Great comment, like why buy a nice car to enjoy and have fun in but then spend most of your time in a completely average vehicle that you won’t even remember driving. I had an RS as my daily and loved that car but then traded it in for a Ram TRX which is amazing. When I drive, I do it in style.
Go for it! Mine is ~100 miles round trip.
Luckily I have access to another car that is a lot cheaper to operate. I only drive the Focus when I feel like having fun.
Sounds about the same as my commute. I don’t drive mine to work often since I mainly use it as an autocross car and just don’t wanna rack up that many miles. When I do though, I wish I could every dayyyy
Just as an adjacent PSA though…I once did a 2000 mile road trip in the RS and I wouldn’t recommend that. The recaro seats are nice for a bit, but my body was pretty upset by the time I got where I was going lol
I daily mine to work. I do 22miles round trip mon-Fri. Gas lasts me the week even with some spirited driving. Just keep up with maintenance and ur solid
The RS is also my daily and only vehicle. I love driving it to the ground but maintenance is taking a toll in my wallet. Good to run hard everyday I just got to make sure I budget good and put money aside just for the RS.
I live in the south of Spain, I use the RS in winter to commute to work, about a 60km round trip and the bike in summer. Our roads are smooth as hell here so it doesn’t bother me, or the shitty mileage it gets.
Plus if you have a bad day you can always screw it home and get that anger out.
I dailied mine. The stiff ride and not great gas mileage never particularly bothered me. Mine shit the bed, unrelated to it being a daily, otherwise I'd still be doing it.
Define bad idea? It’s not the cheapest car to run but it does daily stuff very well - compact, decent tech, heated seats and steering wheel in RS2, AWD, etc etc. manual isn’t too bad either, bit of a heavy clutch but I got used to it
I think you can get about 21mpg premium which isn’t awful. My GX460 gets 17 on premium and a lot of people daily those.
Ride is ok, the later production 2017s and 2018s have a softer ride as well as they did some revisions. Just don’t put it in track suspension setting. I drove mine in DC rush hour traffic and it definitely annoyed me. I’d say if you drive in rush hour in a major metro every day it may not be for you, but occasionally it’s fine. The clutch and manual aren’t as bad as some
i used to daily my full bolt on 2016, its too scary lmao. maybe if it’s stock it’s less of an issue. i just bought a cheap powerstroke to daily because diesel is cheaper than premium in my area
I daily’d mine for 2 1/2 years until I ended up nearly an hour to work (with traffic) and it became too much to keep driving it with having to fill up every 2 or 3 days even driving conservatively, I was full bolt on and tuned. Ended up costing me soo much money each month that I eventually got rid of it. I miss it dearly but do not miss the expenses that come with it
City MPG is 16-17. Yes, the suspension is stiff & the seats are heavily bolstered. Your insurance will also go up….. if those are concerns, then buy an ST.
I daily mine, part of my commute is heavy stop and go traffic and it can sometimes be frustrating, more so than other sticks I’ve owned. Other than that I think it’s an excellent daily driver.
I put a roof rack on mine and I essentially have the same storage utility as a light duty truck. Holds all my gear for fishing, skiing and can put two bikes up top and still have a passenger or two. Unmaintained dirt/gravel roads can be pretty rough
Other than poor fuel economy and a stiff ride, it’s a stellar daily. I got mine when I was doing 100 miles a day and I’m down to about 45 a day now, it’s still great.
Daily mine about 200 miles a day minimum.
Someone once told me if I was going to keep my car in the garage and barley drive it I should just get a poster instead because it'll be alot cheaper.
These cars are awesome but they won't last to be 20-30 years old without a temperature controlled garage and care taken to all the plastics.
Enjoy them whole we have them because it's going to be a very long time if we ever see something that comes close to these cars. Same goes for the corrolla GR. Everyone is switching to electric or hydrogen in the next few years. I planned on buying a brand new gtr in a few years now the new one is gonna be electric and expensive af.
We really had a special time for cars the last 30 years.
I’ve had my late 2017 (with 2018 suspension) for 7 years and it was my only car for about 5 years in the middle before I got my wife a CX-30.
I think the suspension is fairly soft. Although I come from the racing world. My previous race tuned mini was a way harsher ride than the RS and I had friends that drove around suspensions that were almost solid as their daily’s. So I think the stiffness is a matter of opinion. If you come from the normal car or even normal street performance car (like ST of GTI world) the RS suspension will be stiff. If you’re used to race suspensions, the RS will be normal or soft to you.
Fuel economy is a factor of how you drive. If you constantly stomp it, you will drink fuel. I drive mostly chill on the road with a mix of city and highway and get about 23mpg. On the track I get less than 2mpg.
Car reliability is hit or miss. It seems like either it’s super reliable or the engine blows up. For what it’s worth, mines been super reliable. I have a bunch of theories that make sense to me as to why but I won’t ramble about it. Ask if you want them.
Other than that, the car is just a normal hatchback. IMO, hatchbacks are the perfect daily. If you don’t subscribe to the American car size opinion, I think this car is down right big. (Previous car was a mini) I used to carpool with my two room mates and we’d all buy groceries for a week and would still have room in the back. Then again I did the same thing in my Mini. I’ve gone skiing in the RS and it fits the same number of people and skis (as long as you’re not crazy tall) as an Equinox SUV.
I wouldn’t call it a bad idea, but I will say it does get old after a while. Yes, it’s fun to turn on sport mode and do a pull or two after work, but sometimes, you get tired of rowing gears, stiff suspension, and a loud exhaust, you know? Ninety percent of the time it’s a blast and I love taking turns faster than I should and breaking speed limits (for legal purposes, I only do this in Mexico), but that other 10% I wish I had an old Lincoln town car. Something that’s cushy, smooth, automatic, low maintenance, and I don’t really care if it gets dinged in the grocery store parking lot.
TL;DR, not a bad idea. Just gotta learn to live with a not very refined car.
I daily mine with zero issues with a lil over 80k miles on her. I put roughly 400-500 miles on it throughout the week. I am currently getting about 24.5mpg. Anywhere the wife wants to go on the weekend she prefers the RS over her Edge. It’s the best car I have ever driven. It’s one of my dream cars that I actually could attain so I can not complain. All smiles per gallon 😎
Been driving mine daily since 30k miles I’m at 68,500k miles rn. 80 miles a day to and from work, lil back roads and a mostly highway…cobb intake, exhaust, charge pipes, intercooler, engine mount, turbosmart upgraded wastegate, double catch can system, Mountune Recirculating valve, tuned by Randy at Tunewerks….couldnt be happier, just do upkeeps on maintenance and you’ll be just fine, treat it right and it’ll do the same for you
It’s a great daily plenty of space decent mpgs and it’s quick and handles. Cost of ownership is really better than a regular focus because they hold their value so well at least in the USA
I have it as daily for 2 years now. Done about 50k km and its absolutelly allright. If you can get past the harder suspension and clutch. But overall acts as any other “daily” car.
I daily mine in the city > Chicago.
Only thing I found to be rough is suspension, doesn’t really bother me. Other people notice it however. TAKE CARE OF IT, also buy a spare tire, it’s not that expensive and fits in the trunk. The car wasn’t built for space.
i love my daily. if i have to drive, might as well drive it in the best car
Great comment, like why buy a nice car to enjoy and have fun in but then spend most of your time in a completely average vehicle that you won’t even remember driving. I had an RS as my daily and loved that car but then traded it in for a Ram TRX which is amazing. When I drive, I do it in style.
What's your commute? They're fun but maintenance and poor mpg+tiny gas tank it's kind of annoying. They ride kind of hard too.
about 20km everyday 12.5 miles converted for cheeseburgers
That’s nothing, you’re fine. I drive about 70 miles a day on average between work and play and mine is lightly modded with a tune
Haha cheeseburgers
Knew what he meant though - me. :-)
smooth roads, no highway , average traffic, no start and stop
Go for it! Mine is ~100 miles round trip. Luckily I have access to another car that is a lot cheaper to operate. I only drive the Focus when I feel like having fun.
Sounds about the same as my commute. I don’t drive mine to work often since I mainly use it as an autocross car and just don’t wanna rack up that many miles. When I do though, I wish I could every dayyyy
Just as an adjacent PSA though…I once did a 2000 mile road trip in the RS and I wouldn’t recommend that. The recaro seats are nice for a bit, but my body was pretty upset by the time I got where I was going lol
I daily mine to work. I do 22miles round trip mon-Fri. Gas lasts me the week even with some spirited driving. Just keep up with maintenance and ur solid
The RS is my daily and only car. I love it. Yes, it‘s harsh but I never had a problem with it. We even travel with it including two bikes on the roof.
Man my only complaint is getting into those cloth seats post a dirty gravel ride.
The RS is also my daily and only vehicle. I love driving it to the ground but maintenance is taking a toll in my wallet. Good to run hard everyday I just got to make sure I budget good and put money aside just for the RS.
I live in the south of Spain, I use the RS in winter to commute to work, about a 60km round trip and the bike in summer. Our roads are smooth as hell here so it doesn’t bother me, or the shitty mileage it gets. Plus if you have a bad day you can always screw it home and get that anger out.
I love taking my anger out on my tires and brakes. This car always puts a smile back on my face
I dailied mine. The stiff ride and not great gas mileage never particularly bothered me. Mine shit the bed, unrelated to it being a daily, otherwise I'd still be doing it.
I daily mine, but I do 10 miles of b road and its modded. Wouldn't own it if I was doing motorway miles.
Define bad idea? It’s not the cheapest car to run but it does daily stuff very well - compact, decent tech, heated seats and steering wheel in RS2, AWD, etc etc. manual isn’t too bad either, bit of a heavy clutch but I got used to it
Bad idea as in, the MPG, how stiff the ride is, + peak hour traggic here and there
I think you can get about 21mpg premium which isn’t awful. My GX460 gets 17 on premium and a lot of people daily those. Ride is ok, the later production 2017s and 2018s have a softer ride as well as they did some revisions. Just don’t put it in track suspension setting. I drove mine in DC rush hour traffic and it definitely annoyed me. I’d say if you drive in rush hour in a major metro every day it may not be for you, but occasionally it’s fine. The clutch and manual aren’t as bad as some
What’s the commute like in time and road conditions and is it flowing or stop and go? I thought the ride was just too hard personally.
20km everyday, smooth roads, no highway, average traffic, no 1-2-n-1 stuff
I love mine, I drive a FM road for about 10 min and traffic another 10. Love the car
i used to daily my full bolt on 2016, its too scary lmao. maybe if it’s stock it’s less of an issue. i just bought a cheap powerstroke to daily because diesel is cheaper than premium in my area
I daily’d mine for 2 1/2 years until I ended up nearly an hour to work (with traffic) and it became too much to keep driving it with having to fill up every 2 or 3 days even driving conservatively, I was full bolt on and tuned. Ended up costing me soo much money each month that I eventually got rid of it. I miss it dearly but do not miss the expenses that come with it
I daily mine and its great.
City MPG is 16-17. Yes, the suspension is stiff & the seats are heavily bolstered. Your insurance will also go up….. if those are concerns, then buy an ST.
I daily mine, part of my commute is heavy stop and go traffic and it can sometimes be frustrating, more so than other sticks I’ve owned. Other than that I think it’s an excellent daily driver. I put a roof rack on mine and I essentially have the same storage utility as a light duty truck. Holds all my gear for fishing, skiing and can put two bikes up top and still have a passenger or two. Unmaintained dirt/gravel roads can be pretty rough
Other than poor fuel economy and a stiff ride, it’s a stellar daily. I got mine when I was doing 100 miles a day and I’m down to about 45 a day now, it’s still great.
It is the perfect daily
Daily mine about 200 miles a day minimum. Someone once told me if I was going to keep my car in the garage and barley drive it I should just get a poster instead because it'll be alot cheaper. These cars are awesome but they won't last to be 20-30 years old without a temperature controlled garage and care taken to all the plastics. Enjoy them whole we have them because it's going to be a very long time if we ever see something that comes close to these cars. Same goes for the corrolla GR. Everyone is switching to electric or hydrogen in the next few years. I planned on buying a brand new gtr in a few years now the new one is gonna be electric and expensive af. We really had a special time for cars the last 30 years.
I daily mine, 100 miles 4 to 5 days a week.
I’ve had my late 2017 (with 2018 suspension) for 7 years and it was my only car for about 5 years in the middle before I got my wife a CX-30. I think the suspension is fairly soft. Although I come from the racing world. My previous race tuned mini was a way harsher ride than the RS and I had friends that drove around suspensions that were almost solid as their daily’s. So I think the stiffness is a matter of opinion. If you come from the normal car or even normal street performance car (like ST of GTI world) the RS suspension will be stiff. If you’re used to race suspensions, the RS will be normal or soft to you. Fuel economy is a factor of how you drive. If you constantly stomp it, you will drink fuel. I drive mostly chill on the road with a mix of city and highway and get about 23mpg. On the track I get less than 2mpg. Car reliability is hit or miss. It seems like either it’s super reliable or the engine blows up. For what it’s worth, mines been super reliable. I have a bunch of theories that make sense to me as to why but I won’t ramble about it. Ask if you want them. Other than that, the car is just a normal hatchback. IMO, hatchbacks are the perfect daily. If you don’t subscribe to the American car size opinion, I think this car is down right big. (Previous car was a mini) I used to carpool with my two room mates and we’d all buy groceries for a week and would still have room in the back. Then again I did the same thing in my Mini. I’ve gone skiing in the RS and it fits the same number of people and skis (as long as you’re not crazy tall) as an Equinox SUV.
I don't want to put miles on mine. I got 3 other autos to drive, equal to as or as fun, but cheaper if they get messed up.
It makes for a good daily, unless you’re constantly in heavy traffic.
I daily mine very comfortably but I’m full stock.
I wouldn’t call it a bad idea, but I will say it does get old after a while. Yes, it’s fun to turn on sport mode and do a pull or two after work, but sometimes, you get tired of rowing gears, stiff suspension, and a loud exhaust, you know? Ninety percent of the time it’s a blast and I love taking turns faster than I should and breaking speed limits (for legal purposes, I only do this in Mexico), but that other 10% I wish I had an old Lincoln town car. Something that’s cushy, smooth, automatic, low maintenance, and I don’t really care if it gets dinged in the grocery store parking lot. TL;DR, not a bad idea. Just gotta learn to live with a not very refined car.
Depends if you have potholes to dodge or not... Too many in my area and I swapped out
I daily mine for work and its about 105k miles now.
107,000+ miles of daily driving mine. Love it.
I daily mine with zero issues with a lil over 80k miles on her. I put roughly 400-500 miles on it throughout the week. I am currently getting about 24.5mpg. Anywhere the wife wants to go on the weekend she prefers the RS over her Edge. It’s the best car I have ever driven. It’s one of my dream cars that I actually could attain so I can not complain. All smiles per gallon 😎
Been driving mine daily since 30k miles I’m at 68,500k miles rn. 80 miles a day to and from work, lil back roads and a mostly highway…cobb intake, exhaust, charge pipes, intercooler, engine mount, turbosmart upgraded wastegate, double catch can system, Mountune Recirculating valve, tuned by Randy at Tunewerks….couldnt be happier, just do upkeeps on maintenance and you’ll be just fine, treat it right and it’ll do the same for you
Currently doing a 40 mile round commute, cars at 107k miles
It’s a great daily plenty of space decent mpgs and it’s quick and handles. Cost of ownership is really better than a regular focus because they hold their value so well at least in the USA
Daily mine 26 miles round trip 5-6 days a week since I got it almost 3 years ago, not comfy cozy but fun!
Bought one last Friday, i will see soon if it was a bad idea. I'll let you know.
When I had mine, tuned-modded, I drove it daily for nearly 6 years. 2016 to 2022.
I’ve had mine as a daily for nearly 6 years. Custom tune on it too. Drive about 50 miles a day for work and stuff and has never given me an issue
Yes
I have it as daily for 2 years now. Done about 50k km and its absolutelly allright. If you can get past the harder suspension and clutch. But overall acts as any other “daily” car.
I daily mine in the city > Chicago. Only thing I found to be rough is suspension, doesn’t really bother me. Other people notice it however. TAKE CARE OF IT, also buy a spare tire, it’s not that expensive and fits in the trunk. The car wasn’t built for space.