RE: Ford Focus RS: PH Fleet

[BlueShaun]

On a less practical note, I understand a little why Dan is tentative in places.

The Steering rack is just so fast and the car is so willing to rotate that I really have to focus on smoothness so that I don't turn the car in too hard. Sometimes I need to adjust as I've made my apex much too early and need to wind off the steering lock.

But I am learning!

The way in which it hooks into a roundabout, eggs you on to get on the power and exits with a perfect little slide never ceases to put a smile on my face.

On a different note, the only time I notice the weight is in a straight line, as it's not exactly stupid fast mid range. I can't say I've ever noticed the weight while cornering or braking, and I find that the damping is quite composed.

My best two drives so far have been from Bristol to Rhayader through the Brecons (For WRC with Pistonheads) and an amazing trip to Ireland ( best drive was From Swanlinbar to Sligo, via Dowra & Drumkeeran). It is twisty, bumpy, and wet and the RS was thoroughly composed and fluid over bumps and crests.

I can see myself keeping this car for a long time. If only Sync 2 wasn't s*** it would be perfect!

[BlueShaun]

Dan Trent said:

Will definitely try dropping the pressures a bit too and see how that works.

Dan

A review of pressure Gauges of would be really useful PH contents, if a little dry.

I have 3 Gauges, and they differ from the Shell garage, BP and the Tesco Garage.
The 3 garages near have a range of 6PSI!

[Dan Trent]

I need to get one for my mountain bike since switching to tubeless anyway; that seems very sensitive to tyre pressure and a similar level of consistency for playing with pressures on the Focus would be handy. Am thinking a little digital one rather than a massive pit garage style dial though!

We'll see about trying a few out...

Dan

[Motormatt]

Dan Trent said:

I need to get one for my mountain bike since switching to tubeless anyway; that seems very sensitive to tyre pressure and a similar level of consistency for playing with pressures on the Focus would be handy. Am thinking a little digital one rather than a massive pit garage style dial though!

We'll see about trying a few out...

Dan

Dan, try the Topeak Smartguage D2, I bought it for my mountain bikes but also use it on the cars, brilliant gadget.

[RocketRS]

SidewaysSi said:

Sounds like a bit of a crap car to me. If I was in the market, I think the Civic or Megane would be far higher up the list.

I always thought the FRS was lacking TBH.

The RS will eat the Type R and the Megane for lunch. Throw in some nasty weather or some gravel and both would be embarrassed. If you want a light, precise, tossable "fun" car for that perfect sunny weekend at the track; by all means, you've got a couple of great candidates. But the RS is simply a far more capable car.

[RocketRS]

yonex said:

RocketRS said:

he could be hooning the RS on a rally track and telling his readers what an absolute blast it is. I just don't get it.

And how many modern hot hatches would ever get taken on a 'rally track'. Surely the whole point is making a fun road car?

Maybe you don't know the history behind the RS badge. It stands for Rally Sport. It was the essential mandate and impetus for the team of engineers who developed the car. It's also the raison d'etre for Matt's beloved STi.

And in case you don't understand what a "rally track" is, here's the definition from Rally
America: "Gravel logging roads, mountain passes, well groomed forest roads - these are what make up the tracks for rally drivers." It's where we RS owners go to have the kind of fun you can't get from a Civic.

[Loyly]

RocketRS said:

It's where we RS owners go to have the kind of fun you can't get from a Civic.

What a load of rubbish. A vanishingly small number of Ford RS cars will ever end up on a 'rally track' or anything resembling anything other than a tarmac rally stage. Can you imagine the look on the Ford dealer's face when it goes back after three years with every panel shotblasted by gravel and grit?

The RS cars are road cars these days. They're a lightyear away from anything that would really be used for rallying, even the Ford motorsports cars that you could buy and prep to rally yourself, if you wanted to.

The argument that the Focus RS trumps the competition that have it beat on the road because it can be used on a 'rally track' is just nonsense, and I say that as a big Ford fan.

[RocketRS]

Loyly said:

RocketRS said:

It's where we RS owners go to have the kind of fun you can't get from a Civic.

What a load of rubbish. A vanishingly small number of Ford RS cars will ever end up on a 'rally track' or anything resembling anything other than a tarmac rally stage. Can you imagine the look on the Ford dealer's face when it goes back after three years with every panel shotblasted by gravel and grit?

The RS cars are road cars these days. They're a lightyear away from anything that would really be used for rallying, even the Ford motorsports cars that you could buy and prep to rally yourself, if you wanted to.

The argument that the Focus RS trumps the competition that have it beat on the road because it can be used on a 'rally track' is just nonsense, and I say that as a big Ford fan.

How a "big Ford fan" such as yourself could not know of the RS's heritage, and how that influenced the new RS's engineering is beyond me. Almost as much as your lack of understanding of what we RS owners do for fun. The RS does trump the competition. And it does so precisely because it lives up to its design inspiration. Take a look at your Civic R here:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/12/09/video-bmw-m140i-...

That's the difference Rally inspired engineering can make. If you think that RS badge is just marketing....you need to take one for a drive.

[Loyly]

RocketRS said:

How a "big Ford fan" such as yourself could not know of the RS's heritage, and how that influenced the new RS's engineering is beyond me. Almost as much as your lack of understanding of what we RS owners do for fun. The RS does trump the competition. And it does so precisely because it lives up to its design inspiration. Take a look at your Civic R here:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/12/09/video-bmw-m140i-...

That's the difference Rally inspired engineering can make. If you think that RS badge is just marketing....you need to take one for a drive.

The RS badge is just marketing these days. They could change the moniker to 'Road Sport' and the cars wouldn't change a bit. I remain unconvinced that owners typically take them rallying. If 1 in every hundred cars was used in such a fashion I'd be extremely surprised.

So how did the RS badge heritage influence the new Focus RS' engineering? It doesn't use the same engine as the WRC car. It doesn't use the same drivetrain. It doesn't use the same suspension. It's not even the same model. Even the fact that it has AWD doesn't convince me as it's not the same permanent AWD system used in the Fiesta WRC. So what has influenced the engineering in the new Focus RS? I'd say it's less to do with the heritage of similar cars in RS history like the Escort Cosworth and the Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4, and more to do with contemporary stuff like the Golf R and the Audi S3. I bet cars like that were mentioned in every board meeting from concept to production for the new Focus RS and I doubt Ford gave a second thought to it's heritage in producing the new RS. That is just marketing fluff they add later for fan service.

Anyway, going further back down the line, the Focus RS mk2 was a fine car, but what did that have to do with the mk2 Focus WRC, a 2.0 four cylinder permanent AWD competition car, other than the styling...?

It's no slight to the cars themselves to say that they're developed to be usable everyday roadgoing cars. By the same tack, Audi's RS models often have fk all to do with racing.

[FocusRS3]

Loyly said:

RocketRS said:

How a "big Ford fan" such as yourself could not know of the RS's heritage, and how that influenced the new RS's engineering is beyond me. Almost as much as your lack of understanding of what we RS owners do for fun. The RS does trump the competition. And it does so precisely because it lives up to its design inspiration. Take a look at your Civic R here:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/12/09/video-bmw-m140i-...

That's the difference Rally inspired engineering can make. If you think that RS badge is just marketing....you need to take one for a drive.

The RS badge is just marketing these days. They could change the moniker to 'Road Sport' and the cars wouldn't change a bit. I remain unconvinced that owners typically take them rallying. If 1 in every hundred cars was used in such a fashion I'd be extremely surprised.

So how did the RS badge heritage influence the new Focus RS' engineering? It doesn't use the same engine as the WRC car. It doesn't use the same drivetrain. It doesn't use the same suspension. It's not even the same model. Even the fact that it has AWD doesn't convince me as it's not the same permanent AWD system used in the Fiesta WRC. So what has influenced the engineering in the new Focus RS? I'd say it's less to do with the heritage of similar cars in RS history like the Escort Cosworth and the Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4, and more to do with contemporary stuff like the Golf R and the Audi S3. I bet cars like that were mentioned in every board meeting from concept to production for the new Focus RS and I doubt Ford gave a second thought to it's heritage in producing the new RS. That is just marketing fluff they add later for fan service.

Anyway, going further back down the line, the Focus RS mk2 was a fine car, but what did that have to do with the mk2 Focus WRC, a 2.0 four cylinder permanent AWD competition car, other than the styling...?

It's no slight to the cars themselves to say that they're developed to be usable everyday roadgoing cars. By the same tack, Audi's RS models often have fk all to do with racing.

Nice Vid Tks for sharing .

Wasn't really a surprise that in the wet the RS came out tops.
For me the CTR is too OTT styling wise and they do depreciate badly.
The 140's engine is the best there I think but it's desperate for a LSD which can be specced but at 2k it's a p1ss take .

Tough call on these cars, think maybe auto box 140 5 door for family car and an RS for pure 'man fun'

[SidewaysSi]

RocketRS said:

SidewaysSi said:

Sounds like a bit of a crap car to me. If I was in the market, I think the Civic or Megane would be far higher up the list.

I always thought the FRS was lacking TBH.

The RS will eat the Type R and the Megane for lunch. Throw in some nasty weather or some gravel and both would be embarrassed. If you want a light, precise, tossable "fun" car for that perfect sunny weekend at the track; by all means, you've got a couple of great candidates. But the RS is simply a far more capable car.

Sorry, that is absolute crap. How will it eat them alive exactly? I don't go looking for rally stages and I bet very few owners do. But of course I am not a Ford RS person (thank god reading some of the posts on here).

So the Meg and R are for sunny track days? Really? I have a Caterham and Elise and guess what, I use them on road. Yes, the road. Shocking. And believe me, they would eat the Ford alive. Except when I want to go shopping of course.

How on earth did we ever get around before fat, heavy, overly complex AWD cars that do everything for you eh?

Edited by SidewaysSi on Saturday 10th December 10:04

Edited by SidewaysSi on Saturday 10th December 10:05

[323ti]

Shortly after a much debated AMG GT-R 7.11 Ring-lap by sportAuto's Christian Gebhardt (who can certainly drive very fast indeed) here is already the next Supertest contestant. The Focus RS.
Christian is as quick as ever, but the car itself comes nowhere near 8 minutes, in no small part probably because the RS - like the previous edition - comes nowhere near the claimed power output. On the pretty accurate rollers that the very German sportAuto uses it couldn't get past 326hp, or 321bhp for you English types.
No mention of the tyres used, but sA nearly always uses the ultimate performance kit for any car so I'd venture a guess that they are the same Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2's as on the AMG and the F488.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpAwycn03JE

[Ahbefive]

People seem to hate this car. Generally those people that have never driven one.

It's being scored at 5/10 here because some people must be giving a score of 2 or lower (anti RS for the sake of it brigade). It's given 5/5 in every magazine review.

The anti-RS sentiment is laughable as this is an absolutely great car and is absolutely a gamechanger that (mark my words) other companies will be following in regards to its awd system.

The RS is being slated in this forum just for the sake of it or loving a competitor more which is sad because this car has traits that others currently only dream of (not for long as it will be copied by other manufacturers as it is genuinely so good).

Anyway, I have an Impreza and an RS, the RS is just so much more pointy it may feel unnerving at first as its hard to believe that the nose cab bite and tuck in so sharply and power the rear end round which does seem surreal after driving an impreza. The impreza would generally do a little understeer if going fast into a corner and then balance out with a lift of the throttle which inspires confidence as its very easy to know where you are. The RS should however be applauded for tackling a corner in so much a more sophisticated way and in such a direct manner.

The PH reviews seem to be very careful to never praise this car even though the magazines all did which does seem odd

Also we never seemed to get that wet weather comparison with its fwd competitors. Wouldn't want to see them trounced so only do those tests in the summer eh?

Great car that is just so hated and I am really struggling to find downsides other than a pretty crap soundsystem.

Yes fanboy alert but then anyone that drives this for more than 100 miles should also be a fanboy. It really is that good. I find it much more entertaining than just about any car I have driven including an Exige S at Silverstone (very different car I know but the RS is do much more playful). For an AWD car this is the most RWD feeling car I have ever driven.

[anonymous-user]

RocketRS said:

Maybe you don't know the history behind the RS badge. It stands for Rally Sport. It was the essential mandate and impetus for the team of engineers who developed the car. It's also the raison d'etre for Matt's beloved STi.

And in case you don't understand what a "rally track" is, here's the definition from Rally
America: "Gravel logging roads, mountain passes, well groomed forest roads - these are what make up the tracks for rally drivers." It's where we RS owners go to have the kind of fun you can't get from a Civic.

Stop talking such nonsense. Most, if not all of these über hatches are road cars, the closest they will get to kielder is the pub car park with some tricky gravel. Also, as with all excitable fan boys you seem to believe everyone is picking on your chosen car, I have already said that IMO the modern crop are all pointless on the public roads. As for track days you'd be better off in a 150HP Caterham. In case you don't understand, this is the UK, not Colardo.

Enjoy those forest roads.

[PorkRind]

Dan Trent said:

Careful what you wish for - it is properly geeky stuff but if you're into that kind of thing hopefully interesting. I found it so.

Watch this space!

Dan

Have you ever owned or drive a EVO with the AYC, if so how would you compare how the RS feels to it. I sort of saw the RS as the modern day evo with a very similar rear diff setup, but think the weight of the rs and size might not give it the placability on the road, nor the composure over the rougher tarmac.. It'd be an interesting and useful comparison .

[Patrick Bateman]

Given what's made of the latest, best Megane offerings, I can't see one being 'embarrassed' just because of some inclement weather.

[Mastodon2]

As owners seem so keen to point out the Focus RS's ability on gravel, perhaps one of their vocal zealots would take their car through some of the Kielder forest tracKs? Let me know how that £745 option paintwork looks when you're done. That's if you don't buckle a wheel and get stuck.

[SidewaysSi]

The RS is no rally car. How anyone thinks that is beyond me. Hardly a homologation special is it?

[jonm01]

Mastodon2 said:

As owners seem so keen to point out the Focus RS's ability on gravel, perhaps one of their vocal zealots would take their car through some of the Kielder forest tracKs? Let me know how that £745 option paintwork looks when you're done. That's if you don't buckle a wheel and get stuck.

No problem. Never heard of PPF film?

[SidewaysSi]

jonm01 said:

Mastodon2 said:

As owners seem so keen to point out the Focus RS's ability on gravel, perhaps one of their vocal zealots would take their car through some of the Kielder forest tracKs? Let me know how that £745 option paintwork looks when you're done. That's if you don't buckle a wheel and get stuck.

No problem. Never heard of PPF film?

Absolutely, what are you thinking? A bit of PPF and the car will survive the Monte. Probably win as well... Then p/x it back to the dealer with one careful owner. No one will know the difference. Like new I tell you.