RE: Farewell Ford Fiesta ST!

[BrewsterBear]

I really enjoyed my cheap two year lease in one of these. It almost begs to be thrashed. Yes the ride is a little stiff, but that is the character of the car. Go buy a Jag if you want comfort. Just a great, fun car. The interior is a little plastic, but it doesn't detract from an otherwise great hot hatch. Great handling, punchy engine, reasonably practical. I even took it around the Nurburgring for a laugh. I can see me buying one as a snotter when they hit £5k.

[HJMS123]

I had one for 2 years on lease and loved it! In ST3 spec it has loads of equipment and I think it's a relatively spacious car for it's class.

The drive was great however the ride was just about bearable, I did very very little motorway driving and the ride in town through pot holed and poorly surfaced residential streets was really bad. I'm in my mid-20's and I imagine for a lot of people who are older the ride would be too much however that is a compromise you make for that much fun and lift off oversteer

[homerdog]

Limpet said:

There's a sense of fun about it

Spot on, a really entertaining little car, loved mine.

[MOBB]

I had a mountuned ST3 for a year or so, and changed it for an M235i, which other than the obvious benefits, wasn't in the same league fun-wise.

I nearly got another ST recently but went for a Leon Cupra instead which provides 80% of the fun but with more toys, grunt and comfort.

The Fiesta ST is one of my favourite cars full stop, brilliant little things.

[xjay1337]

Kawasicki said:

Be careful what you ask for.

The agility and sharp steering of the current car are intrinsically bound to the less than plush ride.

If everyone moans about the ride, management will listen, and push the suspension tune in the comfy cruiser direction. Then everyone will drive the car and say it rides better, but it lost that feisty edge. Boring.

Maybe.

That's the issue with cars - People complain, manufacturer adjusts accordingly, then people complain.

It's a lose lose!

[culpz]

MOBB said:

I had a mountuned ST3 for a year or so, and changed it for an M235i, which other than the obvious benefits, wasn't in the same league fun-wise.

I nearly got another ST recently but went for a Leon Cupra instead which provides 80% of the fun but with more toys, grunt and comfort.

The Fiesta ST is one of my favourite cars full stop, brilliant little things.

It seems to be a common occurrence this. People move onto bigger and better things, to find that the smaller, simpler, less-powerful and less complicated Fiesta is more fun and usable, especially on UK roads.

[gashead1105]

I've had my 64 plate ST3 for 18 months and can see myself keeping it for quite a while longer yet. It's my daily driver and primarily does short journeys and is still averaging 33-35MPG according to my fuel app. It's roomy enough inside, nippy enough in performance, corners well and is happy to wag the tail with a slight lift on a longer drive. Cheap to insure, cheap to tax, cheap to service and run, cheap fun basically! Very much a fan.

[molineux1980]

I have an old Mk5 Zetec S as our second car, and it's great, but getting on the rusty side of past it.

I really, really want one of these to replace it :-)

[Thorburn]

culpz said:

It seems to be a common occurrence this. People move onto bigger and better things, to find that the smaller, simpler, less-powerful and less complicated Fiesta is more fun and usable, especially on UK roads.

We did the opposite, went up from a smaller, simpler, less-powerful and less complicated Fiesta and found the ST had suffered for all its additional weight, complexity, larger wheels and more torque than the front axle can really deal with.

Maybe that's the problem, we didn't have our expectations sufficiently lowered by even fatter and more overpowered machinery.

[Ahbefive]

Klippie said:

Ahbefive said:

charltjr said:

Alucidnation said:

Errrr no.

Errr yes.

Err yes indeed. It will be a classic.

Rubbish...its a white goods hatchback, not that special, looks horrible, crap build quality it won't last long enough to become a classic.

Rubbish is what you are talking. How much is an XR2 or RS Turbo these days?

Looks horrid is subjective, plenty of people like the looks of a fiesta.
Crap build quality? You mean its not got the best touchy feely plastics? The actual build quality is of reliable well put togther bits.
XR2s are built much much cheaper and there are indeed some left and they are commanding high prices.

Maybe you should do some research as you are wrong on all counts.

[J4CKO]

rampageturke said:

LuS1fer said:

I think the older ST will keep its price, simply because the new one is incredibly bland and looks Korean and the 4 cylinder turbo four is still a goody.

It took me a bashed panel to part with my 07 Fiesta ST150 which I really liked and while I do like my more accomplished 13 ST180, it took me a while to appreciate the looks and 18 months later, I quite like the car but maybe a Focus ST is more me.

I won't be buying this new model, it looks anonymous.

Keep its price? there's fecking thousands of the things, and prices always falling.

Should do ok, like anything in demand, there are a few about but nobody is giving them away, every car will shed value as it ages but they are a desirable item for a lot of people, entry level is pretty much ten grand, four years since they were introduced, below that lies ropey/Cat D examples.

So, not doing too bad really, Decent ST 150s also still have a following.

[BigMon]

Very tempted to upgrade my 100bhp 64 plate Titanium X to one of these.

Only got it as a stopgap to build my insurance back up after a few years of no car (could walk to work so had no need for one) but it's really got under my skin.

The handling of the 'bog standard' Fiesta is brilliant so I'd hope the ST would be a cut above that.

Need to have a good think about it as now would be the time to upgrade. Unfortunately (and, perhaps, a bit sadly) I've got quite attached to my current one.

[mr_fibuli]

TameRacingDriver said:

So if they are that good, I'm curious, how does it compare to the much lauded Clio RS (NOT the crappy auto version)?

My gf has just swapped her Clio 200 for a Fiesta ST. I'm loving it so far - it is a lot less hardcore than the Clio 200 with Cup suspension, but still feels great to drive, and reminds me more of the Clio 182 - more old school hot hatch than the absolutely planted race car feel of the 200.

Obviously the turbo engine has a lot more mid range shove, but lacks the Clio's high end - again this makes the Fiesta a bit less hardcore when driving absolutely flat out, but a lot more enjoyable to drive every day.

I think it lacks a lot of the specialness of the Clio - I really miss the wide arches, big brembos, proper rear venturi, twin exhaust etc - you could never mistake it for the shopping version - where as the Fiesta (and the new Clio) are pretty tame in comparison, and look identical to some of the base models.

[J4CKO]

BigMon said:

Very tempted to upgrade my 100bhp 64 plate Titanium X to one of these.

Only got it as a stopgap to build my insurance back up after a few years of no car (could walk to work so had no need for one) but it's really got under my skin.

The handling of the 'bog standard' Fiesta is brilliant so I'd hope the ST would be a cut above that.

Need to have a good think about it as now would be the time to upgrade. Unfortunately (and, perhaps, a bit sadly) I've got quite attached to my current one.

Maybe ?

http://www.superchips.co.uk/search?make=9&mode...

We have a 100 mapped as per above and an ST now, ST is a different ball game though, so much more alert and pointy, different character but the mapped one isn't that much slower than the standard ST, and like you say, they handle brilliantly even as standard, the ST feels much more planted but the ride is pretty jiggly at low speeds.

Will perhaps get them side by side and do a roll on and see how much quicker the ST actually is, I think the mapped power delivery is fairly spiky so it perhaps makes it feel quicker than it is, after all its still down 40 to 60 bhp (allowing for overboost) the ST should leave it, however butt feel wise, its not night and day.

[RushDom]

Here's my baby...it's an ST3. I've had it for just over a year now, and it's been an absolute riot. Never fails to put a smile on my face.

It's probably the perfect car for myself at my stage in life - no kids yet, so it's more than practical enough for me and it's reasonably economical on long journeys. I have found the seats to be incredibly comfortable too - I've driven it down to Cornwall and back and they were great.

It was rear ended about a month ago and whilst being repaired I was given a Focus ST as a courtesy car - I couldn't wait to give it back. The Focus felt so big, wide and heavy in comparison, and I just didn't get the same buzz from driving it, despite the fact it had much more performance. I think the Fiesta is probably the perfect hot hatch for British roads...just quick and exciting enough to be fun without getting you into trouble!

[BigMon]

J4CKO said:

Maybe ?

http://www.superchips.co.uk/search?make=9&mode...

I spoke to you about that just after you had yours done!

I am thinking about it as the warranty on mine is up in September. Just not sure I have the bottle to have it done as it's quite a leap (though I did look in the 140bhp one last time I had mine for a service, and I suspect it had the same gearbox as the 100bhp one).

One of the things I really like about it only being 100bhp is you have to work the gearbox, which makes it great fun. The handling down a twisty road is amazing for a non-sporty car, you can really feel the chassis stiffen as you tonk it round corners.

The only place I've noticed it not being so composed is going quite hard into a roundabout, but then I suppose that's to be expected with no bracing on it.

Edited by BigMon on Friday 23 June 11:38

[Dale487]

GibsonSG said:

Interesting to read the variety of comments! At 50 I'm hardly a boy racer (mind you, I still have a go) but I love my wife's Mountune ST.

I've got a Meg 275 Cup-S as my daily and while the Meg is a far more serious proposition, I really enjoy getting in the ST for drive. It's got an effervescent character, almost like an over-excited terrier at times, that I find irresistible. Considering some of the comments on the seats, I've found them great - we did the NC500 in it so Malvern to Inverness in a single stint was plenty test enough and I've subsequently been to Scotland a number of times in it with no problems at all. I do think the seat height is too lofty though, especially compared to the Meg.

My wife was a serial Subaru owner and I bought the ST as a present after an illness meant that she couldn't cope with the heavy clutch of the Subaru's. She really rates the ST as well, although the Mountune pack does make a notable different.

For us, it's a great fun car with the kind of character I thought was missing in modern cars. Personally, I think the fact that it can hold it's own against a more serious machine from RenaultSport says a lot about how well Ford judged it.

Sounds like a great car for the NC500 - I've really fancied doing the NC500, but I don't think I can convince my wife it's a holiday. How long did the NC500 take you?

[Chapppers]

One of these looks like a great antidote for my somewhat unhealthy Puma addiction. The roofline, however, seems to suggest it won't be able to take a tandem on its roof



This is surely a problem Ford should address, right. No? Just me? Unbelievable.

[WCZ]

"Clio 220 Trophy has a fine chassis and a far nicer interior than the Fiesta."

the clio has a horrible interior imo

the new fiesta st won't be any better, if I was you i'd just stick a few mountune parts on yours. they are brilliant

[lee_erm]

BigMon said:

I spoke to you about that just after you had yours done!

I am thinking about it as the warranty on mine is up in September. Just not sure I have the bottle to have it done as it's quite a leap (though I did look in the 140bhp one last time I had mine for a service, and I suspect it had the same gearbox as the 100bhp one).

Supposedly the turbo on the 100ps uses a different (cheaper) material on the turbos turbine as opposed to the 125 and 140ps iterations, which isn't as resistant to higher heat. Thus the turbo isn't really suitable for tuning, or at least the same level of tuning applicable to the higher output iterations. I'd have thought you'd be able to pick up a good used turbo from a 125ps+ model pretty cheaply though.