Not Fussed By The New AWD Ford Focus RS? Get A Load Of The Five-Pot Mk2 Version

Make no mistake, we cannot wait to get behind the wheel of the new four-wheel drive Ford Focus RS. However, we do have a few misgivings about the new ultra-hot Focus. There’s no sporty-looking three-door option for a start (the Focus hatch range has been five-door only since the beginning of the third generation), the fanstastic ‘Ultimate Green’ finish of the last Focus RS isn’t making a comeback, and as we heard from the video of Ken Block hooning the new car about, the exhaust is a bit, well, flatulent-sounding. However, if any of these things are a deal-breaker, Mk2 versions of the car are relatively plentiful on the used market.

They’re all three-door cars, many are wearing the aforementioned Ultimate Green paint, and with a glorious 2.5-litre five-pot under the bonnet, they sound superb. That five-pot is good for 301bhp and a thumping-great 324lb ft of torque, which will get you from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds. There’s no 155mph electronically limited top speed malarky, either. This’ll do 163.

Unlike on the new RS, all that power goes through the front wheels, so to keep it in check, the Mk2 employs a Quaife limited-slip differential and a thing called ‘RevoKnuckle’. The latter is one of Ford’s own systems, comprising of a specially-designed MacPherson strut which is intended to separate steering and suspension movements, quelling the rampant torque steer associated with high-power front-wheel drive cars.

So, it’s bright green, it’s flipping quick and has some clever stuff at the front to get that boisterous five-pot thrust successfully onto the tarmac. Sound tempting? You’ll need about £20,000 or more to bag yourself a good one. This example looks to be in good condition. It’s done 40,000 miles, and is up for £18,988.