Ford Focus RS 2016 price, specs, release date & pre-order: 5 significant upgrades to watch out for

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The upcoming model of the 2016 Ford Focus RS has been gaining considerable attention from car buyers even before prices and specifications were revealed at the Frankfurt motor show back in September. In the U.K. alone, around 500 pre-orders from a total of 1,500 were made before the announcement.

In line with the company's global strategy for their Ford Focus range, the 2016 model will only be available as a five-door model, wrote Autocar.co.uk. Check out these five significant upgrades the soon-to-be owners of Focus RS will get;

1. For starters, Ford will be bringing in their fastest Focus to date with the launch of the Ford Focus RS 2016, says Motor Authority. It will be powered by a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder that is expected to deliver an impressive 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. The engine of the Focus RS can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds, according to Ford.

2. All those power will be available through a six-speed manual transmission to all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system that can send 100 percent of the power to the front or rear axle. The switch from a front-wheel drive to an all-wheel drive is one of the biggest upgrades made on the Focus RS, which also happens to be the first RS-badged family hatchback to drive all four wheels since the Escort Cosworth.

3. In order to complement the strong performance of the Ford RS, there was an upgrade in the body which was strengthened considering the extra stress that would be put on the rear end. The engineering team of Ford incorporated a "lion's foot" rear cross member, structural foam in the chassis rails, and an additional brace at each rear wheel. The upgrade gives the new Focus added torsional strength by about 23 percent over the base car and nine percent over the ST.

4. The new car will also feature a 'drift mode' that would allow for controlled slides in some situations. "Crucially, the technology doesn't detract from the driver experience. This is a car you can have fun in and drift in a totally controlled way, or which you can go out and set a fast lap time in," said Raj Nair, Ford's global product development boss and chief technical officer.

5. When it comes to the interior, several upgrades can also be expected including Recaro sports seats, a flat-bottomed, leather-clad steering wheel and alloy pedals. The dashboard, which features a standard 8.0-inch color touchscreen and Ford's Sync2 connectivity system, was also designed to be simpler than standard cars.