Pocket rockets are the subject of this week’s poll, where we highlight two exciting products from wildly divergent brands. Do you have a favorite?
Yes, on the surface Ford’s hot new Focus RS and the Audi TTS are about as different as could be. The former is built by a blue-collar, mass-market manufacturer, it’s also a hatchback with five doors; the latter is a coupe made by a top-tier luxury brand.
Despite surface differences these two cars do share a number of similarities. For starters, they’re both all-wheel drive and offer powerful, turbocharged gasoline engines.
But the devil’s in the details. For starters, the Focus RS starts at about $37,000, including destination charges. In comparison, the TTS kicks off at about 53 grand, a much richer figure.
Under-hood, the Ford features a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that packs a Brock Lesnar-grade wallop: horsepower and torque both measure 350! That considerable goodness is sent to all four wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission. If you want an automatic, too bad! The only way to get an RS is with three pedals.
As for the Audi, it’s propelled by a 2.0-liter force-fed four that puts out a still-impressive 292 horses and 280 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic is the only transmission available, sending power to the pavement through the company’s famous quattro all-wheel-drive system.
And that’s a quick look at these two competitors. Which model do YOU prefer? Vote in the poll below to let us know. Also, if you need more information about either the Ford Focus RS or Audi TTS you can compare them directly right here.
