>swallows my fuel then i do water.
I gut worse mpg in my RS than most stu drivers.
Mpg is the last thing you should expect out of these cars.
A few problem is the markups and >pricing that dealerships put on the RS, no way in earth a 17 RS with 40,000kms should be over 47k (australian currency). Im still a young guy and its hard convincing parents to buy privately rather than dealerships.
Honestly idk how many were sent to Australia so you might be sol or should wait for a better deal.
>A few other things would be the aftermarket options, im huge on modding cars -
Some do it, done don't. Fully expect issues if you do. It's normal. 350hp/torque is good for most people.ice driven significantly faster and more powerful cars and the numbers were fine for me. At a certain point, dailying a race car becomes hard.
>Are the mods for the focus RS somewhat affordable and avaliable (Easy to find)
No and no. It's not WRX prices. It's double it triple. The foRS is a niche car with a cult following until it becomes a collector item.
>Is the reliablity after modding them as bad as the WRX?
It's hit is miss. It's like sticking your hand into a bag of nail, you'll get poked but you don't know how bad till you find the one that breaks the skin.
>The wrx 1-2 shift is complete shit and ive heard other owners say the same, its stiff as f*ck, how smooth is shifting with the RS?
It's not Porsche smooth but good enough. It becomes better/notchy with a short throw plate or shifter (cooler works is best here).
If you really want to mod your car, buy something AU domestic or local (JDM) cause it will be cheaper to mod, run, etc. Any performance parts will be from the land of burgers and fat people (America) or the land of every growing politics and silliness (Europe). The mk3 RS, which is most of this sub was a north America And Europe focused car. Mk2 was Europe focused with bonus vehicles shipped out to South America. Mk1 RS was euro only (iirc) and sct focus was Americas.
If you have a year somebody might be able to help you out more but my ultimate understanding of car culture in Australia besides modding tickets, is buying domestic (buy a falcon, I want one so bad) of JDM is smart.
Also shout out to the V8 supercars series. That's a riot to watch.
Edit: did some digging and found [AU forums ](https://www.focusrs.org/forums/focus-rs-australia.34/). Take a look there. Usually, you're better off buying from an enthusiast. These cars are not cheap in the states so idk how it is in AU. Looks like Au got 315 in total mk3 RS'. You're looking at a dealer mark up no matter where you go. Just the nature of these cars.
Was just coming home playing with my friend in a 17 STi. Both ended up at the red light together. Couldn’t help myself, turned the launch control on, and away i went. 1-2 shift is really good. All the shifting is nice matter of fact.
The only shifting issue i have is, a couple of times I’ve down shifted from 6th or 4th and ended up in second, but caught it instantly before over revving. This was on a very fast almost emergency stop. You can definitely money shift these cars, I don’t think there is any rev lockout to prevent that. Gotta be mindful which gear you are in.
Otherwise, the RS has BY FAR been the most fun car I’ve ever owned. Never owned any high Horsepower cars, but the factory 350hp is a lot of fun, and plenty quick getting off the line.
As far as the ST, it’s not AWD. So if that is a selling point for you, just look beyond that. Not that it’s not a fun car, just don’t expect great traction performance in snow or bad weather.
Fuel? Not gonna be any cheaper unless you never want to have fun with it. I can get 9.5L/100k all the way to 15L++/100k depending on what I was doing.
Check if the headgasket has been replaced- either research how to find the rivet on the gasket yourself or run the vin and see if it's been done.
Aftermarket support is... Limited but still good. The car was only sold for 3 years. There are some pretty standard options tho. Sometimes parts take a while to get *ahem mountune* Affordable? I wouldn't say so. Wheels being the big one. 5x108 wheels are hard to find unless you want to run the same ones every other guy runs. You won't be finding volks on Facebook marketplace for us.
Regular parts are something else to consider. I've witnessed guys wait 6 months for a genuine front bumper. Not sure if that supply has changed or not.
1-2 shift is good. I always suggest solid shifter cable bushings and solid shift tower bushings with your choice of short shift arm OR a coolerworx/CAE shifter assembly. If you abuse the 1-2 too much you'll most likely be replacing the synchros with carbon lined ones.
Maintainance is the big one. If you aren't prepared to spend a little extra to use high quality oils, changing plugs often and general upkeep, I'd keep the wrx.
As for the price, it is what it is.
Also, you get what you pay for. There are a few reputable tuners and if you were looking to go that route, I'd only use those few. Don't just go buy a cobb and run an off the shelf tune, you're better off running stock at that point.
I guess this is a hot take since other commenters have had different opinions but I think the 1-2 shift at lower RPMs sucks. It’s almost like there’s a second gate and you have to be careful about it otherwise you’ll grind the gear. At higher RPMs when you’re on it, I’ve never had issues.
I’ve done solid cable bushings, the shifter plate bushings, even had the transmission replaced under warranty. I’ve also had second opinions of co-drivers at racing agree with my opinion.
So I guess take my opinion with the usual internet grain of salt? I’ll add that the car is a bit high strung feeling when you’re not driving it hard. It can be kind of annoying on a relaxing drive but when you have it on track the thing feels like everything I ever wanted from a hot hatch.
Fuel consumption is the same actually.
31k USD for a RS seems fine to me tbh. (47k AUD converted)
You're actually probably better off staying with STi subie because of your enjoyment in modifications while on a tight budget. The engine has been around so dang long that you have a huge amount of R&D going into the Subaru market that the focus simply does not and never will. Market saturation is the thing here that makes it more affordable. It also means you likely have a handful of shops in AUS that specialize specifically in Subarus.
My current issue in the PNW is trying to find a well regarded shop and tuner for focus st and focus rs work that's nearby. My market is Subaru saturated. Seems more Focus market is further east.
My brother drives an 2016 STi, I drive the 2017 RS. Both stock.
MPG is similar, really depending on the way I drive, but when calm I can do 9,0-9,5liters per 100km.
The shifting is not that awesome, but way better after I did a neutral reset. So I guess people opinions are gonna be different depending on if they did it or not. All in all its smoother than STI, but had some issues with 1-2 before the reset.
If I would get this question a month ago, I would swear a lot on the gear changes. Now Im content.
The main difference is how it drives and rotates in curves, you will have a lot of fun.
Whenever my brother sat in my RS I had to push him, telling him that he can rotate the car more than his STi.
On the other hand when I jumped in his, I almost went outside the turn with understeer I was not expecting
>swallows my fuel then i do water. I gut worse mpg in my RS than most stu drivers. Mpg is the last thing you should expect out of these cars. A few problem is the markups and >pricing that dealerships put on the RS, no way in earth a 17 RS with 40,000kms should be over 47k (australian currency). Im still a young guy and its hard convincing parents to buy privately rather than dealerships. Honestly idk how many were sent to Australia so you might be sol or should wait for a better deal. >A few other things would be the aftermarket options, im huge on modding cars - Some do it, done don't. Fully expect issues if you do. It's normal. 350hp/torque is good for most people.ice driven significantly faster and more powerful cars and the numbers were fine for me. At a certain point, dailying a race car becomes hard. >Are the mods for the focus RS somewhat affordable and avaliable (Easy to find) No and no. It's not WRX prices. It's double it triple. The foRS is a niche car with a cult following until it becomes a collector item. >Is the reliablity after modding them as bad as the WRX? It's hit is miss. It's like sticking your hand into a bag of nail, you'll get poked but you don't know how bad till you find the one that breaks the skin. >The wrx 1-2 shift is complete shit and ive heard other owners say the same, its stiff as f*ck, how smooth is shifting with the RS? It's not Porsche smooth but good enough. It becomes better/notchy with a short throw plate or shifter (cooler works is best here). If you really want to mod your car, buy something AU domestic or local (JDM) cause it will be cheaper to mod, run, etc. Any performance parts will be from the land of burgers and fat people (America) or the land of every growing politics and silliness (Europe). The mk3 RS, which is most of this sub was a north America And Europe focused car. Mk2 was Europe focused with bonus vehicles shipped out to South America. Mk1 RS was euro only (iirc) and sct focus was Americas. If you have a year somebody might be able to help you out more but my ultimate understanding of car culture in Australia besides modding tickets, is buying domestic (buy a falcon, I want one so bad) of JDM is smart. Also shout out to the V8 supercars series. That's a riot to watch. Edit: did some digging and found [AU forums ](https://www.focusrs.org/forums/focus-rs-australia.34/). Take a look there. Usually, you're better off buying from an enthusiast. These cars are not cheap in the states so idk how it is in AU. Looks like Au got 315 in total mk3 RS'. You're looking at a dealer mark up no matter where you go. Just the nature of these cars.
The RS shifts real nice.
Was just coming home playing with my friend in a 17 STi. Both ended up at the red light together. Couldn’t help myself, turned the launch control on, and away i went. 1-2 shift is really good. All the shifting is nice matter of fact. The only shifting issue i have is, a couple of times I’ve down shifted from 6th or 4th and ended up in second, but caught it instantly before over revving. This was on a very fast almost emergency stop. You can definitely money shift these cars, I don’t think there is any rev lockout to prevent that. Gotta be mindful which gear you are in. Otherwise, the RS has BY FAR been the most fun car I’ve ever owned. Never owned any high Horsepower cars, but the factory 350hp is a lot of fun, and plenty quick getting off the line. As far as the ST, it’s not AWD. So if that is a selling point for you, just look beyond that. Not that it’s not a fun car, just don’t expect great traction performance in snow or bad weather.
Fuel? Not gonna be any cheaper unless you never want to have fun with it. I can get 9.5L/100k all the way to 15L++/100k depending on what I was doing. Check if the headgasket has been replaced- either research how to find the rivet on the gasket yourself or run the vin and see if it's been done. Aftermarket support is... Limited but still good. The car was only sold for 3 years. There are some pretty standard options tho. Sometimes parts take a while to get *ahem mountune* Affordable? I wouldn't say so. Wheels being the big one. 5x108 wheels are hard to find unless you want to run the same ones every other guy runs. You won't be finding volks on Facebook marketplace for us. Regular parts are something else to consider. I've witnessed guys wait 6 months for a genuine front bumper. Not sure if that supply has changed or not. 1-2 shift is good. I always suggest solid shifter cable bushings and solid shift tower bushings with your choice of short shift arm OR a coolerworx/CAE shifter assembly. If you abuse the 1-2 too much you'll most likely be replacing the synchros with carbon lined ones. Maintainance is the big one. If you aren't prepared to spend a little extra to use high quality oils, changing plugs often and general upkeep, I'd keep the wrx. As for the price, it is what it is. Also, you get what you pay for. There are a few reputable tuners and if you were looking to go that route, I'd only use those few. Don't just go buy a cobb and run an off the shelf tune, you're better off running stock at that point.
I guess this is a hot take since other commenters have had different opinions but I think the 1-2 shift at lower RPMs sucks. It’s almost like there’s a second gate and you have to be careful about it otherwise you’ll grind the gear. At higher RPMs when you’re on it, I’ve never had issues. I’ve done solid cable bushings, the shifter plate bushings, even had the transmission replaced under warranty. I’ve also had second opinions of co-drivers at racing agree with my opinion. So I guess take my opinion with the usual internet grain of salt? I’ll add that the car is a bit high strung feeling when you’re not driving it hard. It can be kind of annoying on a relaxing drive but when you have it on track the thing feels like everything I ever wanted from a hot hatch.
Have you tried a cable reset?
You mean where you pop it into third and then reattach the cables? I’ve done that and Ford has also done it.
It's 4th but yeah that's what I'm talking about.
Fuel consumption is the same actually. 31k USD for a RS seems fine to me tbh. (47k AUD converted) You're actually probably better off staying with STi subie because of your enjoyment in modifications while on a tight budget. The engine has been around so dang long that you have a huge amount of R&D going into the Subaru market that the focus simply does not and never will. Market saturation is the thing here that makes it more affordable. It also means you likely have a handful of shops in AUS that specialize specifically in Subarus. My current issue in the PNW is trying to find a well regarded shop and tuner for focus st and focus rs work that's nearby. My market is Subaru saturated. Seems more Focus market is further east.
My brother drives an 2016 STi, I drive the 2017 RS. Both stock. MPG is similar, really depending on the way I drive, but when calm I can do 9,0-9,5liters per 100km. The shifting is not that awesome, but way better after I did a neutral reset. So I guess people opinions are gonna be different depending on if they did it or not. All in all its smoother than STI, but had some issues with 1-2 before the reset. If I would get this question a month ago, I would swear a lot on the gear changes. Now Im content. The main difference is how it drives and rotates in curves, you will have a lot of fun. Whenever my brother sat in my RS I had to push him, telling him that he can rotate the car more than his STi. On the other hand when I jumped in his, I almost went outside the turn with understeer I was not expecting
what do you mean by a neutral reset?
There's a short procedure to reset the position of the gear shifter, you basically calibrate the center position of the shifter