This 5 cylinders sounds so great :D But the clio is faster on tighten roads, that's why the clio R3 are very good in rally, very goad chassis, very good engine and light car
@paulhojda indeed! I'd take the Clio cup over the RS500 any day. I prefer the livelyness of the Clio over the RS500's brute approach. That Clio looked soooooo good on track, amazing composure. Sounded great too. :) Kei
Comments on the rear axle movement on the RS, I've owned a MK2 ST and that was my major criticism with the back wanting to swing out all the flipping time. Quite scary and held me back from pushing the car too hard. Lead to a complete spin on the track (even with lowering springs fitted). My Golf 5 GTI and BMW 135i felt rock solid in turns.
Essence of a hot hatch! Most people on the road can't corner for crap. They buy a hot hatch to pose or boot it in a straight line. In that department the focus wins by a long shot and with a 2.5 turbo engine instead of a 2.0l it's got all the grunt you need. On most track days i've been on it's the same people just wait for the straights. Christ the things that have so called awesome handling i've overtaken in sheddy old cars at track days but i still can't trouble things that have real grunt.
There really is a lot to be said for a smaller, lighter car. I've just sold my BMW 135i which although was pushing 480nm torque always felt heavy since it weighed 1,550kg. Clio has it's definite advantages in being somewhat more nimble and agile.
I think the point of the video was to show how absurd and far removed from hot-hatch reality the RS 500 is. What better way to do that than put it up against a hot hatchback costing half as much (is that not why they left he Meg 250 out of it?). Regardless of the reasons for the video, the Clio clearly continues to punch well above its minimal weight and is worth every penny. That is not something you could say about the RS500...
This video just goes to show, you don't need power to have fun. The Clio would appear to be the better drivers' car and the modded Focus is the better show-off's car.
Just incase anyones interested, that was filmed at Bedford trackday and I know people who were there. What they didn't say, strangely, is that the RS500 couldn't keep up with the Megane 250 :o)
I recently sold my Clio 197 cup and brought a Focus ST i dont regret my decision, Both are good cars & both are fast but the focus is a better everday car
2 years ago I thought that this clio looks strange to, but now I'm starting to really like it. Its just its simplicity and efficiency its like a pet car :D
@ftpaddict I was thinking the same too but actually I think what they're doing is seeing if the expensive car is really worth it's price when compared to a cheaper alternative.
@kphillips012 The RS500 is the old-gen car, and the Mexico plant wasn't building those. That's why we'd have to deal with transportation costs and taxes that make it seem like not such a good value here. If the new-gen ST built in Mexico ought to be a nice GTI alternative. If it sells well enough, maybe we'll get an RS later on.
Whatever critics will say..that ford 2.5 turbo is just an awesome engine..great sound, good tunability etcetc ...probably one of the best 5-cyls got anywhere near a hot hatchback..just gotta love it for what it is i guess...the last of it's kind ! For allround-use though , the ST was surely the better choice to buy ..unless your a fordloving carnutter that just want to have it in it garage or for some trackdays...for all-day use though the RS is overkill of power
Two things i wanna point out firstly the matt black on the RS500 isnt paint its a wrap, and secondly Mountune do a package for the RS that gives it the same power and i think its only 5k?
When u think about it: Focus RS500 = 345bhp = 2'12''00 - £35.000 Clio Cup = 200bhp = 2'15''30 - £17.500 To be honest, I'd rather buy the clio, have fun with it and still have enough for a turbo conversion, better brakes and clutch. I'm sure that would cost me less than £5.000 and I still have the rest of the money for a house... I mean don't get me wrong, the focus is really fast and will out do majority of hatches but why spend so much...
@gigas81 true!! US needs to get on the ball with there auto selections. Im considering getting my vehicles shipped in. Of course modifications need to be made but its still worth it for a collectors item.
clio is a great car(ugly but good). It can compared to close turns tracks like this one on the video with his big brother megane 265. So the only reason the choose to compare the little guy with the focus rs500 is just to make focus look expensive. Also clio cup200 do similar times to courses like this with clio 182. In this tiny track even a saxo vts120 could be close to them
@aifodasse Ford were in F1 for years with Sauber, they also build some of the best cars in WRC, which is the most dangerous and the most demanding motorsport.
@straightup22 They are comparing more the driving experiences with the 2 cars compared to how much they cost and therefore I think it's a good idea. What they are saying you can have just as much fun in the clio compared to the focus although the focus is obviously faster. TopGear magazine did a comparison of a lot of hot hatches from the 500 arbath all the way up to the subaru impreza cosworth and they went for the clio as the best pound to pound hot hatch.
i own a clio 200, and have driven a standard new Focus RS. Yes the focus is faster down the straights but the fun factor just isn't there. The clio is like a go-cart, its so much fun every time you drive it. i bought mine for £13,500 last september! sooo much cheaper too.
@cumbas tu peux regarder le test sur le site d'auto moto (sur circuit), les 2 voitures ont pratiquement les mêmes temps, mais la RS termine devant, probablement grâce a ses 50ch supplémentaires. Après tu es français si je ne me trompe pas, logique que tu défendes tes couleurs mais objectivement, elles se valent avec un léger bonus pour la RS. (bien sûr ce n'est que mon opinion :) )
I think it shows how good the Clio is when Autocar, Topgear Magazine and EVO magazine rate the Clio higher than the RS. They all rate the RS but have more fun in the NA Clio.
If you're not a "collector" and don't want to pay 7000 pounds for a remapped ECU and some stupid matt black foil, you can just go to a tuner. And the Clio really is epic.
what he fails to mention is that although this cars £35,000 it's only going to appreciate in price, I've driven one and the acceleration is incredible, torque is crazy wheel spin in third gear
I have a Ford ST fiesta...2007 and she's only done 13,000 from new! I've always been a Ford man.....The new Fiesta ST Turbo aint even out yet and the Mk8 Fiesta has been out for quite a while! I can see me picking up a Nearly New Clio Cup soon! What the hell are ford doing.....Give us something that is affordable and do it soon!
like MarkCup70 said the focus in this particular form the RS 500 is no longer a hot hatch..i think we should call it hyper hatch :D the clio is gr8 tho
@rcantrell333 I'm not abled to post links, don't know why, but if you search TG's review of Ford Focus RS and Renault Megane R26R around 0:41 Clarckson tells you... Even on wikipedia's page of Volvo Modular Engine, and if you search carefully on the net you'll find that the 2.4L Duratec is a renamed version of Volvo's B5254T3 engine. Certainly the engine has received changes from Ford's engineers to withstand 300 bhp.
@slinkysaddler Its not a price comparison its a hot hatch comparison and wether the rs500 is worth so much more money, and aside from that an Evo would make mince meat of the Ford so as a comparison that would also be redundant.
@finlayjs Nah, we got corners. They are on those things called "back roads". Usually a ways out of town and you need to know where and when the cops are about.
@MarkCup70 First of all sorry for my English ;-) The RS500 is a car for enthusiasts not for people who wants to go shopping with it.. Also the amount of only 500 produced units shows this. It is not an all day car but something very special and exclusive. It isn't cheap but as I already said it is a special car for lovers and you got to love this car :-)
@linn1000 AutoCar actually have an interesting video of the GTR vs the RS... Worth a watch. However more to the point, the GTR IMO doesn't have the character, passion, soul of the RS. Its too coldly efficient. However I wouldn't spend that money on an RS.
The Renault Mégane RS Trophy has set the record for fastest front wheel drive car at the Nürburgring. It did the lap in 08:07:97, 8minutes7sec. The previous record was also set by Renault 08:17:90 with the Mégane R26R. I'm sure the Focus RS 500 isn't able to keep up with the Mégane RS on the track. Renault makes the best hot hatches at the moment. And that's an end of it
We just have to wait the New Renault Megane RS R 2010. Renault Sport is the best. But compare the Clio with the Focus is illogical but interesting because we can see that with 150hp less than the Focus, the clio make good job too. Focus RS 500 VS New Megane RS R 2010... It will be magic !
sSnip3Zz Ah ah an unofficial time, maybe in your dreams focus can beat a Mégane. This shit can maybe beat à Twingo 2 GT with luck... Focus RS is for big yokel, power is nothing without good châssis.
Nakke144 no I know, I drive a Megane RS and Focus RS can't do nothing against a Megane or a Civic. Focus is heavy, bad in curves and haven't good brakes for tracks days. It's just a Volvo T5 motor and Renault R21 rear axle, with poor Ford chassis. Time on the Ring of Focus RS : 8:23 ... Too slow...
Well, the prices are starting to rise really, in italy you won't find one for less than 10 grand. And it will continue to rise, it's one of the best hot hatches of all time, the last clio rs with 3 doors, the last one with the 2l na engine and, unfortunately, the last one with a manual gearbox. Put all this together and you should find a used one for 20 grand in less than 10 years
@Banasianforce3 If you want to pay the kind of money they're asking for the RS500, be my guest. The Focus RS500 is £35,450, over £6k more than a 370Z and just £1k shy of a Porsche Cayman. In the US, the car would easily cost more than an STI/Evo, even if the car didn't need to be changed for emissions or safety standards. We're getting the new Focus ST soon, which should be in the low to mid-$20k range. It ought to be a solid car, judging from the old ones, and much better suited to our market.
@cumbas @cumbas quelle version circuit ? je n'ai jamais vu de focus RS en tourisme ou partout ailleurs sur circuit.. c'est comme ci tu comparais une focus WRC avec la focus RS.. (dans ta comparaison RS -> megane rs cup je parle) ça n'a pas de sens. Et si ton commentaire a propos du megane se faire explosée par la rs m'est adressé, je n'ai pas dis ça, j'ai dis qu'elle aura les meilleures perfs.
@pardeepbhachu Volvo used Audi engines in old models, but they started building their own in the '90s. And I don't think Audi used them as often as Volvo does in their cars.
I drive an ST (MK2, same engine) that has been slightly modified (suspension, exhaust, slightly more power..) and it is absolutely magnificent. I corner faster than any other wannabe racer here (including Clio Cup, GT86, GTI,..) all worthy enemies to my 8 year old ST.. It'll munch them in a straight line, my friends actually got enough space and I can put anything into its trunk. And with seats leaned forwards, me and my gf can enjoy it even more in the back - ha ha! Backlash: Mileage - HUGE!
@linn1000 LOL, if the GTR's engine or gearbox looses something you have to send it back to japan, because all engine and drivetrain components are unique...
@ipodkiller6 if they were Hatch enthusiasts. They would know where to start and get a normal RS get it remapped and fiddle about with the turbo. Not just buy a car because of its pretty paint job.
I’d much rather take the car that revs to 7500rpm and has very close ratio gearbox. Having said that I’ve got one on my drive; a ‘factory cup’ Renaultsport Clio 200 in Glacier white. It’s the best car I’ve ever owned and I’ve had Saph Cosworths, An Evo 6, early classic WRX’s, and 480hp Fiat coupe, Focus RS’s, Westfields’s and M3’s There is somethings about these little cars. If you live near loads of motorways and in a disgusting city or town perhaps it’s not the best choice. If however you are lucky enough to live in the country with the Lake District in one direction and the N Yorkshire moors in the other and have amazing B roads to enjoy like me, there really isn’t much this side of a Caterham that’s as much fun, and you won’t get wet!!
@Makeshoot and I don't think that Citroen and Caterham could afford to develope a V8 for their cars. Citroen made only 5 GTs and it would have cost too much to develope one powerplant for only 5 models. However Peugeot shares diesel engines with Citroen nowadays.
@SpartanLevin thats in a European market, you have to pay the transportation taxes and what not. beiong that 80% of fords are built in MExico i wouldnt be suprised ( hypothetically if it ever did come to the states ) to see the "out the door" price to be right around 23 - 27k same price as EVO, STI etc. but who really knows lol ST should be nice
2b) I notify that I like all the Focus RS especially that version RS500 !! it is not the subject of my words here it is this illogical comparison that I dont like whereas in the Limited French Sport Car in the same categories of the Focus RS500, the Limited Megane 3 RS Trophy exist with its 350hp engine Turbo to made a perfect comparison for a French Limited Sport cars
My english teacher has the ford Rs i know high end car for a teacher salery but his wife is loaded and gave it to hime for his birthday AND IN HIS WORDS HE SAYS " i FUCKING LOVE IT "
@tonyteb Nowadays Geely Motors, which means the chinese. I'd like to mark though that all owners of Volvo Cars have almost let the company indipendent on its development strategies.
Buy a standard RS, put some modifications in it and there you go! A hot hatchback where you can actually fit your entire family in PLUS put a huge amound of shopping bags or travel cases in the back.. But still have an amazing driving experience in combination with the unique 5cylinder sound and the massive amount of power that will easily get you past most of any other car that can do all of this. The Clio, eh, looks female to me. And it looks cheap. I don't like the design at all + 4cyl noise
The sad thing is, watching this today and the majority of RS500's are locked away in a garage, never driven and not being exploited for what they are. An RS Ford. Collectors v Drivers.
@newc30 The engine does not actually have THAT much in common with the Volvo one. Even when you drive a C30 T5 or something, you notice that the engines are really quite different beasts. The Volvo ones are more lazy cruisers, and the Ford ones are much more sporty.
@Alexsered I would, anytime. You know why? Cause for 35k you can get a better car then the focus, but you can't get a better car for 14k then the clio.
