Fiesta ST or BMW M Sport?

[BmwOne]

Hi everyone!
Im new to the forum and am looking for some opinions/ Advice.
Basically my current car is a BMW 320i M Sport and i love it but im faced with a bit of a problem,
With the recent snow i have simply not been able to go anywhere because being a BMW it just sits and spin's its wheels all day so I cant get to work. Its also horrendous on fuel but then again it never claimed to be an Eco car.
In the dry its the most amazing car I've ever had, Its very quick, handles extremely well, sounds epic and fly's past people doing 40 in 60s!

I've been looking at some other cars and theirs only one that I really like, A new style Ford Fiesta ST.
Its faster than the BMW, Gets better MPG, has lower service costs, is usable in the snow and from every review I've read/ Watched is the best hot hatch by far on the market today.
Plus the insurance is lower by about 1k.

So that's my problem I like the fiesta ST and it would make more sense to get one but... there's just something so cool about the BMW. How beast it looks, You have to pretty much crawl into it because its so low, The looks it gets, the Leather interior, How high quality everything feels!

Anyway, thanks for reading any opinions or suggestions?

Edited by BmwOne on Friday 30th January 02:38

Edited by BmwOne on Friday 30th January 04:25

[anonymous-user]

Your index plates fallen off.

To be fair it sounds like a complete no brainer....?

Everybody I know who has got the Fiesta ST loves it, though the ride can be very harsh.

If you feel the need to different there is always the Clio RS....

[Hitch78]

Do Clios look 'beast' though? That is the question

[Quhet]

How much will it cost you to change cars though? I'd imagine you'll take a depreciation hit from your BMW and will probably have to fork out more for an ST. Why not consider something a bit older, more interesting and more importantly cheaper. That way you don't have to worry about insurance or MPG as much.

[dangerousminds]

A set of winter tyres for the snow. Have no issues with driving in snow with them fitted. Cheap sets can be picked up occasionally on e90 post forums secondhand.

[Debaser]

If your only problem with the BMW is driving on snow, try winter tyres.

[StuntmanMike]

Get the Fiesta, have some fun, that BMW just looks dull.
As others have said have a look at other hot hatches as well.

[fathomfive]

Yeah, but it's beast and can overtake cars which are doing 40mph!

[chrispmartha]

You'd change your car just because of the 2 or 3 days it's snows a year?

[SidewaysSi]

Problems with the Fiesta are:

1. Definitely doesn't look beast.
2. You won't get as much attention, especially as you have the M Sport which is the dream.
3. You don't need to crawl into it.

Stick with the BMW. Bruv.

[BmwOne]

Thanks for the responses everyone.
I'm regards to me describing the looks as beast, it's just my personal opinion on it as my last car was a corsa and looked kind of soft not aggressive or sporty

Also the corsa couldn't overtake anything being a 1.0 and all so when I got this the difference in performance is quite a gap.

[neil1jnr]

If you fancy the Fiesta then go for it, you will love it.

Looks are subjective.

I think a 320i would be too slow a 3 series for me but if you love it then whack a set of winter tyres on if thats the issue and you will be fine. RWD is perfectly fne in the snow as long as you have right tyres on for the job.

[jimbobsimmonds]

BmwOne said:

Hi everyone!
Im new to the forum and am looking for some opinions/ Advice.
Basically my current car is a BMW 320i M Sport and i love it but im faced with a bit of a problem,
With the recent snow i have simply not been able to go anywhere because being a BMW it just sits and spin's its wheels all day so I cant get to work. Its also horrendous on fuelbut then again it never claimed to be an Eco car.
In the dry its the most amazing car I've ever had, Its very quick, handles extremely well, sounds epic and fly's past people doing 40 in 60s!

I've been looking at some other cars and theirs only one that I really like, A new style Ford Fiesta ST.
Its faster than the BMW, Gets better MPG, has lower service costs, is usable in the snow and from every review I've read/ Watched is the best hot hatch by far on the market today.
Plus the insurance is lower by about 1k.

So that's my problem I like the fiesta ST and it would make more sense to get one but... there's just something so cool about the BMW. How beast it looks, You have to pretty much crawl into it because its so low, The looks it gets, the Leather interior, How high quality everything feels!

Edited by BmwOne on Friday 30th January 04:25

I'm not normally one of those PH tts who just take the mickey for no other reason than they can; but at first I genuinely thought this was a troll post at first.

Horrendous on fuel? Eh, I average 23 mpg which I would describe as "not that great" on fuel. The 540i I briefly had averaged about 18mpg, again, that's merely "not very good". Unless there is something wrong with your BMW I just can't see how it's horrendous.
"Very quick, handles extremely well and sounds epic". Again, it's not bad in a line compared to a city shopping cart but it's not all that powerful is it; and the handling out of the box for a "normal" saloon is pretty good but that's it. As for sound, the BMW 6 cylinders did make a nice noise but am I right that the 320i is just a 4 pot?
Looks beast? How old are you? The looks it gets? From who? I drove one more or less exactly the same from Kent to Cheshire and back. I didn't have hordes of children staring at me. Don't get me wrong, I liked the BMW and thought it was a good car (relieved I wasn't in the a god awful Astra) but it didn't leave me in a constant state of orgasm for the next 3 weeks. But hey, what do I know, I drive an old mans car!

Anyway, if you're not a troll. You are comparing 2 quite different cars so you basically need to make a choice about whether you like hot-hatches or luke-warm saloons? FWIW I have spent a little bit of time (not as much as I would have liked) in the new Fiesta and it really did bring a little grin to my face. The engine is an absolute peach, and I will admit I am biased here, but I far preferred the mid-range nature of the delivery compared to say something like the old 182 Clio's etc. I know I'm in the wrong gear etc etc but there is something to be said about having a bit more mid-range shove when something unexpected happens and you are caught one cog down from where you woude ideally want to be.
The thing manages to handle well without being too firm (please bear in mind I'm used to my car on coilovers so, most things seem quite compliant now tbh!). I did find the brakes to be a little "weird", don't get me wrong, they certainly work; I just couldn't quite judge the weight or the feel of them. This though isn't necessarily an indictment of the car, it could just be down to me being a bit crap when wearing poxy Vans.

For a "little" car I was impressed with how much better they are as places to be now. the interior seems well screwed together and it passes the "6am on a stty January morning test" (thoroughly scientific test). The sound quality from the stereo was a bit crap (I have been spoilt though) and the seats were too small (again, probably me and not the car). Overall, I thought it was great!

Or if excessive hyperbole is your thing I would say: "With 200bhp it is stupendously, mentally quick; and uses as much fuel as a 125cc 4 stroke bike! It handles like it's on racing slicks and the brakes literally made my teeth come out of my head and through the heated front windscreen."

[Ved]

Not sure a 3 series gets too many looks of envy but that's all subjective and really it shouldn't matter to you too much. I don't tend to notice BMWs but I always like seeing the ST around for the same reasons as the old Panda 100HP. There's just something gratifying that fun and honestly very good looking cars exist. Go try one as I'm sure there are great deals to be had.

[s m]

Here's a short film from the //DRIVE crew comparing a BMW (that's probably even more beast) with a newer Fiesta ST

Click

[Robb F]

BmwOne said:

Hi everyone!
Im new to the forum and am looking for some opinions/ Advice.
Basically my current car is a BMW 320i M Sport and i love it but im faced with a bit of a problem,
With the recent snow i have simply not been able to go anywhere because being a BMW it just sits and spin's its wheels all day so I cant get to work. Its also horrendous on fuel but then again it never claimed to be an Eco car.
In the dry its the most amazing car I've ever had, Its very quick, handles extremely well, sounds epic and fly's past people doing 40 in 60s!

I've been looking at some other cars and theirs only one that I really like, A new style Ford Fiesta ST.
Its faster than the BMW, Gets better MPG, has lower service costs, is usable in the snow and from every review I've read/ Watched is the best hot hatch by far on the market today.
Plus the insurance is lower by about 1k.

So that's my problem I like the fiesta ST and it would make more sense to get one but... there's just something so cool about the BMW. How beast it looks, You have to pretty much crawl into it because its so low, The looks it gets, the Leather interior, How high quality everything feels!

Anyway, thanks for reading any opinions or suggestions?

Are you for real?

[R2T2]

Isn't mapped 335D the default answer?

In all seriousness though, if you're finding a 320i hard on fuel, I'd consider something better on fuel already, and I'm not sure an ST will be.

[anonymous-user]

I also came from something very lowly to a nearly new M Sport 320i coupe (albeit this was a while ago so the car was an E46 model), and at quite a young age. I too thought it was horrendous on fuel (it would be after driving a 1.0L for years), and Overall at the time I thought it was the best car ever and I still hold dear memories of it, however a string of more competent and often cheaper cars that followed showed it up for what it was.

My advice is to move on, not because of the snow thing, but because you can bet the Ford will be more fun.

[jimbobsimmonds]

andrewparker said:

I also came from something very lowly to a nearly new M Sport 320i coupe (albeit this was a while ago so the car was an E46 model), and at quite a young age. I too thought it was horrendous on fuel (it would be after driving a 1.0L for years), and Overall at the time I thought it was the best car ever and I still hold dear memories of it, however a string of more competent and often cheaper cars that followed showed it up for what it was.

My advice is to move on, not because of the snow thing, but because you can bet the Ford will be more fun.

Lol, went from a 1.4L Corsa B to a T5 Volvo at just turned 19 and a 540i at just turned 20. I have the opposite problem in that 5 years later I think most things are great on fuel!

Agree wholeheartedly with your last sentence. Even though I bet in a few years you will want to go back to something slightly bigger and RWD, just something with a bit more poke!

[hornetrider]

Winter wheels.

/Thread