As father as had his name down for the new RS for some time and Ford have been pushing customers to put in their order before prices were even revealed, he had been browsing other marques, just to see what was available for about the same amount of cash, as the RS was expected to be.

Now the price is out(25k before any options), this places it directly on the door of a number of vehicles you could get a discount off from a dealer.

STi
Evo X
S3
R32 etc

The top two are imo, the best out for bunch with 26k to play with, but as he would be p/xing a 58 plate WRX-S, he has to take into account what he would get from the dealer.

The new scoob has certainly opened our eyes and the STi would be the best bet i reckon, but the RS being a new model and limited run of 4000, it certainly has a pull towards it unlike the others.

The question is, does the price tag seem too steap considering the rivals it's up against? I think it is, especially when you look at the back end of it. Chavs-r-us, but then the STi is no picture postcard.

The RS is still bound to drop in value after the first few months, but may it drop as much as the others? I know the 1st Focus RS didn't do quite as well as expected and their figures have stabled a bit now, but that looks a nicer car...more subtle and yet agressive at the same time.

Any views at all?

 

I love them, it is a classic already IMO. As they will sell in limited number, and look amazing - i think that would be half the appeal for me. The money is second to that. Like anything, if you want to be first you pay for it

 

I'd have the RS over a STi any day of the week. Evo X for £25k? I thought they were more than that?

 

Time will tell if this is going to be a Classic, but it's certainly not going to be in short supply with a run of 4,000, and prices will get smashed down pretty quickly.

The cars you're looking at are not really comparable. You would not see me in a Focus RS, thank you, regardless of how good it is. Whereas a Golf R32, at sub £20k now (prolly £19k after a very short argument) with DSG box... Yes please

Richard.

 

Have to agree. 4000 cars is hardly short supply.

1000 P1's, 400 WR Ltd Spec B Leggy's, less than that for some of the S versions of Impreza models is short supply.

But having had a close up of the new RS in the Millenium Stadium on Rally GB it is very good looking car and sounds awesome close up. It's amazing what they can do with a Vulva engine these days

 

Have they attempted lightening that damn heavy lump of an engine?!

 

Saw it in AutoExpress this week, loved the look of it then though, bit chavvy, wonder how bad the MPG will be, then finally still rather have an RS4, so back to the classifieds for me.

 

There is always going to be demand because it is an RS. Out of the options listed above, would be a toss up between the RS and the EVO, but my first car's were Fords and I will always have a soft spot for the blue oval.

 

Focus RS will probably hold its value better than any of them though look at the last focus RS its only recently they`ve took a dive.

Whilst i like em i`d never pay that kinda money for one,thought me mate were mad paying £19k for an astra vxr new a few yr ago-mind you based on depreciation it probably is still worse than spending £25k on the focus.

 

I think the new RS looks better than the Scoob, but is it worth so much more than the Focus ST. Also where can you get a new EVO for 25K

 

Good luck getting a brand new Audi S3 for £25k

I too had my name down for a Focus RS. Took my name off again once it was announced it was FWD. £25k is a lot of money for a FWD hatch.

Once rolling (Third gear) it'll be a quick as the STI/Evo X. However lack of AWD does make it seem flawed compared to the STI/Evo X.

The RS will hold it's value better than the 2 above, however it would have held it's value even more had it been AWD. I was willing to pay up and over of £30k for a AWD 300-350bhp Focus RS.

 

There will be a minimum of 4000 made though so can't see them having good residuals...

 

Are they that heavy, its only a five pot and all aluminium ?

 

I agree with you on that. 300 BHP FWD when you at the lights and there is an evo X os STi with the same power. in the dry the RS will be left a bit, in the wet the RS will be left a lot,

If it had been 4WD I would of been in the line for 1. allways been a ford man but with 300 BHP you need 4WD and ford dont do 1, so for now Subaru it is, and there ace.

Bez

 

If you have no driving skill or control of your right foot then go for the ugly Subaru or Mitsi, if you can drive then go for the RS.

I like the look of the RS, but not sure if it's worth £27k for the acceptable spec version. My ST is just as quick as the RS will be for a fraction of the cost, plus mine looks better without the stick on bits.

Having said that, I may get an RS when they are 6-12 months old and have dropped a bit.

 

Just announced official figures. 301bhp, 324lbs. All yours for £24999 with no options. It can go as high as 28k if you put different paint and sat nav on it.

Suddenly an STI looks like VFM!

 

296 bhp and front wheel drive = disaster !!

 

Lol, sorry guys, i didn't mean all of the choices for bang on 25k.

All i was meaning, i reckon if you walked into a dealers right now with cash, you'd get a chunk off the retail price is all, thus bringing the price closer to the RS.


Thanks for the help mind you elsewhere. Certainly seems we're not the only ones thinking it's ovcer priced for what it is. Gid even if you got a new STi with PPP, it would still be priced competetively and probably be quicker overall than the RS.

Defo agree about the driver thing. You can be a good driver in a 4wd car, but a powerfull fwd? Don't think i'm good enough to exploit that...

 

An STI looks value for money providing you want a very very ugly hatchback that looks like a Mazda 3, don't mind paying £450 a year tax and £800+ a year to service it!!

That's funny, my ST has 285bhp and 350 ft/lbs and it's a simply awesome machine, no worse than any of the P1's, Evo RS's etc that I have driven in the past. I'm no Colin McRae, but can happily punt along in my ST without problem, the lads with over 330bhp don't have trouble either.

 

There has been a lot of development on the front suspension/drivetrain set up And (can't remember the guys name) the development chief reckons they have cracked it and all the power is usable all the time, without any of the usual traits, you'd expect. Still it's good news for me, means the value of my Escort Cossy, being the last true RS, will just keep on going up.

 

Doubt it'll still have a full 300hp in the first 2 gears though.

No matter what trick bits they throw at the car, it'll still spin the wheels and i enjoy the point and squirt attitude of the 4wd.

Being in Scotland, the weather is not a great feature when the car you drive only has 2wd. Being able to use the power whenever and wherever you are is great. Though i'm sure on a track, the RS will be laughing from the start.

 

If can put down 430bhp in 3rd in a 12year old Saab with 205 profile tyres and almost no torque steer then I am sure a brand new ST will be quite happy. I expect it will have an LSD and they are great fun.

1st gear is another matter - AWD will always win at damp traffic lights hands down. Depends how much time you like to spend near damp traffic lights really.

 

Our Mini Cooper S(new turbo'd model) has an LSD specced into it and it still wheel spins....even with traction control on and that's under 200hp.

 

There seems to be some basic physics missing here. Ultimately, it all comes down to how much grip there is between the tyres and the road. Clever engineering (which I'm sure the RS is full of) can do nothing about that.

One way of increasing grip is to increase the load, which naturally transfers to the rear on accelleration. This does not help the FWD cause one bit. There is no escaping the fact that, dynamically, FWD is pretty hopeless at laying down lots of power at low speed. Torque-steer can be controlled to an extent with engineering solutions, but basic lack of grip is something we're stuck with. Over 50mph, 3rd gear, things start to get better, but FWD is always chasing a losing game.

There is only one reason why the Focus RS is FWD. Cost. And right now, Ford has completely missed the target on that one, too. Maybe not their fault with a car that was conceived a couple of years ago, but if you've got £25k to spend just run a quick search on AutoTrader and see what else you can get for that money. Some dream cars, not just tarted up hot-hatches, like a really clean 911, a mint M3, a Merc super-saloon, Jag XKR. This is dream time for pertrolheads with some spare cash. Take a look (Clue: if it uses a lot of fuel and chews expensive rubber, like the RS it will be cheap!)

I'll bet that a used Focus RS will struggle to make £15k this time next year. And it certainly ain't no classic in the making - an Escort Cosworth it is not

Richard.

 

The development work has gone on eliminating Torque steer that the old RS suffered from. So overtaking in third gear on a back road will not be a heart in the mouth experience it sometimes was with the Mk1.

This RevoKnuckle thingy will do nothing to give more grip. So pulling off in first & second gear will still result in wheel spin.

 

Exactly. Unless the traction control sorts it by reducing power/applying brakes. What a truly horrible compromise 'solution' that is

Richard.

 

Really can't see it being any good on anything other than a very smooth and dry racetrack.

I'm sure a few will end up in hedges.

 

Exactly. Fords been banging on about the FWD development car being faster around the ring than the 4WD development car.

So fecking what??? I don't drive on tracks. So the 4WD car would have been faster for me in more situations.

Yes it would add more weight. Give it more power.
Or offer aftermarket tuning kits to get around the CO2 Tax Bollox.

 

Anyone know what the kerb weight is? Because the ST is surprisingly heavy.

Too much road car marketing gumph relies on track data. Despite having some fantastic driving roads down here, none are racetracks!

My rule still stands - anything over 200bhp needs 4WD or RWD.

 

It's heavier than the ST and supposed to be just under 1500kgs.