Saturday 15th October 2016

Ford Focus RS: PH Fleet

The hot hatch of the moment joins us for three months - can it justify the hype?

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So where exactly do we start with a long-term Ford Focus RS? It was perhaps the most fervently anticipated car of 2016, with seemingly every petrolhead clamouring to get the hot hatch that would redefine the segment. Countless words were dedicated to the Drift Mode (best mention that early), the pre-orders flooded in and titles were seemingly bestowed upon it before a wheel was turned.

That desire shows little sign of abating either. Our Focus RS test against the Civic drew more than 1,000 comments, that following the very popular first drive. Why? Because everyone loves a fast Ford, don't they? And if they don't, they probably love commenting on them. It's just that sort of car. With so much to discuss and with so much left to explore after fleeting first tastes, we were (figuratively, but close to literally) banging down Ford's door for more time in one.

And here we are! EK16 LNP has very recently joined the PH Fleet after a prolonged stint on the Ford press garage for the UK launch. Therefore while we have only covered a couple of hundred miles, the Focus arrived with us having already clocked up nearly 11,000 in the hands of our fellow hacks and roadtesters. We're guessing the cobwebs will have been blown out then...

Moreover, while the RS was introduced as a sub-£30K car, this Focus is not that. Not only has the list price crept up to £31,125, 'our' car comes with a few choice options. You've spotted a couple of them, right? Yes, it's been specified with the £745 Nitrous Blue paint, a colour that's becoming as defining of this Focus RS as Ultimate Green was of the previous generation. Colour coded calipers (another £100) sit behind the optional forged 19-inch wheels, a £595 extra when this car was ordered that seems to suit this RS rather well. They save 600g per wheel in unsprung weight too, which is welcome.

But in fact the costliest option can be found inside: the £1,145 Recaro shell seats. While they're great seats, they are most certainly mounted - you've guessed it - far too high. Their location is a big flaw; it undermines the (considerable) fun of driving the car and makes you wonder how on earth such a design was agreed to. Let's see how we get on.

Also added to this RS are the Luxury Pack (with folding mirrors, keyless entry, rear parking sensors and tinted windows) for £1,000, the door edge protectors for £85 and the SYNC2 infotainment upgrade at £465 as well. The latter is worth moaning about too but given it's no longer available (SYNC2 has already been superseded by SYNC3 on new orders), perhaps that can wait for another time.

Plus it seems churlish to complain about a car that's this entertaining. Coming straight from the Civic Type R (more on that another time, don't worry), it's interesting to note the Focus's more interesting soundtrack, great traction and, on the odd occasion, the very clever torque vectoring too. Indeed if the summer was the right time to run the FWD Civic, then the autumnal conditions should play perfectly to the Focus's skill set. Perhaps a Wales rematch is on the cards.

Certainly the RS will be busy over the coming weeks. Already it's been booked in for a duel with its five-cylinder predecessor, and it will undoubtedly face a few of its £30K contemporaries as well. Dan will test it as a family car, I'll aim to assess its hot hatch credentials and I'm sure everyone else will have their own reasons for needing the keys "just for one night".

Finally though, what would you guys like to see the Focus RS do? It's sure as hell a car that PH cares about, so let's hear your thoughts. Tests, trips, tuning - pitch them below and we'll see what we can do!

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FACT SHEET
Car: 2016 Ford Focus RS
Run by: Matt (for now...)
On fleet since: September 2016
Mileage: 11,981 (delivered on 10,919)
List price new: £35,315 (Basic list of £31,000 plus £745 for Nitrous Blue paint, £1,000 for Luxury Pack, £595 for forged alloy wheels, £1,145 for Recaro shell seats, £465 for SYNC2, £85 for door edge protector and £100 for colour coded brake calipers
Last month at a glance: So just how good is the new Focus RS? We've got three months to find out!

Photos: Chris Teagles

[Aaron_W]

If I was to spec just one thing to a Focus RS, it would have to be those RS4 style seats, I adore them!

[MDMA .]

Aaron_W said:

If I was to spec just one thing to a Focus RS, it would have to be those RS4 style seats, I adore them!

a lad that works for me dad has had one on order for what seems ages. has those seats specced and it is these that keep pushing the lead time back. could have had a standard one by now he says.

[Dal3D]

Personally I find the CS seats to be the perfect height. I'm your average 6ft, but I prefer to see the road ahead rather than peering over the steering wheel with my bum on the floorpan like a "yoof" lol

[HJMS123]

Why do Ford insist on still mounting the seats so high!? It was in an issue in the last gen ST/RS and it's still an issue with their current models inc my fiesta ST.

I'm just over 6 foot and it's just about acceptable in the fiesta but I'deally i'd like them to go lower ... I feel like I'm sitting on top of the car rather than in it.

Edited by HJMS123 on Tuesday 11th October 10:56

[AMGJocky]

Only seen one on the road thus far and it did look good in that blue. Sounded like a Saxo mind.

[RegisRR]

Will the RS be making an appearance at PHSS at silverstone for some passenger laps?!

[GroundEffect]

AMGJocky said:

Only seen one on the road thus far and it did look good in that blue. Sounded like a Saxo mind.

I've seen loads...but I am in Essex afterall

[blade7]

At least you don't have to look at it when you're driving it, to me it looks too high and too long. There should be a 3 door option with bigger arches.

[IanJ9375]

MDMA . said:

a lad that works for me dad has had one on order for what seems ages. has those seats specced and it is these that keep pushing the lead time back. could have had a standard one by now he says.

Yeah some dealer BS right there as I've been sitting on my CS seats for a couple of months now - plenty of others had theirs delivered with the CS seats.

Numerous things have been blamed for delays - Blue paint, Seats, Factory shutdown for hols, too hot at the factory blah blah etc

[blade7]

IanJ9375 said:

Numerous things have been blamed for delays - Blue paint, Seats, Factory shutdown for hols, too hot at the factory blah blah etc

Perhaps some dealers/customers get priority. I bought a Fiesta ST2 through DTD a couple of years ago, waited 7 weeks for delivery.

[Steven_RW]

Appreciate the love for the upgraded seats.

My dad (at 70..) has one with the standard seats. At no point during a 250 mile fast drive, did I think we needed better seats. The standard seating position was good for me at over 6ft and I normally do sit relatively low.

One thing that I will observe is that I haven't sought out multiple goes in the car. It is so effective that the fun tends to be at speeds that get you into a lot of trouble.

Cheers,
Steven

[wst]

Would it be feasible to take it to Sweet Lamb and see how it handles the gravel, maybe with a WRX for comparison purposes?

[Dal3D]

RegisRR said:

Will the RS be making an appearance at PHSS at silverstone for some passenger laps?!

I'm taking mine to PHSS at Silverstone but it won't be on track lol

[booones]

Things to do with it? Bring it to Europe and do some ice driving. That's some good original content right there.

I've got a black RS here in Geneva, driven over 3500KMs now. Bought to replace a 2012 WRX STI/Lotus Elise combo, and I cannot wait for it to snow. The Scooby was only ever epic in the snow, the RS is a much more exciting drive for the 95% of the time it doesn't snow....but I'm still hoping it is just as much fun once our roads are covered too!

[X5TUU]

Aaron_W said:

If I was to spec just one thing to a Focus RS, it would have to be those RS4 style seats, I adore them!

All i see when looking at them seats is a Corsa VXR as they are OEM in them and I hated them in ours...not particularly comfortable and much nicer options available elsewhere

[David87]

You have to get the Mountune FPM375 kit fitted. Less than a grand, more power and you keep the warranty! Rude not to.

[nickfrog]

I have the Recaro CS Sporster in my Meg (same as the Focus') - I find them quite superbly comfortable on long journeys and brilliant on track. They're harness friendly too.

[macky17]

The standard seats are mounted so much lower that I'd have to choose those. Question: can the buckets be mounted a little lower in the mk3 as they could be in the mk2? It wasn't much - half an inch or so - but it helped. Crazy that Ford have made the same mistake all over again.

Looking forward to the test of the 419bhp Revo stg 2 pack for this...

[RamboLambo]

As good as the new focus RS is, it has too many doors and looks just like the rest of the range. Yes it might have broader appeal and sell more but the mark II still looks and sounds better.

The mark III will not have the same hardcore enthusiast following and longer term Mark II prices will be higher than mark III's IMHO

[Dave Hedgehog]

RamboLambo said:

As good as the new focus RS is, it has too many doors and looks just like the rest of the range. Yes it might have broader appeal and sell more but the mark II still looks and sounds better.

The mark III will not have the same hardcore enthusiast following and longer term Mark II prices will be higher than mark III's IMHO

some good points but the II is a cheap FWD job where as the III is a proper return to roots AWD car