is the Fiesta/Focus ST a good first manual car driver?

[Eurooo]

Hi guys,

I will purchasing a Fiesta/Focus ST (not sure which one quite yet)

It will be my first manual car. Is the clutch light? Is it easy to drive?
I am learning to drive stick here in europe, but will be flying back to USA in a few months.

I love the fiesta ST appearance. I do love the Focus ST as well.

Opinions are welcome along with suggestions!

Regards,
Eurooo

 

[CanadianGuy]

Well learn on another vehicle is always best. But ya the FiSTis forgiving as manuals go.

 

[CollinMB]

Buy a first gen miata for dirt cheap and learn on that. Best clutch/transmission to learn on. Then keep the miata because miatas are awesome and get a Fiesta ST

 

[rexdriver85]

I would never recommend anyone learn to drive a manual on a brand new vehicle. You are indefinitely shorting the usable life of your clutch, and also if you have any miss-haps like a miss shift or downshift too far, grind gears, etc etc your transmission will feel it too.

I would learn on a cheap beater first.

I will say the clutch and trans on the FiST is very well sorted from the factory, and it also has roll back assist when you are starting out on a hill. I WOULD NOT recommend learning with that feature on as you will pickup a bad habit and not be as good as a driver in the long run.

Good luck!

 

[TheStig]

buy a first gen miata for dirt cheap and learn on that. Best clutch/transmission to learn on. Then keep the miata because miatas are awesome and get a fiesta st

miata is the answer

 

[frankiefiesta]

I learned how to drive stick in a Honda Accord. Then had a Honda Civic si. Some of the best manual transmissions out there are far as ease of driving/learning.

Fiesta st is easy to drive also and you could learn when you buy one. But like the others said it'll wear the clutch quicker lol

 

[djy]

I think the FiST is an exceptional first manual car. It is my first manual car and I have absolutely no regrets. The hill holder assist has definitely been a welcome addition. The car's clutch is light and forgiving and driving dynamics are top shelf. Additionally, I agree with the majority of responses so far. Obviously, learn to drive stick as much as you can given your circumstances to further fine tune your driving mechanics. The third time I drove stick was when I bought my FiST and embarked on a road trip from PA to FL. Not sure if that's any indication of the car's level of drivability, but it is a simple car to drive. Once you drive the car you'll want to drive it continuously. Best of luck.

 

[fire_n_ice]

I'll second an older Honda to learn on. My first car was a '93 Civic and other than weak synchros in 3rd gear (pretty common on Hondas), it performed flawlessly for 100k miles.

 

[Ken34]

the fiesta st's clutch is very forgiving but i would definitely recommend a old honda beater, their clutches are always light and the shifters are usually very VERY buttery smooth, no notchiness or anything like that. i learned on my 03 acura rsx, only thing i broke was the rear motor mount.

 

[boombots]

This was my first stick. Very easy stick. Yeah yeah premature wear when learning... I don't really think i've put too much wear on the clutch learning. I don't really, or never really drug the clutch out too much, if anything I am to quick off the clutch on shifts. Yeah, I have ground 2nd a few times at a pretty high RPM (Mine you have to be authoritative with the shifter to grab 2nd gear when WOT) and grabbed 1st instead of 3rd, and 3rd instead of 5th (both only once, as it is hard to do, the shifter naturally finds the right gears) but it is just fine! If you had another car available to learn on, then yes, use that but don't let a new car scare you to learn on, it can handle it. At worse you change the clutch at 75k miles instead of 80k because of the wear from learning...

 

[TrickSTer]

Driving a standard seems intimidating before trying it, but most will find that it becomes second nature pretty fast.

If you have a few months of learning to drive stick on a car in Europe, you should be more than ready to drive a new FiST/FoST when you come back Stateside.

Clutch is light, tranny is smooth; FiST is a joy to drive! You'll love it!

 

[TurboTinCan]

It is great car to learn to drive a stick, light pedal, good feel, good shifter, good torque. The hill start assist is an awesome thing to have as well. I remember taking of on a hill was really nerve racking when I first learned to drive a stick as a teen, especially when some butthole stops an inch off your rear bumper. I wouldn't worry about inflicting damage on it. I don't know, maybe some people on here were epically bad drivers, but you'd be hard pressed to really screw your car up learning on it. I only recall stalling my car out or slipping the clutch a little too much sometimes for a while while learning. God forbid you have to replace your clutch at 80k instead of 100k.

 

[gtalk12]

Any salesmen who can drive stick will teach you the basics. Very easy car to drive and very forgiving. Just stay within your abilities as a driver and don't push the car in ways you are not accustomed to. I'd say yes, great car as a first M/T

 

[Brick]

definitely do it. These cars are not sports cars. Super easy to drive.

 

[redsilvy]

The hill assist is a huge help with a first manual car and being able to turn it off or on is great for practice when you want to as well.

 

[Intuit]

It seems to take longer than I am accustomed to for the hill-assist braking to turn off. Haven't yet read-over the owner's manual yet. (obviously) How do you turn the hill-assist off ?

Learned on a 2nd Generation Ford Escort. It is by far the easiest manual shift I've driven for the fact that there is a lot of pedal travel from it's initial friction point to full release. Original problem-free trans near 330k. THe original OEM Daikin clutch disc has six springs and isn't prone to resonant bounce like the four-spring replacements are. It was as thick as the replacements at 230k. There is also an adjustable-length push rod between the clutch pedal and clutch master cylinder at the firewall. Manufacturer specification for clutch pedal engage height and release would make it difficult to "ride the clutch" because there was some travel before the push rod would even touch the master cylinder at the firewall.

By comparison the friction point or engage height is pretty high on the Fiesta, with little pedal travel. Unlike the 'Scort, the resistance isn't consistent from floor to release, which can make precision shifting more difficult. The upside to that design decision is that it helps ensure that inexperienced drivers will actually FLOOR the clutch pedal. I'm getting used to it, but may try to adjust the engage-height a little. Though occurring less and less, I still occasionally hit the divider wall between 1st and 3rd when shifting from 2nd.

The Focus ST's clutch and shifter by comparison felt more like the 'scort. It also seemed to have a more aggressive 1st gear. The weaker 1st gear on the Fiesta's smaller 1.6L helps keep the driver from stalling on hills and take-offs. (The Focus ST is a 2.0L.) There are some complaints about the direct-injection system clogging on the 2.0L and was a major factor in my decision to stick with the Fiesta ST.

For longevity of the clutch, learn to "idle-off". I hear a *lot* of drivers who will rev up the engine, then engage the clutch; instead of engaging the clutch, as they're adding accelerator. The lower RPMs reduces wear. Heat and RPMs is what kills a clutch disc.

 

[Intuit]

SOrry fellas... just noticed this was a 2015 thread.

 

[Im_Zee11]

Doesn't take more than two weeks to learn and I'd say about two months till it becomes second nature

 

[Phreak]

...

 

[Xaendeau]

I learned on my girlfriend's POS lancer. Spent about a month driving her around before I was comfortable to buy my own.