2018 Honda Civic Type R Vs Ford Focus RS - Carfection

Hot hatches represent some of the most exciting and af

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able cars in the world of performance and we're in a golden age right now with some of the best examples of these beasts since they started appearing at the top of that list in the '80s. Arguably this year or so this has been the third-generation Ford Focus RS, a 2.3-liter, 345-horsepower all-wheel-drive rocket with the performance of a car three times its cost and all the sartorial elegance, a shell of tuned nylon, but the only guarantee when 'king of the hill' is that everyone is going to look for that crown and in a short time a serious challenger appears and well, here it is, it's just a new Civic

type

-r and here you have a VTEC of 2-liter with 315 horsepower and the much more traditional front-wheel drive setup, and if you thought the Focus RS was a racer kid's wet dream, then this will make you want to start buying shares in sheets of rubber, both cars They are amazing packages of fun and cost a lot. the same track is ready and for the first time you can buy the Civic

type

-r in the United States.

Our American cousins ​​can finally get out of those JDM dreams and into this car. Now comparing these two cars is largely redundant from a practical point of view. I mean, if you're really going to buy one, you'll already have your loyalty and know which one you'll choose; In fact, you might be one of those people who have read the title of this video and already left their comment before getting to this part of the video until I say okay, your opinion is valid, there are a million reasons to choose one over the other, even if the fastest vehicle you've ever driven is your dad's Camry, but for the sake of argument, let's assume you're not a power-driven Internet troll and you're actually ready to buy one of these because you know real world driving and you don't have a pre-designed loyalty towards any of the players, how would you do it? choose which one is right for me it all comes down to three things how fun it is to be around when there's no movement how much fun it is to drive like you would every day but how quickly you can put a big smile on your face when no one's looking, Let's start with the first point, how does it make you feel when it doesn't even move?

Now call me superficial, but the appearance of a car is still very important to me and in a hot hatch, if you are spending money it is to show off. We can be honest about it and the Focus RS has a very attractive package, but the people who admire it are those who know what it is, what it can do on its own, it is very restrained, on the other hand, it even screams aggression. If you have never seen a car in your entire life, you will know that this means that aliens could land on this planet for the first time and you will know that this was fast.

Now I like the idea of ​​buying a car that scares the Bejesus out of people before the engine even starts, so on the front side I have to give it to the Japanese in this very normal day to day CTR driving, What is that fair like? We know it's based on the clue we know. You can have a lot of fun and you said this is the lap time on the Nordschleife, but really, how is the road? Well, one thing Honda has changed in this car is the suspension and it has been made softer across the board. the driving modes and what that gives you is great stability for driving at very high speed and braking, but on the road it actually provides a very comfortable ride.

Add that to things like these seats that look incredibly sporty but are actually quite comfortable and then you're done. with a ride that's quite tame, in fact you'd never understand from the inside that this could lap the Nurburgring in dizzyingly fast time, it just feels like a comfortable hatchback, things like Android auto and Apple Carplay are on board and, although I always struggle with all cars in restraint systems, once you move that over to Apple Carplay you have everything you need at your fingertips. I'm not a big fan of switches, although everything to change that volume and change your input source is for The little nicotine touch buttons here or these really cheap plastic knobs that are on the steering wheel are not a nice way to do any type of alteration in control.

The interior problems don't just end at the switch. I'm entering. I really love the look of the acoustic balm, fortunately, once or twice, when my hands got sweaty and I made a quick shift from third and so on, my hand flew off the knob. Occupational hazard of your hands slipping off the knob, but still. unpleasant experience so the Ford Focus RS 10 is also incredibly fun ants on the track what is it like day to day driving well inside? I've always found the seating position and this clutch is a little too high to give it that really sporty feel and I borrow the RS low with the fancy blue stitching on the steering wheel, there's nothing really fancy but you know, I'm £30,000 , what can you expect in terms of actual handling even in the most pedestrian of the driving modes, not sport, the normal driving modes, this thing is incredibly firm, it was to remind you that this is a performance car in every corner and if you make the mistake of activating the firmer sports suspension, each bump becomes slightly painful and your voice becomes a little bumpy, let's turn it up again, it still has all the practicality of a huge hatchback, lots of room in the back rear seat for two children and I should know because I have had both my children in the back seat while still maintaining the capacity.

Absolutely destroying almost anything else on the road is a good balance between a slightly aggressive but still completely drivable sporty feel. Both cars are practical enough to fit into your daily driving, and while both can stink, they're pretty quiet. when necessary, but in terms of comfort, the lower driving position and more comfortable seats in the Civic just ensured it, so again we have to give this to the Type R. Well, the final and most important test for the RS , there is no one around. a lower gear sport mode and oh, even if we have all-wheel drive, when you get it, there's quite a bit of torque theater generated in this thing and that makes the first split second a little scary and that's what you want from a hot hatch you want it for those 10 or 12 seconds or you have an open road to play with the opportunity to really open up and feel the excitement and the quickest possible time to get back to the brakes and back to being. a responsible citizen as soon as he sees the fluff coming around the corner, how does the Civic type-r feel when he puts the pedal to the metal?

See when you have a minute or, in this case, ten seconds to quickly step on the Civic type-r takes you at high speed takes you where you want to go in a straight line safely doesn't turn on that thing doesn't turn on that smile something isn't missing I can point out what it is it could be a lack of danger I like risk a lack of surprise this thing is so competent that when you put your foot down in those little moments the speeches come and propel you forward and it's brilliant something is really missing this is the The real measure of a hot-hatch is why you buy it, not to take it to track days, not for massive cross-country tours, it's a practical daily use from time to time you'll want to put your foot on the ground and feel the excitement.

The Civic Type R is fast, incredibly fast and stable. You can't feel any steering torque oscillation and even understeer under pressure has been almost completely eliminated and it's a better car, but the approach makes a song. and you dance about it, you feel like you're driving a hot hatch, something a little unhinged and lively on paper, the Civic Type-R should have it. He took the points in the first two challenges, but when it comes to cars, logic doesn't always hold true. You can't express the true thrill of driving in stats and graphs, the Focus just knows what it is and lets you experience it with anything and everything, and while the Civic Type-R is a phenomenal ride, it achieves everything it sets out to do. .

For me, in the real world, if it were my money, it would have to be in the Ford Focus RS.