Hi guys,

Back on the forum again!

Just got rid of my MY02 STI and upgraded to a new Focus RS!

This car really is hot....makes my old Impreza look like a tractor. It's so nice to have a car with some more style.

Looking forward to having a play around with some mods! Has anybody else swapped sides?

Greetings,
Nick

Keep BOTH hands on the wheel at ALL times!

Hope it doesn't randomly start overboosting when cold and wet!!

Not likely. The problem was fixed last year, so Auto Express might have considered printing the story about 4 months ago when it could have been a problem!!

Still, looking at Watchdog which talked about a problem for 1.6 Zetecs (again, known about and fixed by Ford) and then suggested they're ALL unreliable because the US models have had so many recalls, it's obvious you can't believe ANYTHING in the press these days.

This makes my life rather difficult being a journo!!

How do you find 200bhp and 2wd in the snow ;)

Superb I bet :D

i really like the RS Focus, although it seems a little expensive you do get one hell of a car!..
Ford have been mucking around for ages to get the RS version released but it does seem like it has the desired effect;)

Upgrade v. raise to a higher grade.

280bhp AWD to 200bhp FWD :eek: hardly 'upgrade' :rolleyes:

AAAH! now all is clear...people, can you not smell a troll when it is THIS obvious?? ;)

What is the big deal with 212 bhp...... from some of the reviews you would think it has 300+ bhp

Jesus my 4 year old Golf has 235 bhp and 250 lbs torque all beit with a slightly bigger turbo than standard ... some guy has just had Jabba sport put a much bigger turbo on his seat ibiza 1.8T kicking out 330+ bhp, now that is serious power in FWD not 212 bhp

upgrading to a foetus (is that how it's spelt?) don't think so!

How does it drive?
How does it compare to a well set up 290 - 300bhp Scooby?
Has anyone driven both?
Would be interested to see what people think. Strong points and weak points of both cars

Steve

Yes i own a 7, and have now driven the RS in the dry and wet. It (RS) lights the tyres up on demand, the diff does a great job to spin both wheels when power overcomes grip, without the diff it would be undrivable. It's probably about as quick as a standard WRX, on the twisties in the dry, if the RS driver was fully commited there would be nothing in it, However the wetter or more broken the road surface the bigger the advantage the WRX would have, ie in about 90% of the time the WRX would be as quick with less driver effort, or quicker with the same effort. The suspension rates are very hard, harder than my 7. The transition from power on / power off, and understeer / oversteer are not benign and could easily catch out hte inexperienced or unwary. As a result of which long journeys would be very stressful and tiring.

I have to say that I think that the RS looks fantastic, very close to the WRC in looks, and the wheels are superb. the interior does nothing for me, and the seats in particular, do nothing for me, great looks and lateral grip but no under thigh support. The other problem with the seat is because the squab is so thick there is insufficient rearward movement to accomodate long legs (something my car suffers from, but to a lesser extent). To sum up, then it looks great, but would not be as quick point to point in real life as a WRX.

There is no comparison to an STi - but there shouldn't be as the STi is a much more expensive vehicle.

Under devoped,Piss poor build,ramdon overboost, hedge seeking missle, seats too HIGH and they are trying to overcharge at dealerships for it. Wait till next year my friends and buy the Nissan Z 350 for a little more!

Mega

Many people overstate the benefits of 4WD on ice - you can accelerate better, but stopping and cornering are identical... As you say ABS is a nightmare. What you really want is a car with 4WD, no ABS and a lockable diff. Ah, that would be a Subaru Impreza STi Type R then :) Of course that makes the car minutely more driveable, compared to snow+ice tyres, which makes it about ten times more driveable ;) :)

True, the STi is more, although an STi can be had for £23k new if you go for a euro import, and a WRX for around £16k (I believe), whereas I suspect getting a focus RS cheap will be very difficult (thanks to its limited numbers) so by that argument it is unfair to compare the RS to the WRX as the RS is somewhat more expensive...

[Diplomatic] Good to see Ford producing decent performance cars again though, more choice and competition for the enthusiasts can only be a good thing! :D [/Diplomatic]

I don't find 235 bhp a problem at all but then again i do have racelogic variable slip traction control, decent susp set up and good tyres F1's are the dogs..... and i've never been anywhere near a hedge. I can see why some people think turbo charged FWD doesn't works but Turbos have moved on - they don't all kick in at over 3500 rpm... mine drives more like a NA car than a Turbo

Checkout vwvids.co.uk for a fwd Golf with 280 bhp doing pretty well around a track following a 4wd S2

280bhp and no traction control, just a nice set of diffs and a great chassis ;). Styling wise I also own a Focus zetec and I brought to run round in actually I can see why Ford sell thousands of Foci ;) its a great car, easy to drive, comfy and does exactly what it says on the tin.

Yes I've done the same mate and enjoying every min of it :D

congrats on getting your new Focus- I bet it's a great new toy.

Looks great on the outside but the inside is a little garish isn't it? I had a really good look at one on the eurotunnel recently. Nice guy from Notts had it and said he loved it to bits- also said it was a bit hairy on bumpy roads. I

LOL at Mega hahahah like it!!

BB ;)

Lets face it no matter what you own someone won't like it for some reason. I hate these car comparsons - especially the 4WD / 2WD thing. I live in the Highlands and I cannot think of a road i've been on in the last year up here that a 4WD would have out handled a 2WD. Most miles are done in housing estates and dual carrageway for god sake!! Im sure some people take their 4WD down the local Forest tracks for a good blast:D but not many. Even then its down to the driver!! THE DRIVER!! Rant over:D BTW - THE DRIVER!!!

My Clio Cup breaks traction alot more easily than my P1 this can be a real pain even when driving round town briskly in the rain. Now who says 4wd doesnt make a difference???

KingFord in Stoke on Trent have a Ford Focus RS for sale at £22,995 !

Robbing Cnuts !

Like I said about 2 months ago on this thread ;). I have a scoob and a Focus. If you could blend the two then it would be my ideal car. Focus with AWD drivetrain and diffs, 280bhp and a lovely engine note.

well were not the ones in the rs focus forum slagin em of are were you might find they pop in here to have a dig if a guy comes in and says his got a focus rs and hes pleased with it then nice one glad you like the car i like the car as well if im honest but when they come in saying the scooby is a tractor then people are gona get pi55ed of nuff said

Wilf maybe you shouldn't be driving briskly in the rain then:D

Chrisp

I have the ideal blend.

http://www.r32.org.uk/R32-Passenger.jpg

Great Interior and build quality

http://www.r32.org.uk/R32-Side.gif

250bhp with a chip and more with an exhaust.

http://www.r32.org.uk/R32-Engine.jpg

Oh and a V6 for added pleasure. The exhaust as std makes a fully decated Clasic Scooby sound like a tin can - sorry EVO :)

Plus it whipped the RS's in EVO's group test :)

Jonathan

Do a ton in 12 ? ;)

Still havent seen an R32 may pop down my local VAG this weekend and see what they have.

but it corners like a barge which is exactly what it is. Mutton dressed as lamb little point in trying develop such a poor chassis in the first place. Another very poor VW performance attempt or total lack of it in this case. A Grandad mobile.

I have enough sense to avoid skoda derivatives such as the R32 like the plague as going to the supermarket and local horse stable's are rarely things I do fortunately.
The RS is a performance driver orientated vehicle the R32 is a contender for celebrity fat club.

Oh dear, it's sad that we have to attack each other's choice of motor isn't it?

Focus RS - fantastic car by all accounts invigorating to drive. Not what I wanted, but still by any measure a great value performance car. Only 3 doors...

R32 - evo's choice. They don't go for wallowy barges, and I tend to trust their judgement. Not quite big enough compared to the WRX 5 door, but it was close...

WRX - ideal for me: right size, AWD which I would only realistically miss in the wet/slippy conditions, right price, right performance, right blend of "livability" vs "performance".

We pays our money and takes our choice. Anyone slagging any of these cars off point blank without any valid reason to other than "it's not what I drive" needs to get a life, be happy with their lot, and quite possibly see a shrink to sort their inferiority/superiority complex ;) :D (last point is a joke if you didn't realise)

Banter's one thing, but some of this downright stupidity and/or snobbery. And coming from owners of Subaru: the farmer's favourite, that's quite something.

I think it'd be fantastic if puegeot released something to make the most of their success in the rallying. About time there was more of a competition in this market :D

Cheers,
Nick

CHIARK,

Well said! Some of the people on this forum are like bleedin children. My car's better than yours s h i t e! Shouldn't be allowed to drive. Tossers!