Focus RS - Drift Mode Epic Fail

[Truth in Ruin]

Mistake? More like, bad driver. People like this are going to end-up having Ford forced to get rid of "drift mode." Maybe that's a good thing.

 

[neeqness]

Yes, yes, this is not the wisest move here. But I don't like where this conversation is headed...especially from my fellow sports car enthusiasts. Maybe Ford shouldn't market the drift as they did, but I think if we start limiting cars based on their sportiness where will it end?

Everytime there is an accident someone will want to blame the car maker and say not to make such and such. The fact of the matter though is that it is the driver who is at fault here 100%. No one was holding a gun to his/her head.

I don't know about you guys but I love driving my FiST. It has reawakened the (car) driving experience for me. After I began riding bikes, that's no easy task but I'm already planning my road trips and I hate to imagine that maybe...someone...somewhere...is deciding to drive a FiST foolishly like this and eventually cause a similar future discussion about whether FiSTs should be manufactured anymore and that Fiestas don't need an ST model because it "promotes reckless driving".

Let's remember who is really at fault here. Other drivers (or car makers) should not have to pay for this persons mistake. I don't doubt that there are plenty of responsible RS drivers out there. Let's not let the bad apples close down the orchard.


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[CallmeTurbo]

I'm not saying ford should get rid of it. But it actually being included on a ford focus AWD isn't helping. Like really I own a FiST as well and i actually just got it about a week ago and i could not imagine driving it like a dumb ass. Of course the crash was all on him, that much was obvious. Was he an idiot? Yes But why Ford would put that on an awd car anyway is beyond me. Like M-Sport fan stated, If you want to drift then purchase a RWD car. Dont purchase a awd and expect it to work like a RWD. Thats like buying a 4 cylinder ford ranger to haul 20,000lbs . It makes no sense, wont work and well... is just stupid

 

[OffTheWall503]

This is proof that "Drift Mode" doesn't turn you into Ken Block...

 

[CallmeTurbo]

Yeah I think he found that out when that big rock wall hit his Focus haha!

 

[Thirty-Two]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-focus-rs-drift-mode-developed-accident/

Australia?s Motoring spoke with Ford Performance vehicle and engineering manager Tyrone Johnson, who recounted the birth of drift mode. According to Johnson, the rear-biased stability control condition was discovered when two of the lead dynamics engineers began tweaking the all-wheel drive settings on a test run.

This is engineering at its best.

But even after the engineers developed this cool drifting party trick, there was no plan to make the programming available to the public. That wasn?t on the table until drift mode was demonstrated for global technical and development chief Raj Nair.

??it was actually Raj who said we have got to market this, this is a cool feature. We need to make this a prominent part of the program, as opposed to a side note,? recalls Johnson.

Key words: "market". "prominent part of the program". This is where they went wrong. It should have been a feature only, not a marketing tool. Yeah, people would still end up in this situation, but at least it's weeding the crop of idiot drivers who think a drift "mode" is rad. Which would lessen the backlash to such features. Which would preserve the spirit to engineer for more than just the A-B commute.

This is marketing at its best... or worst.

So, yes the driver committed a mistake, we all do, but if this becomes a common occurrence, it will be Ford's mistake of choice of marketing. Have it as an Easter Egg hidden in the programming or just don't call it a Drift Mode and then paste a button up.

 

[OCS12]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-focus-rs-drift-mode-developed-accident/



This is engineering at its best.



Key words: "market". "prominent part of the program". This is where they went wrong. It should have been a feature only, not a marketing tool. Yeah, people would still end up in this situation, but at least it's weeding the crop of idiot drivers who think a drift "mode" is rad. Which would lessen the backlash to such features. Which would preserve the spirit to engineer for more than just the A-B commute.

This is marketing at its best... or worst.

So, yes the driver committed a mistake, we all do, but if this becomes a common occurrence, it will be Ford's mistake of choice of marketing. Have it as an Easter Egg hidden in the programming or just don't call it a Drift Mode and then paste a button up.

I've got to disagree. I was in marketing for years before realizing I hated it and made the switch to engineering. Marketing for the RS was perfect. Why? Simply because virtually every RS coming off the assembly line already had an owner. Ford makes the same amount of money if they sell the car to a goofball as they do if they sell it to a soccer mom.

In fact, the idiots cracking them up probably help sales. It caters to the inflated egos of "I'm that much better of a driver, I can handle it." I'll reference most any super car as an example. It inflates the "I can tame the beast" ego.

Regardless of their primary demographic, making a wild hot hatch profitable in the U.S. is a marketing win.

 

[AwesomePawsum]

https://gifsound.com/?gif=https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--GkKBUC7z--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_450,q_80,w_800/wsdrhhjyyha1liuitsxp.gif&v=hMM9RG8hjpM

 

[M-Sport fan]

I've got to disagree. I was in marketing for years before realizing I hated it and made the switch to engineering. Marketing for the RS was perfect. Why? Simply because virtually every RS coming off the assembly line already had an owner. Ford makes the same amount of money if they sell the car to a goofball as they do if they sell it to a soccer mom.

Yes, but this would have happened even if Ford never had the slightest clue what a 'drift mode' was, or even could be.

They did not need this as a marketing ploy in order to pre-sell more than every RS they could produce.

I love it because of it's Ford rally heritage/creds (and the fact that it's the first AWD turbo small car from a domestic nameplate), the market wanted it because it was something NEW (and more powerful right off of the showroom floor) to compete with the same old, same old of this genre from Japan, one of which is now gone.

 

[wrongwheeldrive]

Although I do love the FoRS, I am still happier with the FiST. It's been 2.5 years of pure bliss. The only thing I would trade it in for would be an AWD FiRS. With a Tune+ tune, bov, WGA, and intercooler I have more power than traction and I can hit corners like a 2 stroke 125 dirtbike! Torque steer gets me angry occasionally but that's what happens when you tune 215hp/240+ tq in a 2700lb rocket.

I still believe ford does not yet know what they did to the car community with the FiST... THE FoST, FoRS, and Eco Mustang will all eventually be forgotten, but the Fiesta ST will be a compact sports car benchmark in magazines for decades to come...

 

[neeqness]

Although I do love the FoRS, I am still happier with the FiST. It's been 2.5 years of pure bliss. The only thing I would trade it in for would be an AWD FiRS. With a Tune+ tune, bov, WGA, and intercooler I have more power than traction and I can hit corners like a 2 stroke 125 dirtbike! Torque steer gets me angry occasionally but that's what happens when you tune 215hp/240+ tq in a 2700lb rocket.

I still believe ford does not yet know what they did to the car community with the FiST... THE FoST, FoRS, and Eco Mustang will all eventually be forgotten, but the Fiesta ST will be a compact sports car benchmark in magazines for decades to come...

Where is that like button at?

Lol [emoji106]

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[richtor]

Man I couldn't agree with you more. The fact that he even tried to drift in that car just makes me sick. He could've bought a BMW for half the price and it would have done the job. But doing that in the focus rs was so stupid it's not even funny. I really don't even know what Ford was thinking when they included drift mode other than $ of course. Smh I don't understand why someone would even get a awd to drift anyway. The hell he think he is? Ken block?!? Lmao!! Because he sure couldn't drive like him!

Where can you get a brand new bmw for 20k or less?

 

[CallmeTurbo]

Where can you get a brand new bmw for 20k or less?

I never said brand new. I simply stated that He could've bought a BMW for half the price and it would have done the job. There is plenty of places to get a bmw for around 20k Carmax for example.

 

[richtor]

He bought a brand new car, if you're going to do a comparison new v new. If not why not talk about a 500 car?

 

[CallmeTurbo]

He bought a brand new car, if you're going to do a comparison new v new. If not why not talk about a 500 car?

I was making a point. Comparing new to new doesn't matter when a RWD car would have been better for him than the focus for his stupid driving. Yes his Focus was new but it also cost around 35-40k Which at that point is very obvious that he could have gotten something way cheaper that would have worked 10 times better for what he wanted to do. Still goes right back to the point that i was making originally. If you want to drift don't buy a AWD. If you buy a AWD purely to drift then your an idiot. All there is to say.

 

[Thirty-Two]

Yes, but this would have happened even if Ford never had the slightest clue what a 'drift mode' was, or even could be.

They did not need this as a marketing ploy in order to pre-sell more than every RS they could produce.

I love it because of it's Ford rally heritage/creds (and the fact that it's the first AWD turbo small car from a domestic nameplate), the market wanted it because it was something NEW (and more powerful right off of the showroom floor) to compete with the same old, same old of this genre from Japan, one of which is now gone.

Exactly what I was going to respond.