FiST as fun daily driver with a bit of utility??

[UnOvertime]

I've been looking at the FiST and FoST as a daily driver that has a bit of utility (ability to seat more than 2 people and some cargo space). I drive 80 miles round trip with some twisties at the start and then a long 20+ mile highway stretch to end the drive. After driving a friends FoST, I really liked it and the extra room was nice, but seemed a bit excessive for going to the grocery store and occasional trip to pick things up at Home Depot. I did drive a FiST at a dealer which meant it was hard to really drive it and see how utility wise it would work. For those who daily drive or use this to do things, how does the FiST work for you?

Both are relatively inexpensive as a daily option so either are really still in play. I am really looking for fun car to drive my 80 miles and 2 hours a day while getting decent MPG that can still do a little bit more if needed. I used to have a FR-S and I do miss that thing, but I can't buy another one because I put too much money into the first one just to do it all over again.

Oh and overall power doesn't matter to me, I have an 08 z06 for that. (my current daily since I sold the FR-S).

 

[yumdumpster]

If you HAVE to get more than two people in the FiST on a regular basis the FoST might be a bit better, especially if they are over 5'8" ish. For short trips it is fine, but on longer trips the car can definitely get a little cramped. For me and my girlfriend with no kids, the car is more than adequate for day to day driving and the trunk has more than enough space to hold anything I have needed to purchase up to this point. That being said, the FiST is a blast to drive and if you dont hammer on it, gets good Milage, I am averaging 30 combined with about 60% city driving, that is with the stage 2 kit as well.

 

[enamelizer]

I daily drive mine, as well as haul kids daily. So for it has really met my needs as a commuter during the week and the car the whole family wants to be in on the weekends. I am actually looking at doing a week long road trip in it, but four people and luggage might be pushing it. Still might try to pull it off, there is a fair amount of space in the rear once you pull the cargo floor out.

I am really happy with the utility of it, I regularly fit four grown men for work lunch jaunts, and have fit five in there without much grumbling.

I also test drove the FoST, but found the FiST to be more what I was looking for. Smaller, lighter, more raw feeling. The FoST would have been better as a family wagon, but I have a quad cab truck that has been the main family car. The FiST felt more focused and purpose built as a drivers car to me, while the FoST had more power and a better ride. Ultimately I appreciated the lighter weight over the extra power.

 

[Gone in 60]

I was in the same boat, choosing between the FIST and the FOST. I really liked the raw, go cart handling of the FIST. The FOST is great, but felt heavier than I wanted in my personal daily driver. I ride motorcycles more often than I drive cars, and the FIST feels like a sport bike with four doors and some trunk space.

That being said, my wife drives a CRV, which is more comfy and can carry more stuff. And we don't have kids.

My wife and I are more than comfortable for any distance in the FIST. But we plan ahead - if we're going somewhere that involves picking up passengers, we take the larger car. When I meet up with friends to go somewhere, everyone else in the group offers to drive rather than get stuck in the back of my car.

Basically it depends on your situation, and if this is a realistic car for your lifestyle. If we didn't have a larger car to fall back on, and this was the only car in my family, I would have bought the Focus.

 

[neeqness]

I agree with what the others have already posted. I also primarily ride my motorcycle. The FiST works best for me when I need to carry more than what fits in a backpack or when I need to go on road trips. Occasionally I commute in it and it wins in that regard. The only thing I have had more fun commuting with than the FiST is my motorcycle.

Having said that, if you really are on the fence, I think it's best to test drive them both. The good news is that you can probably find them both at the same dealer.

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[WeTheNorth]

Cars more than sufficient to run errands in and haul bodies around. I personally haven't taken a trip in it, so I can't attest to the back torture test.

My last cars have all been rwd, g35 was fun and power was ample but it felt heavy so I went for the rx8 a couple years later ( all bought brand new btw)

Rx8 was a great improvement, especially with suspension mods, wide rims, bpu's but it was unreliable as hell!!

The fist has been great to me and the lightness of it with all my mods currently , it feels kind of special to me if that makes sense. By far the best car I've owned thus far

Do miss the wide rims and low offsets!


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[OffTheWall503]

Mine is driven every day and used for errands, grocery getting, etc. The GF and I love driving it when it's just the two of us, but if we ever go on a longer drive or need to bring our dog or other people, we take her Rav4.

That being said, if this is your only car you can certainly make it work.

 

[skidro87]

I have 60k km on mine stock... I've been through 3 different subs/amp setups and now I think it sounds amazing(lots of bass!!!)
With the back seats down and the little floor board taken out in the back, you can fit a lot of crap. I've gone camping, had bikes in the back, I stuff it with bottles for recycling, I've had a few too many drunk girls in the back ?? Everything has been good so far!

I have also done all my maintenance, so oil changes and brakes. The car is still mechanically sound and this little engine is pretty stout!

It is fragile though, some guy hit me yesterday and his tires rubbed against my car ( he merged into my car and lane...) and it's like 2 to 3 grand of damage!!!

 

[Waterfan]

If it is my decision, I would prioritize #1 fun, #2 economy on that daily 80mi (solo?) roundtrip above all. #3rd would be utility. In short, I cannot think of a better choice than the FiST. It is still astounding to me that I can do 50/25/25% hwy/streets/canyon blasts and have a combined mpg of 30mpg.

In terms of utility/size, my perception is the FoST is not THAT much larger inside than the FiST (and if it is me, the VW GTI mk7 is the superior "regular sized, more comfortable than fun" hot hatch)

Great "problem" of two good choices. Good luck with your decision. Other general advice: go with whichever one you might/hopefully fall in love with. (FiST for me)

 

[UnOvertime]

90% of the time it is just me in the car, it sounds like it will do everything I need it to do: It has some room to take more than 1 other person, works for normal errands, gets decent MPG, and most of all is fun to drive. Guess I will continue my search for a Molten Orange or Peformance Blue FiST.

I want to relegate the Corvette back to weekends and beautiful days outside. While it is a blast to drive, a $1200 set of tires lasting only 15-18k miles is no fun for an 80 mile a day commute.

 

[Beans]

In terms of utility, I love mine. I work at Lowe's and go between stores with products all the time. I've had 400lbs of tile in the back of mine. 6ft long bifold doors. Lots of stuff. I moved almost my entire apartment, aside from my couches and bed. You can pack a pretty big amount of stuff in them. The worst part? Removing the front passenger headrest on the Recaros. I drive about 50-60 miles a day round trip. It's everything I wanted in a car. Simple, easy, fun, efficient, with some utility.

2 biggest complaints- power drops off too fast(baby turbo, I WANT MOAR POWAAAA) and whomever tuned these shocks went massive overkill on the compression stroke.

 

[FLORIDAST]

Great car with ample space despite its size. This thing will embarrass most cars in any sort of turn, when they slow down, I speed up. In a straight line, it's pretty meh... I hope to fix that soon.

 

[zanethan]

I've owned both and have absolutely loved both. Both have their charms and negatives. I'll start with the FoSt.

Positives- Gobs of power and it all comes on down low. You never have to down shift to overtake anything. Fit and finish is very nice in the ST2 and ST3 trim levels. It very much feels like a car that costs $45,000+. You will be able to haul pretty much anything with the seats folded down. You would be amazed what I fit in it at times. It's a very comfortable ride on the street yet very competent in the turns. It feels very much like a rwd chassis in the turns thanks to electronic wizardry.

Cons-Torque steer (I actually didn't mind it but many have said it's annoying) there's lots of it under full throttle and if you try to fight it things can get hairy fast. That's really all I can say bad about my old FoST. I absolutely loved it and was very sad when it was totaled.

The FiST.

Pros- Very agile this little car can really weave through traffic and I assume is just as good if not better in the turns as the FoST (I have yet to really push mine on some back roads). Power is very good in the FiST but you will have to massage the gear box a bit more to really get the best out of it. Utility is good but as others have said if my wife and I are going on a trip with the dog we take her car.

Cons- Ride is bumpy and at times harsh. I believe this can be remedied by changing out the stock shocks but have not done so yet. It's an econo box and it feels like it. The interior is functional and ok, I have no real gripes about it but no one is going to be impressed by it. Shifter placement is odd until you get used to it. Limited aftermarket wheel options due to odd lug pattern. Other than that I absolutely love the FiST as well.

Ultimately, the choice is yours and you can't really go wrong with either car. Both will end up getting about the same MPG. My FoST got 30 mixed 50/50 city hwy and the FiST gets 25 MPG 90/10 city hwy so I'd imagine that it would work out to about the same if my current commute matched the one when I had the Focus.

Given your 80 mile commute I would go with the FoST as I found it more comfortable for long drives. Don't get me wrong the FiST is a great car but I'm not sure I would want to daily drive it 80 miles a day.