Fiesta ST review 051016
The Fiesta ST is the second new car that I’ve bought for my own use. The first was a 2007 Honda Fit, which had the distinction of being the best car I’ve ever owned. Nine years ago, it was the subcompact darling of the Automotive Journalism Set, and the current version still shines, but the Fit has grown bigger over the years. My Fit is noticeably more agile and responsive than my dad’s 2012, but also less refined. Anyhow, I thought I’d write a review comparing the two cars, and in that way repay the great service other owners have provided for me with their reviews of the ST. Their insights made all the difference.
I always thought the Fit could use about 50 more horsepower than the 109 it came with. The ST solves this problem in spades, with 88 extra HP and over twice the torque under most circumstances. It takes a few moments for the turbo to spin up, but when it does it is extremely entertaining in the lower gears. Several people have reported passing in top gear at highway speeds, but it’s a lot more fun to drop down a few gears and fly by with authority. The powerband really starts at about 2000 rpm; below about 1800 the engine gets unhappy unless you’re just drifting along. Still, it’s a small car with a small engine, and performance drops off quickly as you add passengers. In contrast the Fit has a low torque, high revving engine that’s nevertheless surprisingly responsive off the line. It really needs those revs to perform, though.
The saving grace of the Fit is an extremely responsive, tightly integrated automatic transmission that will downshift at the drop of a hat. This gets you into the 3500+ rpm range frequently, which is where it does its best work. The ST doesn’t need any of that. On backroads, keeping the rpm between 2000-2500 while cruising provides plenty of torque for curves, hills, etc, and it gets more entertaining the further up the register you go. We frequently climb Monteagle Mountain on Tennessee’s I-24, which the ST will do in top gear without batting an eye. The Fit has to be put in 4th gear and kept there, although it will go up with aplomb under those circumstances. I also often have to resort to 4th climbing lesser interstate grades in the Fit, or put up with it shifting back and forth annoyingly.
The ST’s 6 speed manual is a joy to use, very slick, with an easy to modulate clutch. The hill holder function works very well, and reminds me of a mechanical version we had on an 80’s model Subaru. The gear ratios are ideal for my needs, with a very low 1st gear, a very tall 6th gear, and excellent spacing in between. In use it reminds me of a 6 speed Kawasaki KLX I used to own. 3rd, 4th, and 5th get a workout on the backroads. 6th provides quiet cruising and fuel economy. We have a 1000 yard driveway that includes a 20+% grade, which makes the low first gear very handy. I do find that the ST likes to be around 2000 rpm on that steep grade.
While both cars aspire to great handling, the ST takes it a lot more seriously (in its defense, the Fit’s shocks have 170,000 miles on them and could use replacement). I’m no race car driver, but I love to push a car toward its limits. The Fit is very nimble and predictable, but the predictability amounts to ratcheting up understeer. It is too old to have stability control like the newer models. The ST has a lot more dimension, and has an almost magical ability to play both sides of the neutrality fence. Going into a turn, she is very neutral, with maybe a little oversteer if you’re trailing the brakes. When you punch it at the apex, boom! the front end takes charge and off you go wherever you point the wheels. She has scads of grip, too, which is very entertaining when you’re accelerating out of a corner. A few times, in longer sweeping turns, I’ve found myself playing the throttle, on=understeer, off=oversteer, with the transition being very linear and controllable. The outcome of all this is great fun at safe and reasonable speeds, on a platform that cultivates skill improvement. Holy crap, what a car! No wonder guys are willing to trade down from Audis and BMWs, the ST is just amazing.
The other aspects of handling are on par too. Whereas the Fit has super quick steering, the feel is very light and numb, which is nerve racking until you get a lot of practice-look over your shoulder and you may find yourself changing lanes. The ST’s steering is plenty quick, but the steering effort is much higher, which makes all the difference. Steering is steady, and has comparatively more feel (if you really want to know what true feel is like, get behind the wheel of a vintage MG Midget or Triumph Spitfire). The brakes are excellent, and easy to modulate. My size 12 feet suck at heel and toeing, but I think I will be able to learn how to do so in this car. By comparison, the Fit is just average, plus mine is an automatic. I did develop the ability to left foot brake, which helped a lot in cornering transitions, but the two cars really aren’t in the same league.
Of course, there’s more to a car than just driving it. Really! Getting inside the Fit is a bit like stepping into a Harry Potter tent: There’s an amazing amount of room for its size. The fuel tank is under the front seats, which allow the back seats to fold up like the jump seats of a truck, and fold dead flat for lots of cargo room. The back seats have adult quantities of leg room even with the front seats all the way back. My family of four took several multiday vacations in the Fit, albeit with very careful packing. The front seats are full size, and provide plenty of support for spirited driving. They don’t provide as much leg room as I’d prefer, but they suffice, and I’m 6’3”. Controls are simple and intuitive. There’s no infotainment besides a cd/radio, but it is a 2007. The Fit does have F1 style clicky shifters and a sport setting on the transmission which allows you to shift manually.
The ST is a little smaller on the outside, especially in height, and a lot smaller inside, especially in the back. The front seats have abundant leg room, and the driver’s seat has a height adjustment (a necessity for more foot room in the back seat). Front seating feels less spacious but more connected, like a cockpit. The seatbacks are obviously sized for people shorter than me, but are not uncomfortable. The seat bottoms are very comfortable, and have plenty of bolstering support as well as a grippy fabric material. No, I didn’t get the uber Recaros, mainly because I’m a cheapskate. All the controls fall readily to hand for me, including the shifter. I’ve got the seat so far back, though, that using the window sill as an arm rest really isn’t comfortable, which is too bad. Some of the controls seem plasticy and cheap, but they all work well so I don’t really care. Rear seating is really tight, but set up as it is now a person my size (170#) could sit comfortably behind the front passenger seat, and could even tolerate a quick trip behind the driver (to put things in perspective, my dad once got himself and 4 other Airmen to town in a Triumph Spitfire, with the top UP. At least, that’s what he tells me). The middle back seat is for kids only I’d say. With the seats down, the ST has maybe half the space the Fit has, but I can but a bicycle back there easily enough if I take the wheels off. The floor cover in the hatch has two positions; the top position allows a lot of storage underneath for tools and miscellaneous “just in case” gear. I keep my gym bag under it too.
The infotainment system is the first one I’ve ever used. I must say I like it, especially the voice command function and the seamless Bluetooth connectivity with my Android phone. Mine came with the onboard Navigation system. The destination setting can be a bit cumbersome, but otherwise it works very well.
The cars are virtually even in terms of fuel economy. I almost always got 32-34mpg in the Fit, with a few trips at 40mpg when conditions were apparently perfect. There’s about 2000 miles on the ST so far, and it’s gotten 32-34mpg. The onboard instantaneous and average mpg readouts make playing the mileage game pretty entertaining when the spirit moves me, and I can get an indicated average of 40mpg with some effort. Those efforts don’t last very long, though, the engine is just too much fun to indulge in. There’s an automatic shift indicator that encourages very early shifts, but my observation is that the engine is much happier staying in its torque band above 2000 rpm, and mileage in that range is at least as good.
The one big wild card that remains is reliability. The Honda was amazing, I had exactly one problem in 9 years and 170,000 miles of driving, a sticking transmission solenoid that was easily remedied. The Ford is a lot more complicated and has a much lower reputation for reliability. So far, though, it has been excellent with the exception of poor thermostatically controlled cabin temperature. I researched the problem online (thanks guys), made an appointment with the dealer for the software update, and got the problem resolved in an hour. Otherwise, so far, so good.
The Honda Fit is an awfully nice, nimble, entertaining small car. The prudent thing to do would have been to put another 170,000 miles on it. You know what? I have zero regrets. The Fiest ST is easily the most fun car I’ve ever driven, let alone owned. If you like to drive, and especially if you need the utility of a gas thrifty hatchback, there’s nothing like it that I know of. Carpe Diem, you only live once!
The Fiesta ST is the second new car that I’ve bought for my own use. The first was a 2007 Honda Fit, which had the distinction of being the best car I’ve ever owned. Nine years ago, it was the subcompact darling of the Automotive Journalism Set, and the current version still shines, but the Fit has grown bigger over the years. My Fit is noticeably more agile and responsive than my dad’s 2012, but also less refined. Anyhow, I thought I’d write a review comparing the two cars, and in that way repay the great service other owners have provided for me with their reviews of the ST. Their insights made all the difference.
I always thought the Fit could use about 50 more horsepower than the 109 it came with. The ST solves this problem in spades, with 88 extra HP and over twice the torque under most circumstances. It takes a few moments for the turbo to spin up, but when it does it is extremely entertaining in the lower gears. Several people have reported passing in top gear at highway speeds, but it’s a lot more fun to drop down a few gears and fly by with authority. The powerband really starts at about 2000 rpm; below about 1800 the engine gets unhappy unless you’re just drifting along. Still, it’s a small car with a small engine, and performance drops off quickly as you add passengers. In contrast the Fit has a low torque, high revving engine that’s nevertheless surprisingly responsive off the line. It really needs those revs to perform, though.
The saving grace of the Fit is an extremely responsive, tightly integrated automatic transmission that will downshift at the drop of a hat. This gets you into the 3500+ rpm range frequently, which is where it does its best work. The ST doesn’t need any of that. On backroads, keeping the rpm between 2000-2500 while cruising provides plenty of torque for curves, hills, etc, and it gets more entertaining the further up the register you go. We frequently climb Monteagle Mountain on Tennessee’s I-24, which the ST will do in top gear without batting an eye. The Fit has to be put in 4th gear and kept there, although it will go up with aplomb under those circumstances. I also often have to resort to 4th climbing lesser interstate grades in the Fit, or put up with it shifting back and forth annoyingly.
The ST’s 6 speed manual is a joy to use, very slick, with an easy to modulate clutch. The hill holder function works very well, and reminds me of a mechanical version we had on an 80’s model Subaru. The gear ratios are ideal for my needs, with a very low 1st gear, a very tall 6th gear, and excellent spacing in between. In use it reminds me of a 6 speed Kawasaki KLX I used to own. 3rd, 4th, and 5th get a workout on the backroads. 6th provides quiet cruising and fuel economy. We have a 1000 yard driveway that includes a 20+% grade, which makes the low first gear very handy. I do find that the ST likes to be around 2000 rpm on that steep grade.
While both cars aspire to great handling, the ST takes it a lot more seriously (in its defense, the Fit’s shocks have 170,000 miles on them and could use replacement). I’m no race car driver, but I love to push a car toward its limits. The Fit is very nimble and predictable, but the predictability amounts to ratcheting up understeer. It is too old to have stability control like the newer models. The ST has a lot more dimension, and has an almost magical ability to play both sides of the neutrality fence. Going into a turn, she is very neutral, with maybe a little oversteer if you’re trailing the brakes. When you punch it at the apex, boom! the front end takes charge and off you go wherever you point the wheels. She has scads of grip, too, which is very entertaining when you’re accelerating out of a corner. A few times, in longer sweeping turns, I’ve found myself playing the throttle, on=understeer, off=oversteer, with the transition being very linear and controllable. The outcome of all this is great fun at safe and reasonable speeds, on a platform that cultivates skill improvement. Holy crap, what a car! No wonder guys are willing to trade down from Audis and BMWs, the ST is just amazing.
The other aspects of handling are on par too. Whereas the Fit has super quick steering, the feel is very light and numb, which is nerve racking until you get a lot of practice-look over your shoulder and you may find yourself changing lanes. The ST’s steering is plenty quick, but the steering effort is much higher, which makes all the difference. Steering is steady, and has comparatively more feel (if you really want to know what true feel is like, get behind the wheel of a vintage MG Midget or Triumph Spitfire). The brakes are excellent, and easy to modulate. My size 12 feet suck at heel and toeing, but I think I will be able to learn how to do so in this car. By comparison, the Fit is just average, plus mine is an automatic. I did develop the ability to left foot brake, which helped a lot in cornering transitions, but the two cars really aren’t in the same league.
Of course, there’s more to a car than just driving it. Really! Getting inside the Fit is a bit like stepping into a Harry Potter tent: There’s an amazing amount of room for its size. The fuel tank is under the front seats, which allow the back seats to fold up like the jump seats of a truck, and fold dead flat for lots of cargo room. The back seats have adult quantities of leg room even with the front seats all the way back. My family of four took several multiday vacations in the Fit, albeit with very careful packing. The front seats are full size, and provide plenty of support for spirited driving. They don’t provide as much leg room as I’d prefer, but they suffice, and I’m 6’3”. Controls are simple and intuitive. There’s no infotainment besides a cd/radio, but it is a 2007. The Fit does have F1 style clicky shifters and a sport setting on the transmission which allows you to shift manually.
The ST is a little smaller on the outside, especially in height, and a lot smaller inside, especially in the back. The front seats have abundant leg room, and the driver’s seat has a height adjustment (a necessity for more foot room in the back seat). Front seating feels less spacious but more connected, like a cockpit. The seatbacks are obviously sized for people shorter than me, but are not uncomfortable. The seat bottoms are very comfortable, and have plenty of bolstering support as well as a grippy fabric material. No, I didn’t get the uber Recaros, mainly because I’m a cheapskate. All the controls fall readily to hand for me, including the shifter. I’ve got the seat so far back, though, that using the window sill as an arm rest really isn’t comfortable, which is too bad. Some of the controls seem plasticy and cheap, but they all work well so I don’t really care. Rear seating is really tight, but set up as it is now a person my size (170#) could sit comfortably behind the front passenger seat, and could even tolerate a quick trip behind the driver (to put things in perspective, my dad once got himself and 4 other Airmen to town in a Triumph Spitfire, with the top UP. At least, that’s what he tells me). The middle back seat is for kids only I’d say. With the seats down, the ST has maybe half the space the Fit has, but I can but a bicycle back there easily enough if I take the wheels off. The floor cover in the hatch has two positions; the top position allows a lot of storage underneath for tools and miscellaneous “just in case” gear. I keep my gym bag under it too.
The infotainment system is the first one I’ve ever used. I must say I like it, especially the voice command function and the seamless Bluetooth connectivity with my Android phone. Mine came with the onboard Navigation system. The destination setting can be a bit cumbersome, but otherwise it works very well.
The cars are virtually even in terms of fuel economy. I almost always got 32-34mpg in the Fit, with a few trips at 40mpg when conditions were apparently perfect. There’s about 2000 miles on the ST so far, and it’s gotten 32-34mpg. The onboard instantaneous and average mpg readouts make playing the mileage game pretty entertaining when the spirit moves me, and I can get an indicated average of 40mpg with some effort. Those efforts don’t last very long, though, the engine is just too much fun to indulge in. There’s an automatic shift indicator that encourages very early shifts, but my observation is that the engine is much happier staying in its torque band above 2000 rpm, and mileage in that range is at least as good.
The one big wild card that remains is reliability. The Honda was amazing, I had exactly one problem in 9 years and 170,000 miles of driving, a sticking transmission solenoid that was easily remedied. The Ford is a lot more complicated and has a much lower reputation for reliability. So far, though, it has been excellent with the exception of poor thermostatically controlled cabin temperature. I researched the problem online (thanks guys), made an appointment with the dealer for the software update, and got the problem resolved in an hour. Otherwise, so far, so good.
The Honda Fit is an awfully nice, nimble, entertaining small car. The prudent thing to do would have been to put another 170,000 miles on it. You know what? I have zero regrets. The Fiest ST is easily the most fun car I’ve ever driven, let alone owned. If you like to drive, and especially if you need the utility of a gas thrifty hatchback, there’s nothing like it that I know of. Carpe Diem, you only live once!