Why didn't you buy a Focus ST?

[translux]

Please Note: This is not an antagonistic question/thread.

My assumption is that the Focus was at the very least an initial consideration for most.
I'm in the market for a new daily and am curious what swayed the collective to the Fiesta.
Look forward to your comments.

Thanks

translux

 

[BoostBumps]

This past discussion / thread (below) might be helpful...

How many people test drove the Focus ST but ended up getting the Fiesta ST?

 

[dyn085]

Because I already had one.

 

[Vanilla2]

If I were to get a focus it would've been an RS and I passed on one of the two the dealership still had available when I traded in my Evo.

that high a performance ceiling means less day to day fun.

 

[Phreak]

The Focus ST is an awesome car; it feels controlled and powerful, it accelerates amazingly quick, and it can drift effortlessly around a corner without losing it. The best reason I can give why I picked the Fiesta is kind of silly really. I just feel it gives me a hair-on-fire kind of experience, and I love that.

 

[Turbo65]

The focus might be faster but it's not as involving to drive. Every time i drive mine it makes me smile and I've had faster cars but this is a hoot

 

[translux]

This past discussion / thread (below) might be helpful... How many people test drove the Focus ST but ended up getting the Fiesta ST?

Thank you.

Because I already had one.

Do you have a preference?

If I were to get a focus it would've been an RS and I passed on one of the two the dealership still had available when I traded in my Evo. that high a performance ceiling means less day to day fun.

The Focus ST is an awesome car; it feels controlled and powerful, it accelerates amazingly quick, and it can drift effortlessly around a corner without losing it. The best reason I can give why I picked the Fiesta is kind of silly really. I just feel it gives me a hair-on-fire kind of experience, and I love that.

The focus might be faster but it's not as involving to drive. Every time i drive mine it makes me smile and I've had faster cars but this is a hoot

Thank you, all great points.

I test drove a WRX and a Focus ST. Both were great cars. Also test drove the Fiesta and was left with a positive impression but nothing close to the level buzz I've seen from the press. I chalked it up to going in with unrealistic expectations.
Then a week ago I borrowed a friends Fiesta ST that is a 100% stock, summer only tires and no Recaros. Initially I was left with the same impressions from my test drive. However the more time I've spent with the car the more I've come to enjoy it. A bit more power and it might just be perfect.

Thanks again.

translux

 

[Turbo65]

I owned a scooby a few years ago and it's a great car but a lot more money all the way around, I bought my 16 fizzy for just about 20k out of the door and you just can't beat it for the money. I own a latest 6 speed V6 accord as well which will out run a stock focus yet I drive the ford more now.

 

[Sil3nt611]

I was pretty set on getting the Fiesta before I even test drove. Fiesta sold itself to me when I did test drive it. Test drove a Focus ST back to back with a Fiesta ST and I can't say you could really feel that extra 50HP. I've put a reasonable amount of miles in my mom's Focus SE hatch to realize that I'm just not comfortable in the interior of the Focus. It feels smaller to me even though it isn't. Blind spots in the back are WAY worse than the Fiesta. I never have liked the Focus hatch rear end, even with the redesign it's just not good looking to me. But that's personal preference. Focus didn't come with any colors I wanted. For the '14-'15 Fiesta ST it came with orange and green and I would have gone with either, and I'm glad they kept orange for the '16 since that's what I got. Yellow is the only color I really would have liked, and I can't say I'm a huge fan. Focus feels bigger to drive, not as nimble. I like small cars and I only ever drive myself so I don't need a large car. The cost was another factor if none of the rest of hat stuff was. For the options I got on my Fiesta it probably would have put me up to $30k+ for an ST3 Focus to get the equivalent. The options I would have liked to see on the Fiesta are the projector headlights and the factory subwoofer, but the extra cost to get a car i don't want just for those extra options isn't worth it.

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

I drive 70+ miles per day, so I spend a lot of time in my car. I wanted a daily driver that is reliable, fun to drive, relatively inexpensive, and decent gas mileage. I've always had bigger vehicles (a '77 mercury monarch, 5 F150s, 2 Crown Vics) and small cars never interested me. When I started looking for a small car that is fun, the Focus ST came up. Looked good, good reviews. Then I started seeing comparisons of the Focus ST vs. the Fiesta ST, and it was nothing but huge grins and great reviews for the Fiesta. I think that for the money (especially new), this is the car to get. I've only had it for a week and a half/500 miles, but I don't regret it at all. I'm 6'2" 245lbs, and I may look like the rhino scene from Ace Ventura 2 when I get out, but I have a blast when I'm driving it!

 

[Xkrfiesta]

To quote the recent I think John Deere commercial with a little twist....

It's not how fast you drive, it's how well you can drive fast.

And that is what the fiesta st is all about to me. Have a mustang and a z06 and a ex sport, the fiesta was just a blast when I drove it.

 

[translux]

I drive 70+ miles per day, so I spend a lot of time in my car. I wanted a daily driver that is reliable, fun to drive, relatively inexpensive, and decent gas mileage. I've always had bigger vehicles (a '77 mercury monarch, 5 F150s, 2 Crown Vics) and small cars never interested me. When I started looking for a small car that is fun, the Focus ST came up. Looked good, good reviews. Then I started seeing comparisons of the Focus ST vs. the Fiesta ST, and it was nothing but huge grins and great reviews for the Fiesta. I think that for the money (especially new), this is the car to get. I've only had it for a week and a half/500 miles, but I don't regret it at all. I'm 6'2" 245lbs, and I may look like the rhino scene from Ace Ventura 2 when I get out, but I have a blast when I'm driving it!

LOL on the Rhino scene.
I'm 6' 270lbs-my kids refer to my shirt size as gorrila youth.
Do you have Recaro's? If so are they comfortable?

To quote the recent I think John Deere commercial with a little twist....

It's not how fast you drive, it's how well you can drive fast.

And that is what the fiesta st is all about to me. Have a mustang and a z06 and a ex sport, the fiesta was just a blast when I drove it.

I like it.
Yah my previous daily was well this...

[video=youtube;0BNqcThYQsM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BNqcThYQsM[/video]

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

LOL on the Rhino scene.
I'm 6' 270lbs-my kids refer to my shirt size as gorrila youth.
Do you have Recaro's? If so are they comfortable?

That's funny, I like it! I tried the Recaro's, they were really good at poking my kidneys, but my back never actually touched the seatback. I went with the regular seats.

 

[nickstewartroc]

Had a 2011 SHO, loved it but really dug the look of the Fiesta ST they had on the showroom floor. Took a test drive and knew I wanted a manual, smaller car. Twin turbos was great but this little car was so much better. When I showed interest in the FiST the sales guy kept trying to get me to go with a FoST but they didn't have one there. I don't really like the back end of the 2012+ Focus, had a 2011 and loved it. Decided I really liked the look of the FiST and the testdrive. Didn't actually try out a FoST, though I did try to find one for sale local and didn't really find one I liked

 

[Xkrfiesta]

LOL on the Rhino scene.
I'm 6' 270lbs-my kids refer to my shirt size as gorrila youth.
Do you have Recaro's? If so are they comfortable?



I like it.
Yah my previous daily was well this...

[video=youtube;0BNqcThYQsM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BNqcThYQsM[/video]

That is a serious cam. What were the numbers at the wheels?

 

[J2FoRS]

Never even considered it. Don't like the look, I prefer the compact little FiST. It's like when you go shoe shopping. And you see a sweet pair of Nike's on the display wall, details are sick, everything's proportionate and well placed, then you ask the girl to bring you a size 13 to try on. They arrive big, heavy, all the details are more spread out, tons of blank space on it now, it's not that sweet compact design of the size 8 on the wall anymore.

I'm a 13, but I prefer the 8, since this time I could fit in it, the FiST is my perfect little Nike.

 

[dyn085]

Do you have a preference?

It depends on my mood, honestly. The FoST offers a lot that the FiST doesn't, but the inverse is true as well-they are similar platforms with completely different personalities. When I want to go fast the FoST is the choice, but it makes me a bit aggressive and usually at least one person tries to race me each time it's out. The FiST is much more playful and significantly more 'fun' feeling at legal speeds and still quick enough to not be boring.

I wish I could have gotten the all-leather Recaro's in the FiST, though. The MO inserts have been hard to keep clean with me being a mechanic.

 

[FistSt215]

Wanted a focus ST . Then realized wasn't happening with the hit I was getting on trading the mk6 GTi . Only seen the fiesta ST maybe once or twice . But didn't realize how reasonably priced they were . It work with my trade and here I am. Only thing I regret was never thought how small it is only because I'm having a baby in August . The wife has a 14 escape 1.6L Ecoboost so that's gonna be the baby hauler haha

 

[meFiSTo]

To be honest, had I driven the cars side by side at the Octane Academy BEFORE purchasing the Fiesta, it would have been difficult for me personally to choose the Fiesta over the Focus. For an average driver in a road course setting, it is flat out easier to push the Focus to the limit and it will go faster. The Fiesta is inherently a little more twitchy.

I love my Fiesta, although I am getting used to the thing now with the motor mounts in there. It's a different beast vs. stock mounts.

I think the Focus would also be more pleasant in a long drive (especially now, considering my suspension setup, but that's not a fair comparison). The Recaros in the Focus are bigger; there's more leg room; there's more stowage for gear, etc. Personally, I think it's a "better" car. Having said that, I am happy with my Fiesta. I have 4-door AWD Audi wagon that does everything I'd do with the Focus anyway, so that played a lot into my decision process. The Fiesta was more scaled to what I wanted in a toy car. It is almost identical in dimensions to my old SVT Focus, just a hair smaller (which shows up in rear legroom and boot).

YMMV. Both are great cars. It all depends on what you figure to be doing with the thing. If you have kids and need the car to be multipurpose (including hauling them to games, etc.), the Focus is more practical.

 

[translux]

That is a serious cam. What were the numbers at the wheels?

760 whp & 730 tq, car was a ton of fun, really miss it. Will build another in the near future. Maybe TT if I can come up with the $$
Trouble is finding another low millage stock V with a manual trans

[video=youtube;x9fcqHhVB8Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9fcqHhVB8Y[/video]