using a traditional limited slip differential or e-diff, the Focus apparently employs a unique mechanical solution.

"We’re using an all-wheel drive system we believe no one else is," says Ford Performance director Dave Pericak. "The RDU has a clutch at the front and twin clutches at the back, one on either side of the diff. So we can control the torque front-to-back but also side-to-side. We push the car around the corner, we don't slow the car down.

"It’s an all-new AWD system designed specifically for the RS. The capability is unbelievable. It’ll shock you when you get behind the wheel. We didn't want to do a warmed-over version of the last RS. We wanted a new level."

Big_Ben a écrit :2.3 eco boost

Brake: Brembo etc.
wheels: 19-inch
tires: 235mm
cornering: 1G

No word on availability for the car, nor cost, but with the Focus ST priced directly to compete with the Subaru WRX, expect the RS to start around the same price as the Subaru WRX STI edition. That is to say, somewhere around $35,000.