Motor Trend – 2017 Ford Focus RS vs. 2017 Volkswagen Golf R – Video

 

Jason Cammisa and Jonny Lieberman set out to find the ultimate hot hatch. These cars feature plenty of power, grip, agility, and, most importantly, fun — and who doesn’t love fun? There’s perhaps no quicker, more enjoyable way to bomb down a winding road than in a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive compact hatchback.

Volkswagen invented the hot-hatch genre in the mid-1970s with the front-wheel-drive GTI. Adding all-wheel drive and more power to the GTI begets the 292-hp Golf R, which makes it the fastest iteration of the car that won Motor Trend’s 2015 Car of the Year award. But it’s got a new competitor, and, looking at the numbers, the Ford Focus RS could be king of the segment. With 350 hp from a 2.3-liter turbocharged I-4 and a fancy torque-vectoring rear differential, it threatens to out-gun the Golf R both in a straight line and in the corners. Plus, it has Drift Mode! Can the Ford’s fancy technology beat the VW?