If there had to be a winner of this ‘group test’, if ‘group test’ is what you want to call it, then you could construct a valid argument for every one of the TG GP ‘09 cars to win.
In different ways, they all do. But for me, gazing out over the Top Gear track and looking at 11 machines nestled together, gleaming in the late evening light, it was the ridiculously tall dark blue blob in the middle that made the most immediate sense.
This Ford is magnificent. And, if I work hard for a few years and don’t mess up too badly, I reckon I could just about afford to buy one. That’s the magic of this car. At £25k, it’s not quite out of reach. And, trust me, every single scrap of its make-up, every micron of its construction, the level of engineering skill poured into its every control response, every movement and reaction, is right up there with the best that cars can be.
It’s a model of precision on the track. Stig was using a lot of left-foot brake to balance the car and it responded perfectly to his thrashing. Make no mistake, his driving was high-end stuff, at the very edge of what’s possible, and he loved this car as much as anything we threw at him all day.
Yes, it has torque steer, but not too much – just enough to let you know the car isn’t messing about. You have to wrestle it a bit, and if that’s a fault, then try faulting some other thing. You can’t. It’s sublime. A big-sounding, big-feeling, big-turbo five-pot putting out more grunt than a hot hatch has ever had, and the chassis, brakes and steering to match it, keep it tamed, and give you a big chunk of fun doing it.
And you can fold the back seats down and put a fridge in there. Bravo, Ford. Bravo.
Watch Stig lapping the TG GP ‘09 cars: Aston Vantage V12, Ferrari 599 HGTE, KTM X-Bow, Porsche 911 GT3, Nissan 370Z, Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup and Audi R8 V10.
the honey badger of cars, i love it!
iWant!
Take the Focus ST: I love it, but unfortunately almost everyone driving it (at least here in Germany) is a lunatic. So it is not possible for me – as someone who caused all the financial trouble in the world – to take this car for a ride to the next meeting. No business man would take me seriously. And as a result, I couldn’t work as a banker any more, which made the world maybe better, but also as interesting as Tony Blair’s opinion on peanut butter.
The RS gives me the opportunity to drive a great car at least some months before all the idiots realise that it is a great cheap car. Or maybe a year, if their money strangely got lost…
whooooooo, brill car!!
I have a Focus ST2 and it’s out of this world it has over 300bhp and i raced an RS the other day and had no chance, so i am going to put one on order i think.
Nope, sorry. 300bhp alone doesn’t justify the price tag (which is £26,350. NOT £25k) The focus ST has 225bhp (which is plenty for a hatchback), and you can pick one up for a few grand these days on Autotrader.
Or you can do what I did. Buy a very rare Mazda RX-7 FC for next to nothing (which is sad – they’re VERY good cars to drive!) and spend a couple of grand giving it your 300bhp. in fact for half the money you can turn it into motoring perfection. Perfect interior, perfect performance, whatever you like. And it looks a million times better than these chavmobiles too.
That’s not really a fair comparison though – it’s like putting a surgical scalpel up against a swiss army knife. The RX-7 is still a stunning car but it’s a very specific type of car and relatively limited in its application. It’ll also cost you a lot more to run, especially if your motor needs maintenance, and be potentially more fragile than a daily driver granted that much power from the factory.
A good car inded, but can we get on with a diferent subject, I getting a bit bored if the TG GP ‘09
it is a great acr with 300 bhp on tap and nought to 60 in 5.9 sec
how can you comaparier a boring gti to an rs it like chalk and chees their toalty difrent which cost less and moor fun and wont go wrong all the time yep the ford
ASH stop talking rubbish this ford has amazing torque and is the the best hot hatch and the RS may be a bit chavy but it kicks the posh gti’s ass any day
God bless hot hatchbacks
As an soon-to-be 19-year old, and a Ford-fan since the age of seven, i just drool at this car day after day.
Im just so annoyed, that i cant buy one, unless i take a loan, and become in debt for the next ten years or something.
Its like really fancying some girl, but not being able to date her. Drives me mad.
Im currently looking to cure my Fast-Ford fever with an Focus ST170, or a Mondeo ST200. But those require some money saving as well, cars are ridicilously expensive here in Finland, because of the stupid way the goverment wants tax from them…
Nakke, go for an ST170, they’ve got nearly all the handling of an RS but without a massive price tag. My 170 is the second car I’ve owned. They’re not the fastest of cars, but you can chuck them into bends at scary speeds and they’ll stick like a go cart
The mk2 RS is something I’d love to own eventually, but for me the mk1 RS will come first!
@nakke i bought a st170 when i was 19 (at the cost of much saving) and completely recommend it, then when teh money starts to run out go for a pair of cheap brand tyres to stick on teh back wheels then revel in the new found world of easy lift off oversteer
great fun
Kuang: Good point. One thing the RX-7 could never beat the Focus on no matter what you do with it is practicality. In fact my missus hates getting in and out of the bloody thing because it’s so low to the ground and has no roof handle. So as an all-round package, i’ll have to concede to the Focus being better. But worth £26k? Not convinced.
Dublinlad: Sorry, was I talking about GTis? No. Just as well because i’ve never really been a fan of GTis.
Let’s face it – you can’t own an RS without making a bad social statement. I can see why people like that – it’s never going to be boring. But it’s just not for me.
mmm, I would. But on balance I’d probably prefer a mint RX7, since it would save me a heap of cash even after mods, and rwd is such a feel-good boost every morning, pulling out of my road on cold tyres…
I wish the RS could come to South Africa, it would sell like hot cakes, what is fords problem not brining it hear!
the ford focus rs is cool
I love this lil car.
Stuff the price, its damn cool. Perhaps it does mean you wont get hoodies being able to afford it, so you can drive and not worry about your image being degraded.
Then again, it is a hatchback with butchness.
I do like that focus rs
Maybe so Ash but this is the car for me. I do love hot hatches and you can’t get more hot than this. But i have the same problem with it, the price. £26k is just too much, yes your paying for the maddest focus ever but you can go faster for less. If you look on autotrader you can get some incredible machines a save a lot of pound’s.
For example i managed to find some 09 registered Vauxhall VXR8’s for around £24,000. Obviously the VXR8 will be quite expensive to run but the RS isn’t exactly a bargain either. The RS’s insurance group (according to autotrader) is 19 and the tax band is F, so it’s not that cheaper than the VXR8.
However i do love the RS. The RS is an insane hatchback with 300bhp going through the front wheels, and it actually works! But at £26k it’s just too expensive. If you really want a hot and you’ve got £26k to spend on a hot hatch then buy the RS, i would. But for the majority of us who want a hot hatch don’t worry because you can have just as much fun for much less. For £15k you can buy an RS Clio 200 Cup, one of the greatest hot hatches ever made.
*and save a lot
what a lush car hope i have one soon
@Ash: try a Golf I GTI; only 110 hp but you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Light, tight & fun. Hot hatches should have stayed that way. They don’t need to be as fast as real sportscars, they just need to make you smile.
ugly, overpriced chav car
A GREAT Car for cheap
I drove one of these for a while and it was awful. Understeered like a drunk whale and the turbo lag….. All I can say about that is if they fixed it, it would probable take a second off the 0 – 60 time. I really got the feeling that this is a car aimed at under twenties market.
Lol @ number 28. Everybody knows that you probably havent even seen one of these in real life, let alone driven one, so why bother posting rubbish like that here?
Everybody that knows something about cars, knows also that the RS is a great one. End of story.
when is ford going to realise that they need to be selling this in north america?
As much as I like hot hatches, this car does not do it for me. ‘Tis a great car, 300bhp trough the front wheels, but why won’t Ford make a limited Full4WD, 300bhp road legal version of their rally car. As it stands, I think I would prefer the Clio V6 24v…. now that is a hot hatch. Not as practical, but definitely the one I would go for.
All things said though, this is one beast of a car.
A less chavved up RS would appeal to a wider audience.
its pretty cool, but without wd i expect an evo or an impreza to kick its ass on the track
Well done Ford.
If only it could get rid of its Chavy image!
Wouldn’t mind one but they are too common. i saw 3 in a day!
I think Ford have made a Brilliant Car and it’s a future Classis
This RS is the best yet!!!!!!!!
@ Number 36.
I woulden’t belive that statment if I was 6. I never saw an old RS on the road and that came out 7 years ago.
Yes … but could you really drive a bright blue focus with a massive wing on the back?
I’m not sure I could.
Take the wing off then, Darryl, and paint it.
Looks quite over-the-top and a 300bhp hatchback is madness. I love the car though, but I’d take the wing off if I had one though, I might look like a geek. If only they made it rear and
four-wheel drive cars because all that bhp going through the front wheels steering at speed must be a nightmare. Whoever said it’s overpriced is talking complete rubbish.
get a mk2 escort
i really like this car.i think it will be my next.bravo ford.this car is obviously perfect.
I have to laugh at people who say that the Focus RS is over the top style wise, I presume they wouldn’t have a Ferrari or Lamborghini for the same reasons? Everyone wants a head turning car don’t they?
I test drove an RS the other day and imediately put a deposit down on one, half the thrill was its head turning ability.
My local dealer doesnt put his demonstrater on the forecourt because he gets pestered all day long by people wanting a test drive. The only reason I got a go was because I had bought an ST3 from him.
I mean its not as if its a £2000 boy racer mobile which has been bejeweled by every add on halfords and Max Power can provide.
The RS is a factory standard car developed with purpose by a well respected Rally hardened outfit and is an instant legend.
I look forward to passing you all on the motorway with a smug grin