Hi all, thought I'd post some comments and observations as a new owner of a 2016 Fiesta ST. These are things I've noticed that I think would be helpful to know for somebody considering one of these cars. For perspective, I am a middle aged male in the US. The Fiesta ST is not my only car. I've owned many cars (more than 30) over the years, and always seek something fun or unusual, must have some personality. I like fast cars, but I've had fun cars that are not fast (FRS and a TDI for example). The Fiesta will be my DD winter car. My DD summer car cost ~4x as much and has ~3x the power, but is not 3 or 4 times the fun. This is my first Ford though!
My Fiesta does not have Recaros. I test drove a Fiesta with the Recaros and found them OK. The base seats for me are also OK. I have had a few cars with Recaro seats and generally like them, but for the Fiesta I personally don't think they are worth the $2k cost. That's nearly 10% the cost of the entire car. The Recaros do look great, but that doesn't make them worth the cost to me. The base seats are actually fairly comfortable and adjustable. The base seat in the ST DOES have a lumbar adjustment, although it is only a two position option.
My car has the factory optional Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 tires. I specifically wanted a car with the AS tires, as this will be my primary winter driver. I realize AS tires are a compromise all around, but I'm willing to trade ultimate dry summer traction and ultimate snow/ice tire traction to have a little of both. The advantage of being able to safely drive in temps below 40F is much more important to me than being able to plow through snow drifts with dedicated snows or pull 1.1G corners with high performance summer tires (I have those on my summer DD anyway). In my area, we get some snow but I don't expect to be driving through heavy snow. We do get cold temps though, so that's a must. Lastly, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 tires are VERY good all season tires. I am frankly amazed at how far tire technology has improved in recent years. This is true for high performance summer and snow tires also, but a good AS tire today is not as much of a compromise as it was 10 or even 5 years ago.
I did get the nav and sunroof options. I like them both. The nav seems to work reasonably quickly and works well with voice commands. I have no experience with Sync prior to this car, so all i can say is it seems to work well in this car. The factory stereo really sucks though. The tone is awful, very flat and I can't seem to make it sound much better with any of the sound settings. I'm no audiophile, but this is one of the worst sounding OEM systems I've encountered. Odd because Sync seems pretty good. I am anxiously awaiting the Android Auto release - fingers crossed it will actually be available someday. The sunroof can be wide open and has an acceptable level of wind noise.
This car has more torque steer than I like. Second gear can be dangerous if on any kind of crown or uneven surface. I don't know how those of you with power upgrades manage this. This is the biggest knock I can give the car right now. Speaking of power, I find the car has plenty to make it fun in stock form. I have no intentions of doing any power mods. For me, this car fits its intended purpose just right with stock power levels (that is, I intend to use it as a daily street commuter - no track time).
According to the shipping manifest from my dealer, my car weighs 2643 pounds. That seems light according to the specs I've seen. I am assuming that is with oil/coolant but probably only a gallon of gas or so. Has anybody actually weighed their car to find out precise weight?
The seating position is OK. I am 6'1" and with the driver seat in a comfortable position I find I am sitting far enough back that my left elbow has to move forward to use the front door arm rest. It is a little awkward but not terrible. Overall I find it a comfortable small car.
Compared to other similarly powered cars I've owned, such as FRS and S2000, I find the Fiesta as engaging but in a different way. Those other cars are focused bespoke sports cars, fit for the purpose of being a good sports car. The Fiesta is first a practical small hatchback that has been improved upon in ST form. The Fiesta is a very fun car, and engaging, but feels very different to me than a similarly powered and sized dedicated RWD sports car. That should be no surprise, but thought it worth mentioning for somebody comparing that class of car. If I wanted a track day car or focused canyon carver, I would prefer FRS/S2000/Miata. Fiesta offers much more practicality with similar 'fun' levels though.
One last thing - my car has the standard gray rado wheels and silver calipers. I've seen other 16s with the same gray wheels but red calipers, and I think red calipers were standard in earlier years? Does anybody know the story with which cars get what color brakes? Thanks
My Fiesta does not have Recaros. I test drove a Fiesta with the Recaros and found them OK. The base seats for me are also OK. I have had a few cars with Recaro seats and generally like them, but for the Fiesta I personally don't think they are worth the $2k cost. That's nearly 10% the cost of the entire car. The Recaros do look great, but that doesn't make them worth the cost to me. The base seats are actually fairly comfortable and adjustable. The base seat in the ST DOES have a lumbar adjustment, although it is only a two position option.
My car has the factory optional Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 tires. I specifically wanted a car with the AS tires, as this will be my primary winter driver. I realize AS tires are a compromise all around, but I'm willing to trade ultimate dry summer traction and ultimate snow/ice tire traction to have a little of both. The advantage of being able to safely drive in temps below 40F is much more important to me than being able to plow through snow drifts with dedicated snows or pull 1.1G corners with high performance summer tires (I have those on my summer DD anyway). In my area, we get some snow but I don't expect to be driving through heavy snow. We do get cold temps though, so that's a must. Lastly, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 tires are VERY good all season tires. I am frankly amazed at how far tire technology has improved in recent years. This is true for high performance summer and snow tires also, but a good AS tire today is not as much of a compromise as it was 10 or even 5 years ago.
I did get the nav and sunroof options. I like them both. The nav seems to work reasonably quickly and works well with voice commands. I have no experience with Sync prior to this car, so all i can say is it seems to work well in this car. The factory stereo really sucks though. The tone is awful, very flat and I can't seem to make it sound much better with any of the sound settings. I'm no audiophile, but this is one of the worst sounding OEM systems I've encountered. Odd because Sync seems pretty good. I am anxiously awaiting the Android Auto release - fingers crossed it will actually be available someday. The sunroof can be wide open and has an acceptable level of wind noise.
This car has more torque steer than I like. Second gear can be dangerous if on any kind of crown or uneven surface. I don't know how those of you with power upgrades manage this. This is the biggest knock I can give the car right now. Speaking of power, I find the car has plenty to make it fun in stock form. I have no intentions of doing any power mods. For me, this car fits its intended purpose just right with stock power levels (that is, I intend to use it as a daily street commuter - no track time).
According to the shipping manifest from my dealer, my car weighs 2643 pounds. That seems light according to the specs I've seen. I am assuming that is with oil/coolant but probably only a gallon of gas or so. Has anybody actually weighed their car to find out precise weight?
The seating position is OK. I am 6'1" and with the driver seat in a comfortable position I find I am sitting far enough back that my left elbow has to move forward to use the front door arm rest. It is a little awkward but not terrible. Overall I find it a comfortable small car.
Compared to other similarly powered cars I've owned, such as FRS and S2000, I find the Fiesta as engaging but in a different way. Those other cars are focused bespoke sports cars, fit for the purpose of being a good sports car. The Fiesta is first a practical small hatchback that has been improved upon in ST form. The Fiesta is a very fun car, and engaging, but feels very different to me than a similarly powered and sized dedicated RWD sports car. That should be no surprise, but thought it worth mentioning for somebody comparing that class of car. If I wanted a track day car or focused canyon carver, I would prefer FRS/S2000/Miata. Fiesta offers much more practicality with similar 'fun' levels though.
One last thing - my car has the standard gray rado wheels and silver calipers. I've seen other 16s with the same gray wheels but red calipers, and I think red calipers were standard in earlier years? Does anybody know the story with which cars get what color brakes? Thanks
![[wink]](/images/smilies/wink.gif "Wink [wink]")
![[twothumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_twothumbs.gif "Two Thumbs [twothumb]"){kind=icon}
I got on mine today and I was thinking the same thing about the torque steer. Mine is a lease and I am thinking about purchasing this car when it comes time to turn her back in. This is by far one of the funnest cars I have ever had.![[dunno]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_dunno.gif "Dunno [dunno]"){kind=icon}
