Most renowned car manufacturers have a special badge they give to the best performance cars in their lineups. Chevrolet has the SS badge, BMW has the M badge, Mercedes-Benz has the AMG badge, and so on.
The 'RS' badge is another one that gearheads all over the world can recognize, thanks to two of the greatest manufacturers ever - Ford and Audi. Ford was the first automaker to use the RS badge in the late '60s, and while the American marque has now retired the RS badge, it did so after giving us many iconic models that gearheads will love forever. On the other hand, Audi RS was established in 1994 with the iconic RS2, and new RS models are still being built to date. Let's explore five superb Ford RS models versus five Audi RS models that are just better.
10 Awesome Ford RS Model: Ford Escort RS1600
The Escort RS1600 is not the first Ford RS built — three cars came before it — but it's the one that served as the true genesis of the breed and showed what the new division was all about. Powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine developed by Cosworth, the RS1600 had 115 horsepower on tap, which was plenty at the time.
The RS1600 dominated the rallying scene in the '70s, earning itself a cult following. Ford made only 1,000 examples over four years, making it one of the rarest Fords ever. Buyers interested in adding the RS1600 to their collection should be ready to pay a hefty price.
9 Audi RS Model We’d Rather Own: Audi RS7
In 2013, Audi stunned the motoring world when it unveiled one of the most beautiful sedans of all time, the RS7. This awesome four-door sedan was supposed to be a BMW M5 beater, and it managed to do it well, particularly in the looks department.
The RS7 is also impressive under the hood. It comes with a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 cranking out 553 horses, allowing it to achieve a limited top speed of 155 mph, or 190 mph if the buyer opts for the Dynamic Package Plus.
8 Awesome Ford RS Model: Ford RS200
In the '80s, Ford was getting destroyed in Group B rallying by the likes of Audi, Lancia, and Peugeot, so it decided to build a supercar to destroy all the opponents. The result was the incredible RS200, an all-wheel-drive homologation special that's widely regarded as the wildest car ever built by Ford RS.
Under the RS200's hood lived a Cosworth-tuned mid-mounted 1.8-liter turbocharged engine with more than 400 hp in the rally models and 250 hp in the road-going versions. The RS200 needed 5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph, making it one of the fastest cars of the '80s.
7 Audi RS Model We’d Rather Own: Audi RS E-Tron GT
Like other top automakers, Audi has realized that EVs are the future of the auto industry and is hard at work developing cars for the EV space. Audi's latest and greatest EV is the RS E-Tron GT. The RS E-Tron GT is a four-door luxury sedan intended to compete against the likes of the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S.
The RS E-Tron GT has everything - the exterior and interior design is impeccable, as one would expect from an Audi. Power comes from four electric motors (each axle has one) that collectively produce 590 horsepower and 612 pound-feet of torque, making it super fast.
6 Awesome Ford RS Model: 1985 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Any Ford with the 'Cosworth' name is special, but the 1985 Sierra RS Cosworth is a class above the rest. This remarkable car was born out of Ford's desire to compete in Group A Touring Car championships. Ford asked Cosworth to develop a 180-hp engine for the Sierra, but instead of 180 hp, Cosworth built a 204-hp beast.
The result was a car that took 6.5 seconds to get to 60 mph and had a 149-mph top speed. The Sierra RS Cosworth went on to win multiple championships, including the German, Australian, Japanese, British, and New Zealand Touring Car Championships.
5 Audi RS Model We’d Rather Own: Audi TT RS
The Audi TT made its debut at the turn of the century, and while it was a decent sports car, it didn't have the performance to compete against other European sports cars. A decade after the TT's introduction, Audi went back to the drawing board and developed the TT RS, shutting all its haters up.
The TT RS was equipped with an all-new turbocharged five-cylinder engine generating 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, a lower ride than the standard TT, and upgraded brakes. The TT RS wasn't sold in the US at first, but after 11,000 eager customers signed a petition, Audi made it available in 2011.
4 Awesome Ford RS Model: 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
The second time Ford gave the RS badge to the Escort came in 1992 in the fifth-generation variant, more than two decades after the Escort RS1600. Looking at the 1992 Escort RS Cosworth, one could see that it was a very different beast compared to the RS1600. For starters, instead of a 115-hp 1.6-liter engine, the Escort RS Cosworth had a 2.0-liter turbocharged motor with 222 hp.
Thanks to four-wheel-drive and a weight of just over 2,600 pounds, the Escort RS Cosworth could accelerate to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 147 mph, which is fast even by modern standards. It's no surprise that the car won ten WRC victories.
3 Audi RS Model We’d Rather Own: Audi RS Q8
The demand for mid-size luxury crossover SUVs has grown tremendously over the last decade, which is why Audi introduced the Q8 in 2018. Barely a year after the Q8's introduction, Audi followed it up with the Q8 RS, giving its customers a perfect combination of luxury, practicality, and performance.
The Q8 RS comes with a 4.0-liter Biturbo V8 blurting out 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, propelling it to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds — faster than some sports cars half its weight.
2 Awesome Ford RS Model: Ford Focus RS Mk III
Ford retired the RS badge in 2015, but not before building arguably the greatest Ford RS model — the third-generation Focus RS. Even if it came out six years ago, the Focus RS Mk3 is still considered to be one of the greatest hot hatches ever, largely thanks to its power, handling, and overall design.
The Focus RS Mk3 comes with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine cranking out a massive 350 hp and 351 lb-ft of torque. A front-wheel-drive system couldn't handle such power, so Ford went with a four-wheel-drive system instead. The result was 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 165 mph.
1 Audi RS Model We’d Rather Own: Audi RS6 Avant
Wagons aren't typically fast, but the Audi RS6 Avant is not a typical Wagon. This is the kind of car that moms and dads use to drop their kids off in school and then head over to the nearest track or drag strip to destroy other vehicles, including some sports cars.
The RS6 Avant is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with a whopping 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, giving it supercar-worthy performance. Four-wheel-drive means 0-62 mph takes just 3.7 seconds, which is quicker than many mid-engined sports cars. If we had to choose one car to have forever, the RS6 Avant would be it.