Focus RS Review

wow, looks amazing, will have to see what other reviewers think of it but from this initial one looks like its achieved what it was built up to be.....
 
More power and better suspension and funky revonuckle thingy:p

Looks a bit lairy to me, a proper fast Ford imo.I love how the stats at the bottom claim the car can do 30mpg on a combined cycle, yeah right!
 
Sounds good, but a bit too clinical perhaps? Does it have the X factor which wows you about a car or impresses, be it the noise, handling, lift off oversteer, torque steer... Just something that makes a drive "fun" rather than just being insanely quick A to B.

Yet it’s what happens at the other end of the car that provides you with the biggest confidence booster. The way in which the car neither under nor oversteers, but just hangs on is, well, breathtaking.
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The revoknuckle is very similar to what Renault use on the Megane isnt it?
 
300bhp, 320lb/ft, 1400kg yet 5.9s 0-60? Sounds to me like the awesome traction of the revoknuckle isn't quite as awesome as they make out. He also says it doesn't understeer yet managed to understeer it onto the wrong side of the center line around one of those bends.
I'm not convinced, seems like 25k would be much better spent on a WRX STi (aside from strong RS residuals). Will wait and see what DR have to say about it, they don't mince their words.
 
Clarkey said:
300bhp, 320lb/ft, 1400kg yet 5.9s 0-60? Sounds to me like the awesome traction of the revoknuckle isn't quite as awesome as they make out. He also says it doesn't understeer yet managed to understeer it onto the wrong side of the center line around one of those bends.
I'm not convinced, seems like 25k would be much better spent on a WRX STi (aside from strong RS residuals). Will wait and see what DR have to say about it, they don't mince their words.
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In a straight line it cant overcome physics, there will be a limit to how much grip the tyres can give! And as we all know 0-60 is all about a fast launch time which will just generate a ton of wheelspin in first in a FWD car.

0-100 in 14 is fast though.
 
I do like it, but seems more like a refresh of the ST than RS. No hint of rawness about it that a lot of people will probably miss.
 
It's quite clever. One of the features is that the rev limit gets raised to 7.3k for 3 seconds at a time.

Its on Fifth Gear Monday reviewed by Plato. Only thing I am not keen on is the dump valve noise. Maybe its a recirculating valve though and was amplified on the vid I saw
 
Clarkey said:
300bhp, 320lb/ft, 1400kg yet 5.9s 0-60? Sounds to me like the awesome traction of the revoknuckle isn't quite as awesome as they make out. He also says it doesn't understeer yet managed to understeer it onto the wrong side of the center line around one of those bends.
I'm not convinced, seems like 25k would be much better spent on a WRX STi (aside from strong RS residuals). Will wait and see what DR have to say about it, they don't mince their words.
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If you listen carefully he says, something like, you won't get any wheelspin in 2nd with the traction control on. So, 300bhp without traction control will probably see the tyres get nice and toasty if driving aggressively.

I don't think thats really the point though, if you remember the old RS if you watched it accelerate hard out of a bend it would be visibly all over the road. And now this RS with an extra 100bhp and umpteen more torques doesnt do that, it also looks and sounds amazing. Anything under 6 seconds in a front wheel drive production car is very rare as well.
 
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Berger said:
Sounds good, but a bit too clinical perhaps? Does it have the X factor which wows you about a car or impresses, be it the noise, handling, lift off oversteer, torque steer... Just something that makes a drive "fun" rather than just being insanely quick A to B.



The revoknuckle is very similar to what Renault use on the Megane isnt it?
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Similar feelings to mine about the car, I'm sure it's one of the fastest point to point cars you can get, especially for 25k, but the car just leaves me underwhelmed? I really don't like the styling and I just don't think it'll be as much fun hustling it along a B road like a smaller hot hatch like a clio or a mini.

I think you're right too in that Renault has been employing a similar suspension design for a while now.
 
Berger said:
Sounds good, but a bit too clinical perhaps? Does it have the X factor which wows you about a car or impresses, be it the noise, handling, lift off oversteer, torque steer... Just something that makes a drive "fun" rather than just being insanely quick A to B.
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They made it FWD for that, a AWD test mule was deemed too boring.

Although 0-100 in 14seconds is a bit slower than I would have hoped for, guess it's not bad though.
 
Simon said:
They made it FWD for that, a AWD test mule was deemed too boring.

Although 0-100 in 14seconds is a bit slower than I would have hoped for, guess it's not bad though.
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Probably helped save a bit of money too since they then didnt have to redesign the whole car to suit 4wd and they can turn a profit on them rather than losing loads on every one sold. I imagine this had more to do with it personally!
 
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