[p.opus]

I doubt I could have said this better myself.

The Ford Focus RS Is the World's Finest Hot Hatch - The Drive

Like any great performance vehicle, you can't fully appreciate it on public roads. Especially here in the US.

I haven't even fully challenged my ST, so I know that an RS's full potential would never be realized by me.

I'm going to ST Octane academy in Sept. and there I will see just how much I am underutilizing the capabilities of my ST. So if as a driver I'm not pushing the ST, then how would the RS be any different. And if I never experience what my money paid for, then I don't get any value from it.

Bottom line for me. Why buy an RS when I'm going to drive it like my ST?

 

[ddfred]

The guy lives in L.A., he should get out to Willow Springs and enjoy his car!

 

[ChrisL]

If you had AWD you'd be driving differently. Traction is addicting....cornering, and in the rain.

 

[Ssquared]

All that story did for me was to remind me to stay away from cities. Not that I needed the reminder. It also told me that he would probably be better served by riding a bicycle to visit his friend.

Like any great performance vehicle, you can't fully appreciate it on public roads. Especially here in the US.

That's mostly true, but I think it all depends on where you live as to how much you do enjoy it. There's plenty of public roads around here that I can enjoy my car at 80% capability while still staying technically within the speed limit. 55mph roads with 25mph advisory corners can be driven at a consistent 55 and be a lot of fun, all without breaking the law. And then there are the times when obeying the speed limit doesn't happen, and I push the car a bit harder. And I don't have to sit in traffic for an hour to get out of my neighborhood, usually it's about 5 minutes to the open road. However, if I lived in Florida, like you, you're right: there's absolutely no reason to own a car that likes corners.

 

[Clique]

"this guy" is Matt Farah.

 

[p.opus]

However, if I lived in Florida, like you, you're right: there's absolutely no reason to own a car that likes corners.

Yes, Florida does not have a lot of roads with bends, but I still really enjoy the car. My point is I don't have enough roads or money to spend on Track to justify the RS over the ST.

 

[909cobra]

canyons....we have sooooo many canyons......!!!!

 

[Cowlynz]

I decided against trading the ST for an RS because the RS is just TOO awesome. :Rally: :tree:

 

[toda party]

Same, I felt it'd be a waste to daily an RS, wouldn't do it justice haha

 

[cbdallas]

I would appreciate an RS every time I have to pull out quickly from a side street. No tire-squealing, wheel hopping drama. Just GO.

I love my ST, but I miss my Speed6 for this one reason. I'm sure the RS does it even better.

 

[LHturbo]

Still loving my 15 ST. Would totally upgrade to the RS but I think I'm going to just put that RS money towards the new Raptor and keep the ST. The ST really does everything I need it to do.

 

[dianebrat]

I loved my ST for 3 years, did ST Octane Academy in my first year owning it, after that I was better able to judge what my limits and the ST's limits were, so when I made the decision to buy the RS I knew what I was in for, it was "an ST but more.. much more" and I have enjoyed every mile in my RS.

 

[GronkDaSlayer]

The guy lives in L.A., he should get out to Willow Springs and enjoy his car!

And Button Willow, and Fontana, Chcukwalla, and Laguna Seca is 4hrs away too.
Kind of a lame excuse really.

Edit: Although I can understand that getting stuck in the LA traffic would suck with that kind of car. Still, I wouldn't sell it for that reason alone. Deal with the traffic, track the car as often as you can and enjoy it.

 

[shogodz89]

After coming from a '13 ST I can understand what you mean. I do drive my RS as if it is my ST because of the area I live in, however in my mind I wouldn't want to purchase any vehicle to drive it at it's limit 100% of the time. I love my RS because I can drive it at the same limits as my ST but with enough confidence to know that I can push it a lot further when I need to. So for now, I have only a little bit more fun than I did with my FBO ST3, but with the added perk of being able to spank most street cars off the line and take jug handles extra fast :RockOn:

When I do take it to the track, there isn't much I need to do in terms of prep. This is the major difference between the ST and the RS. When it comes to track day, the RS is good to go for the most part. The ST cannot hold up to intense track use without losing power, brakes, and traction.

The only complaint I would have about the RS on the track is the AWD shutting off prematurely to prevent damage. The RDU doesn't have a temp sensor, so the ECU uses an inferred model to predict the temp of the RDU (based on PTU temps) under hard use. This causes the system to shut down after 20 minutes of track time. Adding a diff cooler makes no difference since this is entirely controlled by the ECU. However even in FWD mode the RS still handles significantly better than the ST does.

 

[TRooper_]

And Button Willow, and Fontana, Chcukwalla, and Laguna Seca is 4hrs away too.
Kind of a lame excuse really.

Edit: Although I can understand that getting stuck in the LA traffic would suck with that kind of car. Still, I wouldn't sell it for that reason alone. Deal with the traffic, track the car as often as you can and enjoy it.

Matt is in Venice where the traffic is absolutely horrible. He literally is in the canyons, 3-4 times a week filming his One Take series. On top of that, when he is not in town, he is driving all the latest cars on tracks across the world. He also already has two very fast track oriented cars (his Fox and a C5 vette) that he doesn't get much time to drive either. When he is home in traffic, the RS is simply not practical for his needs. His buddy in the Bay Area is going to end up taking over the RS lease. He ended up picking up a Jaguar F-PACE S w/ the 2.0L turbo diesel, which in my opinion is a great choice.