Ford Australia has announced local pricing for the forthcoming Focus RS and it’s good news for enthusiasts, with the 257kW/440Nm all-wheel drive hatch starting at just $50,990.

This puts it in the same ballpark as front-drive rivals like the Renault Sport Megane RS275 Premium ($52,990) and Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance ($46,490), as well as all-paw rivals like the Volkswagen Golf R ($52,740) and Subaru WRX STI ($49,490).

The new Focus RS is also significantly cheaper than the previous front-drive model, which arrived locally in limited numbers wearing a $59,990 price tag.

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The only options will be prestige paint at $450 and $2500 for the Performance Wheel Pack, which replaces the regular 19-inch alloy wheels with lightweight forged units wrapped in 235/35 R19 Michelin Sport Cup 2 rubber, the same tyres you’ll find on the Porsche 911 GT3.

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Otherwise, the Focus RS comes very well equipped, with bi-xenon headlights, Recaro sports seats, a nine-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control and 8.0-inch colour infotainment screen.

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Now all that’s left is to drive it and see if the experience behind the wheel lives up to the tantalising on-paper specification. You’ll know as soon as we do.