What’s it like driving my Focus RS after my Focus ST?!

Hi guys! Just a simple video explaining how my Mk2 Focus RS drives compared to my Mk2 Focus ST.

[@CarFocused]

Apologies for the iffy audio - I stupidly put my mic under my hood which caused it to sound a little muffled. Also, I forgot to mention how much better the brakes are in the RS compared to my ST! Thanks for watching!

[@Oilatumify]

Their called bonnets in the uk

[@CarFocused]

@@Oilatumify hood as in my hooded top 😂

[@mrwick7961]

you should get a stage 1 on your st, it really changes it completly, really puts u back into your seat

[@SA-zoom1]

I bought a brand new ST in 07. A year or so later, the ford dealer wanted to sell me an RS when it came out and invited me for a test drive. My ST was very modified by then and was upwards of 300bhp. The biggest difference was my ST was close to undriveable on full throttle in 1st & 2nd, would spin and torque steer like a madman! The RS was absolutely planted in any situation.

[@davidwood4271]

Great review 👍

[@PHIL4913]

Today i opened the season with my father. Damn how brutal this thing pulls on full boost (380hp). Did it up to 260 km/h, goes easy. Smiles from ear to ear all day long 😁

[@garethedwards2883]

Love the look of the MK2 RS, you are a lucky man 😁

[@CarFocused]

Dream car for me mate 🙌🏼

[@Roobarb_Defender]

Nice little video. I know you have the brilliant Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on the RS and I remember you saying the ST has some lesser brand tyres fitted so this will have a big bearing on the driving experience too. 👍🏻

[@CarFocused]

It’s going to take a lot more than a new set of tyres I think mate. It would need a whole suspension overhaul with bushings to go with it. The tyres on the ST are quite lethal in the wet though, new tyres would certainly improve it in that aspect!

[@johnjackson2349]

Better tyres would help of course but as far as I know Michelin ps4s tyres arnt available in 18" sizes, at least in the uk

[@markb68]

Hello Gary great to see the RS back out on the road looking and sounding the absolute dogs mate! 👌🏻👍🏻

[@CarFocused]

Thanks mate! I certainly have missed it ☺️

[@euanscotland]

You should look into some custom headlights, I've just ordered a set.

[@alandonnelly9788]

The car looks stunning honestly I'd love a MK2 RS maybe 1 day

[@CarFocused]

Hopefully one day mate 🙌🏼

[@atypical_blk_guy]

Man that three door RS is beautiful. I love my ST but would love to own a RS.

[@CarFocused]

They are a thing of beauty mate. I had a PFL ST back in 2012 when I couldn’t afford an RS. It was always the dream 🙌🏼

[@mrwick7961]

my st has a de res and it wasnt droney at all, infact it was almost silent when u were driving slow and then when u booted it it was loud and poppy etc. i have since put a derest malian cat back on and now it is very loud lol

[@Foxy_ST170]

Nice to see plenty of ford focus content 👌 am a mk1 St owner 😀

[@CarFocused]

Nice man - I had an ST170 back in the day 👌🏻

[@neilmcguinness4422]

Many years ago I bought myself an ST 170 with a tax rebate which conveniently arrived just after my Impreza threw a piston only a week a head gasket rebuild and boy did I love that focus!. It's incredibly balanced chassis and powerful brakes and exceptionally comfortable seats and ride all added up to me travelling just as fast A to B cross country in this car as I ever did in my Subaru. Yes you had to rev the engine to keep it on the boil but overall this is still one of the most underrated cars ever in my opinion.

[@Foxy_ST170]

For a 20 year old ford their definitely underrated as a Na engine , I've thought about a turbo conversion at some point , as I will never be able to afford newer generation Ford St's or Rs models .. am on my 3rd now I've a good 1 to keep

[@johnbarsby7446]

Got one when they first came out, loved it it really is a special car. It defo needed 4wd tho. Since then Ive had TTRS and RS3 and they are catapults off the line and have 5pot engines too :)

[@CarFocused]

I actually really enjoy the FWD aspect of the car. It makes the drive quite exciting as you have to fight with it a bit, and with the power I’ve got traction isn’t too much of an issue. But you can’t beat AWD for off the line pace that’s for sure!

[@braamkotze473]

Great video mate. Love looking and listening to that wonderful machine! The Mk2 RS is just something else. Please man, never sell this car, and show her of more often please. I owned a 2010 Focus ST, and promised myself I will own one again soon. The 2.5 is an amazing engine, and these are modern classics💙 Love Ford, and much love from South Africa 😁 👍🏻 🇿🇦

[@CarFocused]

Thank you 😊 No plans to let her go anytime soon!

[@stephenbolt57]

Loving the edit, 'I look down at the speedo and before I know it its up to....EDIT... national speed limit!'😂

[@johnjackson2349]

The biggest difference between them I found was the feeling when driving an RS, it feels like a special motor, where the st feels ordinary to drive but still sounds great. Definitely sounds like the ST has a worn turbo, in 6th gear you should hit full boost before 2k revs

[@CarFocused]

Not sure mate, the ST does shift, it’s just lazy compared to the RS in most areas. It’s a comfy cruiser 👌🏻

[@fredericleederman3824]

Not sure if it’s because of a different motor setup, but the way my car is tuned is I get 7 psi until from 1.5-3 then after 3k I get full boost of 18 psi. That sucker kicks hard too.

[@jamielearmonth1039]

stunning motor.

[@CarFocused]

Thank you Jamie. 😃

[@fastonthedraw]

Just wondering if you drive with the track control on, since new I have, and have listened to the arguments for and against, switch off in the dry weather, awwwwww.. it's a different product, love it, love it 😲

[@CarFocused]

It makes a difference in the ST but not so much in the RS. So if I’m pushing on in the ST I’ll always turn it off, whereas in the RS I often leave it on as doesn’t seem to intervene too much!

[@mathewwade1415]

I would recommend remapping the st. I got mine standard and wasn't that impressed. It seemed to take a while to respond and build up boost etc. Soon as I got the remap it felt like a completely different car, and because these cars have been out for awhile, the remaps made for these I found to run perfect and my Dyno run matched the quoted gains. It's just a shame in one respect that your rs is remapped because it would have been nice to have a comparison between the remapped st and the standard tune on the rs

[@CarFocused]

Yea no doubt a map would wake it up a bit but I’m reluctant to modify it really as it’s meant to be my reliable daily driver haha. Not sure the clutch would like it either. But I thought it would make for a good video just to explain how they differ in their current forms. I’ve never actually driven a totally standard RS, maybe I should get one on the channel!

[@mathewwade1415]

@@CarFocused I daily drive my st for the last 4 years. Remapped the car within the first week and it's never been a issue. The clutch started to slip within 2 months but this almost always happens so had the full rs upgrade. I still have the original ECU files stored so I can change to stock should I need to. A stock rs would be a great comparison video 🙂

[@anengineer_]

I've got a MK3 1.6 TDCi and it's a "beast" when it's come to the cornering. It's handling is amazing. Nice video 👍

[@nathanmay1070]

Sun's Out RS Out 💯 👍

[@rs_holger6588]

Absolutely agree ... I'm running mine with around 385hp and that's all you need. In my opinion the best power range for the RS is something between 340 and 400hp. I drove the RS from a friend with something around 480hp but in my opinion this is just too much power for the car ... you can't enjoy the accelerating time in it, because its over too fast and the car is'nt able to get down the power onto the street. To paraphrase James May, the slower the car, the longer the time you can accelerate and flat out... and therefore the longer you can enjoy the act of accelerating. - but of course not too little power. 🙂

[@CarFocused]

🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@gtrcabs]

Can't put the power down ? Depends on mapping . My St is 472 at the wheels and can put it down better than a typical stage 2-3 St power/mapping mainly because of more linear mapping making it much more controllable . Wavetrac diff and 3rd gear is like a slingshot effect in the dry

[@perfectlybalanced8995]

My absolute dream car (Next to the GR Yaris which both aren’t available where I live unfortunately, we have the MK3 RS yes, but the MK2 looks way better) Ford’s Kinetic design has aged extremely well. Hold on to this piece of artwork as long as you can because Ford is no longer going to do a Focus RS or any RS product in the future (unless they go with electric)

[@CarFocused]

You are right about the Kinetic design, it’s timeless 👌🏻

[@kristianspencer1978]

Two beauties.👍

[@CarFocused]

🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@pfeventsorganiser]

RS has the looks and wow factor even as std and the ST in standard form is how you say is a bit lacking however with few well chosen mods and quality non chav map its to get on par easy on par

[@grs4458]

I've had two Heavily modified mk2 focus St's and have owned my mk2 focus rs for 4 years, I can say from personal experience that the focus st is a fantastic daily car, but even a fully set up st is no comparison to a mk2 rs on a twisty b road. Where your fighting with the st on the limit, the rs does it with less drama and more piniash.

[@lastexile1187]

What does a "fully set up" ST encompass and whats the spec of your RS in comparison?

[@euanscotland]

Och. There are both excellent cars. (Some going on 15 years old now ) Depends on the driver.... anyone pushing these cars to the limits on B roads are part of reason they are going up in value. (You will find them in a hedge somewhere) I look after mine lol

[@grs4458]

@@lastexile1187 my st was running cp340. Spec: Uprated rarb. Fully poly pushed front and rear. Anti lift kit. Uprated Fully adjustable suspension. Uprated radjustable rear drop links. The rs is a mountune clubsport running 400bhp Bilstien clubsport suspension. White line anti lift kit. White line adjustable rear drop links. The st also felt quite a bit more aggressive in power.

[@lastexile1187]

@@grs4458 aye cpbarely300. Ive driven one and it was very underwhelming as a map, they never dyno near 340hp either, i used to have a cp320 map on mine before going hybrid etc. Night and day faster. No diff on yours then? No wonder the RS feels different

[@grs4458]

@@lastexile1187 yup.... i originally had cp300 which only dynoed @ 292bhp. Co340 dynoed at 345bhp I found it to be a very good map compared to cp300

[@royevans4581]

What are Mk2 RS prices right now? You can build yourself a very nice driving ST, buy a second car/ van and have change. I know I did. )))) I reckon the 'feeling' of driving the RS is from the 'perception' that it is a vastly superior car, (not really) and those harder seats. 😁😁Btw, my motor goes harder than at least 2 people I know with RS's because they are too scared of crashing! lol. Mk2 RS in Ultimate Green please! My dream car.

[@damo8754]

Does the ST fit through a standard sized looking garage door like yours looks? Random question but I'm looking into a place to keep her in the winter months. Mine is 07 plate pre face-lift so no folding mirrors...... yet 😁 but shhhhh don't tell the Mrs 😂

[@CarFocused]

Fits through no problem, but I do fold the mirrors when I go in 😁

[@damo8754]

@@CarFocused might be the case that a remove the mirrors first then, rather that than allow our winters to hit it while she sits there. Makes me cringe 😬

[@CarFocused]

@@damo8754 can you not push them in on the PFL? In my FL ST they aren’t folding but I can manually push them in.

[@damo8754]

@@CarFocused hmm I've never tried giving it full send, just feels like it doesn't want to fold in when I apply decent pressure

[@rob1615]

I would like to see you take this on a private road that's nice and long as floor it show us what it goes to please make this happen

[@CarFocused]

If only I knew a road like that 😩

[@euanscotland]

Out of interest, any difference in the MPG between the 2 cars ?

[@CarFocused]

RS is averaging about 21.5mpg and the ST around 24mpg…

[@fredericleederman3824]

The only thing I hate about my 2017 st is that 1-2 gear just spins and spins. On dry pavement when I hit boost in second it’s still spins while already moving.

[@DjNikGnashers]

You need to drive my 455bhp M140i, it spins in 4th at 50mph :-)))

[@TheBigLebowskix]

Good morning 🌄

[@CarFocused]

Good morning sir 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tracieoliver2307]

Guys great cars all round both of them! To be very honest 2 very different cars and you just cannot compare! If its flat line speed yes the ST can be modded to beat the RS and yes The RS can be modded and so forth but the question is! Do you buy a car to drive and enjoy or do you buy a car to sit in the Garage most of the time! I know what I would pick! Also they are after all focus MK2 chassis cars and they can rot like hell so who in their right mind wants to pay £20000 + for a car that you can pull the skirts back and find the sills have rotted and also the rear subframe and wokings have literally crumbled with RUST! not me! and some of them NOT ALL have been run on a budget and lack the care needed to retain its value! be very wary of teh preface ST as this will rocket in price very shortly !

[@Scania370]

All very well if you can afford an RS, but buy an ST for 3k and spend 1.5k on it, you can a out perform a standard RS. I.E intercooler and induction kit plus Revo stage 2 and eibachs. I did it and got 300bhp and 360 ftlbs of torque.

[@addj7093]

Is it possible to mod a ST with RS parts to make the ST a 5 door RS?

[@CarFocused]

Yea I guess you could…!

[@addj7093]

@@CarFocused would cost a few thousand with all the parts needed. Would be cool to see one 👍🏻

[@timothyhewitt6736]

My honest opinion is you sell both. Both aee well past their life sycles. If you were to crash, or someone were to crash into your RS, how would you get it repaired? Parts are near impssible these days, so give someone else that problem. You make think the RS has no lag, but buy todays standards it's huge. Plus a modern hot hatch is massively more economical.

[@CarFocused]

There’s no way I’m selling my RS through fear of ‘what if I crash it’. It’s still a great car even 13 years later - it’s the last of its kind in terms of Fast Fords and I intended to enjoy it whilst I still can. There are plenty of specialist companies out there that supply parts to keep these on the road 👍🏻 The ST will be sold soon and replaced by a more modern hatch, and the RS will be retained for those dry, sunny days ☺️ PS I came from a 2017 Mk3 RS which I had brand new to this Mk2 RS and have zero regrets!

[@mrwick7961]

i think you might regret sellingthe st this year, alot of ppl say this will be the last year you can get a cheap st. and prices will go mental next year. but will see

[@CarFocused]

I’m not sure about that - I’m actually thinking that with increased fuel prices and high tax rates these cars will actually get even cheaper. I might be wrong though…

[@jackcampbell7848]

I agree mate

[@oliverp4115]

I've got an ST. Stage 1. I'll defend it to the hills. Great fun. But we all know the rs is where it's at. Was a struggle enough to get my wife to let me spend £7k on an ST let alone £25-30k on an RS. That's the thing for me. If money wasn't an issue it would be the RS all day long.

[@danofficial117]

💯 mate it’s a lot of money when it’s just a toy

[@radfordhall5148]

My ideal car. You can keep your bmw, merc's & Audi's. A white mk2 with black Dynamica's................ if only ;)

[@Birmingham_racing]

What's better value for money?

[@CarFocused]

I’d say the RS because it’s gone up by about the price of my ST since I’ve owned it 😂

[@Birmingham_racing]

@@CarFocused fair enough haha

[@michaelrobertson515]

It's looks mega the rs

[@CarFocused]

It’s a beauty mate 👌🏻

[@eddiec438]

Very unfair comparison - a mapped lowered RS vs a standard ST. The opposite would be way more interesting and closer.

[@CarFocused]

It’s just about my two cars as they stand today. I still think the RS would be a different league even in standard form. I did drive a Collins performance tuned ST with 300bhp (review on my channel) and it still wasn’t blowing me away. For me the ST is about comfort and power for motorway runs. Yea it’s not bad on a back road but I’d chose the RS all day everyday for a blast.

[@eddiec438]

@@CarFocused I get that, but this video makes the ST sound massively inferior when it can actually be pretty close to RS performance with a remap and lowering. The official MP260 ST was tested and proved faster than the RS 0-60.

[@CarFocused]

@@eddiec438 my ST is massively Inferior to my RS though and that’s the comparison here - my two cars!lol. It’s not an ST bashing video because I know with money and mods thrown at them it does change them for the better 👍🏻

[@eddiec438]

@@CarFocused Pointless video really then. The real interest would be if the modded RS wasn't massively superior...

[@CarFocused]

@@eddiec438 it’s not pointless - I’m just telling people how the cars feel compared to one another. I own both of them so why not 🤷🏼‍♂️ I enjoy both cars in different ways. Thanks for watching anyway 😁 If I can try and source a standard Mk2 RS and compare it I will 👍🏻

[@lastexile1187]

If you modded a 3 door ST (your 5 door is ~40kg heavier with most of that at the rear) with refreshed stiffer suspension including thicker ARBs, a quaife diff, firmer seats and 300hp I seriously doubt it would feel much different to a standard RS. Im sure the revoknuckle helps the RS in terms of straight line traction and steering feel/feedback but that would be effectively the only difference I reckon. Youre comparing a standard higher mileage/more tired suspension-wise 5 door 225hp ST to a lightly modded 350hp RS. The STs were pretty much specifically setup to be softer, more daily-able, plus all the ones ive driven at this stage have needed a suspension refresh; the shocks go soft on them and that leads to wallowy driving characteristics, plus the factory map is very much orientated for effortless fast cruising and the seats are obviously of age too; my drivers seat feels a lot softer than my passenger seat for example. Id love a drive of a standard or lightly modded mk2 RS to see how my modded ST (basically all the mods I listed above, but standard seats) feels in comparison

[@CarFocused]

I think you’d need an LSD too mate, do you have one fitted to your ST? I’m sure you can get an ST closer in terms of its power and speed - but when it comes to overall feel and presence there’s just no comparison. But if you can’t stretch to an RS a tastefully modified ST is a good compromise 👌🏻

[@keithstapleton7805]

Been there with my old ST, fantastic car when modded, but no match for the RS in terms of performance or the way it makes you feel when driving it.

[@lastexile1187]

@@CarFocused yes, all of the mods i listed in my comment, just still using the ST seats. quaife, front arb fitted with polybushes, 25mm rarb, bilstein b12 pro kit (looking to upgrade to proper coilovers), hybrid st turbo at 374bhp, whiteline ALK, hardrace RCA. Ive suprised mates in fk8 civic type rs and megane 265s on our favourite backroads :) Mk2 RS' are just too expensive in comparison; overvalued for what they are IMO.

[@CarFocused]

@@lastexile1187 nice! I’m sure that’s a very capable car 👍🏻 The time to buy a Mk2 RS was in around 2013 - prices were below 20k, and at that point it was a lot of car for the money. Luckily I purchased mine before the prices went mad so I can’t complain too much. I do enjoy my ST for comfort though, it chugs along gloriously and eats up the miles with ease 👍🏻

[@lastexile1187]

@@CarFocused yea I agree, prices have gone silly on them, especially with brexit more recently too. I dont know if id own one though, i love how subtle my ST looks and can blend in with normal traffic (its a perf blue FL with no visual mods). Must get a drive of an RS some day...

[@keithstapleton7805]

If you think a modified ST is a match for an RS I can safely assume you’ve not owned an RS. Those who have know!

[@CarFocused]

Exactly Keith. The RS is a different beast, for a different purpose 👌🏻

[@johnjackson2349]

My St back in the day had a dsci remap and decat and was very close to a stock rs, between 25mph 2nd gear to around 130+ dropped around 2 car lengths. That's just in a straight line, brakes are rubbish suspension nowhere near the rs, wallows in the corners and inside tyre spins, looks are subjective but to me rs miles better. As a package I agree rs is leaps ahead. But st has good potential for little money

[@gt6123]

Why are you constantly short shifting?! Put your foot down properly

[@CarFocused]

Because of the speeds you end up doing if you rev it out 🙈 Plus it has so much low down punch you don’t need to rag the ass of it to get it moving.

[@Themadhouse2024]

When you order mat watson from wish 😂

[@CarFocused]

I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing 😂

[@FatHead1979]

Stock ST versus stage 1 RS, result = RS wins... 🤦‍♂

[@michaelperkins5746]

5 DOOR ST YUK

[@CarFocused]

Practical for me as I have a 1 year old 👍🏻

[@christineayres7199]

The RS is what the ST should have been , so much nicer looking too , glad Ford bought back the RS range as ST was more for the Mondeo if I'm honest , also i was shocked how cheap you can get a 2009 Focus for nowadays , as on Autotrader you can get a standard 2 litre Focus for £1500 with only 70 thousand miles on the clock , great value for money.

[@tomcoxon3520]

Most guys that drive focus rs all seem to b in there mid 50s and thnk there cool they all meet at a local pub and stare at one anothers rs .. bit sad

[@CarFocused]

Each to their own mate - not causing anybody any harm is it? For some people it’s just nice to get out and speak to friends about something you’re all interested in.

[@Kangarillapig]

A pointless video... Because there is no comparison in the two. One is far superior to the other especially a standard st to a modded rs. 🤪

[@jameswilson8820]

Pointless comment 🙄

[@Kangarillapig]

@@jameswilson8820 it's called an opinion...a correct opinion 😉

[@jameswilson8820]

@@Kangarillapig call it what you may it's still pointless but that's jus my opinion and view😴😴😴