'15 GT or wait for Focus RS?

[Supa LA]

I hear ya.. It does suck living in the North. There was a few times i bought cars i really didnt want because of worrying about the winter. Even now i said screw it and went with a rear wheel drive Muscle car because thats what i love and just plan to drive my front wheel drive beater around in the winter till it dies but hopefully buy then ill have enough money together for the RS.. I just need to hit the lottery so i can move down to the Smokey MT's.. Im sick of the NorthEast!!

Man, i sure do love the Smokies! We try to visit Gatlinburg once a year. Dont blame ya for wanting to move down that way.

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[wjlowe111]

A 4 door car I would get would be the Dodge Charger Hellcat; at 707 HP; RS doesn't even compare! I wouldn't be surprised if the RS is up there in price too if you could even get one.

 

[Sterling Archer]

A 4 door car I would get would be the Dodge Charger Hellcat; at 707 HP; RS doesn't even compare! I wouldn't be surprised if the RS is up there in price too if you could even get one.

Two things:

1) Completely different approaches and target customers. If you prefer the charger, that's on you - but you really can't compare the two. You say HP, I say cornering ability. In the end it's all about the target market.

2) Price won't be near each other. No one in their right mind would spend $70k on a production Focus. Perhaps if you gave me the same AWD system with the 3.5 L ecoboost and magnetic shocks with a ballin interior I'd consider it, but expect the MSRP to be below $40k (because sanity).

 

[Erik427]

The Focus RS over the Stang Ecoboost.

 

[Supa LA]

The Focus RS over the Stang Ecoboost.

Agreed. It won't even be close as far as handling and out of the hole speed goes. (Stock for stock and based upon the supposed #s)

 

[Chameleon]

The Focus RS over the Stang Ecoboost.

Ya think?

 

[Sasuketr]

So Focus RS will pack the same engine specs as the ecoboost mustang. Even if the car weights exactly the same as ecoboost mustang, it will take it from dig, but if it weights close to VW Golf R then it might even take on the mustang gt from dig! They recorded 4.4 sec 0-60 with GolfR DSG if i m not mistaken! The car also out handled the new Subaru STI on the road coarse! Golf R and the Focus RS are really nice performers and they both have a great design fit and finish!

 

[GNS]

So Focus RS will pack the same engine specs as the ecoboost mustang. Even if the car weights exactly the same as ecoboost mustang, it will take it from dig, but if it weights close to VW Golf R then it might even take on the mustang gt from dig! They recorded 4.4 sec 0-60 with GolfR DSG if i m not mistaken! The car also out handled the new Subaru STI on the road coarse! Golf R and the Focus RS are really nice performers and they both have a great design fit and finish!

It's not the same engine specs as the EcoBoost Mustang. It has upgraded cylinder heads, gasket, cast iron cylinder lining (they went out of their way to mention this, so I assume this isn't on the Mustang's engine), as well as an upgraded turbocharger. Who knows what else they did to the engine? The HP is said to be "well in excess" of 320 PS (315 HP), and this figure has been strongly hinted (by insiders) to be closer to 340 ~ 350 HP. I would also expect some kind of Ford Racing Performance upgrade to boost that closer to 380 ~ 390 HP, possibly even more.

There are so many other upgrades to the car, which are not limited to:

- aerodynamic bits to achieve zero lift
- large front mount intercooler
- brake cooling ducts on the front fascia, and under the car
- upgraded sway bars
- free-flowing intake and exhaust
- upgraded transmission and clutch
- Brembo brakes

And of course, it has a GKN-sourced high performance AWD system that is meant for high-power applications, and also features several modes including Launch Control.

If all of the specs hold out and the hype is real, this is essentially a rally race car that is track ready right off the showroom floor / delivery truck. Which is why I'm so pumped for it, and waiting for the 2nd year of production will be an exercise in patience.

 

[valentinoamoro]

Whats the wt balance and expected Wt?

The new Audi TT -S is 2900 pounds with 290-300HP (based on the latest Golf platform). I hear this will be somewhere along the lines of 3300+?

Also, what is the wt distribution? Torque vectoring will help move the wt around, but its very artificial (like GTR). The engine/transversely mounted seems like it must sit in front of the front axle. I doubt this has the balance of the EB.

The RS will be an awesome car for many reasons, but if you really want to track and auto-x a RWD EB with proper suspension (read: aftermarket) setup would probably be more 'traditional' feeling and competitive. Stock Vs stock though the EB is not likely to be as racey - its still a base setup (read blank canvas) compared to the top dog of the Focus.

The RS would be pretty race prepped from the factory, but an upgraded economy hatch based architecture with likely more front bias than an EB and a lot of computer wizardry to compensate. No doubt though that the engine is upgraded over the EB - it would be nice if they ported those changes down to the Mustang EB PP/track pack and call it an SVO - even better would be bringing the 2.7TT V6 to the Stang.

 

[Brent302]

It's not the same engine specs as the EcoBoost Mustang. It has upgraded cylinder heads, gasket, cast iron cylinder lining (they went out of their way to mention this, so I assume this isn't on the Mustang's engine), as well as an upgraded turbocharger. Who knows what else they did to the engine? The HP is said to be "well in excess" of 320 PS (315 HP), and this figure has been strongly hinted (by insiders) to be closer to 340 ~ 350 HP. I would also expect some kind of Ford Racing Performance upgrade to boost that closer to 380 ~ 390 HP, possibly even more.

There are so many other upgrades to the car, which are not limited to:

- aerodynamic bits to achieve zero lift
- large front mount intercooler
- brake cooling ducts on the front fascia, and under the car
- upgraded sway bars
- free-flowing intake and exhaust
- upgraded transmission and clutch
- Brembo brakes

And of course, it has a GKN-sourced high performance AWD system that is meant for high-power applications, and also features several modes including Launch Control.

If all of the specs hold out and the hype is real, this is essentially a rally race car that is track ready right off the showroom floor / delivery truck. Which is why I'm so pumped for it, and waiting for the 2nd year of production will be an exercise in patience.

Don't forget the awesome "Drift Button" I can't wait to see that in action. Is this a common feature for AWD performance cars or is this something Ford is innovating?

 

[Supa LA]

Don't forget the awesome "Drift Button" I can't wait to see that in action. Is this a common feature for AWD performance cars or is this something Ford is innovating?

I've never heard of a drift button before. I know for a fact the wrx, sti and evo do not have them, anyway.

 

[Brent302]

I've never heard of a drift button before. I know for a fact the wrx, sti and evo do not have them, anyway.

Here's an article explaining it. Mustang gets burnout mode.Focus gets drift mode. Dave is doing some work over there.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/thank-you-for-smoking-ford-explains-the-focus-rss-drift-mode/

 

[GNS]

Whats the wt balance and expected Wt?

The new Audi TT -S is 2900 pounds with 290-300HP (based on the latest Golf platform). I hear this will be somewhere along the lines of 3300+?

Also, what is the wt distribution? Torque vectoring will help move the wt around, but its very artificial (like GTR). The engine/transversely mounted seems like it must sit in front of the front axle. I doubt this has the balance of the EB.

The RS will be an awesome car for many reasons, but if you really want to track and auto-x a RWD EB with proper suspension (read: aftermarket) setup would probably be more 'traditional' feeling and competitive. Stock Vs stock though the EB is not likely to be as racey - its still a base setup (read blank canvas) compared to the top dog of the Focus.

The RS would be pretty race prepped from the factory, but an upgraded economy hatch based architecture with likely more front bias than an EB and a lot of computer wizardry to compensate. No doubt though that the engine is upgraded over the EB - it would be nice if they ported those changes down to the Mustang EB PP/track pack and call it an SVO - even better would be bringing the 2.7TT V6 to the Stang.

Don't know any of those specs for weight distribution and expected weight, although it has been said that the AWD system is compact and lightweight (which says nothing about the other upgrades like the sway bars, the upgraded front mount intercooler, etc). Regardless of a car's platform, I would never count out a car until after it has been tested. The FWD Civic Type R posted a time of like 7:50 around the Nurburgring (but of course, with the addition of a roll cage and deletion of some interior items). That time is in BMW M3 / M4 territory, and a FWD econobox-based hot hatch achieved it with the aforementioned mods (ostensibly for safety).

In any case, the Focus RS is more appealing to me (at this time) than a Mustang EB because it offers the complete package. It is a 5 door hatchback, so I get practicality with hauling stuff and ferrying the occasional passenger(s). It is shorter than the Mustang, so it is easier to maneuver and park. It has a high performance AWD system, which will be near invincible in the the winter (with proper winter tires). And besides... if I wanted a Mustang, it is the GT or nothing.

I'm not completely ruling out getting a Mustang GT at this time - it depends on the RS' price, performance reviews over the year that I'll be forcing myself to wait for until the 2nd year of production, and how tuneable the RS really is. If the RS turns out to be a disappointment (which I doubt it will be), then I'll be ready to hop into a 3rd or 4th year Mustang GT just as the Camaro is released. Or maybe Subaru will have a hatch STI with a new engine by them. Or maybe I'll defect over to ze Germans (M2? M235i? 335i? Audi S4?)

I've never heard of a drift button before. I know for a fact the wrx, sti and evo do not have them, anyway.

I don't think there is a drift button, per se. More like a drift mode selectable from the drive menu. In any case, I would never use this option because it kills expensive tires, and an insider from GKN has stated that the drift mode was an addition to the software spec AFTER the components were sourced and engineered - a strong hint to avoid using drift mode, unless you like to test your warranty.

 

[L8APEX]

Now that the horsepower specs are out, how many people here are still cosidering the Focus RS? I would really love one personally.

 

[Chameleon]

Now that the horsepower specs are out, how many people here are still cosidering the Focus RS? I would really love one personally.

I am.

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