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Ford Focus RS vs ALL the rivals...

Is the Ford Focus RS the new hot hatch champ? Well, there's only one way to find out...

Ivan Aistrop

Words by: Ivan Aistrop

Published on 28 April 2016 | 0 min read

  • New hot Focus RS tested against ALL its main rivals
  • Test conducted on track and on road
  • See the 35-minute video here
The Ford Focus RS is massive news. New RS cars only come along once in a blue moon, and when they do, they’re usually pretty special.
The thing is, hot hatch buyers have never been more spoiled, with a vast number of very talented models to choose from. So, which one is the cream of the current crop? Well, we decided to find out… We took the RS to the Anglesey circuit in North Wales, along with no less than NINE of its direct rivals, for a comparison test to end all comparison tests. After expending rather a lot of energy, fuel and tyres, we whittled these ten cars down to a Top Three. These three then went on to face a range of other gruelling tests during an epic road trip through the North West. What’s more, we captured the whole thing on film, which you can watch above. Having exhaustively tested every contender back-to-back, we announce, unequivocally and beyond all doubt, which is the finest hot hatch money can buy. Welcome to the most thorough and robust test of the hot hatch class you’ll find anywhere. We hope you enjoy the film...
The contenders...
Audi RS3 Sportback
List price – £40,795 Engine/power – 2.5T/362bhp Transmission – 7DCT/4WD BMW M135i Auto 3dr List price – £33,500 Engine/power – 3.0T/322bhp Transmission – 6AT/RWD Ford Focus RS List price – £31,000 Engine/power – 2.3T/345bhp Transmission – 6MT/4WD Honda Civic Type R GT List price – £30,000 Engine/power – 2.0T/306bhp Transmission – 6MT/FWD Mercedes-AMG A45 4Matic List price – £40,695 Engine/power – 2.0T/376bhp Transmission – 7DCT/4WD Peugeot 308 GTI By Peugeot Sport 270 List price – £28,455 Engine/power – 1.6T/266bhp Transmission – 6MT/FWD Renaultsport Megane 275 Cup-S List price – £23,935 Engine/power – 2.0T/271bhp Transmission – 6MT/FWD Seat Leon Cupra 290 5dr List price – £28,680 Engine/power – 2.0T/286bhp Transmission – 2.0T/FWD Subaru WRX STI List price – £28,995 Engine/power – 2.5T/296bhp Transmission – 6MT/4WD Volkswagen Golf R DSG 5dr List price – £33,190 Engine/power – 2.0T/296bhp Transmission – 6DCT/4WD

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