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According to officials from Ford, the new all-wheel drive Focus RS is set to have a 'drift mode'. Yes, you saw that correctly, it has a button that allows you to 'make controlled oversteer manoeuvres' and is one of the three driver modes available, including 'Track' and 'Normal'. Not much else was revealed at Geneva Motor Show where the Focus RS made its global debut, other than it making ' well in excess of 315bhp', which is surprisingly close to the new Honda Civic Type R's 306bhp.

The Ford Focus RS is one mean performance machine. In standard form, the car delivers 300bhp with 440Nm of torque and it can complete the century sprint in less than six seconds. For those who crave for more power, they can opt for the Ford Focus RS500. Its power has been upgraded to 345bhp with a torque of 460Nm and with a 0-100km/h timing of 5.6 seconds. Now it seems that the next standard Ford Focus RS will be even more powerful than the previous model's top grade sub-model. It is reported that the new model will get 350bhp, a whopping 50bhp from the previous generation model. Earlier reported this year, the car was said to get around 320bhp but the automaker has managed to churn out a little more. All that power will come from Ford

[extract] Ford has begun selling its new Focus model and it is expected that there will be a performance orientated model just like its predecessors. The car

Stoffler is a German tuning house that likes doing up fast Fords. It recently came up with a performance package for the Ford Focus RS. If you readers out there aren't too sure what the current generation of Focus RS is, it is basically a Focus with a 2.5liter 5 cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 300bhp. The intriguing thing about the RS is that Ford did not consider making the car all-wheel drive. Instead it is front wheel driven and through some wizard-like chassis tuning, it does not torque steer and wheelspin its way off the road like most front wheel drives over 200bhp. It does suffer from it slightly, but nothing so irritating until the car becomes hard to drive it. This is because suspension technology has moved on and now, Ford has made a 345bhp version called the RS500 but if this isn't enough, Stofler's RS makes 356bhp, up 10bhp from the Ford factory special. Torque is up from 440Nm to a rocking 525Nm. All through the front wheels. Aside from the power, the Stoffler RS may see the return of massive torque steer. But tuners being tuners, petty things like this does not stop them from adding more power. And the power is achieved from ECU tuning, a different intercooler, high flow fuel pump, a custom downpipe and air intake. It comes at a price of 2900Euros and if you're in Germany the upgrade comes with a German MOT certificate for the tuned parts. There are also three different exhaust systems. One comes with a bypass valve so that the driver can control the loudness when passing through built up areas and come as noisy as a boy racer wants his Ford Focus to be. The one with the bypass valve costs 2300Euro, a CSC branded system for 1280Euro and a Miltek version for 990Euro. There is also a sports catalytic converter to release some more horses and some GGR (Graham Goode Racing) sports air filter or a carbon air filter box too. What can be added here is that Stoffler is still using the same turbo but a modified intercooler. According to road tests, the standard Focus RS has one of those new generation turbocharged engines that is basically lag free, coupled with a balanced (for a front wheel drive) chassis and a very tactile interior so that driver interaction is an experience to remember. Would the larger intercooler and higher boost add some lag? Would the immense torque rip to shreds the tires and cause lots of torque steer and spoil the driving experience? We have to wait and see as sometimes, especially in front wheel drives, less is more. Maybe for a long while as Ford RS models aren't that common in this region.