LCR or Focus RS

[mrcoyote]

Twin exhausts? Are some of you getting confused with the new Focus? The ST not the RS? Not driven the RS but there around the same price as the ST, I have driven one of those! All I can say is if the ST was out when I bought the LCR I would have gone for the ST as it has all the bits I wanted, 3dr, blue, leather seats and they will hold there value more, alos the 2.5 lump is great.

Down side both the ST and RS are almost double and LCR. Have you tried insurance quotes etc? As that’s another thing that put me off the RS as its very very steal able!

I did a quick online quote with Admiral the other day and they came up with only £720 a year for my ST. That's protected fully comp including business use and with my occupation as self-employed in a licensed premises, so it's not all that expensive really.

All I have to do now is wait for it to arrive.

 

[mujkhalifa]

lcr is a good car but it does need to be modified a bit. the handling is not that good but i ve sorted mine out by putting new springs and droppping it 30 mm. I ve had the engine uprated by jabba sport and its putting out 285.2 bhp , new scorpion back box, and a bailey dump valve , its a totally different animal now. ford rs is an expensive car to buy in the first place. get an lcr with the money you save get from buying it get it tuned up.

 

[Ruddmeister]

I'd go for the focus RS for the residuals, although I do not like that interior

 

[GaryM]

A friend of a friend brought his Focus RS to Awesome on the 28th December to run on the rollers.
He has a primary designs tubular manifold, decat, bluefin map and filter, results were 272whp (285bhp fly) and 349lbs torque.

Simply awesome cars.

 

[aphix]

You can get a LCR for 10-13k for a good 210/225 example.. it still feels so special and such a good drive.. i love mine. The looks it gets from kids as you drive past.. as they hear the burble from the oval exhaust.. its so comfy.. i drive from Camberley to Essex every weekend, and the LCR is just a great all rounder, a fantasic motorway car in standard, pulling from 70-130 effortlessly. Being able to just nail it away from lights puts a massive smile on my face. Look back and just see everyone else way back. Its astonishing on back roads.

The LCR is a harder car over the Cupra, i drove the Cupra a while back and just rember how soft it was round a roundabout.. the R is much stiffer and a perfect all round drive.

Buy an LCR, if you want a harder drive, and you have a bit more money get the RS. Depends on your driving.. i personally wouldnt get an RS if you did allot of motorway driving.

Only complaint is that the LCR needs to be a bit stiffer at the back when cornering hard, and it needs to grip a little better.

The Focus RS is a great car, i purchased my LCR only to tide me over till i found a mint RS. In recent months ive been tempted to stick with the LCR, but the RS is a more hardcore drive. Pictures never do it justice.. for when you see one in the metal, everything about it looks spot on. Just as i think im gonna stick with the LCR i see an RS, and thats it i want one again.

I spent the weekend looking at the ST for the second time but really cant get my head round the lines on it, especially the rear. Also im considering getting on the the last LCR225;s while seat is runniung this new years revolution deal cant work out what to do.

The RS is limited edition, its a bit special. But youve got to pay 16-18k to get a good one, low miles, low owners. one that isnt CAT D write off.

The Focus RS doesnt really Torque Steer, if at all.. no more than the LCR anyway.. the RS has a LCD which helps it loads... It feels quicker than the LCR, but there probably isnt all that much in it. Someone told me the other day a chipped LCR is quicker than a chipped RS. Dont know how true that is.

The interior though.. itsnt up to the LCR, it just feels a bit mass produced and cheap in comparison.

Starting my own business so maybe i can have both my LCR and an RS.

Anyway im going for a drive.

Rob

 

[helms]

I can say without a shadow of a doubt the RS is better, its such an amazing machine, ive driven a chipped version and been in a leon cupra R also that was chipped. The RS was unbelievable handeling wise, even compared to my cousins rally spec Scooby..
i love that car. its an absolute Gem, the insurance is CHEAPER than the LCR too.
I get isured on LCR for £1750, £1580 for the th RS. and its not easy to steal. it just doesnt have a tracker thats all. but for out and out driving. RS wins, for practicality and kit, its the Leon... Im 21, id chose the RS. but if i were 30 with some nippers, id have the Cupra R. my opinion anyway. =)

 

[aphix]

helms, what you got at the moment fella?

Rob

 

[psq43]

Have recently driven a standard RS and here is what I of no knowledge thought!!!

Firstly dont like the fact that when I put my boot down in second, it almost snapped my arms! Can boot my LCR225 with no hands on wheel (well almost) and not have to worry about the steering pulling! Also, the RS did it terribly under braking where as the LCR stays pretty straight so was not given tons of confidence!

Drove well and was not as crashy over rough roads as the LCR which was a suprise and in town they both feel pretty much of a muchness for just pootling around.

Did not go too much on the gearchange as it felt to "rubbery" and "not connected" but thats a focus thing, or Ford thing anyway! People moan that the LCR's gearchange is too notchy, but I like to feel the linkage working myself.

I would say that the grip is pretty similar, if not a bit better on the RS so is the handling, until you hit brakes or gas that is!! RS did not feel as stable at all under hard braking, and I did not manage brake anywhere near as late as i do on the same road in the LCR as it just did not feel like it was going to do what i wanted, and feeling is what driving is all about. Once it did let go on me and it did it with harldy any warning, wheras in an LCR you can feel the build up of inertia and sense throught the steering, and your ass, when its almost an the limit and act accordingly. With the RS, there was grip-grip-inertia build up and a slide, nothing in between!!! LCR owners moan that the back is a bit loose on the LCR but at least you can feel it coming and besides, i like it and its better to be able to work with the rear than understeer into the wall! It's easier to get the back end in again with the application of power(if your fast), but if the front breaks loose you just sit and wait fast or slow!

All in all they seem pretty much the same, hot hatch, plenty of grip, plenty of grunt all the usual.

Could say I'm bias but I'd rather save a few bob and stick with what I've got! Mainly because its from a proven run (VW Audi mass used parts in other words) where many components on the RS were specially made and many people still have the "Dagenham Dave, Burbury cap" thing about fords. (and its blue!!!!)

But, before you all scream abuse, the RS was, still is a fantastic car and maybe if there was not some design issues (manifold) and the trick diff gave more confidence than violence, then maybe, maybe I would have!

Dont shoot!

 

[aphix]

wasnt the manifold just a pre production motorsport problem? or is it more wide spread with production cars?

Rob

 

[AlphaMale]

Didn't bother reading the 2 pages as I'm tired (00:25) but I had a Revo'd LCR and it was the muts nuts!

But if I had 15k to spend on a RS / LCR now I would go for a RS

Reason being SEAT don't hold their value to well and it doesn't help when they knock £2,500 off their old Mk1 LCR stock to get rid of it.

I got myself a LCR for a little over £11k and kept it for 6 months and sold it for a little over £10k so it lost me £1k in 6 months. (This was 11 months ago) before the MK2 was out

It had 45k on the clock as was in A1 condition with a full SSH.

What would that car be worth now? 52 plate 210 with say 50/55k on the clock?

Keep in mind you can get a 225 brand new for £15,500 with 3 years warrenty! And a few people are selling their Cupra R's due to the new Mk2 Leon Cupra coming out.

I think there was a lady on here picked up a LCR in platinum grey for £10k on E-bay and it only had 7k on the clock!!!

I don't think I would get 9k for my LCR if I was selling it today So I'd rather invest in an RS that might not be quite the performance of the Leon but will get most of your money back after 12 months of motoring.

Different kettle of fish I know but take a look at the Ford Escort Cosworths fetching £14k+ You could keep this car for 12 months and sell it for the same price so long as you look after it and don't rack up the miles - might even make some dosh on it

Alpha

 

[psq43]

wasnt the manifold just a pre production motorsport problem? or is it more wide spread with production cars?

Rob

Matters not too me! If a car is delayed due to having a parts specially made due to problems, then no thanks! Good car or bad car! One word is king to me when buying anything RELIABLITY!

 

[ant_oneill]

Cheers for all the replies everyone, been a great help. I'm still not 100% sure which one I want, but I am leaning towards the RS. The Leon is a fantastic looking car and the performance is superb by all accounts, but there's just something about the RS that makes it stand out and I'm not sure what exactly it is!

As has been said in a few of the posts here, I think if I was a bit older with a couple of kids and a wife, then there's no doubting that the Leon would be the best option. However, I'm only 21 and I would love a really involving driver's car. Think the RS fits the bill more than the Leon in this case. Certainly the Cupra R is a car I would consider in the future (or maybe even the new Cupra R, depending on what that's like).

Cheers for all the replies anyway!

 

[WeeJase]

With the RS, there was grip-grip-inertia build up and a slide, nothing in between!!!

what do you want from a car ?a postcard inviting you to a hedge ?how long does it take you to realise the limit is near ?

 

[Rokerlad]

I would probably lean towards the RS for the residuals alone. I would go for a low mileage standard example without the 'Max power' twin pipes.

 

[ronnie939]

the lcr is a lil slower thn the focus rs in a straight line standard wise the focus rs will out handle the lcr any day but it is the best fwd hot hatch around due to the limited slip diff gearbox and th massive arb's but this takes its toll on clutch life heavyness of the clutch and town driving, the lcr looks as good as the focus rs, but does come wit better goodies, alos for £500 revo ull be seein 265bhp which will lose the focus rs on straights but the focus rs engine is not so tunnable as in just a chip a chip wit zorst and filter will only produce around 240bhp due to duractec engine wit th small turbo it has but u can get the most common up-grade of ggr (graham goode racing) package which includes mappin, zorst filter bigger turbo and tubular manifold around £3k mark, the foucs rs is rare as it limited edition and does look lovly as standard as does the lcr though (i do know a bit about theses rs's as im a ford nut)

Got to say after owning Both cars I agree with that 100%

 

[ronnie939]

Cheers for all the replies everyone, been a great help. I'm still not 100% sure which one I want, but I am leaning towards the RS. The Leon is a fantastic looking car and the performance is superb by all accounts, but there's just something about the RS that makes it stand out and I'm not sure what exactly it is!

As has been said in a few of the posts here, I think if I was a bit older with a couple of kids and a wife, then there's no doubting that the Leon would be the best option. However, I'm only 21 and I would love a really involving driver's car. Think the RS fits the bill more than the Leon in this case. Certainly the Cupra R is a car I would consider in the future (or maybe even the new Cupra R, depending on what that's like).

Cheers for all the replies anyway!

However you can get a NEW LCR (the ones that are left.. @ discount) for the price of a used FRS ? If you are going to do track days as well then the FRS wins.

 

[Ant FR]

Being an ex ford fan throug and through i would chose the Focus RS if i had the choice.

they are rarer, more driver focused and still good for 300bhp, Looks wise they are more purposeful than the LCR,

Hold on a little while longer as residuals on Focus RS's are taking an absolout hammering at the moment, prices start at 12k for an average example. Still seeing some idiots trying to flog em on for 18k but this is massively reducing. The focus ST is forcing the prices down, but the ST does look and feel a lot more mass produced than the RS.

Also when you figure in the main factor that each Focus RS cost Ford 28k to manufacture they are quite a steel.

Only think i would do is sort the interior, blue seats and steering wheel do look a bit cheap and tacky.

Although would have either over an R32 , now theirs a question. seeing as R32's are coming down too.

 

[psq43]

what do you want from a car ?a postcard inviting you to a hedge ?how long does it take you to realise the limit is near ?

The sensation of impending doom?? Nice to get a bit of warning??? Plenty of feel of this in LCR, not so much in RS? Not going to argue seeing as your a Mod.. lol, I may get banned!

 

[mrcoyote]

Basically if you're going to end up in a hedge you're going too fast for the road or your ability, so a bit of warning isn't going to save you anyway.

 

[psq43]

Basically if you're going to end up in a hedge you're going too fast for the road or your ability, so a bit of warning isn't going to save you anyway.

Well call me stupid but a bit of warning usually makes all the difference and seeing as a lot of guys/gals on here enjoy DRIVING! The road or ability has little to do with one car being able to get round a bend relativley comfortably and another having an unprovoked, unfelt (untill its gone) moment!

However I shall say no more as I can see that i have stumbled into the FORD section of the forums so nothing i say other than "FORD ALL THE WAY" will do here and opinions or experiences mean bugger all!!

Never mind!