Fiesta St vs Focus St vs Mini Countryman all4??

[devin317317]

Brand new to this site so not very sure if this is the right section or not but I am in a dilemma. I am in the market for a new vehicle and cannot decide between the focus st fiesta st or mini countryman all4. A few things that are important are gas mileage since I will be traveling a lot since I am in college and starting to apply to programs all over the state, Power- More concerned with the low end torque since I usually don't rev the engines out when I drive, ride comfort- I am not sure if the fiesta rides too harsh or not and the roads here in Kentucky can be pretty bad. Another thing is I will be buying an atv and love to go riding every weekend and I know the countryman will be able to tow that much weight and the added 4wd will help in the winters here. So my options are to buy the focus or fiesta st and also purchase another cheap 4wd vehicle for winter and towing or buy the mini all4 and have everything in one package. But I don't know if the power will feel sluggish or anything like that in the mini, also the mpg is pretty good but the 35mpg and added power to weight ratio of the fiesta look better to me.

I am leaning towards the fiesta for the mpg as well as all the praise it has been getting on the internet. Just don't know if it has the power I am looking for and the ride quality to drive a few hundred miles every week. I don't care to purchase another cheap vehicle if the focus or fiesta st are better than the mini.


Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[CanadianST]

I can't comment on the towing ability but you're definitely not lacking power in the Fiesta. The Focus and Fiesta are really two different animals and in my opinion are not all that similar. The Fiesta is a light little car build for throwing around road courses and eating up corners where the Focus is more of a point and shoot car build to compete with the likes of GTI's and Speed3's in a heads up race. It depends what you like more straight line speed or the ability to out maneuver cars that cost a considerable amount more than you. That being said the Fiesta is no slouch in a straight line race, and with some bolt ons, a bigger turbo, and a tune people have them deep into the 12s in the 1/4 mile. I can't comment on the Mini since my big 2 were the FiST and the FoST.

 

[devin317317]

Since you own a fiesta st can you comment on the ride quality and gas mileage you have seen from it? Does it ride harsh?

 

[CanadianST]

Since you own a fiesta st can you comment on the ride quality and gas mileage you have seen from it? Does it ride harsh?

Gas milage is very good, if I baby it i get over 30mpg stock slightly less with the stage 3 tune I'm running now. Ride quality is definitely on the harsh side but it's nothing that would make me shy away from the car and roads are pretty bad here. My previous vehicle had stiff lowering springs and rode slightly less harsh but that's the price you pay for the amazing handling. I'd recommend test driving one If you can If you're really worried about the harsh ride.

 

[devin317317]

Yea I will definitely stop by a dealer and see if they will let me drive the cars. Looking fur the best dd that is also fun. Fiesta seems like it will do the job as long as ur isn't too harsh and if it is roomy enough.

 

[MKVIIST]

As a former Mini owner I would recommend anyone considering one to purchase something else. They are beautiful cars but are very problematic and very expensive to maintain. Both the FiST and FoST are a much better choices and since you're on a FiST forum you know which one we'll recommend lol.

 

[lowb35]

I can second the above poster as I'm also a former MINI owner. I had a Gen 1 R53 (one of the very early builds) and it was an 11 year old car. I loved that car. I LOVED that car. But as things were wearing out it was costing me a small fortune. Even though every time I had it in the shop I used that as an excuse to put more go fast bits in, it was spending more time in the shop than out these days. I also commute a lot due to a new job and can't afford to get stranded. It needed to go to someone who could do all the work themselves, not just some of it to maintain it properly.

I test drove subsequent MINI generations and they just didn't do it for me as much as I wanted to love them as much as I love mine. If there is a dealer or reputable MINI certified shop in your area it's not a bad choice as it is a premium car and the AWD version is designed for Dakar rallies and such, but if there isn't, I'd recommend something else.

The FiST doesn't make onlookers smile like my MINI still did after so many years... but driving it makes ME smile as much as my R53. And that was hard to do because, as I said, I loved driving that car until the very day I let it go. But it was old and it was time to move on.

 

[Justin D]

I have spent a fair amount of time driving a Countryman All4. IMO, It is not a fun car to drive like the FiST is. Sure the countryman is much quieter and comfortable, but when you are pushing it hard it feels sloppy. Tons of body roll due to the softer suspension, surprisingly vauge steering and 1st gear is WAY too tall in the car. It feels like im going to burn out the clutch Any time I do a hill start in that car. The countryman is a much more practical car and very good in the winter with snowtires on, but I'm glad I went with the FiST.

If your looking for low end torque, the FiST will be spectacular. You get all of your torque between 2000-4000 RPM. Its also not terrible in the winter with snow tires on.