gingeRS

pros and cons of both

personally i think the RS is the looker, but the St has all tha gadgets and is a more modern car.

also 5cyl vs 4cyl..............discuss

ryan_belfast

Im in this pickle at theminute, do you buy an ST with 3yrs warrenty or do you go for the RS?

Robin

from what i saw on topgear the st seems to be more refined than the rs, would have loved to see the compaired times round the lap they did

Racey

agree with Robin on that, plus .... (wait for the really girly comment) .... the colour options are far better in the - ie they come in something other than Blue!

would love one of these ST's

gingeRS

fancy treating myself in the new year

replace the bean tin

just dunno whether to spend 15k on an RS or close to 20k on an ST

have never been so excited about a new car though...hits the right spot

Dan

Ryan, you have no pickle my friend, you own an Escos that is better than them both IMO!

Would prob have the older 'RS' Focus though, just prefer it really

DazC

iTrader: (1)

The ST will probably be producing some serious power when the tuners get their teeth into them...

Robin

looked on topgears website for the hot laps time and the RS did 1.32.2 and the ST did 1.34.9 but they did say that the track was very slippy. Read into that what u will

ryan_belfast

hehehe

Racey

i think it takes quite a bit to impress Jeremy Clarkson and on top gear he sounded very impressed with it

Dan

Benn 304R

st for me

RichardPON

Might be tempted by the RSm, but I'd be a little concerned that they're gonna take a hit when the Focus ST sales start moving.

That ST does look nice though

M7 COS

Only seen the ST in that Orange colour and I don't really like it. I prefer the look of the RS, although the ST may look better in a different colour.

You could just buy an RS now and then the ST in 18 months or so, save losing all that money on a new car.

Pete.W

fous rs 1.32.2

fouc st 1.34.9

RichardPON

However, I believe the ST was 5 seconds quicker round the Ring?

Robin

pete already posted the times

Pete.W

i'd left page up when i went for my dinner lol oops..

AndyRST

that means absolutly nothing!

whats the total time you would expect the Focus ST to lap the ring in? 8mins 9 mins? whats 5 secs over 8 or 9 mins?

Its the difference between one driver or anther driver being better or being held up by traffic or different traffic conditions.

Aleast the top gear track test is a better comparision no other cars on track, same driver only the weather was different (i.e Foggy but dry)

RichardPON

Of course it means something!

It means I have something to contribute to what would otherwise be a dull post without my presence!

Also, the RS is "supposedly" more driver focused, so it hints at the possibly better quality of the chassis, when you might expect the ST to be significantly slower.

AndyRST

you wanna clutch at any more straws? (but thanks for your input to this dull post without you this would have been a black hole of dullness) BTW is this Rich posting or IMA?

RichardPON

I think I'd rather be clutching at straws than contributing by putting down someone else's opinion, when backing it up with no argument of your own.

Close the door on the way out

sufsRS

andy rst "only the weather" surely this could of made a few seconds of difference???

dojj

iTrader: (3)

greasy track and fog from the 1960's hampered the ST
if they could go round again back to back things would be possibly different

i also found the the box on the ST was a bit crap from 5th to 6th and the boot is too small
and if you haven't had the pleasure of getting into one of them so far, the fact that the door handles don't have any grip on them is also a consideration
the brakes aren't as good either on the ST compared to the RS so that could mean a difference in the track times

on the plus side, it's got some REALLY sweet wiper blades

kouzman

st's engine exists in the current volvo line... these engines can produce silly power...

just ecu tuning produces 250bhp and 380NM torgue... costing around 800 euro.

i have seen such engines with more than 450bhp...

and the 5cyl engine sounds AMAZING.... (remember dahlback's audis and golf's sound effects....??)

RSPTG

I think the ST does look like a good all round car and after watching TG the other night I also thought the orange did the car justice "didn't like it at first and still need to see it in the flesh", must say I'm not a fan of the wheels...they look shite!

At the end of the day the RS is more of a raw kinda car and I'm sure the RS will also hold more money in the long run due to the RS badging and limited run.

Ref lap times, I think it is hard to compare as we are talking different days, conditions, drivers etc,..so unless some one puts them side by side...would be fun A!

ST's will be making big power gains with that volvo lump but I'm keeping the RS.

Stealth Bomber

F
W
D

TIFF

Fuck that then, i aint buying one

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

ST all the way

Stavros

purely for the fact its got 2.5 litres to spin up massive turbos much faster, id go for the ST.

600bhp turbos hitting full boost about 3.5k sounds good to me

OllyTB

i'll let you all know how my ST goes when i pick it up on friday!!!

Exeter J

As above the times done by top gear aren't really comparable - the ST was in dense fog - which even if you know the road/track like the back of your hand will slow you down.

The cars are different animals IMHO, one is aimed at the masses and one was aimed at the enthusiast.

The RS was a limited edition, and cost ford alot more to make than to build than they sold them for! (Ł7k each to be precise). However it was developed on a bespoke basis, with all the aftermarket type goodies etc.

The ST will be sold in tens of thousands and therefore must be more cost effective in its production - whether this is at the expense of quality/ability is subjective. But it will benefit from any developments made in the last few years.

If it was me I would pluck for the ST now, because I need a car that I can use on a daily basis, want it to be quite and smooth for work travel [and it would have a longer warranty]. If I could afford to have two cars running I would probably pick the Focus RS and something else for daily use - but then again I'd probably go for an Ecos instead, as the toy!

Stavros

What on the RS is sooo bespoke and aftermarket? Fuck all, its just a mildly powerful FWD turbo car like so many others.
I see owt on that car youd not get on others.

Focus RS is gona get a bit "RS1600i" in years to come i reckon if you get me

DaveEscos

pics of the ST or STFU

Exeter J

Well, if you believe the ford blurb/reviews, when it was released anyway? They banged on about how much effort had gone into making it, and not just as a done up boggo focus.

Anyway, what if the new ST had an RS badge on it? Do you reckon peeps opinions would be slightly different?

NathR

As for the Bespoke bits, errrr, some Sparco bit's inside (ok they're not really Sparco seats)
OZ Alloys
Brembo brakes
Quiaffe diff
Sach dampers
AP Clutch

I've posted it before but I'll post it again, the Autocar comparison...

The model desinations might sit next to each other in the alphabet, but they are a million miles between the ST and the late great Focus RS in feel and delivery. Ford RS director Jost Capito decrees all ST products need to be part of the standard ford family fro whence they've come, whereas RS products can be somthing different - off the corporate path if you like. Thats why the brake pedal on an ST still has a layer of everyman -friendly mush before the pressure builds up like in every other focus, while an old RS has terrific but uncompromising feel right from the top.
The ST may well have posted a lap time around the 'ring' 10sec faster than the old warrior, but that tells you very little as to the relative charachters and abilities of these two. For starters, you could live with the ST easily everyday - the characterisics of its ride and handling, performance and brakes can move realtively seamless between cruise-to-the-shops mode and maximum attack. An RS is an altogether different beast: there are the characteristics of the limited slip differential to learn. Power won't just spin uselessly away - it'll go straight into the road - but you'll need to be ready to keep a firm grip on the helm as the tourque is juggled from wheel to wheel.
With the MK1's Focus's hydraulic steering rack the RS's steering is fabulous and easily eclipses the electric rack in the ST. But where the ST will pull away with conviction from just about any crank speed, the RS is dominated by what feels like an essentially old-school turbo engine: lots of lag and then a sudden rush of power and torgue.

Making the RS work on a challenging road requires skill and commitment, but when pushed the rewards are beyond what the ST can muster.

The RS is not for everybody, but it's already a classic.


...I think that and Exeters' post some it up. They're designed at different markets really. One's setup to be a 'drivers' hatch, is exclusive and wear's the RS badge and the other is a more everyday hot hatch, both with huge potential. It all depends on the individual, I do think the RS will hold it's value alot better though, maybe more of a long term thing though.

Daviet

really really like the st and wouldnt mind one in the new year.
have got far greater tuning potenial as already said and im sure it was 11seconds quicker round the ring
notice its only old shape focus owners that are tyying to diss them and they aint even drove the thing
and you can get them alot cheaper if you dont buy through ford and you still get the warranty

AndyRST

Rich i offer no arguement until i see both std cars tested on the same track under same conditions by the same driver.

For my money i would still perfer a Focus RS

Paul J

Who was the user that used to defend his rs1600i to the bitter end, around the times of MAD Andy etc.

Maybe he'll buy an FRS and help Andy/Nath