Rod-Tarry

Agreed.
Amazin how so many people that have never drivin the new RS can be so negative. Cyril whos green RS was at Coombe also owns a MAD 500/500 Escort so is able to make a judgement, his verdict, the new RS is so superior in all aspects of design & driving ability its not funny, makes the Escort seem like an outdated mode of transport.
I cant make that judgement cos ive only driven an Escort & I guess most on this thread cant make that judgement either, so all i can do is listen to me old mate & give the new RS .

MJ_RST

What a load of pi$$!!!

To do what renault have done and strip the car bare reduces the amount of potential customers. Very Very few will want to use that everyday. in many cases it will be JUST track, which is for folk with money to waste imo.
The focus RS wins handsdown, it has the full package! and for those who wish it to be lighter......TAKE THE BLOODY SEATS ETC... OUT YOURSELL!!!!
Its better to have too much than not enough

And on the topic of Fwd vs 4wd + rwd......looking at the power board, theres not all that much in it between the RS and the top 2, if to say fwd doesnt work, cause obv it works very well in this case

LUCKO

or buy a green one thats 2 colours to begin with lol

Robski

.....

frankyboy

Good point If Ford released the Focus RS with the same spec as the Renault most people on here would complain that it ain't as well equipped as say a Golf R32 or GTI, Ford has to build a car to appeal to every one not just a few.

andyt

iTrader: (1)

with the exception of a few can the rest take your blinkers off please the new Focus RS IS and will be a awsome car. Never mind the 300 brake is driving the wrong wheels blah blah blah and it should of been 4wd blah blah blah for those who have not been out in one all im gonna say is Get in one asap and then come back on hear and bow your heads!!!! Get in with some one who can drive aswell that helps ALOT

fuzzy

i thought he said it handled shit compared to the renault? skipping and jumping and understeering all over the place?

danneth

watch the vid where they try to show them side by side looks alright to me

danneth

what actually experience one before commenting? are you mad?

fuzzy

i was only catching bits of the program and the bits i was seeing clarkson seemed to comment negatively.

danneth

i only watched it quicklly on iplayer cause i missed it, but did see where they did a video of them side by side round the track and apart from the last two corners it " looked" about the same to me

frankyboy

Yes negative about the Megane!, he couldn't praise the Focus enough from what i see, said they are both more fun than a R8.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

But it feels like a more 'fragile' car with IMO average build quality. An awesome car no mistake, but it doesn't have the solidity (nor the ease of driveability). I know which I'd rather have - and until I drove the Focus, the Evo was probably at the top of my 'cars I'd like to own and live with' list.

You got me there. I've not driven one, but compared to the Focus the motoring reviews are way less favorable. But then who'd believe a motoring journalist!

What 'facts' are these? Have you driven a modified Focus RS? As for TOTB I was merely suggesting that you remove your rose tinted Cosworth specs, not suggesting that the new RS will wipe the floor with Olly Clarke!!!

Won what?

andyt

iTrader: (1)

jonathon555

The Auto car review was fairly independant & good

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...61bhp)/224171/


I have sampled one & it was nice Linear & Balanced. With an addition of a Revo Remap a real proper performer.

This is the real competitor to the Focus for Quality & Ride not the R26R.

We can agree on that one.

For interest look at the test data including dimensions.

I will say no more Except , The focus is a more aggressive looking animal & has alot more road presence.


I also beleive motoring journalists can be biased on occasions (often towards both Renault & Ford) Because the reviews the original clio197 got were brilliant ! but the real on road power delivery was dismal it could not touch the 182.

It could be down to the ammount of advertising the given car companies spend with the publications.

buzznwood

But that's the whole point Dojj the ford parts bin is filled with 4x4 systems that take FWD to AWD, hence why they sell cars / crossovers with the option of having it AWD or not. They could have done the same thing with this focus offered a FWD only version for those wanting a modern rs turbo and a more expensive AWD version for those of us that want a modern escort cosworth and understand the laws of physics and thus don't want FWD.

Volvo use a haldex coupling which is also used on the veyron so can take quite a bit of power , not saying you won't need to change the diffs, gearbox etc as you up the power, but the coupling is the last thing your going to be breaking seeing as they can take 2000nm of torque.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i think that it's all an informed decision as to making the car 4wd v2 making it weigh less

i know that audi use a lot of aluminium in their cars to keep weigh down, but even so, how much does the s3 weigh? 1455kgs with the 4wd system, so not much more than the focus
how much does it cost to get 265ps of audi to drive 4 wheels and call it an s3? at least Ł27k or 35k in euro's depending on which sites you look at, and then there are the options like you have on every german car "do you want seats? do you want a steering wheel? do you want wheels?" and other silly shite like that, so again, it's not really comparing like for like is it in the price bracket

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

So you'd want a 'modern Escort Cosworth' that would be heavier, slower and handle worse than the front-wheel drive version? Hmmm..

PF Dave

I have... ... and you'll be suprised (that's the person you're quoting) how much extra it can cope with when done properly. Take any thoughts of RS Turbo's or other FWD cars you might've driven before out of your head... the new RS is nothing like them!

Plus to the other point above, the RS OVERSTEERS not understeers, and it's geometry and chassis setup in general is far better suited to a performance FWD car as it allows it to move about - which is great if you're able to drive to a decent standard. Unlike the ST which stays much more planted unless you're very aggressive with it.

I've driven all the connotations mentioned, so this is my opinion, but based on FACT

Rick

Forgeting speed for a moment, which is the better car of the std Focus, Renault and Lancer? The latter two are hugely outclassed. Now make a hot version of them all, and you end up with nearly identical performance, but the Renault looses any sort of refinement, and can no longer be used to take your kids to school. The Lancer is better, but no where near as practical or nice to drive to work and back. Running costs are horrific and it needs servicing every other month... Ford have done a pretty good job i'd say.

Rick.

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

My only point is that fwd just isn't as much fun as rwd....

Would the mk1&2 Escorts be such legendary cars if they had been fwd? Same as the 3 door/ rs 500 etc etc....

I'm sure the new RS is a fantastic car, but it just seems such a waste to keep it fwd, any serious driver would prefer at least some power to the rear!!!

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, you're right this proves that the new RS is no fun at all.

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

Notice my words of ISN'T AS , not NO fun! Nice vid, but just imagine that with rear drive!!!!! You can't seriously tell me you would prefer it fwd if it handled the same but had the rear wheels being driven?

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

If it handled the same why would I want it RWD? To be completely honest I'd want one exactly as it is. Call me a coward, but I like the predictability of FWD, and as I spend a lot of time with my kids in the car that kind of shit is important.

I had a massive smash in a RWD car when I had to take evasive action, if the car had been FWD I'd wouldn't have crashed. I'll never forget that and I'll never buy a RWD car.

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

Ahhhh.... Explains a lot! Sorry to hear about your smash, but RWD cars are just as safe as FWD & 4x4, unfortunatly 98% of people have not got a clue how to drive them! Then the rear wheel drive gets blamed for anything that goes wrong!!

Rick

They are inherently less stable. The early escorts were RWD because they weren't as well engineered. FWD was added later as it is a more efficient way to package a family car. The Escos only existed as GrpA demanded it's productuion. WRC means Ford don't have to build special homoligation cars sadly. It would be a foolish business decision to do so.

Rick.

Retro Al

iTrader: (1)

lol as if rwd werent as well engineered! fwd cars were made because they are cheaper to produce

The facts are this rs would have been loads better in rwd or awd,rwd is more fun and has the capabilty of taking more power that fwd

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

In an emergency I'd argue that fwd/4x4 is inherently safer as the handling is more predictable. In my instance I was overtaking when a car pulled out of a side road, (utterly my fault) I had to swerve back onto my side of the road, and the action of swerving violently and straightening up quickly made the back go light, it clipped the grass bank and over the car went. If I had been in a FWD car the crash wouldn't have happened.

Rick

FWD is cheaper granted, but it's also a much more efficient way to package a car, and has less transmission loses. My 5 series is huge on the outside, yet it's smaller inside than a mondeo. However, BMW do not need to be as space efficient, they focus ultimately on driving dynamics and quality, which is reflected in the price.

Why would Ford spend all that money on developing a car which 4wd which would not sell anymore than the current car? They did it with the Escort Cos as they had to in order for it to be eligable for rallying, and the Sierra was already a rwd platform.

Rick

Red16

Sounds like lift off oversteer to me, which used to happen on the older fwd hot hatches, the likes of the Peugeot 106/205 etc, not sure on the newer stuff...

How do you suggest that fwd would've saved your bacon?

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I know what lift off oversteer is, and it wasn't that, I didn't lift off. In some cars (especially Peugeots as you've mentionned) it can be pretty savage - but if I had performed exactly the same manoeuvre in a Golf, or an Escort, or Fiesta I wouldn't have crashed. FWD cars are inherently safer.

turbolee

saw the new rs in white last sat on m1 with plate rs 09 one

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

So basically the new RS should be FWD just incase people can't handle a RWD car?

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Basically the RS is perfectly fucking fine front wheel drive and everyone needs to stop getting a boner over RWD and 4WD.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

No, that's not what I said. I said that I wouldn't buy a RWD car.

Have a drive in one, and then tell me that they need to be RWD...

Mk1-stu

if i decide i want to hate the new FRS, i will, no matter what clarkson or even my mother says. I don't like focus's at all, be it a poverty spec or one designed by god - in my eyes, they are still the most awefull looking car in production at the moment !!

i'm sure that Volvo are really happy that everyone is enjoying their powerplant too

155lee

iTrader: (10)

sounds like you have already decided you dont like it,this is the best performance ford that has been available for a while and im sure you are in the minority of people who think its ugly.

dovboy

if the diff is that good ford will not need to convert there wrc cars to 4wd.

never mind how mind bendingly awesome the front wheel drive system is,your still dragging the freewheeling rear end around with it!

fwd=shit.

infact,thats only my opinion.
look at it for what it is,a new rs turbo and a very nice car but you wont see one in time attack anytime soon.

edit to say,untill ag gets one and butchers it to make it 4wd

jonathon555

This months EVO mag new RS tested against a 250 BHP mountune Focus ST.

Interesting read.

It's Czech Mate

Did it? I'm a subscriber to Evo and I havent seen it yet.....they have both on long term test tho