Focus RS
Can't wait for some head to head comparisons vs STI and Golf R. Its an exciting time to be a car enthusiast. Tons of good stuff coming 2016/17.
On one hand I am sad that Mitsubishi bowed out of the game. On the other, I think it opened the door for the Focus RS. Plus there are already rumors circulating about the AWD system finding its way into other models, so I bet we will see a Fiesta RS in the not too distant future.
On one hand I am sad that Mitsubishi bowed out of the game. On the other, I think it opened the door for the Focus RS. Plus there are already rumors circulating about the AWD system finding its way into other models, so I bet we will see a Fiesta RS in the not too distant future.
In the reference of a car, I would always treat "across" as a width. If you were talking about a round table, then I would treat across as the diameter. Poor word choice.
The article could have just said "It has 19 inch wheels with 235/35 Michelin Pilot Sport tires" instead of an unnecessarily verbose wording they used.
And yes, I'm an engineer and I write for a living.
The article could have just said "It has 19 inch wheels with 235/35 Michelin Pilot Sport tires" instead of an unnecessarily verbose wording they used.
And yes, I'm an engineer and I write for a living.
Kind of like a round wheel? :P
You know when I bought my 2005 Evo 8 at dealership, I intended to drive and come back the next day to the dealership for my final decision -it didn't turn out like that... I HAVE to have it NOW!! Remember that steering feel experience when you felt it for the very first time and that steering feel is still evident in 2015....well I want this to be like it. If it steers like that puss STi and has an empty soul like that Golf R...forget it! I'll be test driving one for sure.
if nothing happens with Mitsubishi in the next 3 years, i probably will be one of these either rally or street . Dont know yet. ( maybe fiesta RS AWD ... 
)
I was always a big fan of ford RS
I bet tons of Subaru guys will lighten up and by one of these. ( watch how fast the STI price will drop, that is what i am expecting)
Subaru is really crazy to keep that troubled EJ2.5l in the car so long.(well over 10 years?)
Anyway this is a car to definitely worth to look into.
Also very nice looking.
Just when Subaru finally almost catch a "break" the RS coming out. Almost feel sorry for them . LOL
)I was always a big fan of ford RS
I bet tons of Subaru guys will lighten up and by one of these. ( watch how fast the STI price will drop, that is what i am expecting)
Subaru is really crazy to keep that troubled EJ2.5l in the car so long.(well over 10 years?)
Anyway this is a car to definitely worth to look into.
Also very nice looking.
Just when Subaru finally almost catch a "break" the RS coming out. Almost feel sorry for them . LOL
Well subaru is selling WRX/STI as fast as they can make them so I don't think they are too worried. If anything, Ford entering that market segment might actually be good for them because it draws more attention to affordable AWD turbo cars in general. https://autos.yahoo.com/news/subaru-...153031655.html
Well subaru is selling WRX/STI as fast as they can make them so I don't think they are too worried. If anything, Ford entering that market segment might actually be good for them because it draws more attention to affordable AWD turbo cars in general. https://autos.yahoo.com/news/subaru-...153031655.html
I am wondering when actually WV or Hyundai etc will get in the game.
Either way i hope it will bring more attention of these cars roots (rally)
I am really hoping Ford will be very successful with the RS line.
They are already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
I'll save you the standard "omg the Golf R is over priced and too much" reply and say the RS will most likely be more, if not the same price of the Golf R.
I bought my 2013 Golf R for 4k under MSRP, as every normal person could have. It was an immense deal at that price.
I'll also save you the standard "omg this RS is going to be soooo much better" reply and say you actually have no idea if it will be at this point and also, that is not the point of my reply, which was to correct you and say, VW is already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
Last edited by razorlab; Feb 3, 2015 at 03:38 PM.
On paper, with Ken Block involved, and with as great products that Ford has put out lately, it seems like it's going to be a fast car. The optional tires will ensure it's the fastest AWD car around a track stock to ever hit the states.
That all said, it doesn't tell the whole story. In the running of all the boosted AWD cars, it's my last place choice, and here's why:
1) Direct injection and engine. Everybody talks about why the new DI motor didn't hit the STI, but I still feel it's a hindrance for turbocharger upgrades where revving the engine deeper than stock is a benefit. VW/Audi cars are the sole place you'll see a slight exception to this rule, but I think really big power DI cars haven't made themselves known yet. With a company that has aftermarket modification support like Ford, the fact a softer version of this engine/turbo are in the Mustang, I'm sure this will be the engine to shatter four cylinder DI records. I like the displacement, I don't like the 6800rpm rev ceiling it brings with it. AWD allows a lot more power potential, and big turbos attached to four cylinders need big revs.
2) Interior. I know the Evo X interior is bad. There's a lot of engineering mojo that makes up for it, though, if you lean heaviest on performance potential. The Darth Vader center stack in the Focus is awful, and for people like me who want to do custom audio/video, it's a deal breaker. The buttons are really domestic (I know that sounds petty and terrible), but at this price point, I want something nicer. The other thing that would be hard in that regard for me to look at everyday is that blue oval on the steering wheel.
3) Ford. It's an old bias against them, but a strong one. They are head and shoulders better then they've ever been, but I think the depreciation on this car will be real. I just don't like them as a brand. The two Ford vehicles I actually do like are the F150 (what a fantastic truck) and the Fiesta ST. The Fiesta is special because although it's a 1.6 with a baby snail, it's also 500 lbs lighter than the Focus ST. I liked the Fiesta so much better when Will and I were able to take one out. Would I take one over a true driver's car in that same price range like an FR-S? No way. But I appreciate it. The current gen Focus, not so much. When I got out of my last Evo and wanted to do the hot hatch thing, I kept hearing people saying Focus ST over and over. But as a driver, the GTI is infinitely nicer. If you look at the interior of a Mk 7 Golf R against that of a Focus RS, the quality in the R destroys the RS. That's a place I could drive everyday. That might sound dumb because my interior is pretty low rent, but with the Evo's swan song in full tune, I'm keeping this car to 9k-10k a year. When it's paid off, I fully intend to keep it. So I'd take the R as a daily driver all day over the RS.
4) Weight. I mentioned this before, but this is gonna be a fat car. The ST weighs as much as an Evo VIII. The RS will probably be as heavy as the Evo X. For a hatch, that's just too much. I hope they fix that.
5) Driveline. Here's the big place it could all fall apart for me. The torque vectoring in the rear sounds really cool, and has two clutches, but in effect sounds like someone is finally catching up with AYC twenty years later. But the insulting part is the front "torque vectoring" is brake biased. That sounds to me like a nice way to cover up that it has an open front differential. I sure hope that's not right. The other thing I don't like about the center diff is it says it can send "up to 70% to the rear wheels". I really don't know about that. It sounds like it's 100% FWD based like Haldex until it detects it needs to send power to the rear. Haldex is seamless, but it's not a performance AWD system. And while I'm confident that the Ford will be much more performance based than the VW, I still don't know why in the heck everyone these days is afraid to put a front limited slip in these darned cars. The new STI by all tests is the best handling yet, and there are internet admissions abound that it doesn't have the placement, body control, and handling that the 7 year old Evo does. That's stupid.
Ford is going to wow everyone with what this car can do around a track, but the one you want to see is the Pilot Super Sport tired one. That will be the ultimate telling of what this car can do on a level playing field. I do think it'll have 330ish HP to cement it's fastest AWD car out there to swell potential buyer egos. All the better to humiliate them with out on the road, I say. ;-)
At the end of the day, it's hard to make a pro-case for a Recaro-less Evo X, but if my car totaled, a 2014 with Recaros unsold would be the top of my list. I'm a fan, I can't help it. If it was my sole car, the STI would nip second. I think it's beautiful, and still handles great. I'd do reliability mods and tuning to my EJ257 to keep it running for years. The Golf R would take third as a solo car, but first as a second car. The interior and driving feel just ooze quality, and there's no better place I can think of being in a boring commute stuck on I65. It could still be a bit of fun modded, too. The EA888 is probably the best DI engine to mod with options out there that work. The base WRX would slip in fourth. It's big, it's grown up, and great looking. The factory wheels are awful, but I'd remedy that. I think of it as an old Legacy GT for us aging ricers. Wheels, tires, suspension, tune, bolt on mods, done. Last place goes to the RS. It'll be faster than all of them stock, but front to back, it's not a car I'd buy at this time. Maybe information will come out, the aftermarket will be exceptional, and the engine amazing at 550HP. That could change the order somewhat. But it's not where my heart is.
Sorry I wrote a book. Let me know what you think!
That all said, it doesn't tell the whole story. In the running of all the boosted AWD cars, it's my last place choice, and here's why:
1) Direct injection and engine. Everybody talks about why the new DI motor didn't hit the STI, but I still feel it's a hindrance for turbocharger upgrades where revving the engine deeper than stock is a benefit. VW/Audi cars are the sole place you'll see a slight exception to this rule, but I think really big power DI cars haven't made themselves known yet. With a company that has aftermarket modification support like Ford, the fact a softer version of this engine/turbo are in the Mustang, I'm sure this will be the engine to shatter four cylinder DI records. I like the displacement, I don't like the 6800rpm rev ceiling it brings with it. AWD allows a lot more power potential, and big turbos attached to four cylinders need big revs.
2) Interior. I know the Evo X interior is bad. There's a lot of engineering mojo that makes up for it, though, if you lean heaviest on performance potential. The Darth Vader center stack in the Focus is awful, and for people like me who want to do custom audio/video, it's a deal breaker. The buttons are really domestic (I know that sounds petty and terrible), but at this price point, I want something nicer. The other thing that would be hard in that regard for me to look at everyday is that blue oval on the steering wheel.
3) Ford. It's an old bias against them, but a strong one. They are head and shoulders better then they've ever been, but I think the depreciation on this car will be real. I just don't like them as a brand. The two Ford vehicles I actually do like are the F150 (what a fantastic truck) and the Fiesta ST. The Fiesta is special because although it's a 1.6 with a baby snail, it's also 500 lbs lighter than the Focus ST. I liked the Fiesta so much better when Will and I were able to take one out. Would I take one over a true driver's car in that same price range like an FR-S? No way. But I appreciate it. The current gen Focus, not so much. When I got out of my last Evo and wanted to do the hot hatch thing, I kept hearing people saying Focus ST over and over. But as a driver, the GTI is infinitely nicer. If you look at the interior of a Mk 7 Golf R against that of a Focus RS, the quality in the R destroys the RS. That's a place I could drive everyday. That might sound dumb because my interior is pretty low rent, but with the Evo's swan song in full tune, I'm keeping this car to 9k-10k a year. When it's paid off, I fully intend to keep it. So I'd take the R as a daily driver all day over the RS.
4) Weight. I mentioned this before, but this is gonna be a fat car. The ST weighs as much as an Evo VIII. The RS will probably be as heavy as the Evo X. For a hatch, that's just too much. I hope they fix that.
5) Driveline. Here's the big place it could all fall apart for me. The torque vectoring in the rear sounds really cool, and has two clutches, but in effect sounds like someone is finally catching up with AYC twenty years later. But the insulting part is the front "torque vectoring" is brake biased. That sounds to me like a nice way to cover up that it has an open front differential. I sure hope that's not right. The other thing I don't like about the center diff is it says it can send "up to 70% to the rear wheels". I really don't know about that. It sounds like it's 100% FWD based like Haldex until it detects it needs to send power to the rear. Haldex is seamless, but it's not a performance AWD system. And while I'm confident that the Ford will be much more performance based than the VW, I still don't know why in the heck everyone these days is afraid to put a front limited slip in these darned cars. The new STI by all tests is the best handling yet, and there are internet admissions abound that it doesn't have the placement, body control, and handling that the 7 year old Evo does. That's stupid.
Ford is going to wow everyone with what this car can do around a track, but the one you want to see is the Pilot Super Sport tired one. That will be the ultimate telling of what this car can do on a level playing field. I do think it'll have 330ish HP to cement it's fastest AWD car out there to swell potential buyer egos. All the better to humiliate them with out on the road, I say. ;-)
At the end of the day, it's hard to make a pro-case for a Recaro-less Evo X, but if my car totaled, a 2014 with Recaros unsold would be the top of my list. I'm a fan, I can't help it. If it was my sole car, the STI would nip second. I think it's beautiful, and still handles great. I'd do reliability mods and tuning to my EJ257 to keep it running for years. The Golf R would take third as a solo car, but first as a second car. The interior and driving feel just ooze quality, and there's no better place I can think of being in a boring commute stuck on I65. It could still be a bit of fun modded, too. The EA888 is probably the best DI engine to mod with options out there that work. The base WRX would slip in fourth. It's big, it's grown up, and great looking. The factory wheels are awful, but I'd remedy that. I think of it as an old Legacy GT for us aging ricers. Wheels, tires, suspension, tune, bolt on mods, done. Last place goes to the RS. It'll be faster than all of them stock, but front to back, it's not a car I'd buy at this time. Maybe information will come out, the aftermarket will be exceptional, and the engine amazing at 550HP. That could change the order somewhat. But it's not where my heart is.
Sorry I wrote a book. Let me know what you think!
2) Interior. I know the Evo X interior is bad. There's a lot of engineering mojo that makes up for it, though, if you lean heaviest on performance potential. The Darth Vader center stack in the Focus is awful, and for people like me who want to do custom audio/video, it's a deal breaker. The buttons are really domestic (I know that sounds petty and terrible), but at this price point, I want something nicer. The other thing that would be hard in that regard for me to look at everyday is that blue oval on the steering wheel.
3) Ford. It's an old bias against them, but a strong one. They are head and shoulders better then they've ever been, but I think the depreciation on this car will be real. I just don't like them as a brand. The two Ford vehicles I actually do like are the F150 (what a fantastic truck) and the Fiesta ST. The Fiesta is special because although it's a 1.6 with a baby snail, it's also 500 lbs lighter than the Focus ST. I liked the Fiesta so much better when Will and I were able to take one out. Would I take one over a true driver's car in that same price range like an FR-S? No way. But I appreciate it.
5) Driveline. Here's the big place it could all fall apart for me. The torque vectoring in the rear sounds really cool, and has two clutches, but in effect sounds like someone is finally catching up with AYC twenty years later. But the insulting part is the front "torque vectoring" is brake biased. That sounds to me like a nice way to cover up that it has an open front differential. I sure hope that's not right. The other thing I don't like about the center diff is it says it can send "up to 70% to the rear wheels". I really don't know about that. It sounds like it's 100% FWD based like Haldex until it detects it needs to send power to the rear. Haldex is seamless, but it's not a performance AWD system. And while I'm confident that the Ford will be much more performance based than the VW, I still don't know why in the heck everyone these days is afraid to put a front limited slip in these darned cars. The new STI by all tests is the best handling yet, and there are internet admissions abound that it doesn't have the placement, body control, and handling that the 7 year old Evo does. That's stupid.
Also another thing to remember is that the 2003-2004 Evo GSR's did not have a front LSD.
Don't discount the Ecoboosts yet. They are still fairly new and they are really cool new-age engines. They also have amazing engine control systems that are VERY much like VW in control strategies.
Last edited by razorlab; Feb 3, 2015 at 03:58 PM.
I'm assuming you meant to type VW and not WV and if so, Golf R.
They are already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
I'll save you the standard "omg the Golf R is over priced and too much" reply and say the RS will most likely be more, if not the same price of the Golf R.
I bought my 2013 Golf R for 4k under MSRP, as every normal person could have. It was an immense deal at that price.
I'll also save you the standard "omg this RS is going to be soooo much better" reply and say you actually have no idea if it will be at this point and also, that is not the point of my reply, which was to correct you and say, VW is already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
They are already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
I'll save you the standard "omg the Golf R is over priced and too much" reply and say the RS will most likely be more, if not the same price of the Golf R.
I bought my 2013 Golf R for 4k under MSRP, as every normal person could have. It was an immense deal at that price.
I'll also save you the standard "omg this RS is going to be soooo much better" reply and say you actually have no idea if it will be at this point and also, that is not the point of my reply, which was to correct you and say, VW is already in the affordable AWD turbo car game.
agree. and i was thinking not a golf rather the Polo what they running now. i am hoping that will be a production car also.
i like the R as a DD. i think its a very subtle and very balanced nice car.
Nothing carzy though.
So i think the Polo would this spice up.
The Ford RS line has a great reputations. although this will be the first AWD. I have faith in them.
we will see.
Last edited by Robevo RS; Feb 3, 2015 at 04:08 PM.
After looking at the rear diff diagram above it looks like the RS has true dual clutch pack torque vectoring in the rear (like Evo AYC and S4 Quattro).
This would make it different then the Golf R haldex as it only has a single clutch pack.
This would make it different then the Golf R haldex as it only has a single clutch pack.