RE: Ford Focus RS Mk2: PH Buying Guide

[blade7]

Always liked the looks of the Mk2, but front wheel drive put me off buying one around 10 years ago. Thought the Mk3 would be everything the Mk2 was, with more traction. But the Mk3 looks too dull, and the older mechanically inferior Mk2 doesn't make sense at the same money.

[fantheman80]

AngryPartsBloke said:

I'm not convinced the 'on paper' performance of the Fk2 are actually attainable. Despite seeming superior and having a 'ring record to it's name it got beat out by the seemingly 'slower' RS Meganne on tests.

Interesting - got any links?

[Johnnytheboy]

blade7 said:

Always liked the looks of the Mk2, but front wheel drive put me off buying one around 10 years ago. Thought the Mk3 would be everything the Mk2 was, with more traction. But the Mk3 looks too dull, and the older mechanically inferior Mk2 doesn't make sense at the same money.

I drove a friend's mk3 as a comparison to my mk2, which being Mountuned is similar on paper.

It was quick and felt capable but lacked the character of mine, sort of like the offspring of a mk2 and a Golf R.

By the way I freely admit that while the mk2 does remarkable things with fwd, there's no mistaking that that is what it is, certainly while trying to pull away!

[1967]

GTEYE said:

Looking at the comment above, PH themselves are doing thread resurrections...

I’d love to have an RS500. After what must be 10 years, I’ve yet to see one on the road.

As the article says, looks better with age and quite restrained compared to some others (Civic).

I had an RS500 for 4 years, had Mountune upgrade it to MR420, absolute beast of a car. The only other 500's I ever saw were at shows. Trouble was like all these rare cars I ended up scared to put miles on it. Sold it and bought an M4 competition, which is on a different level. Loved the 500 tho.

[blade7]

Johnnytheboy said:

blade7 said:

Always liked the looks of the Mk2, but front wheel drive put me off buying one around 10 years ago. Thought the Mk3 would be everything the Mk2 was, with more traction. But the Mk3 looks too dull, and the older mechanically inferior Mk2 doesn't make sense at the same money.

I drove a friend's mk3 as a comparison to my mk2, which being Mountuned is similar on paper.

It was quick and felt capable but lacked the character of mine, sort of like the offspring of a mk2 and a Golf R.

By the way I freely admit that while the mk2 does remarkable things with fwd, there's no mistaking that that is what it is, certainly while trying to pull away!

I know someone that's had a white Mk2 from new I think. I have to admit the Mk7 Fiesta ST changed my views about fwd, but there's still that understeer moment when you overstep the limit. Having said that, I'd still buy that Mk2 if it was £15k .

[MyV10BarksAndBites]

Love these soooo much more than the mk3.......

[MyV10BarksAndBites]

blade7 said:

Always liked the looks of the Mk2, but front wheel drive put me off buying one around 10 years ago. Thought the Mk3 would be everything the Mk2 was, with more traction. But the Mk3 looks too dull, and the older mechanically inferior Mk2 doesn't make sense at the same money.

This!!!

[BaronVonVaderham]

Hideous chavtat

So quick that at the time even a Clio with 100 hp less had no trouble keeping up!

https://youtu.be/Ae4RqTW5UDU

Also pretty sure Renaultsport came up with perfohub before Ford copied them with revoknuckle.

[Johnnytheboy]

I chopped in a Clio Trophy for my hideous chav tat, wouldn't go back for all the tea in China.

[anonymous-user]

BaronVonVaderham said:

Hideous chavtat

So quick that at the time even a Clio with 100 hp less had no trouble keeping up!

https://youtu.be/Ae4RqTW5UDU

Also pretty sure Renaultsport came up with perfohub before Ford copied them with revoknuckle.

On every straight the Clio is left behind.

[SidewaysSi]

Johnnytheboy said:

I chopped in a Clio Trophy for my hideous chav tat, wouldn't go back for all the tea in China.

Don't like tea? Or just Chinese tea?

[SidewaysSi]

MyV10BarksAndBites said:

Love these soooo much more than the mk3.......

I only love them so much more than the MK3.

[mackay45]

I'll keep my Mk1 thanks (even if the torque steer has been quelled to an inconceivable extent!).

[urquattroGus]

Even when new, as standard the 300bhp felt a bit flat tbh, the MP350 made it the car it always should have been, and that was coming from a face lifted 220bhp ST at the time.

The other thing I remember which was bizarre is that the RS had a bigger fuel tank than the ST and got much better fuel consumption, which was a welcome surprise!

Edited by urquattroGus on Saturday 23 January 11:48

[urquattroGus]

mackay45 said:

I'll keep my Mk1 thanks (even if the torque steer has been quelled to an inconceivable extent!).

I've never driven a MK1 and it's a regret, they do look the business and I bet it's so much lighter on it's feet than the MK2

[Johnnytheboy]

urquattroGus said:

Even when new, as standard the 300bhp felt a bit flat tbh, the MP350 made it the car it always should have been, and that was coming from a face lifted 220bhp ST at the time.

The other thing I remember which was bizarre is that the RS had a bigger fuel tank than the ST and got much better fuel consumption, which was a welcome surprise!

Fully agree on the MP350, no difference below 3000 rpm, remember being disappointed when I had it done for about 24 hours, until I performed a multicar overtake... and was pleasantly surprised.

As for the fuel consumption IIRC it is down to the turbo spooling up at a lower RPM on the ST, meaning it is on boost a lot more of the time.

[Ultrafunkula]

I had a mk2 ST which was running about 280bhp and had the opportunity to look for one of these in 2015, ended up getting an Audi S3 and always regretted it. I have a Mk4 Focus ST now and would love to see a comparison between that and the Mk2 RS.

[Escort Si-130]

nice write up, but sure there was a buyers guide like this for the mk2 from PH around 3-4 years ago?

[Johnnytheboy]

Escort Si-130 said:

nice write up, but sure there was a buyers guide like this for the mk2 from PH around 3-4 years ago?

Ben Lowden said:

This is a comprehensive update of an article originally published in 2014.

[MK1RS Bruce]

urquattroGus said:

mackay45 said:

I'll keep my Mk1 thanks (even if the torque steer has been quelled to an inconceivable extent!).

I've never driven a MK1 and it's a regret, they do look the business and I bet it's so much lighter on it's feet than the MK2

Yeah its a lot lighter and everything feels a bit more connected and precise. Difficult to describe but the MK1 feels a lot more special compared to the MK2.