German Car Zone

I think the focus ST has similiar electronic restraints as the mazda mps. Turn the steering wheel too much, and the electronics will only apply a percentage of the power! If I owned a mps I wold invest in a quaiffe diff. Im sure many already have.

The focus RS really really does excite me. I dont know whether im just buying into the hype, but I hope im not as it all sounds so promising. If its everything that capito says it will be it ould very well revolutionarise the hothatch market! FWD seems to have come along way recently, and youtube is helping to spread the news that many fwd hothatches can keep up with their 4wd and rwd counterparts on the bends, and on the straights whilst rolling, pull on them due to lighter weight and less transmission losses.

I cant wait for the RS, its the first ford I have truley lusted after in my entire life. I hope that it will not disappoint!

Poverty, you're a hot hatch hooligan!

No doubt, that RS is going to be an interesting one to keep an eye on (I mean 440 Nm on overboost coming through the front wheels - this I must see) and hopefully it will not delight and disappoint all in one go as so many reviews for the previous RS stated.

I wonder what the ride is like? Anyhoo, for me it matters not - I shan't be buying a Focus RS for two reasons: a) it's unlikely to go on sale in SA and b) there's the small matter of it running the STI close in pricing and the latter is so much more a favourite of mine. I love that car.

We're still waiting for our batch of Aussie-spec 195 kW WRXs. I can't wait for a drive in that.

This should imply that the steering wheel will wrenched from your hands. I had forgotten what torque steer was, but got a sharp reminder after driving a fwd car a couple of weeks ago.


M

Torque-steer is a funny thing, it can be fun one minute and downright frightening another.

Ford claims that Revoknuckle suspension eliminates torque-steer but I remain sceptical. Whilst we've certainly seen engineering improvements on a steady basis that allow for ever increasing front-wheel drive tolerance of torque and power, I can't help but think that 440 Nm (from a transversly-located powerplant) through the front wheels with a quarter turn of lock is going to result in a rather busy-feeling steering wheel.

I like the impreza, always have, but there is something lacking about the new STI and indeed also the Evo X. The new impreza doesnt look like a traditional impreza, and the evo doesnt look like a traditional evo.

But worst of all, and I cannot comment on this on a personal level as I have not driven them, is the worry that they have gotten soft, and the driving experience being a bit subdued compared to the rally twins of old.

They have got heavier with no real power increase. A few years ago a hothatch would never get anywhere near a STI or Evo, but now its not quite the same, on public roads if the road is dry and not overly twisty a modern hothatch can keep up, and its not something I would be happy about. Hothatches are getting faster and faster, whilst the scooby (does the new one deserve to be called that?) and evo have got slower, and in the case of the evo, alot more pricey.

Basically im scared that the rally twins have got soft and expensive, and are looking less like the ultimate performance bargains as the years go by.

I still want one though, either will do and I would have it over any of the current hothatches anyday, but the focus RS might change that.

Apparently, going by owners comments and what evo mag said in their long term test of the 240hp leon cupra, torque steer is not a issue in the VAG chassied vehicle. Same cannot be said for the astra vxr/opc. Im not overly familiar with the focus ST in that regard so cannot comment although I have not heard heard that its bad like the vxr, or good like the vag's so can only risk a guess at it being inbetween!

Very interesting how the JCW performs...