Focus RS

G-S3

G-S3

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Took the Focus RS out. First person to drive it. In comparison to S3 interior is pretty ****. Exhaust sporty sounding but not too loud when cruising along. Grips well, turns in better round a small roundabout. But slower. Did a test turning onto A414 out of Harlow. Hit 95 in Focus using a road sign as a marker and 115 in the S3, doesn't have Audi's torque anywhere in the rev range. Sum it up, probably a good fun track car but I wouldn't swap. I do have APR stage 1.
 
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The Focus would probably go faster if you were wearing a 'Burberry' baseball cap...:whistle2:
What was the ride like?
 
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................................imminent thread meltdown detected.....................................


atomic-mushroom-cloud-explosion-2-2.gif
 
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Ride was stiff but fine. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Had it in sport mode the whole time (not sure if that changes the suspension). You could live with it but firmer than the Audi by some way.
 
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G-S3 said:
Ride was stiff but fine. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Had it in sport mode the whole time (not sure if that changes the suspension). You could live with it but firmer that the Audi by some way.
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I take it it's got some sort of 'mag ride'...?
 
No idea. Could just alter throttle response and steering weight?
 
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Seeing as the garage is situated in Essex they and hiding the car out the back to stop every chav and his dog wanting a go.
 
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Yeah it's all been said before,l had the Mk3 ST3 and on a dry Road it would out handle the S3 easily,so the 4 wheel drive RS would handle far better than the ST as for the interior build quality l thought the Ford was pretty solid with awesome recaro seats with side bolsters that don't disintegrate.
Audi's build quality is somewhat patchy in my honest opinion
Last thing Fords ecoboost engine's are excellent engine's
Would l have one again no not in Mk3 guise anyway
 
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jassyo06 said:
Yeah it's all been said before,l had the Mk3 ST3 and on a dry Road it would out handle the S3 easily,so the 4 wheel drive RS would handle far better than the ST as for the interior build quality l thought the Ford was pretty solid with awesome recaro seats with side bolsters that don't disintegrate.
Audi's build quality is somewhat patchy in my honest opinion
Last thing Fords ecoboost engine's are excellent engine's
Would l have one again no not in Mk3 guise anyway
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What about a 'Burberry' cap ??:blow:
 
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jassyo06 said:
Must be a south of the border thing mate.thats where the word Chav originates from lol
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Yeh..More like South East of the border...lol:whistle2:
 
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Yeah I wear my baseball cap whatever car I drive and it's at least 50mph and 4 secs 0-62 quicker with the cap on, probably because it say Red Bull and David Couthard on it....
 
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I work for a Ford dealer and I have an RS on order just in case I fell in love with it when I got around to driving it...

It's stupidly impressive, in a lot of ways, (all of which the RS reviews have explained insome detail so I won't bore you ) but doesn't feel much faster than the S3, and is a whole lot less comfortable. It's a cracking car, but definitely more of a weekend warrior than everyday car.
 
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jassyo06 said:
Yeah it's all been said before,l had the Mk3 ST3 and on a dry Road it would out handle the S3 easily,so the 4 wheel drive RS would handle far better than the ST as for the interior build quality l thought the Ford was pretty solid with awesome recaro seats with side bolsters that don't disintegrate.
Audi's build quality is somewhat patchy in my honest opinion
Last thing Fords ecoboost engine's are excellent engine's
Would l have one again no not in Mk3 guise anyway
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Their ecoboost engines are so good that already there is a hold on all focus RS MK3's being handed over and a recall on those delivered to customers because of a possible engine fault lol
 
Will be a vastly superior driving prospect than the S or RS3.
A better day to day prospect, possibly not, although the Recaro's are very good and the interior is okay, with not quite the same quality.
I can't get over how it looks though, not good.
 
tankclark said:
Their ecoboost engines are so good that already there is a hold on all focus RS MK3's being handed over and a recall on those delivered to customers because of a possible engine fault lol
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There's always one eh,l am speaking through ownership my Mrs has the 1-0 litre ecoboost and l had the 2-0 ecoboost lag less engines, full of torque,go read reviews on both engine's,l could also mention the 1-6 ecoboost engine in Fiesta ST ..but it would just read the same
A POSSIBLE engine fault...well maybe or maybe not..... They are award winning engine's
 
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No idea about the 1.0 or 1.6, but the RS engine wasn't great, didn't seem to have much torque low down. Felt much slower than the S3 and my test confirmed.

The dealer had a RHD model in for a few weeks just a showroom model. The recaro seats started to fall apart after a week! If I was going to use either for a track day I'd probably use the RS, suspension was stiffer. Then if I was spending £35k on a track focused car it wouldn't be the RS. Not a car I'd be buying or swapping the Audi for.

Be interested to see anyone else's feelings after they have driven.
 
G-S3 said:
No idea about the 1.0 or 1.6, but the RS engine wasn't great, didn't seem to have much torque low down. Felt much slower than the S3 and my test confirmed.

The dealer had a RHD model in for a few weeks just a showroom model. The recaro seats started to fall apart after a week! If I was going to use either for a track day I'd probably use the RS, suspension was stiffer. Then if I was spending £35k on a track focused car it wouldn't be the RS. Not a car I'd be buying or swapping the Audi for.

Be interested to see anyone else's feelings after they have driven.
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The seats in a RS focus are the same seats you find in ST apart from the blue stitching and after 2 years of use the side bolster where still in impeccable condition,l suggest the demo you drove wasn't even run in....these are 2 very different car's as you know.....the Focus RS would wipe the floor with with S3 Sportback.....simple as that take your Audi goggles off
It's the looks of the car l don't really appreciate l would rather have the ST3 Mountune like l had before which was just as fast as my current car
 
Have you drive the RS?
 
audi upgrades
G-S3 said:
Have you drive the RS?
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No and l don't need to, l owned a 267 bhp front wheel driven focus Mk3 ST3....so knowing how good that car was to drive, l know adding a all new drive system powering the 4 wheels plus another 70bhp and Fords version of magnetic ride it's a no brainer.
But l don't like the looks of this car.... Give me an Audi S3 that handles like a focus
 
Focus reminded me of driving an Impreza STI. Stiff with little body roll and good levels of grip. I think the S3 handles fine for the type of car, and you'd have to push hard before you really noticed the extra grip on the Ford. But the RS3 should be stiffer and more track focused, leavening the S3 as the fast family hatchback.

Main letdown on the focus was straight line speed but seeming lack of torque. I was expecting it to be brutal and it just wasn't. Another 100bhp and if would be a different story.
 
Still trying to work out what i'll have next. If I could have 2 cars, then the RS would be for some fun, had the test drive, it was awesome.
 
I'm going to wait and see what the next S3 has to offer and check what else is around then. Probably be another 3-4 yrs away.

At the moment I can't see anything else I'd rather have that I could afford to buy and run.
 
I can't imagine the next S3 will add anything other than more straight line power and new tech. Driving dynamics, nah. Audi may prove me wrong but I doubt it. Looks good and goes well in a straight line. Maybe that Mantra should replace the Vorsprung thingy :welcoming:
 
G-S3 said:
Focus reminded me of driving an Impreza STI. Stiff with little body roll and good levels of grip. I think the S3 handles fine for the type of car, and you'd have to push hard before you really noticed the extra grip on the Ford. But the RS3 should be stiffer and more track focused, leavening the S3 as the fast family hatchback.

Main letdown on the focus was straight line speed but seeming lack of torque. I was expecting it to be brutal and it just wasn't. Another 100bhp and if would be a different story.
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Interesting thoughts on the Ford.

I think this is where the RS3 scores as it is very usable day to day but has the drama when you want it in terms of sound & power but is a great looking car externally & the interior is a very nice place to be too - it balances all elements well.

The ford appears to be aimed at a different market but no doubting at £30k why it will sell, but sounds like you could see & feel where the price corners were cut.
 
Snake Pliskin said:
The ford appears to be aimed at a different market but no doubting at £30k why it will sell, but sounds like you could see & feel where the price corners were cut.
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Nothing is "cut" to achieve £30k, but most body, trim and materials are much closer to the ST, whilst the previous RS was more bespoke in places.

I've driven our RS a couple of times now, and it really doesn't feel as fast as I expected, perhaps will speed up as the miles pile on.

The optional Recaros are a little wider than old RS ones (poss to accommodate larger Americans), which combined with immensely stuff ride means you jiggle about a lot, the normal seats are much more comfy, but then it does make the interior almost identical to an ST.

Its a a brilliant, relentless performance car but not quite the personality filled snarling beast like the old RS, and I can imagine might become tiresome as a commuter thing.

Mine is due to arrive in September, but as it stands I don't think I can quite justify the cost to change into the RS, but I can't quite bring myself to part with the s3 - I really didn't think I'd say that!
 
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I couldn't imagine living with the Focus RS everyday either to be honest. Although I wouldn't buy a car without a proper spare wheel anyway.
I personally don't think the raw speed of the RS is the point. It was the driving dynamics, the feel and the overall way it handles that I reckon ford were aiming for. Putting it in a different league to say the RS3 which is still a point and floor car for me. Yes the more expensive Audis are a nicer place to sit in the main if that's your thing, although mine rattles as much as any ford I've owed over the years.
 
Surely they are different markets, the S/RS are more rounded/grown up as day to day cars with a bit of go should they be needed.
The RS is more of a focused (geddit ;)) drive so is less compromised......after driving a RS500 last year I so hope that is still the case.

Mid 20s I wouldn't touch a S/RS, now mid 40s S/RS everytime (if they are manual :))

I haven't driven one yet but jesh shouldn't 350odd bhp feel a bit quick? I will be getting a go when they arrive here and expect a more involving drive than the S3.........not necessarily faster but more enjoyment.

The S3/RS3 are devastatingly effective cars from a-b (particularly the RS3) but as cars to just drive about for a giggle in the countryside nah............too Germanic for that.
 
tankclark said:
Their ecoboost engines are so good that already there is a hold on all focus RS MK3's being handed over and a recall on those delivered to customers because of a possible engine fault lol
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Like turbo issues that audi released the s3 with?
 
lol yeah, with Audi they still hand over the cars and expect you to put up with the 'issues' without any fuss
 
commuting up the A1, I'll take the Audi.

Only place I'd rather have the RS is on a track. But then I'd be disappointed with its straight line pace.
 
Me too although the rattling Audi cabin I've got means the B&O stereo gets a good workout :welcoming:
 
Anybody with 8v s3 driven the focus rs at all?
Would be great if you can share your views.
 
The I drove the RS the other day, it was quite a raw car but I didn't really get the hype that much, full on sport settings it was way way too harsh for British B roads, engines noise was non existant, exhaust wasn't much better and although it felt punchy due to the peaky power rather than the smooth delivery of the RS3 it felt rather heavy and not that fast.
Handled well for its size though, it's the same price as the golf R, S3, M135i etc and to be honest I don't think it drives that much better to warrant the massive downgrade in interior quality if you bought one over the Germans
 
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