berny2435

OP/Sebring AP1
Did you test drive the Fiesta ST back to back with the Focus?
Thoughts on the Fiesta ST?

Anyone know if they have the same transmission?

Sebring AP1

Glad you asked! I did! And I thought back on the experience and I can't remember if it was the same transmission - but to be blunt everything in the Focus was just better. I even preferred driving the Focus which surprised me. This is not to say the Fiesta is a bad car - the Focus is simply more of everything if that makes sense. It's like comparing a Fit Si (if there were one) to a Civic Si essentially. If you have a 2 seat roadster you're going to want the one that offers more room and more of everything else, and that is exactly what I did.

The fiesta was noticeably stiffer, louder, and smaller. Still a cool/fun car and you can get a really good deal on them as well. If you're able to its worth taking a good look at both to decide which one you'd want.

berny2435

thanks for the reply.

Ideally I want to get a 2016 Golf R next year. That may or may not make sense next year when I look at my finances again with aggressive saving for a house downpayment. A leased Fiesta ST could be had for super cheap monthly payments. I spec'd one online with nav and a couple other little things to $22,860. Leasing for 24months at about $193 month with only $2,500 down seems like a legit deal.

Focus ST with Nav and Partial leather recaros = 26,640 $4,000 more. Lease wise, same 24month w/ $2,500 down comes to about $365/mo.

$193 vs $365. $173/month more. Not sure if worth it for a daily driver with a M3/4dr in the stable for Track fun.

If it gets 10mpg better than my M3, and can take 87 octane, that will save me about 10$ wk in gas alone. $40/mo Fill up with 91 for Autocrosses though once a month.
87 could be used on the Focus ST too I guess but not recomended they say. 89 octane only saves about 10cents a gal versus 87 saving 30cents a gal. (in Phoenix Tempe AZ area)

Sebring AP1

I am willing to bet you can get a loaded Fiesta ST for 19, 20 at the most before tax and licensing fees. Ford will make you get a lojack on it too, but at 19 that's a really good deal.

The problem is there are not a lot of Fiestas sitting on the lots that are loaded. Most are bare bones trim from what I encountered. Not sure why?

berny2435

yeah, I'd try to swindle the Recaro package down. I'm not a big fan of the two tone but I see that the other option is not really that nice. I definitely would not pay 26 for Fiesta ST when you can get a Focus ST for the same money.

Just saw one with Recaros on Autotrader for under 23K new.

We'll see what price they will be later in the year.

johnanderson

I actually felt the opposite. Where the focus was subtle the fiesta was more engaging. It felt like the focus was a more mature fiesta. The shifter is not the same for both. The focus has a softer clutch and longer shifter travel where the fiesta has a stiffer clutch and shorter throw shifter.


I think they are both great cars, just different preferences for different people. I took a 2014 wrx for a test drive after the fiesta and still prefer the fiesta in terms of fun to drive.

Gotpepsi

"And the best thing about the car is that it makes my S2000 that much more enjoyable on the weekends. Because it is so soft and smooth the S2000 comes off as way more Raw than I remember it every time I get behind the wheel. So not only did I get a great livable daily driver with a ton of amenities and is a great driver in and of itself - my current weekender feels like even more of a sports car due to the transition. Best of every world, really "

Haha, I drove my parents Honda accord for 3 weeks and when I got back into the S I thought something broke because of how bumpy the ride is. s2000 is a very raw car, id never noticed until I got back into one.

yamahaSHO

It's amazing what forums will do to your plans! Although... A filter and tune for 50hp/50tq is kinda hard to pass up. Just sayin'.

Cody Red

This thread and the other recent thread about daily drivers all talking about ST's, WRX's, GTI's..and no mention of a mazdaspeed3 for a daily? I thought about the ST and WRX for a second then remembered they were still making these. The speed is way better equipped vs the wrx and overall better than the ST IMO in terms of what I was looking for in a daily: fun, four door, FI. I'm now almost fully bolted before even 10k miles (cheap to mod) and i love every minute of it. pulls like a motherf@#ker and makes me want to go FI on the S haha. but i won't!

rob-2

The problem I have with all if these FWD is just that FWD