Test Drives And Car Repairs Repost

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo) 09/02/2014 at 10:01 • Filed to: Car Buying, Customer Service, My Car BoRked - Again...

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So Oppo,

How was your Labor Day? I test drove a BRZ and a FiST. Also my SVT Focus puked coolant all over the parking lot at the Ford dealer. So there's that.

The BRZ: What hasn't been said already? Well, I liked it. Quite a lot actually. Everyone says that it needs more power, and that may be true. But after driving one I think it's just fine. It is certainly just as fast as my SVT and I feel my Focus is already fast enough to get me into trouble should I want it to be. I didn't get a chance to push the handling on the test drive, but I feel confident I could cope with the switch from FWD to RWD.

The FiST: Yeah, it's big smiles for little dollars. But, and I am trembling as I type this, I did not like it. Yeah I said it. I am prepared for the backlash. It is everything anyone has written about it. It handles like you can't believe; I found an empty parking lot and had a go at flinging it around. It's really just unflappable.

But, I felt disconnected from the driving experience. I do not like how far from the front you sit in the car. And the Recaros are indeed Love or Hate. And I HATE them. They pinched the back of my thighs and I would NOT want to drive long distances in them ever. I did not get a chance to sample the stock seats, but I didn't like the rest of the car so it's a moot point.

I prefer a linear power delivery, because that is what I am used to. The BRZ feels roughly the same as my SVT in that the engine is willing to rev all the way to redline. The FiST has nothing in 1st and then once you shift to 2nd it just takes off. I felt more like I was along for the ride than that I was the one driving the car. Call it what you will, but I did not like it.

I also want to send a huge thank you to Brant Benson at Lebanon Ford in Lebanon Ohio. He went beyond what I expected him to do to help me get my Focus back on the road despite only being there for a test drive. Letting me take the FiST back out to run and get some coolant stop-leak was more than most dealers would have done. If that is any indication of how they treat actual customers then you owe it to yourself to visit Lebanon Ford if you are in the area and looking for a new to you car. Also they have a 2014 FiST in blue with grey Recaros and a clear-bra with only 19,000 or so miles on it for a decent price.*

*I am not getting anything from them for this shout-out. I just felt that great customer service from a dealer should be rewarded. I also thought that maybe someone here was in the market for a FiST and would want to know about the one they have.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/01/2014 at 16:22

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"I did not like it"

You are dead to me.

Haha jk, I think turbos aren't for everyone, but I sure like mine. I would have gotten a toyobaru if they made a shooting brake, I just wanted more room in the trunk.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 09/01/2014 at 16:45

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I'm not saying the FiST is a bad car by any means. It's just not for me.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/01/2014 at 17:09

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What my brain is going all "huh?" about is that the SVT Foci drivers I've known say the FiST reminds them of a successor to the SVT besides the whole "limited torque in 1st" sensation. But you're not wrong about the FiST lacking in 1st gear. I forgot the exact numbers but Ford limited the power and torque in 1st and second gears. I think you get something like 65% in 1st and 80% in second. Not sure how it all works but that's why the car picks up so much in the taller gears. Also why everyone slaps an ECU reflash on theirs to remove the limiter and pick up free acceleration.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/01/2014 at 18:14

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It was jarring to say the least.

Even without the ECU-floaties, I doubt I would like the FiST any more. It just did not feel right. I hated the seating position, being so far from the front of the car irks me, and I felt removed from the mechanics of driving. The gauges and shifter, basically the whole interior felt slightly out of place. I know the 2000's Focus gets a ton of flack for being oddly designed, but I feel like everything is where I would have put it. The FiST just felt busy.

I also HATED the pedal placement in the FiST. How The Fuck are you supposed to heel and toe in that car??!??!!! My SVT is absolutely perfect for pedal-box traipsing The BRZ was also rather good.

Basically after some serious soul-searching and analysis I basically am James May. Slow car fast > Fast car.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/01/2014 at 19:03

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Well...both are slow cars in the grand scheme of things. WHen the new hot Focus can blister the tires in a 5 second 0-60 run, no 200hp car is "fast".

The FiST is quickly proving to be a love it or hate it car as I can heel-toe it but it takes a different technique. I actually use the heel on the brake and then toe the gas since my feet are so large and the brakes have a lot of initial bite. In my audi, the pedals are so small and spaced so close that I do the opposite and heel the gas while pressing down hard on the brake. I don't think it's ideal but the instructors loved the FiST's pedal positioning for heel-toe so it's I guess an acquired taste?

I found the FoST's layout to be odd but the FiST fit me like a glove. If you haven't already, hop in the FoST. The shifter is entirely different and I found it to be a lot sloppier than the FiST but then other people at the Octane Academy were asking how I could work the FiST's shifter given how it's positioned in the car. Depending on how you reach for a shifter, the FoST's location might be better. I hated the FR-S shifter. Way too notchy and not enough feedback. It isn't sloppy or loose but it just feels a bit vague. The Fist has you sitting rather close to the front wheels so I'm guessing you're a bit shorter if you think it places you far from the front of the car when compared to the longer FR-S. I use the side mirrors as my guide for where the rear of the front tires are and I can be pretty damn precise with my positioning. But then again I'm 6'2" with long limbs so to me, the car is a bit of a tight fit yet it helps with my own ability to handle the car IMO.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/01/2014 at 19:29

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I heel toe in my SVT by using the ball of my foot to brake and the outside edge towards the heel to blip the gas. There is no way I can change that since I've learned it this way and my knees do not twist the other way.

I'm 6' but have about equal torso and legs.

I've driven the FoST, and it felt huge. I felt like I was driving a bunker. I did not like the pedals in it any better.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/01/2014 at 19:30

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I have found your next car.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 09/01/2014 at 19:54

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Honestly, I would probably LOVE that!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/01/2014 at 19:57

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Sadly you can't have one until the 25 year period is up. But it is basically half the size of the FR-S.......with 1/3 of the power but that's not the point.It's basically a go-kart with a license plate on it.

Brian Silvestro > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/02/2014 at 10:08

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I did not like it.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 09/02/2014 at 10:45

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"The FiST has nothing in 1st and then once you shift to 2nd it just takes off."

I hate that in my FiST as well, and throughout my vast travels, I have discovered that Ford did that on purpose, they truncated the boost on 1st gear, and a bit on 2nd as well, so you actually aren't getting much boost if at all*

*Can't confirm/deny if there is any boost because I don't have a boost gauge, but it doesn't feel like there is any at all in 1st.