Never a dull moment
If you value fun and precise responsiveness in a vehicle above all else and make a moderate income I can't think of any better car to own. This however is not like hot hatches of old. There are compromises in ride comfort, gas mileage etc. My previous car was a Mazdaspeed3 and although that was loads of fun it's not even a fair comparison to the RS. Pros: - laser responsive steering, quick throttle response and God like suspension adds up to facial pain from grinning on almost every back road drive and exit ramp. - Edgy looks, with bonkers detailing in all the places it should be without all the unnecessary ricer flares found on some other vehicles. - super high quality racing seats with great bolstering but also lumbar support and heaters. Cons: - This car has the turning radius of an H1 hummer. It's not a big deal in the burbs but once you get into a dicey city scenario you'll be cursing. - Yes, launch control is cool but when you bury it deep underneath 5 sub menus it makes it completely useless. - parts of the interior dash materials could be higher quality for a $40k vehicle. Tips: -if you are someone with a wider build take the car on an extended test drive before buying. The Recaro seats tend to hug like an angry snake. - I've heard complaints about driving position and it seems they were all driving a base model. Get the RS 2package! The powered seat adjustments seem to fix this plus you get a heated steering wheel and seats, sunroof and nav. - the "secret fifth driving mode" is the car's daily sweet spot. Set the mode to Track, turn traction control back on and dampers to normal. This gives you the most aggressive throttle and steering without the teeth grinding ride firmness and tail happy effects. Plus you get all of the addictive pops from the exhaust. - Avoid the forged wheel package. The lighter wheels make little difference. They are very expensive and the cup 2 tires are impractical and would last longer if they were made of balsa wood. In conclusion. For a somewhat practical, somewhat inexpensive car this thing ticks about all of the boxes a throttle happy, curve loving guy could hope for. It's nearest competitor currently is the Subbie STI and frankly Subaru will now need to step up their game.
Best Blue
The "Nitrous blue" color is the best blue I've ever seen on a car so sporty. Also, the Focus RS is pretty fast too.