Ford's RS brand has a heritage that leads us to expect excellence and the Focus RS has pulled out all the stops not to disappoint. With a completely revised front suspension system designed to manage the stresses of channelling 296bhp through the front wheels, sharpened steering, up-rated brakes and super-aggressive styling, it's a car that transcends the hot hatch genre and goes after some big name performance models.

As performance brands go, Ford's RS belongs very much in the premier league. With a heritage stretching back to 1970, the RS badge is held in reserve and only applied to the most focused high-performance machinery to emerge from the Blue Oval's production lines. RS iterations of the Escort, Capri and Sierra all hold a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts and in recent times it's been the Focus RS that's carried the torch with no little distinction. The latest Focus RS is the 21st RS-badged model to take its place on Ford's roll of honour and if past form is any indication, we can expect a thoroughly well-sorted performance hatchback.

There are a select group of badges that when spotted on the tailgate of an otherwise everyday car, really guarantee that it harbours serious sporting ambitions. BMW's M Sport would get the nod as would Audi's RS. Then there's Subaru's STi and Mitsubishi's Evolution. Honda's Type-R demands respect while Renault's Renaultsport and Vauxhall's VXR are promising newcomers in this company but despite some genuine highlights down the years, both Peugeot and Volkswagen have conspired to devalue their GTi monikers with some questionable past efforts. Ford's RS stands comparison with the very best here and serves to guarantee that in gaining Rallye Sport status, a conventional Ford model has undergone an extensive package of modifications.

So to the nitty-gritty. The Focus RS guarantees its entry into the exclusive VIP area of the hot hatchback market sector with a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine achieving 296bhp. Torque is rated at a massive 410Nm and it all helps the Focus RS launch itself through 62mph in less than six seconds. Such capabilities see the RS transcend the conventional hot hatchback market where Ford's Focus ST is already one of the finest exponents and match it up against the likes of Subaru's Impreza STi and Mitsubishi's Lancer Evo X. These four-wheel-drive rally-replica models are ambitious targets for a front-wheel-drive Focus but Ford is confident and certainly doesn't award its cars RS status lightly.

"The car pushes Ford into an area of the performance car market where front-wheel-drive models rarely tread."

Ford's secret weapon in the battle the Focus RS faces against its four-wheel-drive rivals is the RevoKnuckle - an advanced front suspension system developed uniquely for the Focus RS which aims to deal a knockout blow to assumptions that nearly 300bhp in a front-wheel-drive car is too much. It's true that asking a car's front wheels to deploy that much power while also taking care of steering duties can lead to serious handling compromises. You'd expect torque steer to occur under hard acceleration, while cornering or on uneven surfaces and to manifest itself as a sharp tugging on the steering wheel as the car's front wheels battle for purchase. Ford's solution is the RevoKnuckle suspension which works in tandem with the Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip differential to reduce torque steer and generally minimise the negative effects that the driven front wheels have on the steering. The solution enables the RS to deploy its power while retaining its poise and controllability. It also negates the need for an all-wheel-drive transmission, saving significant amounts of weight in the process.

RS Fords have never been shrinking violets from a styling perspective. Fierce bodykits and super-sized rear wings big enough to hold a board meeting around have long been the order of the day where these fastest of Fords are concerned. The Focus RS continues that theme in its own muscle-bound style, confirming beyond doubt that this is not your normal Ford Focus. The front end is dominated by the huge angry intake carved into the valance.This, the grille and the slits below the headlamps are all filled with black honeycombed mesh. The bonnet features louvered air intakes, there are more honeycomb vents behind the front wheelaches and the back sports a roof-mounted spoiler with a diffuser under the car from which the chrome exhausts pipes sprout. The car's planted stance is achieved through its low skirts and a track that's 40mm wider than a standard Focus.

Of course, beneath the surface, the changes to the Focus RS are even more far reaching. The springs and dampers have been completely revised and a more substantial anti-roll bar is fitted. The braking system features 336mm front discs and 300mm items at the rear to bring all that power under control. Inside, the driver and front passenger are clamped into extreme-looking Recaro sports seats while the RS badging crops up on every available surface including the specially-designed three-spoke steering wheel. The whole cabin is highlighted in brushed aluminium and carbon fibre-effect finishes while three additional gauges from the ST model, including one for turbo pressure, sit atop the dash.

Saving weight has been a central focus of the Focus RS and Ford aren't about to ruin all their hard work by offering a vast array of hefty optional extras. The car will be offered as a three-door only and equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox. The exclusive 19" alloy wheels are standard fit and all models get an ESP stability control system that has been configured especially for the car. The system can be disengaged completely by drivers wanting to fully explore the handling of the RS but while activated, it still allows a large degree of slippage before intervening and that should be more than enough for most drivers away from the race track.

You don't buy a car like the Focus RS and expect to get away lightly in terms of running costs. Drive the car as Ford's RS engineers intended and both fuel economy and emissions will be subjects that you'll be keen to avoid while regaling friends about the car's awesome capabilities. Insurance too is unlikely to be a picnic but you have to put things in context of 300bhp performance hatchbacks and in this company the lightweight Focus RS won't be the biggest drain on its owner's resources.

Ford has jealously guarded its RS performance brand down the years, to the point where the public knows that any car bearing the famous moniker is going to be supremely capable. The Focus RS is unquestionably pushing the limits of just how much power it's possible to put in a front wheel drive car but far from simply banging in a massively powerful engine and hoping for the best, Ford has comprehensively revised the front suspension to cope. The 296bhp Focus RS looks a thoroughly engineered product but we never really expected anything less.

The Focus RS is a giant leap away from the 1.6-litre shopping hatches at the opposite end of the Focus range. Designed to sate the enthusiast who deems mere hot hatchbacks to be too slow, the car pushes Ford into an area of the performance car market where front-wheel-drive models rarely tread. Of course, if the Focus RS can do what it says on the tin, it's going to look like a huge bargain in that esteemed company and some big fast car brands are going to have some serious thinking to do.