2016 Ford Focus vs Hyundai Elantra

What's the difference?

Tim Robson road tests and reviews the Ford Focus RS with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

The hype is real. Since its launch in Valencia earlier this year, the talk around Ford's new Focus RS has been nothing but positive. Glowing, even.

Its design objective is function over flash.

Driving it in the rosy glow of a launch event in a far-off exotic clime is one thing; punting it over typical Aussie back roads and city streets is usually a far sterner test of a car's ability to live up to its own press.

This car also needs to live up to a long-held tradition of smoking hot small Ford RS (Rallye Sport) models that stretches back over 40 years and 30 cars.

On paper, the Focus RS presents a compelling case; a revolutionary new all-wheel-drive system, a potent turbo engine and a chassis tune to match. Time, then, to see if the RS truly is as good as it purports to be.

Tim Robson road tests and reviews the new Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Hyundai is making no bones about its ambitions to improve its sporting credentials that, it has to be said, are a fair way down the list of things the company has achieved in its first 30 years in Australia.

Explore the 2016-2017 Hyundai Elantra range

2016 Hyundai Elantra review | first Australian drive video
2016 Hyundai Elantra Elite review | road test
2016 Hyundai Elantra Active review | road test
2016 Hyundai Elantra Active review | road test
Hyundai Elantra Elite 2016 review | road test video
Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo manual 2017 review | road test

Having said that, though, the company is essentially the only mainstream player left in the local market to spend time and money localising and improving the quality of ride and handling in its cars – and its Korean masters are paying very close attention to the successes of those changes.

The brand is set to launch its first range of serious sports machines under the N banner next year, but in the meantime, Hyundai Australia has added another model to its small band of moderately made-over SR models – and the Elantra SR Turbo is being touted as a high water mark when it comes to handling dynamics.