Eigdoog

I dont see them as a full RS, they dont look outrageous like they should! Every other RS looks like its got speed before you start it up but the RS2000 look like someone done up a escort

Rab

Someone has! Ford!

Retro Al

iTrader: (1)

They are wank,they are so slow they wouldnt pull the skin off a cold rice pudding.

Just my opinion of course

Turbo Zetec

iTrader: (1)

they're not a bad car to drive, they just never took off really as the RST was easier and cheaper to tune and the cossie overshadowed it as the 'new RS' at the time. shame really, if the escos didn't happen, they would have probably have been as popular as the Focus RS. We'd probably all still be building 2.3 screamer NA's for them now

Madgit

Here we go again, handbag swinging
They aren't that bad. As for styling that was down to insurance premiums going through the roof for sports hatches. I'd rather have one again over an xr3i turbo er I mean an S2.

Rogeyboy

iTrader: (2)

This was bound to start some arguements wasnt it...?

I think the Mk5 & 6 RS2000s are a nice car, not very fast and not very tunable but they look pretty hard and handle well... A turbo'd rs2000 4x4 would be fun

What makes a "Proper RS"? Surely Ford Motor Company branding the car as an RS model wearing RS badges makes it a proper RS...?

WongRS

iTrader: (11)

i personally like the mk5's, not a massive fan of the 6's, but each to their own.

Rod-Tarry

You have stated what i feel so much blinkered RS shite on here its unreal.
You may love RS's but get real they are 20 year old antique loads of rubbish compared to modern performance cars. Ford decided the 2000 was worthy of a RS badge but a few fanatics on here decide they were wrong you cant make it up .

.Ross.

iTrader: (2)

Mk5B 4x4 in blue .. Love one in total standard trim ..

Darylc.

iTrader: (1)

I love the later escorts. Not saying I dont like the early ones, I love them too, but they're getting silly with the prices now. Ł12K for an Escort? No thanks.

I honestly can't see why the later escort RS isnt a "proper" one. Rust? All fords rust. Slow? It would leave an old RS escort for dead.

Give it 20 or so years and I bet people will be saying "Those focus RS', not proper RS', not like a good old Escort RS"

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Very good cars and worthy of the badge IMO.

STeve

iTrader: (11)

Heres my 10p worth take on it as I owned a MK6 RS2K 4X4 for some time as well as a few Turbo powered RSs, The RS2000 16v is a very good strong reliable car unlike most in the RS range and all of you out there that own turbo RSs know that for a fact which is why most say its boring, they are lack luster and dont have the same buzz or wow factor when putting the power down, ford should not have named them a RS2000s if honest as a xr2000 would have been a better choice, but ford did name them that so like it or lump it the RS badge is on it, it had big old skool boots to fill when using that name which is what got peoples back up in the day, with the mk6 models ford cashing in on the RS2K looks with the very underpowered totally boring GTI model did not help its image as most would not know a RS if it ran over them,

On the issue of folk being snobby to the rs2000-16v club thats simply some folks opinions and not those of all passionford regulars thats for sure and sounds more like the attitude of another unamed certain specific model RS website, if we all liked the same thing life would be pretty boring.

milesy23rst

iTrader: (16)

Nice reliable cars have had a couple of mk6's and loved them, not proper rs's well i dont agree very worthy of the rs badge as is the rs1800 fiesta

CossieGirl

Does it really matter what other people think?
No matter what you buy, you'll always have people slagging it off.

In Belgium there's no such thing as a Fiesta RS1800 as it's called XR2i and officially you also drive a "Sierra Cosworth 4x4" overhere. No mention of the word "RS".
What's in a name...

Less.

More of an RS than the Series 2 imo great cars,with some proper rally heritage

Rob_DOHC

iTrader: (4)

What shite, every 'RS' has its origins in a standard car. The RS2000 has an RS badge end of.

Great little cars, rot like all other RS's..... so is the originoal RS2000 not an RS? Its slow, rots like fuck and doesn't have a turbo....

Engine is specific to the RS2000, interiour, suspension etcetc. So IMO yes they are a propper RS.

Rab

And everyone seems to forget that the point of Ford's RS brand, was to give joe average a chance to keep up with the 'sports cars' in his boggo family saloon/hatch whatever. Now everyone is banging on like RS is in the same league as a 911............

dieselpower

In fairness he doesnt give tow shits i just wanted to know why people on this site would think so .

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

How does the RS2000 look any different in that respect to most RS's?

Sure the Cosworths are a bit lairy, but how can you say the RS2000 looks like less of a "hot" version of a MK5/6 Escort than a Series 2 RS Turbo does?

S2 is just like any other 3dr MK4 Escort, just with a subtle bodykit, different alloys and Recaro interior, plus a more powerful engine and uprated running gear.

Take a MK6 RS2000, it's a 3dr MK6 Escort with a subtle bodykit, different alloys, Recaro interior, more powerful engine and uprated running gear.

Only thing is the RS2000 drives and handles a hell of a lot better, plus has an engine that is 100% bespoke to that car, not an uprated version from a lesser spec car.

It was given an RS badge, it's a true RS in every sense of the word. In it's day it's performance was bang on the money for the type of car it is. It's been a little overlooked for a while because performance upgrades aren't as cheap and simple as they are for RS Turbos, so the chavs with Ł4.50 to spend making their car go quicker have always favoured them instead.

It's Czech Mate

Good motorsport pedigree unlike an S2 - much more of a proper RS IMO

tomoyb

iTrader: (3)

the biggest joke was ford useing the gti name on the escort,ford dont do gti simple

as for the evos,the 1st ones shared a proton shell lol

~nomad~

iTrader: (4)

Bang on. Its Ford who decide what car gets the RS badge. If they put the badge on a car its a "real" RS, the opinions of a bunch of saddos on an internet forum are really not relevent

Fullflush

Is it a real RS? Yes

Are they the worst RS's ever made? Yes by a mile!

mothrs2k

I know its not strictly relevent to the discussion but, did the s2 rst compete in any form of motorsport?

Mark_

Since Rs stands for Rally sport and the RS2000 has won quite a few, surely that makes it more worthy of the RS badge than some of the Turbo Rs branded cars which never took part in any form of rally, except when the typical Essex boy has lost control and put it in a field.

Csm

Aye theres some pish gets spouted on here thats for sure lol


Crackin all round useable car

Mark_

You heard wrong, The rs2000 is the most reliable Rs out of the lot Imo!

Mark_

What about the Fiesta Rs turbo, Looks like an Xr2i to me,

The saph cosy? Looks like a Taxi,

I see a pattern somewhere........................



Needless to say I am a big fan of both of the above, I am just pointing out that the Rs2000 is no different.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

The Escort was coming to the end of its production and needed a flagship model made up of what was in the parts bin or easy to produce. The GTi did its job and was a good car. And despite only being a bit of a gimmicky unit-shifter with the same engine as any other 1.8 Zetec it was quicker than some other, more established GTi-Badged cars of the time.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Better than S2 or RS1800. Better than S1 if we're being honest, but S1's cool factor makes it better.

GVK.

Fastest lap of <insert your town centre one way system here>

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

I'm not slagging the rs2000... But a S2 IMO is a lot better car and more fun...!... Maybe the ones above that everyone owned was shitters.

Rab

I have to agree with RS matt, the S2 was way more fun than the RS2k. Even though the S2 handled like a sponge that a walrus is balancing on it's nose.


But it was the fear of death that mad eit interesting!

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

Exactly Rab my white one run around 220bhp nearly 9years ago... Was scary car and ultra reliable.

disco-stu

why is the RS2000 not a real rs ? more power standard than a s1, s2 or frst as standard. still got the recaro seats decentish handling and unlike most rs turbos out there they actually work. right rant over

Rab

Mine had similar power but was no where near reliable Still loved all of them though. I had 9 in the end!

One day I'll make that a round number

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

But we had the option of turning the boost up...

Where's 1-PD.....im a 306 GTI 6 sort of man...

Ade

Is the RS2000 'a proper RS'? Of course it is, as an RS is nothing more than a model range. Pretty much every RS is a souped up and tarted up shopping car or rep-mobile when it comes down to it. So in the big scheme of things they're all variations on a theme with some being better than others.
Same goes for every other hot hatch and mental saloon from any manufacturer.

Not a bad thing either, the whole sleeper/underdog aspect is half the appeal for me.
I've always preferred hyped up working class cars to posh supercars.

~nomad~

iTrader: (4)

I prefer supercars to anything personally. Wish I could afford one

Rab

DOn't be daft Ade, if you could have a Ferrari and a 911 Turbo you would!

Me too!