Would anyone here actually consider an RS?

"youshiftem" (torinosport302)
02/01/2016 at 11:38 • Filed to: None

I’m sure it’s been said before, but here in Canada a Focus RS is about $48000 after tax. Why on earth would they price it higher than the V8 Mustang? Are there a lot of people looking for a performance car that would prefer a Focus? Don’t get me wrong the RS is awesome, but it’s only about 75% Mustang GT awesome...

DISCUSSION (38)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:41

Canada + AWD?

Agrajag > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:41

I would.

Ash78, voting early and often > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:41

I’m sure it’ll sell fine — I don’t imagine a ton of cross-shopping between them. Plus, do you want to be the fourth guy on the block with a Mustang GT, or the only guy in a 50-mile radius with Focus RS?

To say nothing of the Focus being the more “liveable” everyday package.

MLGCarGuy > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:42

You might wanna go 4 posts down.

JustAnotherG6 > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:43

It takes all types. Some are looking for a hatch instead of a coupe. Others prefer AWD instead of RWD. Yet others just don’t like Mustangs.

youshiftem > MLGCarGuy
02/01/2016 at 11:44

He’s probably just pricing one to see if he can get it cheaper than a Mustang

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:44

It’s a hyper hatch within a price range that offers V8s. I’ll take the V8s. But to be fair, it’s a 350hp AWD drifting hatchback that offers great performance and practicality at the same time. If you want one car to do everything it’s a very suitable candidate compared to a Mustang.

But I’ll still take the Mustang because fuck practicality. :p

CB > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:45

I was trying to reconcile that, but one thing kept ringing in my head:

V8 Mustang =/= Focus RS in any way.

One is a 2+2 coupe that does sweet burnouts and makes a wicked noise, is RWD, and would probably be a bit of a handful in a Canadian winter (well, not this one, since I wore a t-shirt outside today). The other is a five seater hatchback with AWD and a drift button. Objectively, they’re two very different cars that are probably looked at for very different reasons. So it’s not a “why buy an RS when I can buy a Mustang”, it’s a “which car makes more sense for my lifestyle/wants?” thing going on.

To answer about why it’s more expensive, it’s because it’s going to be a lower-volume vehicle.

bob and john > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:45

lets be real here, for canada, a FoRS makes more sense then a mustang. AWD hatch VS RWD coupe.

youshiftem > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
02/01/2016 at 11:46

I’m probably just a little bitter because I drive my mustang all winter. But with winter tires I think it does just fine!

FazeRacer > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:47

Nope. I’d buy a Golf R before this thing. The “market adjustments” on this will be crazy the first year.

Tripper > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:48

You cant really compare the two cars. Personally I would take an RS over a V8 mustang all day every day. The “$40k for a focus” argument is moot. It’s priced right along side everything that it competes with (STi, Golf R, S3, EVO (RIP).....)

TheOnelectronic > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:48

It’s taking a lot of will to not go pester my dealer for an order for one.

If you want a huge, v8 powered boat you go with the Mustang, if you want a ludicrous hot hatch that’s priced about the same as the competition it outperforms, you look at the RS.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for the Mustang, but having driven a new GT it was a very different feel. It made lots of noise and had a lot of torque but it just didn’t thrill me in the slightest.

Not to mention the Mustang GT is just a mustang with a V8 at that price point. The RS is a full-blown performance model with a drivetrain and chassis that’s been purposefully designed with that in mind.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:49

Hmm, are there any options there? The configuration tool doesn’t have anything I can change except color! In BC it’s $47k CAD before taxes, meaning it’d be $33.6k USD with a $42.3k USD configuration, for a savings of just under $10k USD (~$14k CAD).

You guys get a sweet deal on this car.

Mercedes Streeter > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:49

I’ll take a hot hatch any day over a pony car-turned sportscar.

I can’t wait until these beasts turn 25.

Kinja'd!!!

OPPOsaurus WRX > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:51

if i had the means I would more than concider one. I can;t wait for the day I can get back into a WRX and this would be even better.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:51

You serious? People really still think this way *sigh* Rather have this all day than a v8 ‘Stang. As a daily it makes much more sense. if I could even remotely afford a GT350, the RS would be less attractive, but even then, I wouldn’t want to daily the Shelby in the winter.

TheHondaBro > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:52

Good good. Put a lot of demand on the Focus RS. It’ll make Type R prices reasonable.

DoYouEvenShift > TheOnelectronic
02/01/2016 at 11:55

Its not a Focus, its an RS!

/SRT4 people

vondon302 > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:57

Boss 302 owner here that lusts after the RS. New mustang..... meh been there done that.

jjhats > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:58

what If I told you the mustang didn’t have to be the top tier car from ford? eliminate this perception and you will value it over the mustang. chevy has a Camaro which cost more than a corvette and no one cares.

Master Cylinder > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 11:58

Yes. I would rather have the RS than the Mustang GT, although it is a close call. I’m hoping I’ll be in a position to buy in 2018 or maybe even 2017. I’ll definitely be test driving both, though.

RallyWrench > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:02

I’d absolutely consider it, if I could make the payment. I’m a dad and need back seats, simple as that. The price relative to the Mustang has crossed my mind though, because if I had no practical considerations that’s what I’d buy.

Tripper > FazeRacer
02/01/2016 at 12:04

I thought about buying a 16 Golf R. I was promised that there would be dealer markups on it as well.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:05

Not in the slightest. If I’m paying $50k for a car it needs to be 45 years old and have a V12. Side note: These are going to be THRASHED by the time they hit the used market en masse.

cazzyodo > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:07

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: Fuckin’ yes.

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
02/01/2016 at 12:08

Are you really going to drive your new, low, $50,000 car in a huge snow storm? I mean, I would, but I also wouldn’t DD a mustang all year. I bought an AWD car because Canada. The RS seems like a killer deal, I just hope it has the reliability to match the Mustang.

I think the RS is slightly overpriced (2-3000 CAD), but I am coming around to the coast as it is inline with STI’s and the Golf R.

( I drove my 335xi coupe in a 35cm (12") winter storm over Christmas, was excellent, but I now need to fix a rocker panel *sad face* )

The Ghost of Oppo > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:11

That is a way better deal than a S4. I don’t understand who pays $60k usd for a 333hp small sedan.

Cherry_man1 > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:16

I kind of am but at the same time I can get a BOSS 302 for the same price

gizmo-ms3 > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:48

I have a 2015 FoST and there’s no way I could justify the $13000 price difference with the RS in comparable trims. I’m sure the RS will be a blast to drive, but on my daily commute the ST is plenty. Now if my car was totalled and I had to get a new car I’d definitely give the RS a look.

yamahog > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 12:54

Lol, I’m pretty sure BTU would just get both if he felt so inclined

FazeRacer > Tripper
02/01/2016 at 12:55

There is. The local dealer near me marked it up $10k. At that price it’s cheaper to buy a S3 (I know at least one dealer that isn’t marking that up).

yamahog > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
02/01/2016 at 13:01

I’m not sure re: your side note. On the one hand, the higher cost of entry will keep many young hoons from getting their mitts on a brand new one, unlike the FiST/FoST. But on the other hand, I know there are parents out there who have no problem dropping that much for baby’s first car, and also that age/money isn’t necessarily a perfect indicator of how one treats their cars. Just a matter of how many responsible owners will end up leasing or buying then trading in this kind of vehicle.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 13:11

If I wasn’t quitting my job in December to go to school, yes. I would have already ordered one and had it on the way.

Same thing I did with the FiST, buy it before I’ve seen or driven it because I’m a fool.

Tripper > FazeRacer
02/01/2016 at 13:43

The dealer that I was working with guessed that the markup would be around 5k. Which would bring the R to around 43k. That might get you into an S3 if you find a stripper or a left over. Either way, I decided early on that I would be in the Audi if I couldn’t get an R for under 40k.

MM54 > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 19:23

I’m in the US so the price isn’t as high, but it was a thought in the back of my mind until I sat in the one at NAIAS, it was decent, but not enough to make me want to be any closer to spending the money.

(The interior looks the same as any other Focus, and the shifter, ugh)

NJAnon > youshiftem
02/01/2016 at 19:34

Its limited so that contributes to the price. Also the 1st time an RS finally being sold on the US Canada side? yeah I’m bummed at the steep price too, but I can see where they’re going with it.

Dru > youshiftem
02/02/2016 at 16:33

Absolutely*

*I legitimately thought, back when initial pricing came out, that I could get a pretty standard RS for about 35K USD. Maybe splurge on that blue color. I really don't think one could be done as dealers will be asking for extra dough for reasons.