The 2016 Ford Focus RS, fish, golf & a jaguar.

If you start a sentence with "AWD, 300 HP, Turbo charged....." I'd probably finish it with "Mitsubishi Evo", "Subaru STI", maybe even "Golf R". Out of all cars that come to mind a Ford Focus is not one of them, until now! For me the Focus RS started out as a joke & a bet with one of my friends. When plans for a 350HP AWD Focus were just rumors i bet the idea would fall on its face. I've lost that bet & i can't say I'm too upset about it.

Lats face it, if you were in the market for a powerful, AWD, rally inspired car for around $35K there weren't many options. The three cars i mentioned above seemed like the only real choice. On paper, the Focus RS has everything you would want & more, but are people really going to buy one over a Subaru, Mitsu or VW? Should you?

Looking at it, i can't get the image of the cod-fish looking Jaguar XKR-S front end & the Golf R rear end out of my head. So let's talk a bit about facts. The 2.3L turbocharged engine has 350HP, it may give you the edge you need to pull away from your friends STI or EVO on the highway, but we can't say just yet whether or not the extra HP will translate to faster lap times. I've been waiting for 12 years for the STI to get a HP bump, and the Focus RS does it in its first try.

The Focus RS uses GKN's new Twinster AWD system instead of going for the easy way out (a Haldex system). While I'm not elated that this system (as well as the Haldex) favor the front wheels in normal driving, it does seem to be a closer to true AWD like in the EVO and STI. Their still may be a problem of keeping all wheels spinning in low trac situations (deep snow) but that remains to be seen. It is 2016, computers can do almost anything so it stands to reason that their will be one powering the torque vectoring system. I'm also happy to see that you have a few different drive options including track mode, & the almighty DRIFT MODE!!!

Ok so it seems fast, smart & decent looking, but is it fun to drive? Will it be reliable? Will it work queasily on the track as well as off? The turbo charged AWD rally style car is not a new thing by any means. Subaru & Mitsubishi were selling cars just like this 12 years ago (3 years before anyone ever heard of an iPhone). Unfortunately, initial reports claim that the Focus RS is tame no matter what mode you are in. There is no OH S*!T mode. Reportedly, it feels like the computers are doing a good portion of the driving for you at all times even in track & drift mode. I watched a person test drive the car, in the commentary they mentioned (I'm paraphrasing) "i can drift with no problem and i don't even really know how to drift" A real driver will tell you a car is only fun if it's a bit scary. All that exhilaration goes out the window when a car restricts you from pulling a shiesty maneuver you're perfectly capable of handling yourself. Also, drivers reported significant body roll in certain driving situations as well as under steer, thought not as bad as in a Fiesta RS

So what's the verdict? Truth is, for $35K I'd buy a Subaru STI almost any day of the week over the Focus RS. Let's overlook the obvious fact that this is Ford's first modern day attempt at a rally inspired car for the masses. I know Subaru & Mitsubishi can produce cars that, for me, still look decent 10 years into the future. Ford, not so much. Also, i know a 12 year old Subaru STI (about 70K miles) still costs about $20k or more. So if you bought one back in 2004 you'd have spent $104/month to drive the thing (assuming you somehow put 5,800 miles on it per year). While the GKN Twinster AWD system may be better than Haldex, it's barely a true AWD like you would find in the STI and EVO.