The new flagship model marking the 10th anniversary of the Focus is worthy to wear the coveted Rally Sport badge, says Peter Carroll.

Ford has turned out a succession of hot hatches but tends to use its RS (Rally Sport) badge more sparingly.

There have only been three RS-badged cars in the last 15 years and the most recent one – the Focus RS from six years ago – was a bit of a handful, by all accounts.

The brief for the new Focus RS, then, was simple – but not necessarily straightforward to put into practice.

The development team wanted to preserve the pace and performance feel of the previous RS, but with more stability and greater comfort for everyday driving.

And, having driven the new car, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Focus, I think they’ve succeeded brilliantly.

The new RS starts at just under £26,000 and costs around £5,000 more than the previous Focus flagship, the ST (Sports Technology).

But with its greater power, more engaging performance, dynamic handling, and pumped-up looks, the RS is always going to hold the greater appeal for the enthusiast.

The new car comes in three colours – deep blue, white and lime green – and has been bulked out to such an extent that it shares few body panels with a regular Focus.

It could have ended up a fairly chavvy-looking affair (and possibly still is, if you opt for lime green) but I think the designers have got the look of the car about right.

Inside, not too much has changed in the cabin compared with the ST, which is not necessarily a bad thing. There are some sporty, supportive Recaro seats and some extra dials, but the development cash has been spent elsewhere.

A substantial chunk, I would imagine, would have gone on the new front suspension. Normally if you try and channel more than 250hp through the front wheels you’re asking for trouble.

Ford could have gone for all-wheel drive instead but that would have meant extra cost, more weight and worse fuel economy.

So the team stuck to its front wheel drive brief and set about developing the RevoKnuckle suspension which works in conjunction with a Quaife differential to reduce the phenomenon known as ‘torque steer.’

This occurs when there’s too much power for the driven wheels to cope with. The upshot is you find yourself lurching off to the side under heavy acceleration or on an uneven surface.

In the RS, however, while you always remain aware of the power under the bonnet, it is not a car that wants to deposit you into the nearest hedge – though it’s still a bit skittish on poor surfaces and heavily cambered roads.

To prevent tyre spinning you don’t get full power in first gear but it soon comes in with an exhilarating surge.

The mid-range acceleration is breathtaking and you reach licence-losing speeds long before the engine wants to let up.

Throw in super-quick steering, a decent gearbox and plenty of grip from the 19-inch Continental tyres and you have the makings of a belting performance car.

It sounds good too, with the turbo twittering and the tailpipe ‘popping’ when you change up through the gears.

The engine note is not as angry as a race-prepped rally machine – but the extra refinement means you can live with it on a day-to-day basis.

The ride is decent when the roads are smooth but things get bumpier when the surfaces are uneven. We are not talking Megane R26 levels of firmness here.

All in all the RS is a great car to drive and my only caveat would be that I took my turn in it on dry, relatively unchallenging roads in the West Midlands.

I’d love to see how it fared in the wet – as would a posse of 4×4 hot hatch owners, I guess.

Ford has already taken more than 2,000 deposits on the RS from customers who are buying the car ‘blind’.

Those who backed their faith in the product with hard cash should not be disappointed, while waverers who have been holding back till now face a wait until the autumn to get one.

FACT FILE

Price: From £25,740 on the road

Engine: 2,522cc, five cylinder turbo, petrol

Power: 305PS

Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox, front wheel drive

Performance: 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds

Top speed: 163mph

Economy: 30.5mpg on combined cycle

CO2 emissions: 225g/km

Length: 4,402mm

Weight: 1.468kg

Insurance group: 19

Servicing: 12,500 miles