Has anyone gone from a fun RWD car to a Fiesta ST?

"03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST" (03mach1)
05/27/2017 at 20:20 • Filed to: None

So in my search of a new car I ended up testing a Focus and Fiesta ST, as well as an Ecoboost Mustang. Long story short, I loved the Fiesta but I can’t make up my mind if I really want it.

Next Spring I’m going to commute to my next college which is a good 40-50 miles away and I don’t want to put my Mach 1 through that. Or me for that matter. The original idea was to put the Mustang in storage and get a new car but when that’s all said and done I will have to pay a minimum of 600 dollars a month. I can’t quite afford that through college. So unfortunately the Mach is going to have to go.

I knew I would like the ST but I was shocked by it, I could beat on it a little bit without breaking the speed limit. I was smiling the moment the turbo was spooling. There was virtually no body roll and I probably scared the salesman. It may have been the best car I’ve driven so far.

So that brings me to my question, has anyone gone from some sort of fun RWD car to the ST and regret or miss anything? This car is temporary and will let me get something very nice down the road, but it still bugs me. I’m giving up a car I have loved and put so much time and money into. I feel like I will regret this. I think every time I see some sort of muscle car down the road I will feel a bit of envy. Granted, when I was driving the car all I could think about was how much fun it was. But has it worn off?

Also Recaros or no Recaros?

DISCUSSION (17)

E90M3 > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:25

I drive 75 miles a day and got an E92, I’m actually pretty happy with it. That said, I test drove a Focus ST and was pretty impressed with it. I’m no longer a RWD elitist, FWD cars can be amazing. I can’t accurately answer your question as I have two RWD cars

random001 > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:27

Well, I went from a fun RWD car to a Fiat 500 Abarth, so it’s almost the same thing. Most of the things I miss are toys, like the adaptive cruise, and the auto dimming mirrors, but the stupid little ridiculous car is so damned much fun that I don’t regret the move in the least. I’m about 4 months in, and nothing has worn off. I love it to death.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > random001
05/27/2017 at 20:29

Well I don’t have any sort of toys in my Mustang now so that’s a huge plus! But good to see it hasn’t worn off. I imagine if it were you would start to feel it by now.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > E90M3
05/27/2017 at 20:32

You know I keep seeing cheap E92's pop up and it’s hard to resist. But it’s probably a good idea to avoid one with 80K+ miles. I’m just worried I’ll miss my Mustang after awhile of having the ST. That’s all.

WRXforScience > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:33

I watched a Fiesta ST roll over on a flat airstrip during an autocross. I do not recommend them.

E90M3 > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:38

What trim of E92s? My 328i is pretty awesome, even if it’s pretty slow. The 335 trim was just too expensive.

random001 > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:41

Given the frequency that I change cars (I’m 38 now, on car 37) yeah. But every time I start it up and hear the rumble and the turbo woosh and the fun, it just gets better. It helps that I have the convertible, though. Basically, if the car is just fun and you know what you’re getting into, that it’s not as fast and it’s FWD and it’s smaller, then I don’t think it’ll wear off. Plus, the ST community seems pretty large. I went from a 430 HP V8 powered luxury cruiser, and before that a 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT. And I drove a Z06 for 9 years. So it a tiny turbocharged pissed off subcompact can make me happy, I think it can for you, too!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > WRXforScience
05/27/2017 at 20:49

Several people run them (hard) in our club with no issues, I wonder what caused the rollover that you saw.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > random001
05/27/2017 at 20:53

Ya the turbo woosh was a lot of fun. That’s a great way to describe it, pissed off. It just wanted to go. Also that’s an impressive amount of cars. That’s high praise coming from a Z06 to an ST and being happy. Two totally different cars.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 20:58

commuter? No Recaros. Track-day-fun-machine? Recaros. I love my FieSTa dearly, it is a brilliantly compromised automobile with all of it’s fun conpletely in tact. A livable, efficient, practical ball of near-continuous laughs and knowing smiles. Just remember to drive the ever-loving piss out of it every once in a while so you don’t forget how that slightly crashy suspension tuning turns golden above 80mph on mid-corner bumps. Ford did good. Very good.

WRXforScience > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2017 at 21:04

It was a novice with only RE71r’s as a “mod”, he understeered through the first corner (a 90 degree right) and cranked the wheel more. He didn’t know that he had already lifted at least one tire and his incorrect actions lifted the entire side.

When the car came back on all 4, it tucked the front wheel and somersaulted, first onto its side, then onto the hood, until finally crashing back down onto all 4 hard enough that the back two wheels popped off (which made loading it onto a flatbed much more difficult).

In stock configuration, they are on the very limit of the height to width ratio. We tried to get them banned along with the Fiat 500 and non ST Fiesta because of the rollover risk (we were unsuccessful due to the large number of people already campaigning them). Locally, our chief of tech (he’s also the RE) measures each one individually and won’t hesitate to fail a car if it is over the limit (he measures all the way to the top of roof racks, which has disqualified a couple of people).

I’m sure an experienced autocrosser won’t roll one, but I know it is possible and I cannot in good faith recommend a car that can rollover on level ground at under 40mph from just driver error.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
05/27/2017 at 21:08

I feel like I really want the Recaros because they’re perfect for me in the Mustangs but I hear they’re really tight. I have to try them I geuss. Are they the same in the Focus ST?

Honestly it’s going to be hard to not beat the car up a little bit. It was just so much fun it was ridiculous. And I was going easy because the sales guy was kind of new. I was always pretty relectuant to beat on my Mach 1 a little bit because it was older and it’s very easy to get into some trouble. It will be a lot of fun to loosen up a little bit.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > WRXforScience
05/27/2017 at 21:10

Wow. Interestingly, a seasoned competitor who runs a MR spyder is saying he plans to get a FiST in the next couple weeks for a better daily driving experience. I’ll have to tell him your story tomorrow.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 21:35

No, the Fiesta has the narrowest of the Recaros, I think the ones in the Focus are narrower than the ‘Stang’s, but you really should try the Fiesta Recaros before you buy. I still contend that people with normal-width hips and shoulders can’t possibly find those narrow little things comfortable for regular use. The annoying thing is that the heated mirrors and seats are tied to the Recaro package :P The base seats are decently comfortable though. One of the great things about the FieSTa certainly is the maniacal giggling while staying within the law or being an ass-clown (but still not dangerous) in traffic.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 22:06

I commute with Recaros, and I couldn’t do without them. It makes the ride quality bearable by not allowing you to bounce around.

I did not come from a RWD sports car, but one of my friends came from an S197 GT and misses nothing about it besides the sound.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
05/27/2017 at 22:58

It seems hit or miss. I might just try a Focus ST with them and see what I feel. The nearest ST with Recaros is really far away.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
05/27/2017 at 23:00

That’s what I did. I feel like people who didn’t like the Recaros, didn’t allow for them to break in.