Top Car

January 2016|TOPCAR.CO.ZA 65A family car thatallowsanyonewithhalfwaycompetentcar controltoout-drift aBMW M2vice versa in any of the drive modes via a button located onthe end of the indi cator stalk. Again, differentiating theFocus from rivals, this is not a constantly variable system,but two indi vidual damper curves, achieved via separatepathways within each damper unit and activated by asimple soleno id valve. Johnson says he wouldn’t use Sporton the ro ad – nor the Nürburgring – that’s how muchfirmer it is. A section of Belgia n pavé at Lommel confirmsthe contrast. Brutal. But on a smooth racing circuit the extrabody control should ensu re faster lap times.Amongst all of this multi-faceted capability, does it notstill seem incongruous that a company like Ford is offeringa Drift Mode – no matter how much recruitin g themarket ing power of Ken Bl ock help s it appear down withthe scene kids? Johnson initially seems to agree: ‘It can ge tyou into a lot of trouble,’ he says , and he doesn’t just meanlegally. This, however, is morea concern ab out peoplepres uming an ar tless button pres s will tur n them into ahero when its unmitigated ab use is quite capable of seeingthe fool hardy exit stage left, in al l likelihood pursued by a(smokey) bear. So why offer it at all?``````‘Number one,’ says Gagstatter, ‘obviously it de monstrateswhat you can do with th is kind of all-wheel-drive system,that you cannot dowith other types of all-wheel drivesystem. Number two, this is a car which is also aimed toappeal to the driver en thusiast.’ Unsurpri singly, it works bymanipulating the torque distribution at the rear axle toencourage the ba ck end to step out, and both he andJohnson are at pains to underline that, as with every ot herdriving mode, the intention is a consis tency andtransparency in response that leads to a contro lled, intuitiveexperience. ‘Even if you are not a professional dr iver you willquickly be relatively fast,’ Gagstatter insists. He alsoconfirms that by default Drift Mode keeps the electronicstability control switched on – ‘It’s in Sport mode, but it isstill active. So the system still help s you if you overdo it .’Turn the ESC all the way off, though – which the RS willallow – and ‘you are on your own.’On the skid pan, the car emphasises this by vaporising itsrear tyres and performing donuts so tight it’s practicallyrotating within its own length. Our driver humbly describeshimself as the ‘average Joe’ on the development team.What a pros pect: a five-door family car that’saiming to allow anyone with halfwaycompetent car control to out-drif t a new BMWM2 while retaining enough duality to fulfil thepurpose inherent in its fundamentaldescription. It’s like a Mk1 Escort and anEscort RS Cosworth had a little bit morethan adrun ken fumble at the Christmas party, andwe’re all eagerly awaiting a result that’s eithergoing to be hugely embarrassing or on e of thebest decisions Ford has ever made. We’ll knowonce we’ve driven it in January. tcTRANSMISSIONA twin-clutch autowouldshavethree-tenths fromthe 0-100kph time, Johnsonreckons. But it would alsocost more, weigh more(28kg), andbelessfunPERFORMANCEJohnson claims none ofthe performancetargets havechanged since 2012 – andthe RSachieved all ofthem.Eventually.‘It’s not about the times,it’s aboutthe experienceofdriving thiscar.’ Still: 0-100kph in 4.7secand 265 kph flatout –in aFocus?``````EXHAUSTIt is basicallystraight-through totherearsilencer –‘It passesdrive-bynoise regulations.Just.’ An ‘injectionstrategy’ addsextrasnap, crackle andpop2016’s most wanted:FOCUS RS