I did the search thing for this forum to see if there were any folks here who have done any longer distance trips in their Fist. Didn't find much. I haven't had my FIST long enough to determine how it would be for traveling. I don't have NAV because I use paper maps! I don't have Recaros because I didn't see a need and I'm a cheapskate! Only reason I'm asking is because I was at Lowes yesterday and saw a guy with a blue FOST and asked how he liked it. He said it was a lot of fun around town But that it was the most uncomfortable travel car ever and he's ready to unload it. Everyone has their own ideas. Any opinions on The FIST as a traveling car?
Long distances in a FIST
- Thread starter STewpid
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If you are hauling a lot of stuff or people with you then it may feel kinda cramped. It does kinda depend on personal preference some, I think it's a good car for driving long distances. I did a drive from DFW to San Antonio and back a couple weekends ago. The Recaros were probably better than any seat I had in my old car, but for the long drive I did have to empty my pockets as my phone and wallet started digging in. As a result I stopped in at a few places and was going to buy something at one point but I had left my wallet in my car. Overall the seats were nice and I didn't really feel too terrible sitting in them for awhile. On the way back I took two different twisty roads to get off the boring straights for a bit which definitely broke up the monotony. It certainly is the perfect car to be able to take a detour onto those types of roads if you want to. I haven't done long distance with a passenger in the Fiesta. In my Escort ZX2 which is actually smaller feeling than the Fiesta, I took my brother with me from San Antonio all the way up to Colorado and that trip was about a week long. I get along with my brother pretty well so that trip turned out fine. That car has a harsher ride to it and is much louder in the cabin at highway speeds than the Fiesta. Plus the 5th gear highest gear) ratio sucks so it's revving a tad above 3k rpm at 70 mph which makes the engine more noisy along with the lack of any real sound deadening and road noise. I got used to it so going to something quieter I take notice. If you're coming from a higher end car with even more sound deadening then you may not like it and you would die highway driving my ZX2. haha.
For me I'd have no problem with a long drive in the Fiesta with one passenger that you get along with and minimal luggage. I have driven and ridden in my mom's Focus SE and it does for some reason to me feel more cramped. I think part of it is the center console takes up more room than it should.
For me I'd have no problem with a long drive in the Fiesta with one passenger that you get along with and minimal luggage. I have driven and ridden in my mom's Focus SE and it does for some reason to me feel more cramped. I think part of it is the center console takes up more room than it should.
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Used mine for a month as my.company car putting 1800 miles a week on it. Great car but the 3k at 75 mph can get tiresome as does road noise. I have non-Recaros and they are comfy enough. The big killer is the center arm rest...or lack thereof. Single biggest fail on car. Taken it to Florida twice from Cincinnati and no complaints aside from the aforementioned ones.
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I make a 4-5hr drive to/from work twice a month. The non-recaros are plenty comfortable, entertainment's nice, ac/heater works great. I did stop taking the FiST on family trips with the wife and 3 kids. Mainly because the engine felt strained, when packed, and I was afraid I was going to overload something when I inevitably decide to WoT for a bit of fun. 
My old car was much much louder at about 3k doing 70 and with much less sound deadening and much more road noise. I got plenty used to it and being that it was my only car it ended up being the car to take on trips as well. So going from that to the Fiesta is like night and day difference that it is so much quieter. Granted you get a little engine noise piped in through the symposer if you didn't delete it, but I like hearing the engine noises still. It still is an economy car with stiff suspension and low profile tires so by default you will get more road noise than some cars but I'm surprised how much quieter it really is and sometimes I have to check and see if the engine is still running when I am idling at a stop light. So the cabin noise is down to what anyone perceives or can put up with really.
There are several that actually want to get rid of the armrest because it gets in their way. So you can't win them all. I personally keep my seat in a place where using the armrest doesn't work that well but I didn't have an armrest on my old car so I'm plenty used to not using it. I don't feel it's in the way and I like the storage space it adds.
There are several that actually want to get rid of the armrest because it gets in their way. So you can't win them all. I personally keep my seat in a place where using the armrest doesn't work that well but I didn't have an armrest on my old car so I'm plenty used to not using it. I don't feel it's in the way and I like the storage space it adds.
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Trip 1: Regarding long distance driving, earlier this year, I drove from Arizona to Wisconsin in just under two days. First day, I travelled from Scottsdale AZ to Pueblo CO via Las Cruces NM (965 miles). After a rest stop, I continued on from Pueblo to Milwaukee (1115 miles). The weather was cold and not a problem until Hillsdale IL (Quad Cities area) where I hit a snow storm and literally ran in the tracks of an 18 wheeler on I-88 to I-39 and then up to Rockford. My grille is in still in my family room today as I had to pull it off to remove the inch thick ice on the intercooler.
Trip 2: Milwaukee to Wooster OH to Omaha NE and back to Milwaukee in May with my two sons and their college dorm room belongings (1892 miles in a little over three days).
Other than some driving boredom, I was surprised at how comfortable the base seats were on both trips (I made a lot of seat/headrest adjustments along the way which helped immensely although the Omaha to Milwaukee leg on the May trip was tight because of all the stuff.). Other than brief overnights, I stopped every 200 hundred miles to stretch and refuel. I have also done both trips in my 2011 Fiesta SES and was comfortable then too (except for the lack of lumbar support in that car.)
Trip 2: Milwaukee to Wooster OH to Omaha NE and back to Milwaukee in May with my two sons and their college dorm room belongings (1892 miles in a little over three days).
Other than some driving boredom, I was surprised at how comfortable the base seats were on both trips (I made a lot of seat/headrest adjustments along the way which helped immensely although the Omaha to Milwaukee leg on the May trip was tight because of all the stuff.). Other than brief overnights, I stopped every 200 hundred miles to stretch and refuel. I have also done both trips in my 2011 Fiesta SES and was comfortable then too (except for the lack of lumbar support in that car.)
Thread Starter
#17
I'd like to thank everyone for their great replies. I have only 1400 miles on my FIST at this point. So far this car has gold star power in the smiles per mile department! I have my "base seat" dialed in for beating around town and some four lane jaunts. I'm finding the drivers seat to be pretty comfortable and believe it will improve as it "breaks in". My current go to travel mobile is a 2003 Explorer which has been to Orlando and other Gulf coast destinations for mid winter vacations. I'm hoping the FIST will fill this role going forward.
![[ohcrap]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_ohcrap.gif "Oh Crap! [ohcrap]"){kind=icon}
Here you go: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100119304447004.1073741837.227301820&type=1&l=7c0b87b23d
I wrote a daily journal about the trip too, but that's for my personal read.
I wrote a daily journal about the trip too, but that's for my personal read
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