US Pricing out for Focus RS
Not satisfied with producing two of the best hot hatchbacks currently for sale in the market, Ford is adding a third branch to their turbocharged family tree. Likely you’ve already heard about it: the Focus RS brings 350 horsepower and all-wheel-drive to the range, as well as lunacy like a Ken Block style “Drift Mode.” Sounds fun.
Well, the pricing is out and this is no bargain STI-beater. In the United States, the RS will start at $35,730, with navigation and 19-inch alloys pushing the price above $42,000. Canadian pricing isn’t out yet, but based on relative costs for the Mustang and our falling dollar (the RS will be built in Germany and imported from there), expect the RS to start just under $40,000 here, or perhaps only be available in that higher trim for $45,000.
That’s a lot, but considering how well VW was able to do with their similarly-priced but far less powerful Golf R, expect the ultimate Focus to be hard to get your hands on.
A new era of turbocharging at Porsche
Once upon a time, identifying a turbocharged Porsche was an easy prospect for your average bystander. Likely, it had an enormous whale-tail. It probably was getting an enormous traffic ticket. And, most importantly, it said “Turbo” on the back.
But not anymore. The Macan small SUV launched with a choice of two turbocharged V-6 engines, but only the more powerful version received the Turbo badge. “Turbo” at Porsche was now not just a descriptor of the engineering going on underhood, but a tool of the marketing team. A trim level.
When the new Boxster and Cayman hit the streets, Porsche will be turning up the boost on the entire range. According to CAR magazine in the United Kingdom, a new base 2.0-litre flat-four will be making 240 h.p., with a 2.5-litre flat-four making 300 h.p. in S trim and perhaps as high as 370 h.p. in GTS-spec.
These are figures you can get out of a Ford Escape EcoBoost, a Subaru STI, and a Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG, respectively. Fuel economy will be up. Sales will probably go up a little too. It remains the end of an era.
Nissan Juke-R 2.0 - 17 more lunatics coming
The Nissan Juke-R is one of the silliest vehicles ever created. Take the powertrain from a Nissan GT-R, take the shell of a Juke mini-crossover and mix the two together to create a pint-sized serving of insanity like a flea on methamphetamines.
It’s wonderfully off the wall, and now there’s a new one. This time, Nissan’s United Kingdom division is using the GT-R Nismo’s twin-turbo V-6, meaning it’s putting out something like 600 h.p. Good grief.
Production plans are in effect, with just 17 or fewer cars planned, at a cost which will actually likely be above that of a standard GT-R. What do you need to own one? Luck, money and a sense of humour.
Hitchbot meets his fateful end
Canada’s hitchhiking robot is deader than a Philly cheesesteak. After countless miles travelling across Canada and Europe as part of a social experiment about social media and interactions with robots, the cheery little bot was decapitated in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
Brotherly, apparently, not extending to robots.
It’s a real shame and a surprise to exactly nobody — you take your chances out on the road and the Eastern United States can get rough in its metropolises. However, it looks like Hitchbot’s research team isn’t that upset about the affair and hardly expected their robot to make it this far.
At present, fans of the little electronic hobo are outraged, so whoever performed the nefarious deed, watch out.
From the web: Pro rider Robbie Maddison goes dirtbike surfing
Your must-see video this week features professional dirt-bike rider Robbie Maddison abandoning the hills of earth for something bluer and wavey-er. Not content with getting air on the land, he’s fitted a scoop-laden tire to the back of his motocross-cycle and headed for the ocean.
There, he proceeds to take a motorcycle surfing. Honestly, don’t people have enough to do these days?
You can find the video on YouTube under the DC Shoes channel, as “Robbie Maddison’s Pipe Dream.” It’s worth it just to see the looks on the faces of surfers standing by to catch their next wave, when a motorbike goes zipping by.
