Ford Focus Rs mk3

Yeah I bet it will and I'll be jealous as hell.

I wish I was in a position to buy one but until I see the financials I'm holding fire. This is the one car since the the r26 then the rs250 I've really wanted to own.

 

I can help but fell Honda, Renault, Peugeot SEAT etc will be looking at the Golf R and RS and thinking 'They have 4WD and we don't.'

 

Is it not a similar system used on the Kuga soft-roader? I think that is a Haldex system is it not?

I kinda agree with Jamie on the 4WD, and was just musing this very point whilst coming home in the awful rain tonight. The 4WD will surely only help under traction events, and not at all under braking or when cornering on a neutral or closed throttle.

They should do what Ferrari do with the FF and disengage the front driveshafts above a certain speed

 

A little bit of info here about the system
http://blog.caranddriver.com/2016-ford-focus-rs-all-the-tech-details-you-could-ever-want/

 

Good read, that.

At least this system will cure the torque steer the ST suffers from.

If only they made a 3 door...

 

I thought that about a 3 door but the 5 door has really grown on me and it is more practical, it seems most manufacturers are heading towards 5 door now.

 

Having 5 doors was one of the reasons I bought one, with a kid on the way it will make a fun daily. Also really impressed with the st estate we've just got.

 

Looks great, I really like the look of the new RS. Can't wait to read the reviews and see if Ford delivers.

 

Stunning looking car and being a fast ford should be good. My first car was a XR2 so I'm a fan of the sporty fords

 

I wasn't a fan of the blue but the more I see it in the videos it does look good especially with the black alloys.

 

Needs a mid box chop, some braided lines, brake fluid change and bin off normal mode. Job done Raj, can you sign it off now

 

It already has the mid box chop only the rear box on the exhaust

 

Does anyone know the limitations of the drivetrain as it sounds like this will be the weak point rather than the engine. I was hoping to get at least another 100bhp out of mine but there have been whispers of mountunes first package only adding another 30bhp

 

That's the last episode up now.

http://youtu.be/Oz-ApdYRNGE

 

Dont care how fast it is look at it bring back the mk2.

 

I think it's great and early impressions make this new RS the bench mark for future hot hatches.

I'll certainly take one for a spin once there in dealerships. Purely in the interests of market research and nothing to do with the drift mode...

 

No doubting it's an extremely lovely bit of kit but 1600kgs and 4wd sound a bit boring to me. Just a cheap A45/RS3. Don't understand it personally!!!

However fair play if you've got a build slot because no doubt there will be early cars going for big premiums to people who couldn't get a car this year!!

 

Different technology behind the 4wd system from the Audi/Mercs though and all that while at a price point that should worry every single warm/hot/super hatch manufacturer out there, even if you don't want one it's the kind of thing that should (hopefully) make those manufacturers up their game. So it should (again I hope) be a good thing even for those who don't own one, once everyone gets over the huge hype about it.

Cool car though, I like it in the black/grey colours and it looks imo much better than the old one which looked like it'd fallen through halfords. It's still a hot hatch, just maybe a bit more grown up.

 

1550 kg , its a bit lardy ,my 265 is 1389 kg that focus is going to need the extra power .without the novelty drift mode I think it maybe a bit to grippy and boring to drive aswell.

 

Great price and killer blow for Renault's next RS. Too fat mind, like all hot hatch 4 WD offerings, no longer nimble and just too much weight to be cheap and fun on a track. 4WD is great in certain situations but you are lumping that mass around 24/7, during braking, cornering and acceleration.

 

Agreed. I have driven a 911 Turbo and Impeza - both with 4WD and you can really feel all that weight below you. It made the car feel safe to drive but also heavy.

I do agree though that this and the Golf R are 'game changers' in this sector. For almost the same price as 2WD hot hatches you now get 2 of them with 4WD. If i was Renault/Peugeot/Vauxhall/Honda I'd be looking closely at what I could do to counteract this. They are all too far along with 2WD cars to change now with the possible exception of Vauxhall which is of course only just launched.

 

Does Nissan have a performance platform ? It looks likely that they will use the 1.6 DIG-T engine that currently produces 190BHP in Nissan form. Wouldnt suprise me if they pinched a 4wd platform as well.

 

Great thing is the 4wd system is not Ford IP so anyone can use it, Renault could have a 4wd Megane if they bought in the system.

 

Renault already have a relationship with GKN since they supply the LSDs for the Megane.

I'd be surprised to see 4WD on a Megane though. It's great for a road car, but not so useful on a track.

My Clio Trophy is due in a couple of months, will be keeping an eye on what the next Megane turns out like as a replacement in a few years time. I absolutely love the Focus RS, I think it looks fantastic, but they're just too much of a thief magnet and I'd be worried about it every time I parked up.

 

Went to see one today in my local ford! Was in the obvious 'nitrous blue' with 19" wheels and recaros. I must say it looked very nice but not a million miles away from the ST. One thing I must say is I thought the arches would stick out more but they don't! Still looks like a very mean car from the front and I certainly wouldn't say no! My mate is a mechanic there so he got the keys and fired it up....sounded nice, but not like the old 5pot!

 

Renault have 4 wheel steering to tit about with the next Megane so 4 WD isn't going to be a player.