Daughter collected Fiesta ST today .....wow

[ashtons99]

Well having waited since 1 Sept her car finally arrived. I was as keen to get into the driving seat as she was but for different reasons. Hers were based on driving something that actually had some poke after her first 2 cars, Citroen C1 and Ford Fa zetec.

Mine reasons were to just see whether the ST frenzy was justified and how it drove compared to my 200.

I only did about 15 miles and bear in mind the car had only done 70 miles but ....wow....what an engine. The 1.6 ecoboost engine is just an effortless source of linear power, the torque from low down is apparent in every gear making overtaking and fast rural routes effortless. I was keeping the car below 5krpm and still the car just went down the road with so much progress. At 4500 to 4800rpm the induction noise is heavenly and encourages you to hang about in that zone just to listen to it.

The roads were wet and the last thing I wanted to do was back her new car into the weeds but the car felt totally predictable through bends. Its difficult to compare to the 200 until you get nearer to the limits but the ST did feel so planted.

The gearbox and drive train are stunning, silky smooth changes with no baulking at all, the clutch is light and the throttle response just right.

As a package the car is more "grown up" than the 200 and perhaps the 200T would be a better comparison in that respect. The 200T will have to be something extremely special to top the ST as a day to day drivers car especially at the price she paid for a fully optioned ST.

Ford have done an amazing job with the car as a whole but one word describes the car..... ENGINE
Would I swap my Alien Green with cup, recaros and all options for it...............No.................because I dont need to!!:drool:

 

[Yiannis197]

Nice write up Ashton!

iirc the ford engine has more torque than the 200T isn't that right? Regardless figures, this is what initially impressed me when I first drove the 200T. Being used to my 197, I jumped in pressed the throttle and I was like woooow there is power low down haha!

However, and after driving it for 15 minutes I got used to that and then I got bored of the paddles...and then I drove it back to K-tec, jumped in mine, kept nailing it to 7,600rpm and smiling was inevitable while the soundtrack of the induction - enhanced by k-tec's kit - was doing the rest

I'd love to drive an ST though...

 

[ashtons99]

Ive not driven the 200T and have no real desire to as I would never own one with its hyundai style interior and external overbadging but I have no doubt engine wise it over torques the 200 substantially. The 200T is probably a very competent point to point car for a less focused market. I dont know how much damage the ST has done to the potential 200T sales, there will be some buyers who wont have been swayed but the motoring press love for the ST will no doubt have turned many from the diamond to the blue oval. Certainly this months CAR magazine had little constructive to say about the 200T and comitted its monthly road test update to a full item on how you could make the exhaust sound like a skyline through the speakers to amuse the kids..... Hmmmm

I dont actually think Renault are too concerned about competing with ford on a model for model basis , they are after all a very low unit selling manufacturer. I do however think there is still a lot to come out of the 200T in terms of us seeing a car which fits the old RS desirability profile but Renault need to get a move on before the Fiesta RS comes out in 2015 at similar money to the 200T.....now that will kick them into the long grass!!

 

[Mike]

Haha, good old :st:ripes!

When you gonna buy one then?

 

[nutnutwelshman]

The Wife love's her's which was her Xmas present

 

[chris1888-197]

Hi mate I work for ford and when I was down at daventry on my last course (july) a fiesta st got delivered and I got a wee shot of it round the college was really impressed with it especially the interior - recaros were we're really comfortable and I thought it was really spacious too. The driving instructor's were seriously impressed with it too. I read a tsb = technical service bulletin that got sent to the work about the st,s with the red callipers that the brake pipe union wasn't sealing correctly resulting in a slight leak. Dont want to panic you! Just better being safe if your daughter drives it. Most cases this issue would have been carried out since your daughter's car is new because the tsb has been out for a while now. Il get a copy of the tsb and send it too you.

 

[badbuzz2]

Great wright up pal

 

[ashtons99]

Yes dealer told us that the coating method had been revised last year because of initial problems. Hers was built after the revision so no concerns. Thanks for info though

 

[Telboy]

Whilst the ST is a lovely motor and the press clearly love the Ford, there really isn't that much between these cars tbh. After all just look at how top gear series 20 episode 3, that puts the mighty Ford against the Clio and pug, handled the test. The Ford couldn't put a foot wrong even though it was the slowest in the drag race and came second to the clio around the top gear test track. They all have the same sort of power (especially the Ford with it's over boost function and more torque) And yet they didn't even remark that the Clio was quickest and just went on to say how great the Ford was??

Motoring press are far too manufacturer biased for my likely, I think it was Chris Harris that said with the Clio 200T, you have to spend time with it to realise its true potential and I wish most did as they would really enjoy the car and it's capabilities.

I also don't believe they'll now be releasing an RS version as Ford's focus is on just that, releasing a Focus RS and they have even recently confirmed that they will only focus on 1 x RS model at a time with the Focus RS due in 2015.

I think Renault have hit the nail on the head with the 200T, I for one used to run around in VW Golf GTI's, heavily modded, and it was the 5 door and dual clutch box of the 200T that clinched it for me. It also kinda helps that mine is now running 245bhp and 240flbt,...

Sorry to hijack your thread, just annoys me when people that have only spent 30 minutes or so in a car, namely the motoring press, don't give it the review it deserves and just jump on the press bandwagon and copy every other reviewer!

Great car their bud, just a shame that with the advance in tech, most news cars are going to be so closely matched that it will boil down to personal preference in the end and I just wished that we could have fair and honest reviewers out there, especially when talking about the EDC gearbox with paddle shifters that are aluminium by the way and very capable of shifting as quick as needed, as long of course if the motoring plods are bothered to learn how to use them rather than focus on their not being a manual!

Enjoy the ST.

 

[Mike]

Whilst I almost agree with what you say...there is something about human nature you cannot change.

First Impressions Count.

Now, I dare say most of the people on here and other places who have been and bought the new ST have driven both the Clio and the ST.

If, in that 15 minute or however long test drive, one car feels better than the other, then they will buy that one. And it seems that in most cases, it has been the ST that has won.

Whilst the ST is a lovely motor and the press clearly love the Ford, there really isn't that much between these cars tbh. After all just look at how top gear series 20 episode 3, that puts the mighty Ford against the Clio and pug, handled the test. The Ford couldn't put a foot wrong even though it was the slowest in the drag race and came second to the clio around the top gear test track. They all have the same sort of power (especially the Ford with it's over boost function and more torque) And yet they didn't even remark that the Clio was quickest and just went on to say how great the Ford was??

Motoring press are far too manufacturer biased for my likely, I think it was Chris Harris that said with the Clio 200T, you have to spend time with it to realise its true potential and I wish most did as they would really enjoy the car and it's capabilities.

I also don't believe they'll now be releasing an RS version as Ford's focus is on just that, releasing a Focus RS and they have even recently confirmed that they will only focus on 1 x RS model at a time with the Focus RS due in 2015.

I think Renault have hit the nail on the head with the 200T, I for one used to run around in VW Golf GTI's, heavily modded, and it was the 5 door and dual clutch box of the 200T that clinched it for me. It also kinda helps that mine is now running 245bhp and 240flbt,...

Sorry to hijack your thread, just annoys me when people that have only spent 30 minutes or so in a car, namely the motoring press, don't give it the review it deserves and just jump on the press bandwagon and copy every other reviewer!

Great car their bud, just a shame that with the advance in tech, most news cars are going to be so closely matched that it will boil down to personal preference in the end and I just wished that we could have fair and honest reviewers out there, especially when talking about the EDC gearbox with paddle shifters that are aluminium by the way and very capable of shifting as quick as needed, as long of course if the motoring plods are bothered to learn how to use them rather than focus on their not being a manual!

Enjoy the ST.

 

[Telboy]

Mike, totally agree and confirm yet again that the ST is a really good car, however the margins are just not as big as the very biased motoring press seem to report!

It also seems really odd that Ford only sell the 3dr ST in the UK whereas in the US you can have the 5 door version??

For me though it had to be 5 door and dual clutch after having VW's with dsg boxes,..

 

[Willis]

EVO have a 200T as a long termer at the moment and they've had it around three months now. At first they really weren't taken but in the last magazine they were saying that it's now starting to show it's hand and they're starting to love it. I think the problem is that the 200T is THAT good and THAT composed that you either have to thrash the life out of it on that test drive or have an extended amount of time with it before you manage to reach anywhere near the limit of what the car can do and find it's true character...

 

[Foxspeed]

st is a good motor but theres lots of crappy things about it....

steering wheel too thin
switches not visible from the driving seat
poor forward/corner vision from the stupid thick door pillars
far too many buttons on the sony stereo

to name few!

 

[nutnutwelshman]

I know but the Wife loves hers

 

[ashtons99]

Perspective makes the ST look a lot bigger dimensions are very similar

 

[ashtons99]

 

[Bangbangbenny]

Love that green on the 200, I couldn't choose between the two,

 

[Jonesy]

st is a good motor but theres lots of crappy things about it....

steering wheel too thin
switches not visible from the driving seat
poor forward/corner vision from the stupid thick door pillars
far too many buttons on the sony stereo

to name few!

but you bought one yeah?

 

[Foxspeed]

but you bought one yeah?

I did

that's just a list of niggles or things that aint quite right with it...

it does have good points

 

[Mike]

st is a good motor but theres lots of crappy things about it....

steering wheel too thin
switches not visible from the driving seat
poor forward/corner vision from the stupid thick door pillars
far too many buttons on the sony stereo

to name few!

Blimey! Positive review

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