The RS badge might be coming to a Ford crossover near you
People like performance. People really like crossovers. We should have seen this coming.
It's unlikely that the Focus RS would be the only Ford to grace the road wearing an RS badge, but would you believe that one may end up on a crossover?
Ford might be working on RS variants of its crossover lineup, Car Dealer Magazine reports, citing a conversation with Ford performance boffin Dave Pericak. Pericak referred to the idea of an RS crossover as "an opportunity" that could benefit both the automaker and the consumer.
"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," Pericak told Car Dealer Magazine. "[T]hey 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."
Just imagine this, but with an Escape.
Car Dealer Magazine believes the most likely crossover to receive the RS badge is the Kuga, which is known in the US as the Escape, as "its underpinnings [are] especially capable of a performance upgrade." Other vehicles in the running include both the Edge and EcoSport, the latter of which is soon to go on sale in the US.
Pericak told the magazine that he doesn't believe that many automakers have really nailed the idea of a performance crossover. Sure, you've got some high-horsepower models like Mercedes-AMG's lineup and Audi's SQ vehicles, but Pericak says that are "no real credible [performance SUVs]."
Considering both of those performance crossover lineups are actually pretty fun to drive, any sort of RS-branded crossover will have to possess something that the others don't. That might mean additional track capabilities, but it's anybody's guess.
Right now, the only Ford bearing an RS badge is the Focus RS. It's a beast of an economy hatchback, boasting a 350-horsepower turbocharged I4 engine and all-wheel drive. We tested one against the M2, one of our favorite new BMWs, which shows you just how high the Focus is swinging. Any car to earn this badge would really have to earn it.
