Today I do a driving comparison between a Subaru STI and a Ford Focus RS! Second Channel: / @thebenhardyshow Instagram: ben_hardypl Facebook: @benhardycar
I tell people all of the time.... Buy what you like & not what someone else says is 'better'. I like the Fords so I can't comment on daily driving an STi, however daily driving an RS is very easy.... the transmission is very user friendly for beginners... The seats are tight & the sitting position is different, so be ok with that. The MPGs will suffer since it's a turbo and AWD. It's a very fun car to drive. If you want a good one these days, you'll be paying $40k+ for a 2017 and around $43k+ for a 2018.
I daily a 2015 sti and it's hands down the hardest manual car for me to daily drive, my job just got in an rs and waiting to test drive it but I remeber my FiST and how easy that was to drive and can't wait
I'm going to get crucified, but I think the RS needed low power settings. Maybe with selectable boost modes to tame the power on the street and make it more usable. Probably would help fuel economy too. Perhaps this is what an aftermarket tune is for.
this is a hard choice but I would go with the golf R, but for this comparison, since the RS is rarer and probably be worth more down the line I would go with the RS. Now I will say this the RS is hard to find, so STI would be my third option, with just the lip wing. I don't care for the big wing cause it doesn't look proportioned compared to the car like the bug-eye with the big wing did.
I actually really desire to drive a RS. I will say they seem built to different standards. Maybe its the heritage of the RS in the UK, something the Americas never got. Maybe its the WEC quality that STi has competed for since 2008? However as a GR STi owner from what I can tel the STi is definitely more of a daily driven vehicle. I never had a chance to find an RS due to quantity made however I love the fact the STi has a DCCD and VDC selector. Think I read it can be driven 72 different ways based on the settings available to the driver. I dont believe the RS has selections like this as the awd bias is what it is unlike the STi.
I need help, these 2 cars are on my list and idk which one to choose. Can I get an unbiased opinion on these 2 like the maintenance, reliability, parts & fun. I’ll be using it for daily driving and just to do small modifications mainly cosmetic. Maybe Intake/exhaust. Need help haha
I've owned 6 STIs, and I've driven a couple of Focus RS's. They're both fantastic. Both have pros and cons. I always default to the STI, simply because it's 'home' for me. I love the car overall, extremely confidence-inspiring, etc., but I've never been a fan of the EJ25. The Focus RS is great. I prefer the engine, and the sounds the exhaust makes. I don't like the seating position quite as much in the Focus RS (do some searching, the seating position is pretty bad unless you get new rails and seats), and I absolutely hate the placement of the throttle (easily fixed), as it's way too far from the brake for proper heel-toe. The two cars are very similar in feel - their rawness, etc. Both are basically unlike anything else on the market. If the STI you're looking at is a 2019+, it's a solid buy. A 2018 is iffy for me, but a 2015-2017 is a no for me, simply because of how massive the improvements were in 2018 and 2019. The Focus RS is a lot easier - just find one you like, with mileage you're comfortable with. Simply put, I doubt you'll regret either car. If you do, you would have regretted the other one, too!
Looking at your dash display in the STI, it looked like you were in "intelligent mode" the entire time, and forgot to actually switch to sport#. It changes the way the car behaves substantially.
I just skipped through to a few different points on the STI portion of the review, and I see 'S#' in the gauge cluster at each point. 2:38 is the point I'm looking at now. Edit - looks like he switched right at the 2:29 mark, when he said he's putting it into Sport #. I don't see 'i' at any point after that.
My mind is blown by your crossing the yellow line so many times! I would be a terrible back seat driver riding with you! I would choose the STI over the RS just for dependability.JMO.
