I have been an owner for years and while I can attest to this car’s ability to keep up with or dust its competition in the canyons, this car is definitely not for drag racing. 3400 pounds and boost limits in 1st and 2nd gear. Subtle mods transform the car. 2018 cars had revised dampers front and back which sort the ride out very noticeably, and they can be bought and added to the 2016s and 2017s. They also had the limited slip front diff. RS1 trim weighs 3300 pounds and does not have the moonroof so the rigidity is better than the RS2 trim, which is the porky one, with the heated seats/wheel/mirrors and nav plus moonroof. All 2018s are RS2 trim but not all got a moonroof. You can’t go wrong with any year but those looking to buy the best version of this car should look for a 2018 with no moonroof, but fair warning they are super rare and only come in Race Red or Nitrous Blue.
This is an RS2 then with no moonroof. Even in 3rd I felt it wasn’t as grunty as it should have been… but it’s a great car nonetheless! Glad you’re enjoying yours
@@KiwiCarLife Yeah it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s not much drama with this car. Other cars definitely feel more lively, especially lighter cars like the Civic Type R.
The mk3 RS has become my 2nd ever dream car, my first being the twin turbo Z32 starting 15 years ago. I now own both, but my RS is still 2 days away. This has been my favorite review of it since I've been binge watching them while waiting. The wait is killing me. It's a 2016, RS2, White, wtih 39,000 miles.
You mentioned a poor turning circle. Is that baded off of an objective measurement, or what vehicle(s) are you comparing that to? It seems to right around that of other AWD performance hatches. Could it be that perhaps you're just not comfortable with more perfomance oriented fixed ratio steering?
Compared with literally every other car I've driven haha. I drove this for at least a week as it was a trade in at work and I found it very cumbersome around carparks. I've reviewed and driven probably a thousand cars by now and this (and the ZB Commodore, which was also AWD) were by far the worst
@@KiwiCarLife of the vehicles you mentioned in the video, only the Megane has a tighter turning radius (when messured objectively). At the same time, only the RS has a fixed ratio steering rack. That gives it better, more predictable, steering feel for performance driving. It also means, unlike a modern minivan and every other vehicle you mentioned (including the ZB Commodore) it doesn't apply more wheels angle (relative to steering input) at slower speeds. It seems obvious that when you said "poor turning circle," what you should have said was something like "relatively increased steering wheel input during low speed maneuvers," or something similar.
These were all the rage when they came out, but not heard much about them for a few years. Looks like I'd want to increase power by 100%, but I'm a mad man
Having had the privilege of previously owning a 2010 Mk2 RS and now a 2017 MK3 RS I am surprised by the hate towards the Mk3. Mk2 was a great car, but had its flaws. Really enjoyed both but always felt the missing part of the Mk2 was AWD. The handling in the Mk3 is what makes the car.
@pcfanta engine blew, so bought a brand new fully forged engine which cost me £9,000+ other than that the rest of the car had niggly things that needed replacing. It's not the most reliable car but the positives of the car just outweigh the annoyances. It's such a fun car to drive. Most problems can be avoided just like with any car with proper maintenance and due care. If you're thinking about it I'd say go for it as long as you got money on the side to fix you're good to go
I’m currently rocking a 67 ST-3 focus 250bhp love it plenty of power handling is great too. Not gunna lie would love an RS but I feel fortunate to own an ST 😊
Owned my RS for over 7 years and I've loved every single moment with it. It is now my autocross car in addition to the occasional daily driving - it is incredible in both manners of driving.
Love the fords especially the rs mk2.I have the mk2 st love it .I like the way ford stuck to manual gearbox unlike the German go karts. May not be has fast but who cares.
Yeah and I’ve got in cars 20 years old that have nicer interiors haha. It’s very good, but I dunno. I didn’t leave feeling as though it’s the “best hot hatch ever made”
I've owned mine since May 2016 and I still enjoy it. I like the firm ride, the Recaros are so comforable, I love the torquey responiveness and that each time I push throiugh a corner I later reckon I could done it faster. On wet roads - if you are in a Type R just be careful if you wanna race!
I nearly bought one, but it's the 10% car. The car that during the 10% of the time when you are up it for the rent delivers in spades. The rest of the time it's poor ride, noise from wind and tyres, and low rent interior constantly remind you where Ford didn't spend it's R&D budget. I didn't find the seats too uncomfortable once you are in them, but getting in and out quickly becomes a chore to the point I'd rather walk to the shops to buy milk than drive.
Having tested mine in the canyons, gravel,mud and snow I gotta say it handles itself great in all conditions. I just wish Ford offered a rally edition with big coilovers and sequential trans. Engine could use an extra cylinder but with a tune,intake and exhaust it wakes up a bit.
Yeah I would say it’s kinda a jack of all trades. Is good in every area but doesn’t excel at anything particularly. That doesn’t make it a bad car it’s just uncompromised I guess
Great to see the channel growing, loved the early stuff, the Accord modding journey was so awesome to see and the gains you made with that car were impressive. Of course the quintessential hot hatch has to be the Gti-r pulsar 😉
Out of curiosity what would you have as a weekend toy I’m tossing up between a 2017 RS or a Lexus ISF, I’ve the RS a few times I love but the ISF is very tempting
Had many problems with 2016 model. Has issues after issues with leaks from PTU, head gasket issues, had to trade it in. The car was brand new and I traded it at 12000km. Should have bought a Type R at the time. Good review and I think you are spot on!
@@KiwiCarLife i think a test vs any honda is not so comparable because they are all fwd, but if so that would be fk2 rather than fl5. Carwow drag raced various type rs and fk2 is the fastest. Dunno was it actually available for nz market
@@GandhiBeatzCarwow also done a race between the FK8 & Focus RS, as you'd imagine the Focus ate the Civic off the line but a different story in the roll race, Civic even kept up with the A45 AMG. Link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IxYg1IDrJUs.html
The RS is known to make about 320bhp really not the 345, its also a bit heavier than most other hatches at 1550kg. ive had mine for a year now running msd400 with a mountune short shifter and gearbox mount, intake and dual port bov. its an amazing drivers car, probably the last of an analogue experience where it doesnt feel too insulated from the outside.
Had it for nearly 7years now. But still think it is too hard for daily. Even with ps4s which is way better than the uk oem pss tyres. The engine sound is a fake one by the way. It comes off speakers according to the rpm.
The Focus RS as a daily was far to crashy in suspension and seat comfort as you mentioned, so I went with a Golf R which is super comfy and goes like a rocket too.
@@matthewling3293 You should go to ford to update your firmware.V1 firmwares did that.Mine after update by Ford did 349hp/44nm and 47nm overboost,before update dyno was 328
@@KiwiCarLife can get sub 5 sec 0-100 kmh with a hard launch. Also the new one coming out to Australia soon has more power and torque so would definitely be faster.
@@KiwiCarLife I hope this age well, because last I checked, It's selling for MORE than what it was when it launched. This car's value is somehow still skyrocketing.
