Performance Cars: the new Ford Focus RS

2016 marks the year of the new Ford Focus RS, MK3. With much anticipation and numerous set-backs with the release date, we were finally able to get our hands on this rather spectacular piece of engineering in February of this year.

The first ever Ford Focus RS was produced from 2002-2003. They came with a 2.0 litre turbo engine and were high in demand, yet low in production. You were lucky if you managed to claim one of these as your own as only 4500 were made.

Now, enough about its history, let's get down to business and discuss the latest model to strut our streets...

2016 Ford Focus RS

Pictured above, the new RS has a variety of features which make it the car to beat in its price range. For a base model, the price starts at £30,000 and for anything extra, you're looking upwards of this figure. Here's what the new release features:

• 2.3 litre engine
• 4 cylinders
• 6 speed manual gearbox
• 345bhp
• 0-62mph in 4.7seconds
• Top speed: 165mph

The car is AWD which allows for more traction than a front wheel drive car. This will enable the car to handle better in the more slippery of conditions.

The car is only available in one trim however it comes with the choice of adding lots of optional extras (or at least, you have the option to add them). The car also comes with 4 pre-set driving modes. These modes include: normal, sport, track and drift. There's something to cover all aspects of driving and to suit every style of driving.

The car claims to be able to do 36.7mpg however some may argue that this is slightly unrealistic. Disregarding this argument, the mpg should not be too bad as the engine is an Ecoboost engine, which indicates being good on fuel economy.

Carrying on with the theme of fuel economy, the CO2 output is noted at 175g/km. This indicates a lower tax band for its category of performance however you would still be looking at paying over £200 for 12 months worth of tax. But hey, is that really something to grumble at? Especially when you're getting all of the above?

Insurance for a Ford Focus RS

The new RS has a 5* NCAP safety rating which is a very good sign from the outset. Not only has Ford thought about style, design and performance, they've also thought about the safety of their customers, future customers and other road users.

Although the car is a little too new to be rated with an 'insurance group rating' (from 1-50), we can estimate it would be around 38-40 as the MK2 is group 38. In terms of the type of insurance policy that would work best for an RS, it would all depend on your future plans for the car (and what optional extras you go for). If you are looking to further modify this performance car, then yes, a Modified Car Insurance policy would be beneficial. You have to weigh up the options and in the end, it's always better to go with an insurer who understands the car you're putting on cover, in addition to its value and capabilities.

For further information regarding the new Ford Focus RS, visit the Ford website.