CARS.COM — With the current-generation Focus nearing the end of its product cycle, Ford has put together a lightly tricked-out special edition of the RS performance hatchback to add interest for the 2018 model year.
Related: Ford Focus RS or Volkswagen Golf R: Would You Rather?
The automaker will build 1,500 of the limited-edition hot hatches, 1,000 for the U.S. and 500 for Canada. They will be available for order later this year and Ford says that will be the last chance to order the current RS. Spy photos already have leaked out of the next-generation Focus, expected in 2018 as a 2019 model.
The limited-edition RS will be based on the Focus RS2 package and will add a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential for the front axle to control torque to each front wheel. It will be integrated with the standard performance all-wheel drive, drive modes and electronic torque vectoring, along with the 350-horsepower, 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine.
“Our Ford Performance engineers have delivered a drivetrain capable of wringing every drop of performance from the engine,” chief engineer Jamal Hameedi said in a statement.
