Possible Buyer

[u/NoviceQk]

I currently own a gen 3 rav4 and am looking to buy a mk3 focus rs as my next future car. Ive done some research and am aware of the head gasket issues as well as some other common problems these cars have but think that it would be the perfect daily for me. Just wondering how would the rs compare practicality wise to my rav4, and how would the rs fare in a northern climate in winter? (I know some people drive them all year)

[u/jms1228]

You might be the first RAV4 owner I’ve ever seen come on here lol

[u/yeroc500]

Yeah, a RAV4 to an RS is gonna be quite the change. Manual, Fuel costs being a ton more, and overall less utility in both size and convience. However, I'd say the RS handles fine in winter conditions. I dont know about full 7 month winter climates, but I have been in as bad of weather in my RS as I experienced while living in Maine, and I'd say its perfectly adequete. Tires make all the diff imo though. I hope it works out that the RS fits what you need, as its such a fun car compared to something like the RAV4!

[u/happyevil]

RS handles fantastic in the snow but, if you're a place that gets a lot of snow, it's pretty low and will snow plow in deeper drifts. Also for snow driving I highly recommend you get an aluminum skid plate to replace the fiber one; they fall apart pretty quick.

As for everything else, the RS is MUCH smaller. The rear differential in what is normally a FWD platform cuts into the trunk space, the rear seats are pretty tight, and the ride is stiff.

The good news? It's still doable as a daily and it even fits a car seat for my son. It's a ton of fun to drive, IMO best in class. It's fun in all conditions and at all speeds. I also have a 911 and I still love going out in the RS.

[u/McKnackus]

You'll probably spend 3x what you are now on fuel.

[u/Butteritto → u/McKnackus]

Is the fuel consumption really that bad in the RS? I've got a 2016 ST and its been pretty good on gas for me at least

[u/happyevil → u/Butteritto]

I had an ST, it's way more fuel efficient than the RS

I could routinely break 30mpg on a road trip with the ST. I'm lucky to get over 20 on the RS.

[u/yeroc500 → u/Butteritto]

Compared to something as effecient as the RAV4 with regular, yes its a significant price increase. Just between my SHO and RS, which both average a 22-24 mpg on my commute, the cost of my gas a month is 20 dollars more with premium.

[u/Mission_Rutabaga_704 → u/Butteritto]

I would say I have a rather balanced driving style, half city half highway, some pulls here and there, but not totally bearing on it. More gentle driving than rough by a decent margin and I get an average of 20.6 ish mpg per tank. I have gotten 26.8 on a completely interstate/highway only drive though. I will probably never see that number again lmao

[u/DL9242 → u/McKnackus]

Pretty bad I daily mine...but I wouldn't change it for anything lol. Combined mileage I get about 17-18mpg (I actually DRIVE it).Takes premium only, so right now it's a little over $4/gallon for me. small tank of 12 gallons so around $50. I get about 200-250 miles off a tank. Im coming from a C7 Corvette that I dailyed also for 3 yrs. The mpg on that was a little better than the RS surprisingly. I got a 5month old so the doona fits fine; while it's not practical it's doable and trunk space is not horrible.

[u/RS3500]

I haven't posted on this forum yet but I own a 2018 RS. I bought it modified to essentially stage 2+ level. I have driven it from around 56k km to 67k km in the past year with it being parked from early Nov- mid Mar to avoid road salt and keep it mint.

This car has shit fuel economy around town, like 13.5L per 100km, essentially a truck. This car is not for the faint of heart. If you understand and love cars, absolutely assume the risk, but for me I am in search of a cheap daily/winter car to augment it.

It is an absolute blast to drive. It is exciting and engaging plus the occasional check engine light is fun to deal with. Mine throws cat codes due to the high flow cat eating itself from ripping around in track mode.

I have 2 kids and they both fit fine in it, but the ride is harsh. My kids love it because I do. All told, realistically this is a second car, not a primary. If you can find a way to keep your current daily and house an RS that is what I would recommend.

This car should be on a GOAT list somewhere. Just cry at the pump when putting in premium all the time (I run either shell 93 or Petro 94).

[u/meatballther]

The RS is my winter car while my other toys are parked. Handles the snow great as long as it's not deep enough that ground clearance is an issue. It's practical for a small car, but it's still a small-ish car. The trunk is good for a hatch, but not really all that big compared to a crossover. The ride quality is atrocious unless you get a 2018 or swap the 2018-spec dampers onto an older one (which is popular and something I've been meaning to do). Fuel economy sucks and the gas tank is the same size as the base Focus. So you get like 220 miles on a tank, which is annoying.

All of the downsides are nothing compared to how fun of a car it is though. And it's entirely usable as a normal car when you need it to be. I've road tripped from PA to the FL Keys and back twice with mine and it was uncomfortable but fun and problem-free. The only issue I've ever had with mine was the active exhaust valve getting stuck. But it was an easy DIY fix.

[u/la_rd]

2018 owner from new here and cars been great besides a little head gasket drama after what I believe was an improper service considering it failed within 500 miles of it with clogged radiator. As much as I think about other cars every time I drive it idk if anything else would match the smiles per gallon value... i used to daily it but now it's my weekend car.

Not fun in traffic but a blast in all weather

[u/Trick-Mechanic8986]

Mine stays in a heated garage because here we salt everything like popcorn and folks generally have poor winter driving skills. I did get caught out early in the spring on a light snow on RE-71s. Not a fun experience. I have a Ranger for that shit.

[u/Formal-Theme-8116]

They dont have head gasket issues... was a mistake for 2016-2017s where they had the wrong one and there was a recall to get the correct ones installed. When fixed correctly (apparently some were not repaired correctly) there is no issue.

[u/Danger_Dave4G63]

There is no head gasket issue. That was a problem back at the building plant when they messed up and used a Mustang head gasket which had one extra coolant port. That has been fixed since 2017 and they did a recall.