3 months later - thoughts on '15 Fiesta ST

[jeff]

I've owned my car for 3 months now and put about 3,000 miles on it. I thought i'd share a few thoughts from the journey so far....

THE BAD
1. Getting in and out of the Recaros. The seats are amazing but egress isn't easy. Even my wife who is 107 lbs. has to fling herself out of the car. And my shoe scrapes on that door cup holder nearly every time, leaving a scuff. I clean that thing every 2 days.

2. Buzzes....there are a variety of buzzing noises coming from various areas. Some I have identified....the one in the dashboard is unfindable even with a stethoscope. It's not too loud and probably magnified by my RMM....but still it's annoying. I like a quiet car, but this is an econobox so that's that.

3. I still wish this car had come with homelink and a backup camera. HL was an easy fix, not so cheap the backup camera. Oh well.

4. Paint....this is the softest paint of about any car I've owned...you look at it the wrong way and you get very fine scuffs. Even just wiping a bug off with my finger causes scratches. Geez. Fortunately I clean/detail it every 2 weeks.

THE GOOD
Aside from all the things I expected and love (engine, shifter, heated Recaro seats, etc.) here are a few things that I've been surprised by:
1. Entry and exit lights - fade in and out just when you need them in the dark. Nice touch Ford.

2. Hill holder clutch - a pleasant surprise.

3. The radio/music fades, rather than turning off abruptly, when you leave the car or turn it off. Again, nice touch.

4. Radio again - the volume at speed feature - another unexpected convenience. You have to enable it on the menu, I discovered it by accident.

5. Push the turn signal gently and it clicks 3 times for passing.

6. The doors are surprisingly solid for an economy car-based vehicle.

7. The placement of the vents - I worked in the cold most of the winter....my getting in my car at the end of the day and having those vents blow perfectly on my two cold hands was a daily joy.

8. Rear hatch - even with the car locked, if I have the key on me, it automatically senses that and the trunk opens without unlocking, just grab the handle area and it's already unlocked. No key, it stays locked. Very nice touch again.

9. Easy to work on - I've wrenched for many years and I must say that this car is extremely easy to work on. I've done all my mods myself so far and have been very happy with how easy things are to take apart and reassemble so far. I was expecting the opposite with a brand new car but not so.

10. Probably the most amazing thing about this car is the input you get from the road - the car is so well balanced, the feedback is simply incredible and makes it a joy to drive despite not having the power of my previous cars.



OK that's all I can think of now. Here's to many more miles of happy ownership of this car.

 

[OffTheWall503]

I totally agree with the door scuff upon entering the car. I don't have the Recaros and even I have this issue. I have to angle in just right so my left foot doesn't graze the door panel.

The hill assist clutch feature is very nice. I also did not know about the turn signal trick. I'll have to try that soon.

 

[fist16]

Agree with the first statement of the bad list. I find this super annoying as well. Recaro/racing seats are always a challenge to go in and out of. There is just no way around it. It was exactly the same on my Evo X but at least me foot did not hit the cup holder. I am perfectly fine with flinging myself out for the sake of not sliding around when taking corners.

 

[Brura22]

Do you have the tri-coat paint?
My molten orange is like the best paint job ive ever had

 

[Sil3nt611]

Cup holder doesn't get in my way. I have the Recaros. The seats are a bit hard to get out of sometimes but I've gotten used to it and the seats are worth it.

With an upgraded RMM you will get some more vibrations. I was plenty happy with how not vibrate-y and silent the car was with the stock mount, and when I went to the COBB RMM I got a little interior vibrations, but it's nowhere near as bad as the vibrations I got from my 2003 Ford Escort ZX2 on stock mounts. That car was a vibration and buzzing noise monster. I had that car for 7 years and got used to it so anything less than that is completely acceptable to me. If you're looking for luxury quality interiors on what is based off an economy car, you probably made the wrong car choice. The interior on the Fiesta is miles ahead of the interior on the ZX2, and both cars were respectively the cheapest vehicles Ford offered for their given model year.

I don't want a backup camera for the simple fact that it adds the ugly sensors on the bumper cover. I rented a Focus once and it had a backup camera, but I preferred to actually look out the back window.

I tried my best with what I had available to keep from scratching the paint during car washes. I guess I still used an improper technique because I have plenty of tiny scratches you can see in the sun. I want to buff the car come summer to take that off and try again with a new approach. I already bought some new car wash stuff to try and keep the scratching while washing to a minimum.


Really my biggest complaint is that the Sync 3 system doesn't work correctly with either of my iPod Nanos or an iPhone 4 for playing music. I just want a device I can easily sync and leave in the car. The iPhone 4 is supposedly a supported device with Sync 3 and it works better than the iPods, but none of them work as well as they did with my previous aftermarket Pioneer unit in my old car. I also would have spent the money on a factory subwoofer if it was an option. I don't want to hack into the factory wires to get an aftermarket sub working though.

 

[jeff]

Do you have the tri-coat paint?
My molten orange is like the best paint job ive ever had

I'm not sure, was that a dealer add-on? I probably do not, this paint is soft.

Cup holder doesn't get in my way. I have the Recaros. The seats are a bit hard to get out of sometimes but I've gotten used to it and the seats are worth it.

With an upgraded RMM you will get some more vibrations. I was plenty happy with how not vibrate-y and silent the car was with the stock mount, and when I went to the COBB RMM I got a little interior vibrations, but it's nowhere near as bad as the vibrations I got from my 2003 Ford Escort ZX2 on stock mounts. That car was a vibration and buzzing noise monster. I had that car for 7 years and got used to it so anything less than that is completely acceptable to me. If you're looking for luxury quality interiors on what is based off an economy car, you probably made the wrong car choice. The interior on the Fiesta is miles ahead of the interior on the ZX2, and both cars were respectively the cheapest vehicles Ford offered for their given model year.

I don't want a backup camera for the simple fact that it adds the ugly sensors on the bumper cover. I rented a Focus once and it had a backup camera, but I preferred to actually look out the back window.

I tried my best with what I had available to keep from scratching the paint during car washes. I guess I still used an improper technique because I have plenty of tiny scratches you can see in the sun. I want to buff the car come summer to take that off and try again with a new approach. I already bought some new car wash stuff to try and keep the scratching while washing to a minimum.


Really my biggest complaint is that the Sync 3 system doesn't work correctly with either of my iPod Nanos or an iPhone 4 for playing music. I just want a device I can easily sync and leave in the car. The iPhone 4 is supposedly a supported device with Sync 3 and it works better than the iPods, but none of them work as well as they did with my previous aftermarket Pioneer unit in my old car. I also would have spent the money on a factory subwoofer if it was an option. I don't want to hack into the factory wires to get an aftermarket sub working though.

I was not looking for luxury interiors....I bought a Fiesta. But the rattles are bothersome. I had a 20 year old Corolla with 180,000 miles with less rattles than this.

Once you have a backup camera you realize how helpful they are. The shape of the Fiesta hatchback makes visibility difficult.

I use the Black Magic black car wax and it keeps my car looking brand new despite the paint issues.

 

[Brura22]

I'm not sure, was that a dealer add-on? I probably do not, this paint is soft.



I was not looking for luxury interiors....I bought a Fiesta. But the rattles are bothersome. I had a 20 year old Corolla with 180,000 miles with less rattles than this.

Once you have a backup camera you realize how helpful they are. The shape of the Fiesta hatchback makes visibility difficult.

I use the Black Magic black car wax and it keeps my car looking brand new despite the paint issues.

What color is your car.
The molten orange and platinum white are 700 dollar tri-coat metalic paints

 

[Sil3nt611]

What color is your car.
The molten orange and platinum white are 700 dollar tri-coat metalic paints

His signature says it's black. Black will show imperfections like no other color. It's the most difficult to paint and keep clean.


As for vibrations and rattles I had zero before I added the COBB RMM at a little after 4k miles. I can't say I have any rattles, there's just a slight vibration at idle for me. I'm currently at 6300 miles so about 2k miles on the RMM. The car in stock form was dead still and quiet at idle for me. It threw me off because I couldn't hear or feel anything so it seemed as if the engine shut off. I really only started getting vibrations at idle when I added the RMM, which was to be expected. If I get any noises while driving I guess I simply don't notice.

 

[Gone in 60]

I agree with all that you've said. I was leaning toward a dark color, but seeing some dark Fists with miles on them made me choose white, and I had a clear bra installed. I loved the Recaros in the showroom, but opted not to get them, thinking of getting in and out, and my wife groused about them. Money saved and happy wife.

I'm a stickler for keeping interior plastics looking good. I got some black adhesive shelf paper at Home Depot and cut some pieces to go around the cup holder "bump" in the door. If I kick it it saves a scuff, although a good kick knocks off my protector. It's a good "visual deterrent" to my wife not to kick her side too.

Rattles? Yeah, especially after adding the RMM. More rattles in cold weather, not so much when it's warm. But, the driving experience is worth it by far!

 

[jayrod1980]

Excellent idea with the shelf paper! I have attempted helicopter tape on mine to protect from kick scratches but it won't adhere well on curved textured plastic. The tape is basically like your clear bra or wet apply phone screen protectors.

I have to second how good the tri-coat paints are. My wife's flex ecoboost still looks great and not swirly after 5 years of White Platinum, so I sprung for it rather than the Molten tri-coat or magnetic metallic. My favorite color is orange but I live in the desert and white holds up better with scratches. I went all out though on protection for my car. The entire front end, headlights, hood, and side mirrors are covered in Xpel "clear bra." The shop that did it also put on this ceramic coating stuff too to protect from UV and to make it easier to clean. It cost a fortune but I like it better than the venture shield clear bra I used on my wife's car. So far I have only one tiny nick in the hood where the Xpel protected the paint.

Where I have issue with the car is the wheels. I have Rally Armor flaps and still get nicks in the wheels. Thankfully they still look amazing when dirty, but since the wheels have a black base underneath, I would have sprung for black wheels in hindsight.

I really wish the car had a back up camera and wish the interior had some more padded pieces, but the car is awesome otherwise.

I'm so anal on taking care of my car and have already replaced the pull handle cover inside the car due to the dealership scratching it. The Recaros worry me too. I already have a light wear mark on the bolster ridge from only a week of wearing my uniform pants and nylon uniform belt (military). So now I just change at work.

Performance wise the car is awesome! It truly is the most fun car I've owned. I put about 20k miles on my brother's old Evo 8 back in the day and this is just as fun.

Only bummer for me is that I put too many miles commuting in it.

 

[FistSt215]

His signature says it's black. Black will show imperfections like no other color. It's the most difficult to paint and keep clean.


As for vibrations and rattles I had zero before I added the COBB RMM at a little after 4k miles. I can't say I have any rattles, there's just a slight vibration at idle for me. I'm currently at 6300 miles so about 2k miles on the RMM. The car in stock form was dead still and quiet at idle for me. It threw me off because I couldn't hear or feel anything so it seemed as if the engine shut off. I really only started getting vibrations at idle when I added the RMM, which was to be expected. If I get any noises while driving I guess I simply don't notice.

Tell me about spent 2hrs washing the car , Windows wheels and cleaning these green sparcos . Never again will I get bright color wheels lol.

 

[Vanilla2]

Mud flaps are an absolute necessity.