Nobody who has drive the new Ford Focus RS would call it lacking in speed or agility. But for some, enough is never enough, which has led tuning outfits such as Hennessey Performance to release aftermarket kits for the four-wheel drive mega hatch.
These, of course, would mean throwing the factory warranty to the wind and risk of a detonated engine block and/or shattered turbocharger.
Thankfully, the good folk at Ford Performance, the same division that developed the Focus RS, has now confirmed that it will be releasing a power-boosting upgrade pack of their own that, obviously, will be warranty-friendly, according to a report by Autoblog. They automaker hasn’t revealed much past that, making it difficult to determine how far they will choose to boost power and torque.
Currently, the Focus RS develops 260kW and 474Nm which, combined with expertly executed gearshifts via is six-speed manual box, can propel the car to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds.
We recently reported on a newly released upgrade pack offered by Ford Performance for the Mustang, either in EcoBoost guise with a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder or the GT with its 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine.
Both motors receive a welcome boost in power and torque as a result of it: a combination of new airflow hardware, ECU mapping, and turbocharger parameters (EcoBoost). Most notably, the tweak brought the four-pot’s torque figure to within spitting distance of the V8.
Combined with the inherently lighter weight of the smaller engine, a Mustang EcoBoost with the Ford Performance upgrade could in technically stand toe-to-toe with the V8-powered car around a lap, we reckon, and perhaps even pull ahead while exiting some corners.
In the Mustang’s case, its EcoBoost engine (which is near identical to the one deployed in the Focus RS) was tuned to deliver an extra 19kW and 95Nm after the Ford Performance upgrade was applied at a cost of US$699 (AUD$919).
It’s difficult to say if the Focus RS’ gains will be as dramatic given that, in its original tune, it’s more powerful than the Mustang with the same engine. However, if Ford Performance chooses to match it to the upgraded Mustang EcoBoost, that should satisfy all but the most power-hungry owners.
Right now, though, it’s all but certain that the power upgrade pack will be available in the near term for North American owners of the Focus RS. A global rollout for the similar Mustang upgrade, though, hasn’t yet been confirmed by Ford.
That said, there’s still the warranty-secure Focus RS power upgrade pack from Mountune.
For more on Ford vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
