Priced like a Mustang, but for a totally different performance crowd

Ford has stoked the fires with its modest little Focus and the result is rolling thunder on four wheels.

The RS is available in limited quantities ( most are spoken for) for 2016, with more to come near the end of the year as 2017 models. The Germany- built hatchback is antidote for buyers who could afford a loaded mid-$ 30,000 Mustang GT coupe, but their tastes skew toward a smaller, Euro- style performance package for about the same money.

It’s not that Ford hasn’t travelled down the hot- hatch road before in North America. Both the 252- horsepower Focus ST and smaller Fiesta ST with 197 horses on tap can totally run circles around their much tamer S, SE and Titanium counterparts, They also sell for up to $ 15,000 less than the RS.

Admittedly, though, that’s like comparing apples to watermelons. The RS is like nothing Ford has ever built before. The car’s unique nose with oversized air intakes, aero side cladding and prominent rear wing give it a meaner, competition- like appearance. Factor in the special sport exhaust system, Brembo- brand front brake calipers and blacked- out 19- inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sports rubber and the RS is prepped and ready for street or track duty.

The cabin also exudes a sporty vibe, especially the standard Recaro-brand racing-style front seats that might not be to everyone’s liking and a flat-bottom steering wheel that makes entering and exiting easier. You also get actual oil-pressure, oil-temperature and turbo boost gauges that let you know what’s happening under the hood.

So far so good, but it gets better. Nestled between the front fenders is a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. That output is greater than that of the Subaru WRX STI with 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet or the Volkswagen Golf R’s 292/280 numbers. You’ll need to feed the engine with 93-octane gas to fully unleash all of the RS’s power.

All three cars come with standard all-wheel-drive, but the RS includes torque vectoring. It can direct up to 100 percent of the available torque to the rear axle and all of the torque to the outside rear wheel when the RS is clawing its way through the turns.

Fuel economy is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway and 22 combined.

If you’re one of those unfortunates who never learned to drive using three pedals, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The RS has a six-speed manual transmission. There is no automatic option.

Another RS specialty is a drive selector that lets you pick from Normal, Sport, Track and Drift modes. The latter two stiffen the shocks to an extra

firm setting and open up both left- and right-side exhaust pipes, while Drift mode, which comes with a warning not to get crazy with it on public roads, lets you hang out the tail in a semicontrolled manner. Ford enlisted the services of Rallycross superstar Ken Block in the system’s development.

Last, but definitely not least, launch control delivers maximum traction when the driver drops the hammer from a dead stop. When engaged, you shift into first gear, push all the way down on the accelerator and then drop clutch. The result is a zero-to-60-mph time of well under five seconds.

At a base price of $37,000 with destination fees, the RS arrives as a fairly complete transportation module, including 10-speaker Sony audio and Ford’s Sync 3 audio and communications system. On the luxury side there’s a power moonroof and voice-activated navigation. Uppgraded seat coverings can be ordered as can specialMichelin Pilot track tires mounted on forged aluminum wheels.

In terms of price or content, the Focus RS isn’t your typical compact commuter, but if spirited drives and winding roads turn you on, you might have met your match.