Fiesta ST vs Mk5 GTI

[shotta287]

So my A3 1.8 will be going soon and I've decided to stick to hatchbacks. Something more fun and better suited to a B road blast. While still being a good daily driver.

Taking into account insurance and budget limitations I'm looking at a late production Mk5 GTI (2008) or an early Fiesta ST (2013/14). They aren't too dissimilar in price.

Has anybody had experience of both? Without even test driving the ST seems more fun and throwable. In terms of daily driver comfort though the GTI I feel has the edge. Also there is the option of a DSG with the GTI and I take it only manual on the ST? Economy wise I'm not fussed as I do about 6k miles a year.

Or have I got it all wrong and these cars aren't even comparable?

Edited by shotta287 on Tuesday 6th February 11:25

[carparkno1]

shotta287 said:

So my A3 1.8 will be going soon and I've decided to stick to hatchbacks. Something more fun and better suited to a B road blast. While still being a good daily driver.

Taking into account insurance and budget limitations I'm looking at a late production Mk5 GTI (2008) or an early Fiesta ST (2013/14). They aren't too dissimilar in price.

Has anybody had experience of both? Without even test driving the ST seems more fun and throwable. In terms of daily driver comfort though the GTI I feel has the edge. Also there is the option of a DSG with the GTI and I take it only manual on the ST? Economy wise I'm not fussed as I do about 6k miles a year.

Or have I got it all wrong and these cars aren't even comparable?

Edited by shotta287 on Tuesday 6th February 11:25

I have a Mk5 Gti right now, and have driven the Fiesta ST a couple of times when testing against the Focus we eventually bought for family duties. I wouldn't say they are incomparable, there are similarities, but here's my view.

GTI: Heavier, less throwable, "feels" older in some mechanical respects. It is also a lot bigger inside and the boot is better. More refined on the road - heated leather and electronic lumbar support makes it a nice place to be. I have driven London - Scotland multiple times and hit 40mpg and felt fresh as a daisy. On a blast through the borders the manual stick is better than the DSG for sure and you can still achieve 30mpg - that will drop in heavy commute traffic that stop/starts a lot, and the brakes can be really strong on these cars. Buy on condition and history. The MK6 feels even more refined but is based on the MK5 platform so not a huge change to the driving experience.

Fiesta: Smaller, lighter, "peppy" feel. We bought the Focus 1.0 ecoboost and the ST 1.6 is even more fun. It was just a bit too small for us. Everything inside feels less refined and hard wearing than the golf, and it would be cramped for long journeys (I am 6ft4 so that's my bias). The interior is a swathe of silly buttons and looks cheaper, but nothing to really bother you. MPG will be better but I couldn't say what that would be as I only test drove it for half an hour twice.

I don't think you can go wrong with either to be honest

My GTI is for sale right now, if you want to know more about the model feel free to PM me, i'm Scotland based so more than likely nowhere near you but happy to talk about the model as a whole and what to look out for!

Edited by carparkno1 on Tuesday 6th February 12:20

[culpz]

I think the ST will be more fun to drive and the one you want to take out for a blast. The Golf is the one you want for the stuff in between but still has a bit of poke to keep things interesting.

I know the VW is usually the best all-rounder, but i don't really see the chore of using the ST daily. When i test drove one, i never experienced the hard ride that everyone was going on about.

The Fiesta ST is probably one of the best quick drives i've ever had. I'd probably go for the Ford personally. The Golf is still a great car though and i'd choose a DSG if i went for one of those.

[ZX10R NIN]

The cars are comparable but they're very different the Golf is a good competent hatchback, if fun is higher on your list than dash materials then you go for the Fiesta but both are good cars a nice compromise between the two is the Focus ST 2.5T.

[vacant-100]

Don't Fiesta ST's start around £7.5-£8k?
Top whack for a Mk5 GTI shouldn't be more than £6k (maybe a little more for a low mileage Edition 30)

[shotta287]

Late 2008 Mk5 GTIs are around 7 grand. A lot of the cheaper ones you can tell have been thrashed and had useless modifications. I prefer my cars to be kept stock bar a remap.

I do care about interior quality and dash materials. I feel thats where the ST falls short. What are seats like? And is the gearshift nice and tight? I really need to go and take one for a drive.

[ZX10R NIN]

The seats are great as is the gearshift they're a cracking drivers cars more so than the Golf, you need to test drive them & a R26 Megane if you can.

[HJMS123]

ZX10R NIN said:

The seats are great as is the gearshift they're a cracking drivers cars more so than the Golf, you need to test drive them & a R26 Megane if you can.

Owned both of these cars back to back and Id recommend both ... more so the ST for a DD! Seats are great (mounted way too high IMO) in the ST and the gear shift is nice and tight!

[timberman]

I had a Scirocco 2.0 tsi ( so similar to the golf gti) and then a fiesta St3 after that.

for pure driving pleasure the Fiesta has the upper hand, the steering is more direct, the chassis is very well balanced and it's overall very easy and lots of fun to drive, even changing lanes on the motorway was enjoyable due to the steering being so sharp, it is also better on fuel economy averaging high 30's, even around town.

for everything else I preferred the Scirocco,

I thought the interior was much nicer on the scirocco,
the Fiesta although well equiped felt cheap inside, I found the seats uncomfortable on long journeys due to the bolsters restricting my shoulders and making them ache,
the ride was rock hard, ( my scirocco was on 19"s but even on its hardest setting felt more comfortable}
it didnt seem to loosen up until it was well and truly warmed up so on short journeys it never really came alive,
It also had less power than the scirocco but was quite a bit lighter so should have felt just as quick but it never did,

probably most telling is that I kept the Scirocco for 5 years where as the Fiesta only lasted 1

If you want something that is fun to drive, easy to live with and you don't mind the hard ride then the Fiesta is a great choice,

if want more of an all rounder I'd go with the Golf.

[shotta287]

It's going to be the GTI.
Prefer the looks, interior and feel. Plus I've pretty much made my mind up on DSG. Most of my driving is around town with plenty of stop/start so manual can get tedious.
Going to take a while to find a good one though especially one with xenons and folding mirrors.