FiST vs FoST: Official verdict from an enthusiast and owner of both.

[praecurvo]

Ok,

First of all, this is obviously my opinion. If you disagree, let's please keep it civil, but do not expect a response from me.

The FoST was let go and the FiST was purchased in its place.

Also, all references below are made to both cars in Sport Mode, stock (recall installed eFocus rmm), with attention to tire pressures. Fully loaded FiST, IS with Molten Orange Reacaro's. ST3 FoST OW moonroof delete.

Eventually, I threw on FRPP Springs with Bilstein Dampers and a Cobb RSB on the FoST. Also had a Cobb short shift bracket on the FoST. I'll obviously have to do the comparo stock for stock.


-Exterior Looks: FiST
The FiST simply looks more aggressive and purpose-built. The FoST still looks like a nicer Focus.
-Interior: FoST
This was a close one. The FiST is certainly mort punchy and juvenile with the Molten Orange Recaro's compared to the full leather Recaro's in the FoST. Also, the FoST feels like I'm more tucked inside with a lower seating position and in turn, higher door sills.
-Convenience/Comfort: FoST
Easy. One touch moonroof, one touch all four windows, 5 heated seat settings. Much nicer climate control setup. Also the ride in the FoST was a bit smoother due to the longer wheelbase and slightly softer suspension tuning.
-Handeling: FiST
The FoST is amazing in this space. It even powers out of the turns more like a rwd car with its eLSD and torque vectoring. However, the FiST provides a connection to the road as close to a Lotus Elise you can get for a fwd. I'd also say the limits for the FoST are a bit higher, but again, the FiST just does what you tell it to do and rewards the driver so much more than the latter.
-High Speed Stability: FiST
I had a difficult time believing this as well. For some reason, the FiST at 100 mph is far more stable and less floaty than the FoST.
-Sony Stereo: FiST
Another close call. Sure the FoST has the trunk sub, but the clarity is muddy. Not that the FiST is really much better, but to my ears it is.
-Headlights: FiST
Huh? The FoST had OEM HID's, right? Yes, but they are awful. The halogens in the FiST exceed the FoST HID's by at least 2 fold. However, I'd really like a projector lens system with LED DRL's similar to those on the euro-FiST. This car deserves to look more menacing coming from behind.
-Engine Sound: FiST
FiST hands down. Raspy and aggressive with just the right amount of vibration.
-Transmission: FiST
The FoST felt like I was rowing a boat going through the gears. Also, I can hear the FiST's transmission in a way that engages me more to the sheer love of driving. It's so much easier to rev-match in the FiST.
-Engine: FiST
Another close one. The FoST's 2.0T was buttery smooth whereas the 1.6T is more aggressive and rough. However, the 1.6T's power band is closer to what I look for in my "Daddy's car." Where the FoST bumps HARD with a surge of low end torque, the FiST seems to want to be strung out to it's limit more readily.
-Fuel Economy: FiST
Surprised?
-Interior Noise: FoST
Although the FoST is more isolated, the FiST transmits a small amount of road noise for how light it is. I believe it was the stock Goodyear F1's on the FoST the increased it road noise to levels I believe were too loud for the car. I believe a quieter set of tires on the FoST would increase this gap by a considerable amount.
-At The Limit: FiST
Ultimately, this is what drove me stop switch to a FiST. I AutoX maybe 3 times a year and if I get to the track once a year, it's a good one. Auto crossing the FoST, I'd lay down on e46 M3's and other cars that on a racetrack, would've put a hurtin' on me. However, every other day I drive on the streets, the FiST gets me there almost once a day without the major potential for trouble.

If you have more categories to add, I'll fill them in.

In the end, with the size, aggressive looks, and overall driver engagement of the FiST, the switch wasn't as difficult as some might think. We have another nice family car which is quiet, refined, and pretty damn quick. I simply don't need the extra fluff (500lbs) in the FoST.

My wife and I both LOVE this car. I expect a few mods in the coming future and will enjoy this forum and those of you contributing to its success as much as any of my other rides in the past.

 

[frankiefiesta]

Good read! Makes me feel good about my decision. All of my friends kept saying get the fost "it's faster, it looks better"

I knew the fist had better handling characteristics and is light weight compared to the fost. I bought what I wanted in the end

 

[ManOnFire]

Never owned a FoST but test drove one before I test drove the FiST. I would agree with most of what was posted and add visibility to the list. One reason I bought the Fist was I could not see out of the FoST well with the wide b pillars combined with my seat position. Major reasons were the fun factor and gas mileage.

 

[dyn085]

First of all, this is obviously my opinion. If you disagree, let's please keep it civil, but do not expect a response from me.

Being an owner of both (but at the same time), I actually disagree with a lot of your overall thoughts/impressions. However, with that being said, it's exactly the reason that I always tell people that are looking to try and test-drive both. Both cars are very similar yet the characteristics are drastically different. What appeals to one person may not appeal to others, and what fits one person well doesn't necessarily fit another.

I've posted this ad-nauseam, but my general opinion in your format-

-Exterior Looks: FoST
The FiST isn't a bad-looking car, but due to its shorter wheelbase and higher roofline the overall ratios look wrong to me-it looks top-heavy, as though it will tip over with a strong wind. Rollover-risks eliminating the base-model and videos of the FiST on two-wheels at the track kind of substantiate my opinion. Personal opinion though, obviously.

-Interior: FoST
Definitely agree. Besides the higher-quality, they didn't even skimp on LED's in the interior/license plate...

-Convenience/Comfort: FoST
Again, definitely agree. Given very similar price-points (after incentives, of course), the ride in the FoST is substantially better. My FiST rides comparably to my last slammed Focus, and that's not necessarily a good thing on the highway.

-Handling: FoST
While I agree with your opinion of the improved feel, it doesn't change the fact that the FoST out-performs the FiST in every category except braking. Feeling fast and being fast are, in fact, two different things.

-High Speed Stability: FoST
I have a tough time believing anyone would think the high-speed handling is better in the FiST. Bedding my brakes the day after the purchase of the FoST (day of in the FiST) was my first eye-opener to the squirrelly-nature of the 'light in the rear' handling of the FiST due to its over-sprung suspension. Some datalogging on a not-so-perfect road almost resulted in the loss of my FiST, and others have echoed that concern in the time I've been on the FiST forums.

-Sony Stereo: FoST
Kind of torn here. I agree with the lack of clarity in the FoST, but the overall depth of sound and addition of a sub put me on the side of the FoST. Personal opinion though, I definitely don't claim to be an audiophile.

-Headlights: FoST
No way that I would place the OEM FiST lights over the FoST HID's-one of the very first things I had to do in the FiST was install ZXE's. With that being said, the correct comparison between models is actually the ST2, which does not have HID's. That would essentially make them even.

-Engine Sound: FiST
I'm going to agree, but only with the caveat of altering the symposer with some more foam in the FiST. Prior to doing that it was seriously aggravating to me due to the resonance that made everything rattle in my car. I actually really liked the sound of the symposer in the, I just prefer the altered symposer in the FiST. Again, personal opinion.

-Transmission: FiST
All day, every day. Not even a close comparison.

-Engine: FoST
More power, more torque, more consistent, less lag.

-Fuel Economy: FiST
Not surprising.

-Interior Noise: FoST
Agree fully.

-At The Limit: FoST
I can't give an accurate opinion due to the fact that my cars are DD's and are rarely ever 'at the limit', but I can assuredly say that the limits I am able to set are higher in the FoST. The FiST is definitely more communicative as to where the limits are though.

And despite me not agreeing and/or making it seem like the FoST is the overall 'better' car, I also need to note that I almost always prefer driving the FiST. My FiST has 2k miles more than the FoST, despite being three weeks newer, and it wouldn't even be that close had I not recently done a bunch of work to the FoST that requires a bunch of driving. For me, the only time I really care to drive the FoST is either shopping for groceries, when the whole family is in the car, or for any extended highway/interstate driving.

My gf could care less about driving the FiST, so it further drives home the point that despite being similar they each suit very different drivers. For someone that only cars about statistics or how the car performs on paper the choice should be FoST every time, but for those that prefer to drive and feel 'connected' to the car it should be a resounding FiST choice.

Source-

 

[FerdFiesty]

Ooh, I want in on this! I have a FiST, and my fiancee has a FoST. I also spent a decent amount of time with FoSTs when I was working for Ford Racing. I agree with some of the things mentioned..

-Interior: FoST
Better steering wheel, slightly less plastic-y, etc... also the MFT screen is larger (and I'll be honest, I actually like MFT. I've never had any major issues with it).

-Convenience/Comfort: FoST
The ride is definitely better on the FoST, no question on that. Plus it's a bit larger which is helpful. I can fit two bikes in the back of the FoST since the seats fold all the way flat, whereas it's much more of a struggle in the FiST. Also, when I bought my new gas grill for my home, I couldn't fit the box in the FiST... had to come back with the FoST.

-Handling: FiST
I like the handling better on the FiST. I haven't done any track days with the FoST, and I've only done one with the FiST but.... I think the Fiesta feels tighter.

-High Speed Stability: FoST
I can't comment on 100+ mph, but even at 70-75 my FiST seems to get buffeted by the wind more than the FoST.

-Sony Stereo: n/a
Meh, I'm not an audiophile. They're both OK to me.

-Headlights: FoST
OEM HID's are significantly better, this isn't even a question. The halogens in the FiST (not even projectors!!) are fine, but nowhere near the output of the OEM HID's on the FoST.

-Engine Sound: FiST
100% FiST here. It definitely sound more aggressive and raw, whereas the FoST is quiet and sounds more refined. For a hot hatch, I'll take aggressive and raw any day. However, it should be noted that my fiancee likes the quietness of the FoST more...

-Transmission: FiST
They're similar, but the FiST feels just a tad bit more crisp.

-Engine: FoST
FoST, no question. The FiST simply has way too much lag when driving around town, and the revs take much too long to drop when shifting (specifically first to second gear). The FiST feels quick, but the FoST feels fast.

-Fuel Economy: FiST
Not surprising.

-Interior Noise: FoST
The FiST isn't bad by any means, but again the FoST just sounds a bit more refined.

-At The Limit: n/a
I can't say I've really hit the limit much on either car. The FiST is my DD, and the FoST is the fiancee's DD. However, I did get to sit in the passenger seat of a FoST on a racetrack, and it was very, very quick (in the right hands).

EDIT: Oh yes, of course the family picture

 

[praecurvo]

I LOVE the Red and Green FiST's. I chose Silver for ease of early trade in over Green, both with exact same options. And to think I refered to myself as an enthusiast...

 

[BooSTedsloth]

imo the FIST in generally an ugly car kinda looks like a jelly bean, but just felt a little more race-ish to me. Also I like how the husbands drive the FIST and the chicks drive the FOST.

 

[jaynometry]

I don't own the FoST but I really do think it's a better looking car than our FiST. From a photography standpoint, it's also more photogenic too. If you angle too low on the FiST, it ends up looking so tall.

 

[Brick]

I love that we have two people with fiST and foST experience here, and they posted pics! That's badass.

 

[BooSTedsloth]

i agree. we should all convert our cars to convertibles so they dont look that tall lol

 

[meFiSTo]

Jumping in late here. I don't own a Focus ST, but I had the good fortune to drive both on April 19 at Miller Motorsports Park on the East Course with the Ford driving school folks (ST Octane Academy). We did not spend an inordinate amount of time with either out on the track (too many slow speed school exercises for my taste and then an autocross thing), but we did get some good hot laps (mostly lead follow chasing an instructor). It was an incredibly small STOA class (8 students), so the track was very clear and the instructors were able to get us pretty much up to normal lapping speed (considering we'd never been on this circuit). I had a hard time keeping up at some turns (especially in the FiST), so I was happy with the pace once we got used to the track. I never had the chance to follow directly behind the instructor so sometimes I could tell my line was a little off, which led to falling off a little. Still, it was great way to learn MMR and the cars.

In any event, after one full track day in March with my mildly modified FiST and then this day with both cars, I came to one conclusion: The FoST, in essentially stock form, is faster than a mostly stock FiST on this technical road course -- both in a straight line and in the turns. It is just more stable and planted. It inspires confidence, has great corner exit grunt, and is more relaxing to drive overall at the limit.

If I were only doing lap days with a given car, and could choose only between these two cars, I would probably choose the Focus ST. YMMV.

Having said that, I love my FiST for all the reasons that I purchased it originally. It provides a bundle of day-in and day-out joy in package that is sized right for my life. The Focus ST does not seem as big as it did before (now that I've flogged one around a road course a bit), but I still prefer the form factor of the Fiesta ST. I have an '04 Audi S4 wagon which is slightly larger than the new Focus ST, but in the ballpark. I figure to keep that for many years (only 53,xxx miles on it). I just can't see replacing the little Fiesta any time soon (I tend to keep cars awhile) and am happy I have it.

 

[Tuxedo_Fiesta]

I have to agree with the final verdict. I test drove both the FoST and FiST, and ultimately decided on the FiST mainly on its 'personality'. It just feels more lively and is puts a massive smile on my face each time I get behind the wheel. One of my best friends has a FoST, and yes I do envy I slightly bigger trunk, and it is slightly more comfortable, I am ultimately very happy with my personal decision. Both great cars though!

 

[MikeyTwins]

I drove Both back to back... Both Awesome cars... The focus is more practical, roomier, a tad nicer inside, a tad faster...that being said My new Fist Arrives Friday! If fun driving without doing warp speed is what you are after I don't think you can beat the Fist for less then $50,000!