The Ford Focus RS to have bespoke “stall recovery system,” 350hp confirmed ~ All About Ford Mustang

For those of us seasoned manual drivers, we’ve all been there–that embarrassingly humiliating moment of stalling a manual car, whether it’s just starting from the get-go, or just trying to traverse an incline, or spinning out after taking a curve too fast.

But Ford is claiming to have developed a unique “stall recovery system” that makes it easier to recover from such events on the 2016 Ford Focus.

Click here for more news on the Ford Focus RS.

So imagine this: you’re coming around a sharp U-bend on a racetrack of your choice, but you decide to come in a little too hot, and oversteer to the point where you spin out and end up facing in the opposite direction unintentionally, all while forgetting to hit the clutch before you come to a halt. Low and behold, you stall out.

So instead of having to disengage the clutch in order to restart the engine or even shift into neutral, a computer will actuate an electric motor to disengage the clutch for you to keep the engine running.

Speaking of which, Ford also announced the official factory power ratings for the new Focus RS and the result is 350hp and 350 lb-ft of torque from the latest 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged four-banger. And that’s quite a lot more than the original estimation of around 315hp, thanks to a whopping 23.2 psi worth of boost from the mill’s snail. Channeling that grunt to all-four wheels is the only choice of a six-speed automatic.

All we can say is, we can’t wait to drive it.

The 2016 Ford Focus RS commences production later this year.

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Oct 12, 2015 | DEARBORN, Mich.

Focus RS Engineers Drop the Hammer: Hot Hatch Buyers to Get Monstrous Output of 350 Horsepower, 350 Lb.-Ft.

Unique 2.3-liter EcoBoost^® engine powering all-new Focus RS certified at 350 horsepower at 6,000 rpm on way to 6,800-rpm redline

Exclusive Focus RS turbo makes peak boost of 23.2 psi, with peak torque certified at 350 lb.-ft. at 3,200 rpm

Innovative Focus RS feature restarts engine for drivers in the event of a stall

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 12, 2015 – The unique EcoBoost^® engine in the all-new Focus RS will produce 350 horsepower – far exceeding original estimates of 315 – along with 350 lb.-ft. torque.

And yet even with all that torque, the manual-only hot hatch will be especially forgiving in the event a driver stalls the engine, as Focus RS will debut with a trick feature called stall recovery. In other words, there will be no need for drivers to manually restart the engine or move the gear selector to neutral as the innovative technology allows the driver to simply push the clutch back in after a stall and the engine will restart.

“We knew we wanted to put start-stop technology on the RS,” explained Tyrone Johnson, engineering and vehicle manager, Ford Performance Europe. “So we said, ‘What if we went one step further, and controlled for engine stall at launch using the same technology?’ Well, that’s exactly what we did and it’s just as fast as our start-stop technology.”

The monster output the Focus RS engine achieves is due to its all-new low-inertia twin-scroll turbocharger with a larger compressor wheel that delivers more airflow and power throughout the rev range. Peak turbocharger boost is 23.2 psi.

Backing up this increased output is a large intercooler to maximize charge density. Air itself is delivered through a low-restriction intake manifold on the front end with a high-performance exhaust. The system includes an electronically controlled valve that optimizes back pressure and exhaust volume level.

Stout, high-tensile cast-iron cylinder liners are used to enhance the robustness of the engine, while a high-performance head gasket brings improved thermal capability.

Additional space created in the front of the car allowed engineers to deploy a larger radiator than what’s used on other Focus models for enhanced cooling.

Despite the engine’s high output of 152 horsepower per liter, RS engineers tuned this EcoBoost to deliver right off idle all the way on up to a free-spinning 6,800 rpm, with an especially chunky midrange power delivery.

Focus RS is the latest car to be unveiled as part of a new golden age of Ford Performance. The plan calls for bringing more than 12 high-performance vehicles to market worldwide through 2020.

Developed by a small team of Ford Performance engineers in Europe and the United States, the third-generation Focus RS follows on the heels of the much-loved models launched in 2002 and 2009. The 2016 Focus RS is the 30th car globally to wear the vaunted RS badge, joining such legendary models as the 1970 Escort RS1600, the 1984 mid-engine RS200 Group B rally car, 1985 Sierra RS Cosworth and 1992 Escort RS Cosworth.

Production of Focus RS with 2.3-liter EcoBoost begins later this year.