The Subaru STI rally car is known for being a beast on the rally track. The Ford Focus RS is not exactly a rally car but it appears that it is bold enough to go up against one. Recently, the new Ford Focus RS issued an unofficial challenge to an old school Subaru STI. The latter accepted and a battle in the snow took place.
What The Ford Focus RS Is Made Of
The new Ford Focus RS is not just any other car. According to a report from Road and Track, the Ford Focus RS is a five-door hatchback that is equipped with a turbocharged engine capable of dishing out 350 horsepower. Its powertrain is matched with a manual transmission that delivers its power through an advanced all-wheel drive system. Apparently, it also has a feature called Drift Mode and has a price tag of over $35,000 as reported.
The Set Up
In a report from Auto Evolution, it was mentioned that the old school Subaru STI is an Open Class 2.0L Prodrive built rally car. It is equipped with ProFlex suspension, an active center differential and a dogbox transmission.
The Ford Focus RS on the other hand is almost basically stock with just a few modifications that include Bilstein shocks and skid plate. The brakes have been downsized with its anti-lock braking system (ABS) removed. Both cars were given the same set of tires for the battle.
The Battle In The Snow
The snowy battle was basically a best of three races. The first and second stage was a classic chase where one of the cars takes the lead and the other tries to keep up. Surprisingly, the Ford Focus RS was able to hold its own against the old school Subaru STI in the first round.
The two cars exchanged positions for the second round and the Ford Focus was able to stay in front of the Subaru STI. The third round was a drag race where the Subaru STI pulled ahead and showed that the Ford Focus RS has more to improve on.
