Today I actually got a chance to drive a 2016 Ford Focus RS. To my knowledge, I think it was the only one left on a dealer lot in the state. I was told that it was a customer pre-order car, but the customer ordered it in Nitrous Blue and when it showed up in white, he no longer wanted it. So, I suppose his loss is my proverbial gain.
I actually almost ordered a Focus RS before I bought my 2016 VW Golf R 6MT. Although a few factors steered me away:
-HUGE market adjustment pricing. At the time, they were asking between $5000-$10,000 over sticker. I could never justify that price; especially when I was able to get my Golf R for just over in-voice while it was still in transit. For reference, the only I drove today had “only” a $2500 markup on it.
-Never ending wait times. Most dealers had all of their allotments spoken for within days of taking orders and had no idea when they would be able to even order one; much less actually have one on the lot. Because of the very limited availability, there seemed to be no end to this pattern in sight.
-Despite the great reviews, I have a very hard time ordering such an expensive car without ever actually driving it.
So, that led to me owning a Golf R for the past ~7300 miles. For the record, I have no brand loyalty and have owned 19 cars in my life. With that said, my Golf R has positively been the best daily driver I've ever owned; hands down, no question. I've owned cars that were more fun to drive than my Golf R, but none of them that excelled in so many areas that are relevant to my daily grind. Today I wanted to see how the Focus RS compared to it and make sure I made the right decision.
The RS only had 7 miles on the ticker and I was initially told that they do not let customers drive the RS in order to keep the miles off of them. I debated that it would be tough to tell if the RS is actually a better car than my Golf R if I didn't actually drive it.... They were very polite and conceded the point, but requested I not drive too far. Which, I completely understand, given the rarity and high demand of the car. They even moved around a few cars in order to pull the RS off of the showroom floor. They were very accommodating to say the least.
Disclaimers:
-The entire drive was less than 10 miles (if that). I got a bit of freeway time in, as well as some light to light and a few corners at speed down a very short twisty road. I generally like to take cars I'm test driving to a canyon road, but due to circumstance, that wasn't a possibility today; and for good reason.
Disclaimers:
-No, “Drift mode” and Launch Control were not used.
-I didn't take the engine to redline due to being in the break-in period. However, I did give it enough gas to get a good feel for it.
-I'm at 5200 ft elevation, so YMMV.
This wasn't a full fledged track test like most of us read about and see on Youtube. This was more of a Daily Driver test if I'm being honest.
My thoughts:
-Interior. Golf R wins, all day and all night. Everything about the Golf R looks and feels nicer inside. The VW's infotainment menu's are more intuitive and all of the controls are smoother and seem easier to operate. Honestly, the Focus RS isn't a bad place to be, but the VW feels like it's interior is at least 1 grade higher of a class of car.
I was shocked, but the Golf R actually feels bigger than the Focus RS inside, despite the RS being the larger/heavier car. Don't get me wrong, at 6'2” 210 lbs, I still fit in both of them without a single problem, but the VW feels more spacious in pretty much every way- at least from the driver's seat. Even the trunk in the VW seems deeper/bigger. I haven't looked at interior measurements, so it could all be an illusion, but the Ford feels more cramped by comparison. Again, both have plenty of space inside, the panels & console just don't seem to stick out as far on the VW.
The Recaro seats in the Focus are nice, but I was disappointed that I couldn't adjust the tilt of the seat bottom, as it's stuck in more of an upward bucket style position; which would be great for the track, but I would prefer to lower the front end a bit for daily driving. I would say the Focus RS's seats are maybe just a bit more bolstered, but I don't know if I would call them more comfortable; I would actually prefer the VW's seats for daily driver comfort.
-Exterior. This is highly subjective. I like them both for different reasons. I enjoy the Focus' aggressive styling and think it looks pretty good; but I also appreciate the VW's more subtle, sleeper approach. Pick your flavor.
-Engine/acceleration. I don't care what stat sheets say, I can't really tell the difference. I know that in tests of rolling acceleration they're supposed to be in a dead heat. That's exactly how I felt about them. They seemed to pull equally hard. I know that from a dead stop launch the RS is supposed to take the VW's lunch money due to it having launch control; whereas the VW has a clutch delay valve that makes it tough to launch hard. For me, I haven't done a high RPM clutch drop on my daily driver in many years, so it's not really relevant to me. From a ~5-60mph roll, these things are as close as they come. If the RS is faster, I sure couldn't tell.
Neither of them has much in the way of lag. I keep my Golf R in “Race” mode pretty much constantly, as I prefer the additional throttle response and fake engine noise. Most of the drive in the Focus was spent in “Sport” mode.
They both have aggressive engine tones; although the VW's engine tone is fake! I did hear the backfire sound on the Focus a few times and thought it sounded good; although it did shock me just a bit the first time I heard it!
-Transmission/drivetrain. These cars really start to differ here. The Focus' shifter is very notchy, but has a real positive shift action putting it into gear. It requires a bit more effort than the VW. By contrast, the VW's shifter is about as smooth as a shifter gets; almost too smooth sometimes.
For daily driving, I LOVE the VW's shifter. It's so intuitive and effortless that I don't even notice I'm driving a stick in traffic most of the time. Same thing with the clutch, which is extremely soft and easy to modulate. Absolutely perfect for light to light commuting. Although for playing in the canyons, I would prefer a slightly heavier, more engaging setup.
In the Focus, the shifter feels good, but requires just a bit more effort. The clutch engages higher than the VW's and has just a tad bit more stiffness to it. It's not unbearable and would likely be the setup I preferred in the canyons, but for light to light work, I prefer the VW.
-Handling/suspension. No question, the Focus RS has a stiffer ride. The VW feels much softer by comparison. I felt significantly more road harshness in the Ford. Not unlivable by any means, but the VW is certainly softer. The VW is just firm enough to be fun pitching it around on a back road, but not stiff enough to be race track material and certainly soft enough to be comfortable day to day.
I took a few corners at speed in the Focus RS and I could instantly feel where they money is at- the AWD system in that car is much more aggressive/rear wheel bias. The VW uses a simple Haldex setup, that without a Haldex controller, it feels more like a FWD car with unlimited traction. The Golf R really mimics the way a good FWD car would be setup; whereas the Focus feels more akin to an EVO X. Both seem to have plenty of grip, but it's the way the Focus rotates that allows you to feel the drivetrain at work.
In the Focus RS, you can actually feel the rear wheels helping the car to rotate. Even in “Sport” mode, it just stayed flat and was light on it's feet. It has less body roll than the VW; which is saying something because the Golf R isn't exactly “soft” for a commuter car- it's just soft for this [hot hatch/rally rocket] segment.
I didn't get a chance to play with them in the canyons, but if I did, I'm 99% certain that the Focus RS would be more fun to pitch around. For the daily grind, I prefer the more forgiving ride of the Golf.
-Steering. Mixed bag here. I felt like the Focus had more steering feel, but turning the wheel didn't feel as linear as the Golf. Both have very quick, direct racks.
-Brakes. I didn't really get a chance to push them on the Focus, so I can't comment. I think the big calipers on the VW are excellent, and I'm sure the Focus' brakes would be very good when pushed as well.
Final thoughts:
I made the right choice. The VW is the better car for me. With that said, I'm about to buy a dedicated weekend roadster (narrowed it down to AP2 S2000 or ND Miata) to sit next to it in the garage.
The VW is quick, it handles well, it's very nice/comfortable inside, it gets decent fuel economy, it's AWD, has all the space I need and is a joy to drive daily. However, I bought it with the intention of buying a dedicated RWD sports car to play with on the weekends in canyons, on date nights and at the occasional autoX/track event.
If you can only own 1 car and plan on tracking, autoXing or canyon carving on a regular basis, I can certainly see the appeal of the Focus RS. If for nothing else than the way the Focus RS rotates; as it truly does feel more like an EVO X mid-corner.
I don't think the Focus RS would be terribly difficult to live with, but based on my short test drive, the VW seems like it would be easier to live with.
Basically what I'm saying is, I don't think you can go wrong with either of these cars, but for me the Focus RS feels more like a hooligan car, whereas the Golf R feels like a better daily driver.
I figured I would share my thoughts on these 2 cars from a normal guy that isn't beating these cars to hell on a track. Most of the reviews I've seen are from guys hustling them around a track, or tight canyon roads; which I'm a fan of, but from a normal/daily commute perspective, I don't think the Focus RS is the car to have in this segment. YMMV.
For reference, the only modifications to my Golf R are a set of Neuspeed RSE12 wheels (stock sized 225/40/18 tires) and a tow hook front plate mount (to avoid drilling holes in the bumper).
I discovered that while my STI was certainly faster than my NA Miata, my Miata was a LOT more fun to drive! And my BMW improved my commute drastically. 
