350bhp AWD 2016 Ford Focus RS caught testing at Nurburgring

It’s nice to hear that Ford isn’t hoarding power for its muscle cars like the Mustang and is willing to share the power to make a sizzling little hot hatch. The next generation Focus RS will be endowed with the Mustang’s 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that churns out 306bhp and 434Nm of peak torque. Sitting in the line-up above the already manic Focus ST, the 2016 Focus RS will require an all-wheel drive system to put all that power down.

The last generation Focus RS Mk2 (pictured here) was endowed with a turbocharged in-line five-pot motor pushing out 305bhp to the front wheels via RevoKnuckle, Ford’s torque steer control system.

Ford isn’t going to rein in the output figures on the new Focus seeing as the V8 Mustang develops over 430bhp, no overlap in terms of power figures will occour. The 2.3-litre turbocharged motor will be tweaked to produce about 350bhp, taking it into A 45 AMG territory. In addition, the Focus RS will be a low-volume, niche product that doesn’t compete with the Mustang GT, hence there’s no reason to hold back the hot hatch.

A front-wheel drive system won’t cut it with the numbers that Ford is talking about as understeer and excessive wheel-spin will probably make it a drag around corners. This is why the an all-wheel drive system makes sense. Reports suggest that the AWD system will be completely new, won’t be shared with the Fusion, Escape, or the MKZ, and will come with driving aids like torque-vectoring for all four wheels. The American car maker has confirmed that after debuting in the Focus RS, the new AWD system will trickle down to other cars in the Ford range.

Unlike the older model which was available only in Europe, the next-gen Focus RS will be sold in the U.S. and Europe and will see competition in the form of the VW Golf R/GTI, Renault Megane 250, and Seat Cupra R. The Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, BMW 135i Coupe, and Audi RS3 will also rival Ford’s hot hatch though at a higher price point.

The video below shows the 2016 Ford Focus RS caught testing at Nurburgring.