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Ford Focus RS vs. BMW M2 Track Battle Is Very Close

Cars change with the times and today we are experiencing another era of excess. The eco future is upon us, but we still have a good generation of fast and cheap performance cars. Coming out of nowhere, the all-new Focus RS washes away many years of inactivity from Ford with a torrent of power and performance.
Ford Focus RS vs. BMW M2 Track Battle Is Very Close 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
It has been elected by many to be the right wing candidate for king of the hot hatchbacks. Meanwhile, the conservative party has chosen an honest sports car to remind us of the good old days. We are talking about the M2, which many say is a return to the glory days of the E46 M3.

In case you don't know the specs already, the Focus RS features the first hot all-wheel drive system since the time of the Escort RS Cosworth and makes use of a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine similar to the one in the Mustang. With around 350 horsepower and a manual gearbox, it's not as fast as the A45 AMG or Audi RS3, but it can be more fun as this video from Auto Express will demonstrate.

The title of the video suggests that it's about determining which of these blue cars is more fun on the track. However, it turns into a race against the stopwatch which the BMW M2 wins by only one-tenth of a second. So a victory for the Germans? Not when you consider that the RS is about 40% cheaper to buy or that the M2 isn't perfect.

It is said in a previous review from Motor Trend that the baby model doesn't deserve the M badge in many ways. While it has four exhaust pipes and plenty of M badges, just like the M4, its seating position is wrong and doesn't have the crazy amount of engine, suspension and steering adjustability.

According to many journalists, the drift mode in the Focus RS is not to be used on the road. Well, you can say that about the race mode in a Ferrari, but people still do it. Whichever car you chose, it's going to be great fun. But the way we see it, Ford has built a car with the all-weather practicality and space of an Audi RS3 and the fun factor of an AMG.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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