The new Ford Focus RS, featuring a mechanical limited-slip differential (LSD), is now available to order in the UK with prices starting from £35,795 (Rs 31.19 lakhs). Thanks to the LSD, Ford claims that the RS now offers even more traction and a better handling than before.
The mechanical LSD has been fitted on the front axle. What it does is that it limits the engine torque delivered to a wheel that has reduced traction on the road surface, and redistributes torque to the wheel with more traction to counteract the wheel spin that can hamper acceleration. By controlling the torque delivered to each front wheel, the LSD allows drivers to exploit the 2.3-litre EcoBoost motor which makes an astounding 350bhp of power and loads of torque thanks to turbocharging.
The Focus RS gets a clever all-wheel drive system that can send a maximum of 70 per cent of the torque to the rear axle depending on the conditions. It also comes with torque vectoring which uses electronically-controlled clutch packs on the rear axle to send up to 100 per cent of the available torque to either of the rear wheels, and can switch drive from one side to the other in as little as 0.06sec.
Being an extreme hot hatch, the Ford Focus RS competes against similarly natured cars like the Mercedes A45 AMG and the Honda Civic Type R.
