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Focus ST vs Focus RS for Daily

MattBassAce

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15 GT/PP owner here looking to buy a daily. I currently have an older f150 but I don't like driving it 30miles to work and its better suited for winters and truck duties. I really love the look of the Focus RS and ST, plus a Hatch is what I really want. Do you guys think it will be worth it to pay 40k for a daily or would the ST be a better choice. I'm not planning on trading in the GT because I love it. I also only have a single car garage which the GT occupies. I guess I should test drive them both but I can't find any dealers with RS's and I bet they would be very hard to find to test drive. Any ST owners out there that can chime it?
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L8APEX

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I would get the RS because of the AWD
 

BmacIL

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ST. RS is an amazing car, but not really what I would remotely consider for a spirited DD. The ST is very fun to drive, pretty cheap for how much you get, and will return good fuel economy.

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Teezlr

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15 GT/PP owner here looking to buy a daily. I currently have an older f150 but I don't like driving it 30miles to work and its better suited for winters and truck duties. I really love the look of the Focus RS and ST, plus a Hatch is what I really want. Do you guys think it will be worth it to pay 40k for a daily or would the ST be a better choice. I'm not planning on trading in the GT because I love it. I also only have a single car garage which the GT occupies. I guess I should test drive them both but I can't find any dealers with RS's and I bet they would be very hard to find to test drive. Any ST owners out there that can chime it?
Fiesta ST, its so good. I prefer it over the Mustang GT for city, daily driving etc. Such a good car, at least go drive one unless you are set on a Focus
 

Martman GT

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Check with member "TheDivaDanielle", she has one as well as a GT Convertible.
 

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cosmo

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The RS would be a great daily if you could afford it, but as they stand, the ST twins (fiesta and focus) are already amazing for daily driving. I'd highly recommend test driving the fiesta and focus ST, as many who do end up preferring the fiesta due to the smaller and easier to fling/fun nature of it. The ride is stiffer though compared to the focus, and the interior definitely isn't as nice.
 

Teezlr

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Also something to consider is consumables, like tires, brakes, oil, gas and maintenance items.

The pilot sport tires on the RS, plus the larger and higher performance brake pads on the RS will not last as long and will be more expensive to replace. So not only are you replacing them more frequently but they are louder, grippier and more expensive.

I realized that once I bought the ST, the high performance summer tires and high performance brake pads wore down my rotors just in city driving.

So even just all city driving, my first brake job needed all new pads and roots because the pads are so aggressive.

The tires don't last long for most people either.

So, if economical is of your concern consider a Camry.

I drive my Fiesta ST about 15,000 miles per year all in West Los Angeles, stop and go traffic.

I love it, but sometimes a Toyota Camry would suit the job much better and be way more comfortable and more economical.
 
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MattBassAce

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Also something to consider is consumables, like tires, brakes, oil, gas and maintenance items.

The pilot sport tires on the RS, plus the larger and higher performance brake pads on the RS will not last as long and will be more expensive to replace. So not only are you replacing them more frequently but they are louder, grippier and more expensive.

I realized that once I bought the ST, the high performance summer tires and high performance brake pads wore down my rotors just in city driving.

So even just all city driving, my first brake job needed all new pads and roots because the pads are so aggressive.

The tires don't last long for most people either.



So, if economical is of your concern consider a Camry.

I drive my Fiesta ST about 15,000 miles per year all in West Los Angeles, stop and go traffic.

I love it, but sometimes a Toyota Camry would suit the job much better and be way more comfortable and more economical.
I forgot to factor in maintenance. The STs seem like a great choice for DailyDriving. The RS is very enticing with the AWD and 350hp. If I didn't have a GT or downsized to 1 car, the RS would be perfect. I live in NJ and don't experience run into much traffic and 98% of my commute is highway. The STs would probably return 30mpg+avg. I have to find a Fiesta ST to test drive, there are dozens of Focus's near me though. Thanks for your input.
 

Jeff's FRC

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I used to have a Focus ST and it was one of the most fun to drive cars I've ever had. 3" TBE, intake, and tune really woke that car up too. Would fry the tires on a second gear roll on at like 2,000 rpms. They make a bunch or torque down low. Only reason I traded it in was to buy a new F150.


 

likeaboss

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The RS with AWD is actually the more practical car.
 

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Project Whitemare

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My daily driver is a 2015 Focus ST1. Best car purchase I've ever made. I prefer to drive it over the Mustang in most cases.
 

jeffrt

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I daily drove my Focus ST for 3 years before trading it in for the GT. It was a great car. Best handling car I've ever owned.
 

Big Boss

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My daily driver is a 2015 Focus ST1. Best car purchase I've ever made. I prefer to drive it over the Mustang in most cases.
Would have loved a RS for daily but way to much coin.

I was thinking about a Fusion Sport but for DD duties the 34K starting price might be a bit high. I was so excited for it but that price is starting to turn me off. That has me back to possibly a Focus ST. While I would want some of the features in the ST2, the few times I have sat in an ST2 I found the Recaro seats a bit to snug. So sounds like a ringing endorsement for the ST1 then huh?
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