'15 GT or wait for Focus RS?

[ilkhan]

I wouldn't take an AWD Mustang if it were $5,000 cheaper.

This.

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[valentinoamoro]

Never. I'm all for innovation but a muscle car absolutely needs to be RWD. Just my opinion.

+1. This car is about hooning and tail happy antics any chance I can get (you dont even need to go fast, just a quick stab at the throttle in some of the turns in my daily commute). Hard to do that with AWD.

 

[Supa LA]

+1. This car is about hooning and tail happy antics any chance I can get (you dont even need to go fast, just a quick stab at the throttle in some of the turns in my daily commute). Hard to do that with AWD.

Not really hard, just takes more work and power. If you can toggle the differential, it makes it that much easier.

 

[Trent W]

We're excited you have a mustang, but the comparison to an ST are not valid. The RS is an all together different car, even if it does carry similar sheet metal.
Just like trying to compare a Mustang GT to a 350... not the same.

Comparing the GT to a 350 is the same. As they both share 90-95% of the same parts! Its just a different model/badge. I'm not detracting from this car at all its going to be amazing! What i was trying to get at was I could use the ST as a baseline for quality of the "focus" RS but at the end of th day its still a focus economy line of car and isn't even close to the fit and finish they have in the mustang. I don't even have the Recaro's like the ST had and the difference is still very stark... The interior of the New RS looks roughly the same, the exterior minus the bumpers exhaust and a ricer wing its the same. I made my decision based on a few things Mustang is nicer/more comfortable. Performance is on par or will be really close vs RS. Cheaper to Mod. If i do mod you have more headroom with the mustang. So for me the choice was clear. If the RS was out when i was looking at the mustang I would have had a much harder time deciding but we still don't even know numbers yet... so this is just a guess

Focus RS (what i think it will be)
Price (premium) 42k
Engine 2.3L turbo4 332hp/340tq
Transmission 6 speed manual
Curb Weight 3450 lbs
Wheelbase 171.7 x 71.8 x 58.4 in
0-60 4.5 sec
1/4 mile 13.0 sec @ 106 mph
Economy 19/27/23 mpg

 

[w3rkn]

Comparing the GT to a 350 is the same. As they both share 90-95% of the same parts! Its just a different model/badge. I'm not detracting from this car at all its going to be amazing!

What i was trying to get at was I could use the ST as a baseline for quality of the "focus" RS but at the end of th day its still a focus economy line of car and isn't even close to the fit and finish they have in the mustang.

I don't even have the Recaro's like the ST had and the difference is still very stark... The interior of the New RS looks roughly the same, the exterior minus the bumpers exhaust and a ricer wing its the same.

I made my decision based on a few things Mustang is nicer/more comfortable. Performance is on par or will be really close vs RS. Cheaper to Mod. If i do mod you have more headroom with the mustang.

So for me the choice was clear. If the RS was out when i was looking at the mustang I would have had a much harder time deciding but we still don't even know numbers yet... so this is just a guess

Focus RS (what i think it will be)
Price (premium) 42k
Engine 2.3L turbo4 332hp/340tq
Transmission 6 speed manual
Curb Weight 3450 lbs
Wheelbase 171.7 x 71.8 x 58.4 in
0-60 4.5 sec
1/4 mile 13.0 sec @ 106 mph
Economy 19/27/23 mpg

I see what you are saying....

Is that now that you drive a Mustang, it's build quality is much greater than other Ford "economy" cars.. (?)
That more than half your post is talking about the ST, which is made 4,200 miles away from where the RS will be built. Not sure if you are trolling, or keep missing that fact.


Coincidentally, how the RS looks is subjective and has nothing to do with it's performance, or build quality.

But in the end, I am so glad you cleared your posts up and let us know that your personal choice is more important, than an open comparisons between the two... like the rest of us are doing.




Correct, we do not know the actual specs, but we do know what the 2.3 can do on a tune. So it is not hard to speculate how a modified 2.3 (with bigger and lighter turbos + better cooling) can be..

We can easily speculate the modified 2.3 can reliably hit 360ft-lbs. But Ford is being coy about exactly what they have done to the engine, but everything they have mentioned, seems like it was to handle higher internal loads (ie:TQ). So, with an overboost mode (ie: BMW "is" models), or a real race tune.. you can see the RS putting down nearly 400ft-lbs of controlled placement.


0~62 4.4s

On the street this will own any mustang. It is not about ego, it is about grip.

 

[Hack]

Comparing the GT to a 350 is the same. As they both share 90-95% of the same parts! Its just a different model/badge. I'm not detracting from this car at all its going to be amazing! What i was trying to get at was I could use the ST as a baseline for quality of the "focus" RS but at the end of th day its still a focus economy line of car and isn't even close to the fit and finish they have in the mustang. I don't even have the Recaro's like the ST had and the difference is still very stark... The interior of the New RS looks roughly the same, the exterior minus the bumpers exhaust and a ricer wing its the same. I made my decision based on a few things Mustang is nicer/more comfortable. Performance is on par or will be really close vs RS. Cheaper to Mod. If i do mod you have more headroom with the mustang. So for me the choice was clear. If the RS was out when i was looking at the mustang I would have had a much harder time deciding but we still don't even know numbers yet... so this is just a guess

Focus RS (what i think it will be)
Price (premium) 42k
Engine 2.3L turbo4 332hp/340tq
Transmission 6 speed manual
Curb Weight 3450 lbs
Wheelbase 171.7 x 71.8 x 58.4 in
0-60 4.5 sec
1/4 mile 13.0 sec @ 106 mph
Economy 19/27/23 mpg

Seems about right. Over $10k more than my GT and a little slower.

I think the actual fuel economy will not generally be as good as what you've guessed, though.

 

[Trent W]

Is that now that you drive a Mustang, it's build quality is much greater than other Ford "economy" cars.. That more than half your post is talking about the ST, which is made 4,200 Coincidentally, how the RS looks is subjective and has nothing to do with it's performance, or build quality. But in the end, I am so glad you cleared your posts up and let us know that your personal choice is more important, than an open comparisons between the two... like the rest of us are doing. 0~62 4.4s On the street this will own any mustang. It is not about ego, it is about grip.

I think you keep missing my point. Talking about the ST in half my post was to explain how much nicer in terms of ride quality and interior it was. By explaining that even if the RS is significantly better in that department which I'd assume it is, the mustang will still edge it out. If anything the ride will be stiffer and more uncomfortable than the ST due to the suspension setup and how aggressive its tuned. I may be wrong on that but its still just speculation at this point. The reason I'm using the ST as an example is because 1. I owned one and 2 they are going to share almost all the same parts! Ford cant afford to make two different parts for everything on the car regardless of where its built its simply not cost effective. It doesn't matter if its built in Dearborn, Mexico, Brazil, or Germany its still going to be built with the same parts. Just because its 4500 miles away doesn't make that same part/frame any better. You act as if a they have a German guy on the Assembly line that touched it with his magic finger and turned into a glass slipper. If you look at the interior/exterior of the ST and the RS they are virtually the same with some minor cosmetic alterations. In my mind the RS have the skin of the ST and the drive train of an EVO/STI and slightly more power than both of those. If by going off of that I can say without a doubt its going to be an amazing car but when comparing it to the mustang it will still come up short in many categories not all but most. By me being on here "openly comparing the two" by using realistic numbers and experience which shattering your idea this car is going to be the be all end all of cars is misguided. How is that "trolling"? Now your attacking my thoughts on it because i might have hurt your feelings calling "economy cars" cheaper and have lower end components which is not wrong by any stretch and is a well known fact. I'm not bashing on anyone or any car but going from "MY" grocery getting economy car (which will share most of the same parts) to "MY" Mustang the difference between the two was SIGNIFICANT! I'm not trying to downplay the ST or the RS I LOVED MY ST and it will always have a special place my my heart, I still miss it at times... You are 100% correct on the street and from a Dig The GT will be hard pressed to get it, or have to have a long road to catch and pass the RS which it will run it down eventually. But if i can use my experience with me and some friends modded evo's tooling around and having fun as a gauge on the performance of the RS. From a 20-whatever roll it will come up short. Evo#1: intake exhaust and a tune on his IX (stage 2) with 21lbs and i could pull on him.. not much but i could. Evo#2: Evo X before he sold it was running the same bolt-ons but would spike to 30lbs and run at 26lbs. and i would get rocked in my stock GT. I can guarantee the RS wont even be on par with those stage 2 Evo's and I can run with those stock.... so go ahead try to tell me I'm wrong but i dont think you can refute much of what I said. If it is I would love to hear it and talk about it but don't try to infer now that I have a mustang I'm better and have a huge ego. Your crossing the line into personal attacks instead of staying on the debate or comparison... Keep it civil w3rkn I don't appreciate the attitude.

 

[Trent W]

Focus RS (what i think it will be)
Price (premium) 42k +/- 2k
Engine 2.3L turbo4 332hp/340tq
Transmission 6 speed manual
Curb Weight 3450 lbs
Wheelbase 171.7 x 71.8 x 58.4 in
0-60 4.5 sec
1/4 mile 13.0 sec @ 106 mph
Economy 19/27/23 mpg

I think this is pretty good guess and based on those numbers in an ideal track situation vs the Mustang it it will be close but still the mustang will come out on top. Yes the MPG will probably be lower but I'm being optimistic. Yes if it had more torque I think 4.4-4.3 would be possible but I'm sure that would have to be with a tune. (Stock 15 STI 0-60 4.6 FYI) I hope isn't as tall as the the FoST (58.4 in) It made it look less sporty IMO.

 

[Trent W]

On the street this will own any mustang

Not true, to do that its going to need to be under 3300lbs and at least 300awhp which it wont... stock 0-40 yes after that not a chance. maybe a half or a full length depending on driver from the launch But will get ran down very quickly. Id imagine this would be very similar to a race between a stage 1 STI vs stock GT.

 

[Hockeypucks]

Not true, to do that its going to need to be under 3300lbs and at least 300awhp which it wont... stock 0-40 yes after that not a chance. maybe a half or a full length depending on driver from the launch But will get ran down very quickly. Id imagine this would be very similar to a race between a stage 1 STI vs stock GT.

I'm not sure he's strictly referring to a drag race type of scenario. Obviously the bigger V8 will run down and pass the turbo 4 (stock vs stock) but in terms of overall handling I feel the RS will be superior. Everything about the RS is conjecture at this point but the Mustang is certainly no slouch in the handling department.

 

[cosmo]

Not true, to do that its going to need to be under 3300lbs and at least 300awhp which it wont... stock 0-40 yes after that not a chance. maybe a half or a full length depending on driver from the launch But will get ran down very quickly. Id imagine this would be very similar to a race between a stage 1 STI vs stock GT.

Look at the 0-60 thread on the boards. The average GT driver can't even get this car sub 5 because they can't launch it correctly. That doesn't matter with an AWD vehicle. It will launch just fine. The average RS driver versus the average GT driver, the RS will win the majority of the time. Yeah the GT will eventually catch up, but that will only be from rolls on the highway or at the strip.

RS will be the street king, GT will be the roll/drag king. The GT will be faster around a track because tracks typically are at faster speeds, where the 4 cylinder will falter.

 

[foghat]

Look at the 0-60 thread on the boards. The average GT driver can't even get this car sub 5 because they can't launch it correctly. That doesn't matter with an AWD vehicle. It will launch just fine. The average RS driver versus the average GT driver, the RS will win the majority of the time. Yeah the GT will eventually catch up, but that will only be from rolls on the highway or at the strip.

RS will be the street king, GT will be the roll/drag king. The GT will be faster around a track because tracks typically are at faster speeds, where the 4 cylinder will falter.

It will only launch fine if you give it enough rpm. I'll be curious to see what the torque numbers are like and what is required to get the best 0-60 times. Most of the awd turbo 4s out there today require high rpm clutch drops to get their best times. Which is something I, as an owner, would not be too thrilled about doing very often.

 

[Chargedguard5.0]

Look at the 0-60 thread on the boards. The average GT driver can't even get this car sub 5 because they can't launch it correctly. That doesn't matter with an AWD vehicle. It will launch just fine. The average RS driver versus the average GT driver, the RS will win the majority of the time. Yeah the GT will eventually catch up, but that will only be from rolls on the highway or at the strip.

RS will be the street king, GT will be the roll/drag king. The GT will be faster around a track because tracks typically are at faster speeds, where the 4 cylinder will falter.

Who races from 0-60 anyways?

 

[cosmo]

It will only launch fine if you give it enough rpm. I'll be curious to see what the torque numbers are like and what is required to get the best 0-60 times. Most of the awd turbo 4s out there today require high rpm clutch drops to get their best times. Which is something I, as an owner, would not be too thrilled about doing very often.

Mid range RPM clutch drop should suffice, but yeah, if you race a lot say goodbye to your clutch. But then again, if you're racing in the first place, you should expect some extra maintenance.

Who races from 0-60 anyways?

A stoplight race/0-60 is one of the most common I'd say, and puts the race in both the vehicle and the owner's hands. Highway roll is pretty much all vehicle, just pick a gear to start at and floor it. At least a 0-60 involves some skill from the driver in launching the vehicle properly.

 

[B-Fox]

you really have to drive it like you hate it to make an AWD 4-pot fast on pavement.

in the dirt though..

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