zip106

Only to those who couldn't drive it properly

290 AND READY

lovely

Hoppy

Oops yes! Bladdy google To make up for it, here is a quote from the real article in last weekend's Sunday Times, on the new RS:

"The effect is that while there is still torque steer, it’s now a gentle tug rather than a huge lane-changing yank. You can accelerate on a bumpy road and not fire straight into the nearest tree. And here’s the big news: it’s better than all current four-wheel-drive systems in go-fast hatchbacks."

ScoobyJawa

Don't post that, this is a Subaru forum and you aren't allowed to say stuff like that

SPEN555

What a total load of bo!!ocks. 2wd is never gonna be as good as 4wd no matter what fancy LSD's you put in them.

I will start to believe it when I see Defender's off road ability being outdone by 2wd's. Also, with all the money thrown at WRC why do they not have 2wd if it's so good.

Brun

134bhp rwd annoys me now so you can keep a 300bhp fwd car. I miss my awd

Hoppy

I tend to agree, and I'm never going to buy an FRS because of it. On the limit, 4WD has more potential grip. And it can push the car along, as well as pull it.

But at anything less than the asbolute limit, ie most of the time, then FWD has some grip to spare. And if Ford has come up with a clever system, which it obvioulsy has, that can utilise more of the spare grip, more of the time, then it is very possible to go faster.

Unfortunately, it is quite easy to reach the limit of grip on wet and bumpy roads, and my guess that is when the FRS will disappoint. But at all other times it should be damn good fun. Wooden steering, but still fun

ScoobyJawa

Just for info the latest AutoExpress opinion (RS vs Mini JCW vs Impreza STi)....

"Sitting in third place is the Impreza STi. It still has bags of charm and is deceptively fast. However, in the dry, the Subaru’s four-wheel-drive system seems unnecessary when compared to two of the best front-driven models on the planet."



Although the Mini wins due to being more accessible at sane speeds! lol

New Focus RS vs rivals | Car Group Tests | Car Reviews | Auto Express

Hoppy

Of those three cars, I've only driven the Mini JCW and I have to say that it torque steered like a b@5tard, even at sane speeds. It was never dangerous, and you could always drive throught it, but it wasn't pleasant and spoiled a brilliant car I thought.

I guess you could live with it in the dry, but it would be a real pain in the wet. And I guess when it comes down to it, we're talking about wet handling when the FRS will be found wanting. And that would really annoy me, but at all other times it sounds like a storming drive!

Dream Weaver

How often would you drive a RS or new STi off road?

SPEN555

The point is 2wd can never be as good as 4wd.

If I can get my vectra with 120bhp to spin its wheels for fun anything with 300bhp through its front wheels no matter what fancy diff and TC it has would ultimately just pi$$ me off. The UK is not really very good at having many dry days, most seem to be conditions which leave the road greasy and quite slippery for getting power down. RWD at least you can have some fun but FWD it becomes tiresome. IMO.

Brun

^^^
Agreed

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

A lot of machinery will p*ss on current Scoob ... wind that back to the RA-R & my view is the FRS will struggle.

TX.

thesyn

I applaud innovation and love new car models as much as anyone else but if my ship containing between 25 and 30k came in now I would look at lots of other cars before this.
This is just a price comment haven't seen or read any reviews yet.

Dream Weaver

That surely depends on what criteria you base it on.

If you had a 50 miles stretch of bumpy B road you could close off for the day and you asked someone like the Stig to get from point A to point B as fast as possible in both the FRS and an STI, then yes there may be an advantage to the Subaru if it was wet, in the dry I don't know.

So if you are doing pure statistics for one car vs the other, then in wet conditions AWD may be better when on the asbolute limit, in theory it should be.

But for the average man driving a performance car daily, or just at the weekend they will rarley be anywhere near the limit on public roads, and if they are then they should be banned.

I'm a fairly slow driver, BOB T. can vouch for that the way he left me for dead on Sunday in same spec'd ST's

I'm too old and too scared to drive quickly, always thinking what may be round the next bend, and often thinking of that 10p short geezer that went to prison.

Therefore I don't drive anywhere near the limit and if its wet I drive very carefully, regardless of which car I am in.

So, for me personally there is absolutely no advantage whatsoever of AWD, but plenty of disadvantages.

As for wheelspinning, I suggest you try a ST or the new RS for yourself. My old 205 had 200bhp and would spin in any gear, terrible in the wet. My ST has approx 280bhp ish and it rarely spins the wheels in the wet. Yes if its really wet/greasy you can provoke it to slip, but as I said driving quickly in those conditions is just ridiculous.

There is no answer as to which is better, FWD or AWD as there are many variables, it's just good we have such choice now.

And good that at least Ford can produce a nice looking hatch, unlike the AWD makers Mitsi and Subaru.