Getting To Grips
MOTOR Magazine Australia|May 2018

New rubber makes for a softer but more fun Focus RS

Getting To Grips

ONE OF THE most satisfying roads in the entire eastern half of Australia is only 103km as the crow flies from Melbourne’s CBD. The Eildon-Jamieson Road, as it’s unassumingly known, is about 2.5 hours’ drive from central Melbourne and it’s a sleepy Sunday morning as we turn on to this treed in, 66km dream squiggle of mostly second- and third-gear, front-tyre killing corners. It’s raining lightly, it’s foggy, and stringy tree bark debris litters the road, sometimes looking like fallen branches. But we’re feeling good about things, because we’re in an all wheel drive hot hatch with advanced chassis electronics, a front limited-slip differential, oodles of turbocharged mid-range torque and we’ve, err, removed the track-focused Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres.

Let’s talk tyres (no, stay with me!) as they make a huge difference to the Focus RS driving and ownership experience. As our test car is the Limited Edition, it comes with standard 19-inch forged wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres. This package is also optional on the standard RS, but if you found yourself requiring a new set of boots then you might be glad to hear that a set of replacement Cup2s is actually, in our opinion, not the way to go for the road.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
Ged Bulmer
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Ged Bulmer

THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
Dylan Campbell
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Dylan Campbell

WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
HONDA NSX
MOTOR Magazine Australia

HONDA NSX

Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2022
TESLA MODEL S
MOTOR Magazine Australia

TESLA MODEL S

Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
PORSCHE 959
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PORSCHE 959

Weissach rethinks the supercar

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022

HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2022
THE UNDEFEATED
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THE UNDEFEATED

HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2022
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
MOTOR Magazine Australia

OPEN WIDE, SAY R

VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED

time-read
10+ mins  |
June 2022
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
MOTOR Magazine Australia

SING FOR YOUR DINNER

As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2022