Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST

They are in the FWD hatch market, which means that they are competing with European FWD cars such as VW Golf, Renault Megane, Vauxhall Astra, Fiat Punto etc. and none of them have AWD.

I don't think customers want it either in that particular market segment. The AWD alternatives would be Audi S3 and BMW M135i xDrive (not sure if they are actually sold in United States) but they are much more expensive.

 

My friend has the Fiesta ST and loves it to death. To tell you the truth, so do I. I was shocked at how that car pulled when he took me for a ride. I have not driven it yet, but I will soon. I have yet to meet someone that didn't like them.

My only complaint is that its only available as a four door over here.

 

Don't waste your time thinking about the Fiesta ST. I think all the hype you hear about that car is somehow being generated by the Ford marketing dept. I was suckered into a test drive through the same means.

The interior has an incredibly cheap plasticy feel. unfinished sharp injection mold edges are everywere. The same goes for the ground effects and spoilers - cheap gumball machine trinket quality. The car I drove had the stock Fiesta seats which were awful. They offered no support anywhere and reminded me that garbage solid foam furniture you get in budget hotel rooms. The Recaros I'm sure are way better, but are 5K more. The clutch was overly light with too high of a release point, and the stick was too low to the floor with long throws from gear to gear. I felt it to be a very unnatural and even straining driving position. There was excessive turbo lag and the gimmicky piped in synthetic engine sound was annoying. The steering had zero feedback almost as if you were playing a sim race video game. Blind spots are killers in the rear quarters. The two redeeming qualities of this car were it's handling and it's brakes. I thought both were very good. The third maybe being that the car does look pretty cool. In the end though, I couldn't wait to get out of that thing.

The give away should have been seeing only two ST's on the road since their release.


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I don't own one. But everything I've read and heard suggests that the Fiesta ST is something really special, that it strikes several brilliant balancing acts to offer a great daily driver.

The Focus ST is fun, but it's not as complete a package:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9V2W6vUXPo]2014 Ford Fiesta ST: The Small Hatch with Big Moves! Ignition Episode 62 - YouTube[/ame]

The FST also gives iconic Euro hatches a run for their money. Some may be more powerful, faster, have more personality. But again and again, the Fiesta emerges from comparos as the one most likely to put a smile on your fact without requiring you to DD in a harsh, uncomfortable hatch.

What I hate, and the reason we don't own one, is that the US is only getting the 5-door. The 3-door, available in Europe and who knows where else, is a bit lighter, stiffer, easier to get in and out of and, IMO, far better looking. Worse, UKers - maybe all of Europe? - have a Mountune kit option that can be retrofitted by the dealer for under ~$1K. It adds enough power to make a worthwhile difference over the base ST AND it doesn't void the factory warranty.

Personally, I'd go with the Fiesta ST. Hands down the best hatchback/pocket rocket to hit the US market in a long time.

I hope this was worth your time, texasMR2.

 

I can't find the video that goes into the differences a bit more.

The one thing I remember is that the Focus ST's main appeal is that it oversteers well. Problem is, it does it all the time when you push, interfering with flow. The Fiesta ST, though, is a more rounded package.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYR_c7rnwps]Subaru WRX vs. Ford Fiesta ST - YouTube[/ame]

 

I rented a Focus with a buddy of mine awhile back for a cross country road trip and we loved it. We ended up putting close to 8,000 miles on it in less than two weeks.

 

I test drove the Ford Focus ST and I'll be replacing my FR-S with it sometime next year. It doesn't blow it out of the water, but I had more fun driving it and could use more room.

 

I probably should update this thread with my findings. I have driven the Fiesta ST down to NOLA and I can say the car is a barrel of fun. It has that quality to it that only certain cars have which make them special. It handles great and I like the way it looks. The only problem is the seats (my friend has the stock seats and not the Recaros), which are uncomfortable on long journeys but you can make do with them. Great car.

 

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I haven't read any responses but the Fiesta st is the better driver, handles amazing for fwd too

 

The Fiesta ST does really well here:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/general-automotive-discussion/462429-motor-trends-2014-best-drivers-car-video-1-04-10-a.html

The crime, of course, is that the US isn't getting the 3-door, which is a bit stiffer and lighter. (Ford UK offers a well received Mountune upgrade for the car, which is dealer installed and does not affect the warranty. I guess we're the Land of the Heathen . . .)

 

Conlux, the recaros are NOT $5000. Not sure where you got this wrong info from ?

 

I've had two friends who have purchased the Fiesta ST. Both of them absolutely love the car. I do as well! The best handling FWD car I've ever experienced. Fun, unique, and great MPGs. Would recommend a purchase or a test drive to anyone.



Ryan S, I've been in those, wouldn't even call them Fiestas anymore
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu_iQUVNtg[/ame]

 

I test drove the Focus ST the other day and was impressed by the power and driving experience.

These are hot hatches which means they are cheap cars with hotted up go fast bits. If you go in expecting a "nice" car, you will be disappointed. If you can look past the cheap car DNA and enjoy the drive they are a hoot. I think I would still get the GTI compared to the Focus because it feels like a much more solid and mature car.

If you aren't buying because they are beneath you, it doesn't matter what folks say. Plenty of talking heads and videos to give an opinion already out there.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkK07lz6MKM[/ame]

Interesting comment/analogy during the credits at the end.

I just wish we would get 3dr version of the Focus and Fiesta. They're lighter, stiffer and, in the case of the Fiesta at least, they look better.

 

My local dealer just confirmed that the US is getting the Fiesta RS in early '16 as a '17. I'm expecting a voicemail on the 3-door thing by the end of the week.

 

Oops on the video in #20!!!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qsovZ1BbYc[/ame]

 

He has firsthand experience with the Fiesta ST and makes a couple of comparisons during this drive:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-U0Ss2b5Y[/ame]

He's also complained that because the Fiesta ST's turbo was kept small to minimize lag, it runs out of juice right after midrange.

I just wish the 3-door Fiesta ST had been brought in. It's 130lbs lighter than the 5-door and a bit stiffer.

 

Nice clip:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qT9vANf3ew[/ame]

The 180hp attributed to the Fiesta ST isn't the whole story. There's an easily installed Mountune kit for not that much cash that ups things by at least 10hp while improving the graphs. (This kit doesn't affect warranty, either in the UK or the US.)

If the US got the 3-door, we'd own two of these. And I wouldn't be struggling to find a a way to make an insurable DD out of a somewhat customized '91 CRX . . .