The world just loves themselves some fast Fords, it’s a near-as fact at this point as the motorsport-honed powertrain and chassis know-how make their way into their more mainstream showroom models and reach full fruition on the street as an RS model.
Escort RS, Focus RS,…even RS200. But now Ford Performance, the brand’s now-united go-fast division, may be contemplating a sports SUV that also bears the coveted RS emblem. In speaking with Dave Pericak, director of Ford Performance, CarDealer revealed he had some encouraging things to say about a possible move into the lucrative corner of the market.
Pericak says: “…we’ve seen, even in the US and globally, that people like aggressive-looking cars, they like sporty, they want the power and pick-up and engine improvement, so I think the answer is yes. SUV customers would appreciate performance, for sure.”
Of course, making a high-riding version of a Focus RS, say, isn’t the answer to an advantageous approach for the blue oval. Rather, much care needs to be taken to properly translate high-performance into these kinds of vehicles, capitalising and jettisoning a different set of strengths and weaknesses.
Pericak seems be on this exact wavelength: “I think customers love performance. I think the definition of what that means for an SUV might be different than what it means for a Focus or for a Fiesta.”
The closest thing we have right now to a high performance Ford SUV or off-roader would be the Kuga ST-Line (for looks) as well as the Ford F-150 Raptor with its 335kW/690Nm 3.5-litre bi-turbo V6.
The arrival of the sports SUV have either transformed or great contributed to the fortunes of some major automaker such as Porsche and Audi, and now even Alfa Romeo and Jaguar has started to wade into these waters with the new Stelvio and F-Pace, respectively.
Potential candidates for Ford’s first RS-ified SUV? There’s the new-ish Escape, the incoming Edge, or perhaps even more tempting: a Bronco RS that inherits the Focus’ brilliant drift mode.
For more on Ford vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
