S3 vs new Ford Focus RS?

mitch78 said:
Hardly. He wasn't even holding the wheel at the time.
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Totally.

I think you can take a lot of what Clarkson says with a bucket of salt.

He loathed the original RS as it did have a moderately aggressive Quaife diif,which he clearly had no experience of,nor the ability to cope with,and since the new one also has a Quaife,albeit rather different and much less aggressive in use,he had to demonstrate it's "snappiness".

He's become so opinionated that he's almost a parody of himself these days,and still hasn't got round the fact that if a car is spinning and smoking it's wheels,it's lost traction and isn't going as fast as it could.
 
If I was in the market for a 3 door I'd go for the RS over the S3 - sorry. From the reviews it looks like it drives well, it looks stupid good, comes in a toxic green colour, has a great exhaust note, and just seems to be more nuts than an S3.

Mind you if I didn't need 5 doors there would be loads of other cars further up my list - all of them dafter than an RS...
 
for me the RS is a great car, extremely well designed and is probably amazing on the track, its 5 pot engine gives a gorgeous note and has power everywhere on the rev range, ford have upped the level of hot hatch with its new suspension technology and LSD....but, and a big but, its bl**dy huge compared to the s3, the s3 is gorgeous, refined, classy etc, and you wont look rediculas when driving it down your local high street. the s3 will be subtle to people who dont know cars, and people who do will know its a great, fast car, the RS... people who dont know cars will look at you like an idiot with a stupid spoiler and people who know the cars will also know its a great car.

also when sat in the pub 'trying' (as us men arent too good at this, lol) to chat up a girl, she asks what you drive, you say a ford (she probably wouldn't know what the RS is) or, you could say audi.

i know what id prefer to say, drive and live with every day
 
gixxer600k4 said:
for me the RS is a great car, extremely well designed and is probably amazing on the track, its 5 pot engine gives a gorgeous note and has power everywhere on the rev range, ford have upped the level of hot hatch with its new suspension technology and LSD....but, and a big but, its bl**dy huge compared to the s3, the s3 is gorgeous, refined, classy etc, and you wont look rediculas when driving it down your local high street. the s3 will be subtle to people who dont know cars, and people who do will know its a great, fast car, the RS... people who dont know cars will look at you like an idiot with a stupid spoiler and people who know the cars will also know its a great car.

also when sat in the pub 'trying' (as us men arent too good at this, lol) to chat up a girl, she asks what you drive, you say a ford (she probably wouldn't know what the RS is) or, you could say audi.

i know what id prefer to say, drive and live with every day
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Think you would be surprised the amount of girls who would know RS over a S3 ,, My missus's sister has a Audi A3 2.0TDI 54REG and when i came home in the S3 ,, she said its just the same car as my sisters,,, rambling on it took me over 1hr to try and explain its a S3 ,,, i gave up when she said well it just looks the same to me inside and out???:blownose:

I explained the mirrors ,, but her sister bought hers with S3 Silver wing mirrors , hers as leather trim also:sorry:

Saying this she knows exactly what a Escort Rs Cosworth is???

She said to me don.t get the AudiS3 they look old???? Get the Scirocco instead it looks miles better?

Saying this there is a few S3's around my parts and loads of A3's as well..

Women hey ....

Its just annoying that i go on and on about cars all the time and she does not see a difference between a A3 2.0 TDI and S3 ... I started pointing out to her and she said is that it:confused:.
 
Well its kind of explanatory that she cant tell the difference ;)

Those who "know" know :)
 
Somebody who works with my g/f said ''What for that? It looks just like an Astra Van''!!!:banghead:
When she told her how much my S3 cost after looking at a picture.
I lose all faith in the majority of female opinions!
 
heh wizbit where you been not seen you on here for a while ...???
 
About 12 years ago I stopped caring what girls thought of what car I drove :think: or anyone else for that matter. I would feel deeply ashamed on a basic human level to drive a Mk2 Focus RS...Mk1, no problem :happy:
 
Yeah i just say well don.t come in it then ...lol...

Lots of Minge that do want to COME in it..imao!!!

She must think im stupid but what she dosen.t know is as soon as im a mile or so away the babyseat gets put in the boot...

Look who is S3'd up now!!!!!
 
HotboxDeluxe said:
About 12 years ago I stopped caring what girls thought of what car I drove :think: or anyone else for that matter.
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And his SIG list a dozen mods....Strikes me you care rather a lot what other people think of your car :laugh:
 
PregnantNproud said:
Considering the performance of the RS compared to other 09' fords I wouldnt say its uber over styled. i'd say its styling is 'predictable' looking at the ST and the new fiestas. Its a little vulgar compared to the more sophisticated Audi sure.

I also agree the s3 does look annoyingly close to the sline also, though many people hate the new facelift with the led's as they look 'chavvy'.

For fun, it seems that the RS is like being in a gunship firing rockets and oil tankers but for a more reserved looking car, similar performance and upmarket quality, the s3 wins. Not amazingly fun to drive apparantly, though that is a matter of opinion. I havent driven one so!
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I agree with most the comments you mentioned, and also have never been a lover of the leds. Fortunately you can make the decision not to have them on....avoiding the chavvy look. As for fun to drive, I have had mine for 8 months now and it still brings a smile to my face. Unless you knew your cars you wouldn't bat an eyelid if it was behind you which is the way i like things. The RS is a different proposition and is totally distinguishable from the rest of the range which is something I would rather avoid, especially seeing I have the kids in the back most of the time. If I was in my twenties the RS would win hands down every time though.
 
paddy said:
And his SIG list a dozen mods....Strikes me you care rather a lot what other people think of your car :laugh:
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And my SIG list is what the car came with :lmfao: even if I was bothered about what other people thought of it, I fail to see how fitting parking sensors or heated seats would change anyone's opinion :whistle2:

The reason I listed it all here...well, just joining in really :friends:
 
I think the new RS looks very nice. 300 BHP is a lot of power, also has a few interesting spoilers and elerons. I think is a cool car for a boy-racer. I understand it's loud, fast and also handles quite well.
Unlike Astra VXR which has a 240 BHP engine and quite a torque steering, it seems that the guys at Ford managed to overcome this issue with a new suspension system called "RevoKnuckle".

It works in concert with a Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential to mitigate the effects of the torque steer enemy. All-wheel-drive was apparently considered, but weight concerns left it off the table.
The new Ford Focus RS is equipped with an innovative front suspension system known as a 'RevoKnuckle', which is designed to reduce unwanted steering disturbance and torque steer, the impact of torque on steering in front-wheel driven vehicles. Torque steer occurs during hard acceleration, cornering or driving on uneven surfaces, when torque on the driven wheels exceeds grips levels. It is characterised by sudden turning force on the steering wheel and can be exacerbated by vehicles with wide tyres and limited-slip differentials.

In Focus RS, the RevoKnuckle works in conjunction with a Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential. Ford Team RS engineers have worked closely with Ford's Advanced Research Centre in Aachen, Germany to develop the RevoKnuckle technology specifically for the high performance Focus RS. It allows the simplicity of a traditional McPherson strut arrangement, but with geometry settings that minimize steering disturbances and torque steer, principally a reduction in steering offset.
SOURCE
 
So....anyone speaks German? There is a comparison on Youtube
 
audi upgrades
I have no interest in what most women think of cars. They seem to have no idea of the differences between them.

I was at a VW dealership and there were few of us drooling over the boss's new RS6. The girl behind the desk asked why it was so special as it didn't look that fantastic. I said it's not really about what it looks like but rather the potential under the bonnet and the power it has. She just went 'pah' and carried on with her work. I felt like shouting at the stupid bitch!

I bet if you pulled some classy lady and took her back to your £25k lime green car with the massive spoiler you wouldn't be getting a second date. At least if a girl doesn't know about the S3 she would at least appreciate it's looks and styling.

GConn said:
So....anyone speaks German? There is a comparison on Youtube
Click to expand...

The last bit says 'the 130 is the best value for money but not good enough to win the competition because of the driving dynamics', 'the S3's 4WD is superior and the car is better for use in everyday life. It can weaken the heart of every sports car lover and has it's nose in the front [of the competition]' 'in comparison to the others the RS has no chance but wins our hearts. Never before has rallying been so close to the living room'.

EDIT: I assume you were referring to the RS/S3/130 vid yeah? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_SiRNs5uds
 
Thanks Staz. Yes, I was referring to this two part comparison. I watched both parts even if I couldn't understand a word they were saying. lol
 
Saw that one, lm sure a RS vs S3 like the clio one should be about soon . If not we need to badger an RS owner.
 
If the Focus RS handles anywhere near the MK1 Version i am more than sure i could go round a track quicker than similar power S3?

Everyone goes on about the power and front wheel drive? As anyone driven one?

You would be very surprised there so composed its untrue,, nearly as good as a DC5 Type R...LOL...

I love the RS but i am also 30years old and the S3 its a great all rounder, But put the chav image and glorified look behind you and i guarantee you would be smiling your back out, every single time you driven it..

Is this not what Hot Hatches are about??
 
I think the term `hot hatch` has been stretched and distorted over the years.
The Golf Gti which started it all was a true hot hatch, all things to all men, fun, practical, classless, affordable....

The S3 and Focus are not all of these IMO (both circa 25K +), almost niches within a niche but appealing to very different audiences.

The Clio Sports/Corsa VXRS etc fit the term `Hot Hatch`better IMO.

The RS will no doubt be a brilliant drive (in the dry) great, but ownersip is about how the car makes you `feel` in any event, whether it be on a track, a B Road, in a traffic jam, going shopping with the family or that backwards admiring glance after you parked up.

Without having to drive one, the RS would make me `feel` like a ****.
Each to their own of course.

cheers
Paul
 
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FWD vs 4WD again... I have K04 in my FWD A3 and its a love/hate relationship. There is very little traction in the dry and none in the wet if I mash the throttle. For anything over 300HP 4WD is the only way to go no matter what kind of diff it has...
 
i saw a rs the other day.....boy did it fly. sounded niceeeeeee too!!
 
Sorry to bring up a old thread but i do really love the fact that with only two option box's ticked you get everything in the RS!
 
audi upgrades
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