Ford Focus RS v Subaru WRX STI spec.R v Volkswagen Golf R 2017 Comparison

The hot hatch craze kicked off with Volkswagen's first Golf GTI, but it was Subaru's Impreza WRX which introduced rally-style all-wheel drive and turbocharged four-cylinder performance to the masses... Now we find how well these two, in all-wheel drive, turbo format, compare to the sizzling Ford Focus RS.

Clearly the reputation of the Impreza WRX (now just WRX) was forged in the crucible of international rallying, but Ford too can lay claim to a rally-winning heritage. And in recent years we’ve witnessed Volkswagen earning considerable kudos as its World Rally Championship dominance rewarded big-bucks F1 and Le Mans style engineering and professionalism.

The rally weapons of Ford and Volkswagen are light cars however – Fiesta and Polo – rather than the small cars (Focus and Golf) the companies are marketing to consumers.

There's no sign of that synergistic marketing strategy abating either, with the Hyundai i30 N due to make its global debut this October. Ahead of the Hyundai’s arrival, we decided to take three existing competitors out and put them to the test. Not a test of comfort, economy and safety, no. More a test of performance and dynamic capability.

It's time, indeed, to take these three to our favourite track at Haunted Hills in Victoria's east.

Why are we comparing them?
What these three cars offer, to set them apart from other small cars, is very accessible performance and active safety – both of which translate to keen driving enjoyment in affordable packages. But, as we found, they'll also keep more expensive cars honest when it comes to track times.

The Focus RS, currently everyone's sweetheart, has "certainly punched above its weight" against well-regarded cars like the Mercedes-AMG 45 and the Audi RS 3. It's the car to beat in the market sector for powerful small cars driving through all four wheels.

Both the WRX STI and the Golf R have been recently updated. The Subaru tested is the spec.R variant, the flagship of the range. It's new to the refreshed WRX range for 2017 and is basically trimmed as for the WRX STI Premium, but with Recaro front seats.

Who will they appeal to?
Would it surprise you to learn that these three cars appeal in varying degrees and differing ways to a middle-aged motoring journalist?

Myself aside, these cars are easy to drive and deliver practical packaging benefits to satisfy the rational person in any relationship, without boring the pants off the driving enthusiast in that same relationship. These, indeed, are cars which could well be daily drivers.

A certain amount of tribalism will be a factor in the purchasing choices for this trio. Blue oval fans who lived and breathed Ford's rally heritage as far back as Lotus Cortinas will not look sideways at either the Subaru or the Volkswagen. It's much the same for the STI as well – a car to bring out the Subaru enthusiast speaking for hours about Colin McRae and the Legacy RS of the early 90s.

Volkswagen's rally heritage isn't the drawcard it is for the other two brands, but probably deserves fresh consideration. While the company has competed in the WRC off and on since the late 1970s, in recent times its Polo R WRC ruled the series and took Sebastien Ogier to four consecutive drivers’ championships (2013, ‘14, ‘15 and ‘16) and Volkswagen to the manufacturers’ crown in the same years.

However, relative to the other two cars in this comparison test, the Golf R is more the 'executive express'. It's sort of polo shirt and chinos to the T-shirt and jeans of the STI and Focus.

How much do they cost?
Ford handed us the keys to a Focus lacking the optional performance wheel pack, but adding to its basic purchase price ($50,990) was prestige paint ($450), taking the as-tested price up to $51,440 before the on-road costs. At that price it was the most affordable of the three cars on test.

The WRX STI comes with the lot in standard form. So it's not unexpected the range-topping variant is priced at $57,690, making it the most expensive car in this comparison.

Volkswagen sent us the Golf R equipped with the $1300 ‘Driver Assistance Package’ and $2500 seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, for an all-up purchase price of $56,790. The ‘Driver Assistance Package’ includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist and Blind Spot Detection.

What do they do well?
Let's cut to the chase. The fastest of the three around the track at Haunted Hills was the Focus. Driven by Supercars star Luke Youlden, the Focus turned in a time of 62.58 seconds – faster even than a Nissan 370Z NISMO we had at the track on the same day.

Luke said of the Ford that it was very "track focused" and "stiffer than the other two". He could provoke the Ford to oversteer mid-corner, with throttle applied. That's where it held the advantage around the track; its handling approached neutral around the apex of each corner.

And we were all agreed the steering of the Focus provided the meatiest feel.

In terms of powertrain, the Focus was effortless to drive, the 2.3-litre turbo four stumping up plenty of torque, even from just above idle. The exhaust note was enjoyably raw, notwithstanding it’s a product of the car's 'sound symposer'.

Complementing the engine, the six-speed manual gearbox had the right ratios to handle demands for power delivery on the race track, and although the long-throw shift mechanism felt rather 'east/west', it was actually faster and more tactile than the Subaru's shift action.

Our test team was in two minds about the front seats in the Focus, with Nadine Armstrong noting the base was too long – and nobody liked the high mounting and unforgiving side bolstering. But once you were seated, the Recaro seats in the Focus were undeniably the best of the three.

Around the track at Haunted Hills, the Subaru WRX STI was under a second slower than the Focus. Like the Ford, the Subaru was 'track-focused', but not to the same degree.

While its Boxer engine was peakier than the Ford's, power delivery on the track was appropriate and Luke felt the Subaru's throttle was not as 'sharp', allowing him to feed in torque at a steadier rate for optimal cornering.

According to RedBook the STI's power-to-weight ratio doesn't match the Golf's, but it circulated the track faster than the Volkswagen. Luke reported the Subaru engine "felt stronger" than the Golf's, although it was the STI's mid-corner grip which helped it beat the Golf R around the track.

The Subaru's gearing was lower than the Ford's for any given road speed, matching the rev-loving character of the horizontally-opposed powerplant, which produces that well known Suby beat we've come to love hearing in WRC cars.

Luke commended the Subaru's manual adjustment for the centre differential. Biased more to the rear, it allowed noticeably more wheel spin and more oversteer. But biased in favour of the front wheels, it helped the STI track better around the narrow, winding circuit.

With Volkswagen's suspension tune lending plenty of front-wheel grip, the Golf was impressively composed around the track, but it struggled to keep up with the other two cars. Luke felt it was a better choice for drivers less confident on a race track. Its dual-clutch transmission made the question of power delivery almost irrelevant on streets and highways.

In an everyday-driving scenario – and particularly open-road cruising – the Golf R was the car you would choose for yourself. Its seats were more comfortable, its packaging was more rational than the Ford's, and the Active Info Display put the Subaru's instruments and infotainment display to shame.

Additionally, the Golf R was quieter than the other two cars and its on-centre stability was best too. It was simply a much better touring car than the Subaru or the Ford.

What could they do better?
Luke observed that for all its performance and dynamic ability, the Focus could have been quicker still around the track if it had been equipped with tyres superior to the Michelins fitted. He didn't like the brake assist function on the track, and would have preferred it to be disabled in 'Race Mode'.

Need we mention the high-mounted front seats again? In our test car there was actually a section of leather on the side bolster closer to the door showing evidence of premature wear. Drivers are clearly dragging themselves over the bolster to lower themselves into the seat.

The interior of the Focus felt cheaper than that of the other two cars, but everything was functional and easy to use. By contrast, the Subaru’s interior seemed old-fashioned, the various readouts looked dated and some of the trip computer and infotainment facilities were just plain perplexing. Even setting the car's clock to the right time and date was beyond us, and there's a separate (unfriendly to use) rheostat for the infotainment display.

We didn't care for the Subaru’s seats that much either – despite being Recaros, like the Ford's. They were aggressively contoured, but narrow and snug in the base, and not comfortable over a longer trip.

Tyre noise on coarse-chip bitumen was a concern for the Subaru as well. There was little room adjacent to the clutch pedal for the footrest, unlike the pedal layout in the Focus. All of these issues compromised the STI's touring ability over longer distances.

While the Subaru earned praise for its power delivery on the track, it was peaky and demanding in urban driving, needing more of a rev and some slipping of the clutch for a clean launch. Road Test Editor, Matt Brogan, said it's the first car he has stalled in five years.

And, depending on how the centre differential has been adjusted, the STI was prone to rack rattle when accelerating out of tighter bends.

Unlike the Ford and Subaru, each with a centre differential, the Golf is basically front-wheel drive with a multi-clutch coupling to connect the rear wheels when extra traction is required. Its basic handling trait is understeer, closer to that of a conventional front-wheel drive – and, according to Luke, "general mid-corner grip let it down".

He was also unimpressed by the dual-clutch transmission refusing to change back to second when he wanted it, and the car's stability control could not be fully disabled, which was "a hindrance" at times.

There was a school of thought – which it should be explained was by no means unanimous – that the Golf R sounded clinical or 'synthesised'.

While the interior ambience of the Golf R is very pleasant, and the seats are certainly comfortable, they lacked the sort of support and hold necessary for giving it heaps around a race track.

It needs to be noted, however, that if comfort is more important to you than track times, those positions are reversed.

But, believe us, forget comfort - it's the Focus RS.

2017 Ford Focus RS pricing and specifications:
Price: $51,450 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 257kW/440Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 190g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 Subaru WRX STI spec.R pricing and specifications:
Price: $57,690 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/407Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 11.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 259g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2017 Volkswagen Golf R pricing and specifications:
Price: $56,790 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 213kW/380Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA