New details surface on 2015 Ford Focus RS

This much is clear: at some point in the relatively near future, Ford will launch it’s much-hyped and eagerly anticipated Ford Focus ST. While we haven’t driven this yet, we know it’s real: we’ve seen it with our own eyes and photographed it with our own cameras. The next generation Ford Focus RS, on the other hand, falls into the same category as flying saucers, bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and honest politicians. Some claim to have had close encounters, but the cold, hard facts are that proof of their existence is lacking. TopGear recently broke exclusive news about the upcoming 2015 Ford Focus RS. Very early on in its report, the website gave some critical information: the 2015 Ford Focus RS hasn’t officially been signed off on. It’s an active project, but there are no guarantees that such a beast will see the light of day. That disclaimer in mind, the next uber-Focus will have “at least 320 horsepower,” but that won’t come from the old RS’ turbocharged, 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. It won’t come from the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, either, as some early reports had claimed. Instead, power will come from a turbocharged and direct-injected 2.3-liter four, which will allegedly find a home in the 2014 Mustang, too. Unlike the Mustang, the Focus ST will be front-wheel-drive, which will require some engineering work to adapt the engine and transmission to a transverse-mounted position. Forget about all-wheel-drive, which has been deemed too heavy and too expensive. Instead, expect the new Focus RS to benefit from the re-use of the RevoKnuckle front suspension, backed up by the electronic torque-steer correction developed for the Focus ST. If the Focus RS turns out to be real, don’t expect it to come in any flavor besides a five-door hatchback. We seriously doubt it will make it to the United States, either, as the market for incredibly-fast but expensive hot hatches hasn’t traditionally been strong here. Will it turn out to be real? To pluralize the poster on Fox Mulder’s wall, “We want to believe.”