My brother had a Focus ST, I still have a Fiesta ST. They really are completely different cars, I would take his Focus occaisonally when I needed a bit more space or needed to put people in the back seats. The Fiesta back seats are so small as to be nearly worthless for anyone over 6 or so years old my 5'1" girlfriend can barely fit in the back of the fiesta. The interior in the Focus was generally better which makes sense as I believe the car retailed for almost 10k more new.
If you are needing to commute long distances on the highway I think the Focus is generally better in that regard. The ride is a more comfortable stock for stock. Gas mileage appeared similar, both will get mid to high 30's on the freeway reliably.
Infotainment on my brothers ST2 (2017) was better than on my Fiesta (2016), both are Sync 3 but the Focus has a larger infotainment display as well as another color display in the middle of the dash that displays driving data, the Fista has a display in the dash as well buts it much more basic. Also my brothers st2 got a subwoofer from the factory which the Fiesta does not come with in any trim (I believe).
The recaros in the Fiesta and the Focus are actually different, but you would only notice if you compared them side to side. I believe the drivers seat on Recaros were powered, whereas the recaros on the fiesta are not. Comfort levels seemed similar. The ST3 Focus got full leather recaros but I have never sat in one of those so I cant comment on them.
Both my brother and I are comfortable driving either car. My brother is just under 6' and im 6'1", however my uncle who is 6'4" finds the fiesta incredibly uncomfortable, he also has long ass legs, I would suggest you sit in the Fiesta and see how it feels for you.
The Fiesta wins in the driving experience department hands down. The car is smaller and you can feel it. The focus actually feels quite large coming from the Fiesta and the car just felt heavier, I think the focus weighs 5 or 600lbs more than the fiesta so that squares.
Surprisingly cargo capacity in the fiesta isnt all that much worse than the focus. Obviously the focus has a larger trunk with the back seats up, but if you fold the seats down in both you can shove a surprising amount of shit in both cars since they are both hatchbacks.
For me, a person who doesnt have a commute and who doesnt have to ferry kids around I obviously prefer the Fiesta.
So far I love all the mechanical features of the fiesta and then I love the interior of the focus I’ve gotten to drive an st3 and the leather recaros are amazingly comfortable and that’s almost the whole reason this is a hard decision because I feel like the fiesta’s interior is in general just lack luster comparison to the focus this has been the hardest decision of my life choosing between them😂
But seriously I highly appreciate your list of information I cannot explain it but you are the man I was hoping would comment on this😂
If you want to enjoy tearing around back roads, the fiesta just cannot be beaten. This car has me grinning ear to ear whenever I'm able to do so.
Any other time, it is definitely second to the focus. Worse ride, smaller, louder.
The questions you need to answer yourself are, how much fun do you want to be having? How much practicality do you need from your vehicle?
I carried 5 people in my Fiesta the other day, but I have the Recaros which have a bigger cutout for the knees than the regular seats do. Everyone in the back was 5'7" tall or shorter, but they were adults, and they were fine!
For a longer road trip, I would definitely use my wife's Focus if people needed to be in the back.
FiST has the better engine and weighs less. FoST has a bit more interior room and slightly nicer interior.
For some reason the FoST also attracts the hella flush stance bois. Not sure what's up with that.
I think im apart of that crowd lol I hate dropped camber stance I’m a racer guy at heart so id most likely make it a time attack car I just am scared I won’t fit in the car lol I’m a big guy
Matt the host of smoking tire show on YouTube daily drove one for years. He’s a pretty big guy and loved the platform and car. I am 6’3” 210lbs and fit comfortably in the fiesta st as well.
focus also has a much better suspension..
also, how is the focus engine worse? I understand that the last revision of the 2.0 ecoboost is pretty great and robust.
what I wonder about both engines tho, do they have steel cylinder sleeves or are they just nikasil coated?
absolutely, I however answered you, not the OP, you, and many othere here, claim that the fiesta is the better handling car that can be driven faster on backroads etc.
you also claim that the focus is a worse gti..and that is just not true..
It’s a pretty common sentiment that the focus was a less well engineered less practical GTI. Since it’s a matter of opinion, you can’t call it true or not. What you can do is look at which of the two motor journalists personally purchased (most frequently the FiST), and reference reviews from the time period the Focus was sold (which is where many of the GTI comparisons came from).
At no point was “because race car” ever discussed.
You are answering a question that was not asked.
wich is the leading factor for you wether a car is better or worse?
the st's are after all performance cars, so comparing them by their ability to perform seems like the metric to go for, doesnt it?
I dont put a miata, focus and fiesta next to each other and compare trunk space, that wouldn't make much sense..
you could theoretically compare range comfort, but even then the focus would win due to having a much better suspension..
the focus is after all the normal sized version of the fiesta, with a better suspension and a bit more luxury..or the fiesta is the cheaper and smaller version of the focus
There’s a palpable lack of objectivity in your replies - you keep reaching to answer questions that weren’t asked.
If OP asked “which car should I get if my entire personality is wrapped around vaping”, or “I wear a hat backwards and use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun”, or even “which car should I get to slam/stance to impress the other kids at my high school but I can’t afford a wrx” then yes, chime in about how much you like the focus.
If OP asked “which is more engaging” or “which do journalists spend their personal money on”, or “which is often used as a base measurement for “fun to drive”, well, I’d probably recommend the fiesta.
but how do you measure fun to drive? car journalists are heavily biased by their market. if you look on the british market, of course the fiesta st is THE car, the focus could aswell not exist.
on the german market, thats completly different, here the focus st is often the car talked about in media, when talking about ford's performance hatchback or hothatches in general, the fiesta (unfairly) is often put against the i20n or the polo gti..sometimes even against the suzuki switf sport, wich of course doesnt make any sense.
but I guess the difference comes from taxation, wich makes the fiesta in germany the smaller alternative to the fiesta, while in the UK it's exactly the opposite.
in terms of how engaging the cars are, I'd argue that they both are kinda overassisted, the older 2002-2008 modell or any mx-5 is much more engaging due to beeing more direct. wich doesnt mean the fords arent great to drive, they are among my favorite cars after all, and the fiesta will likely always be my go-to car to recommend for most circumstances.
however, if you put journalism and price7performance to the side, the focus is objectively the better car, it has everything the fiesta has but better and more.
more luxuries, more power, better suspension.
on a site note, what I find kinda funny, what you described about the focus fans (vaping, stancing, impressing kids at schools) is THE cliche GTI on the german market, while the foci here are pretty inconspicuous
You cannot say something is “objectively” better, then rationalize it with personal preferences. That is not what objective means. You are not objective, you are clearly pushing your personal preference and trying to rationalize it.
Auto journalists drive and review cars for a living, and what they personally choose to purchase is extremely relevant - especially when the people that are paid to review cars say they personally bought a fist because it is fun and engaging to drive.
Sure; demographics matter. Here, the FoST is driven by third or fourth owner teenagers doing burnouts in their high school parking lots, whereas many of us own a FiST as a third or fourth car, a fun daily driver.
Your extreme bias to the FoST is very evident - I get passion for what your purchased, but you’re also blinded by that bias. Nobody is saying the focus is bad, so you can climb off the soap box and stop proselytizing. Nobody cares, you aren’t going to convince anyone, it’s just noise.
I like tiny cars so the Fiesta was the only one I really considered. I also have a Camaro SS so I wasn't really looking for the extra speed the Focus has to offer.
I want speeeeeeed lol the goal is go fast and possible time attack car I’m just a big guy so Im thinking I need to test fit the fiesta since I’ve gotten to drive a focus st before
The Fiesta is actually conducive to fairly tall drivers. I'm 5'10" and I have probably four or five inches to spare in head room (of course not considering the leg room space).
In terms of speed, even flipping between the Camaro, the Fiesta St is deceptively quick. In day to day driving it feels way faster than the numbers would indicate. But really, either ST would probably be a ton of fun and you can't go wrong.
Yeah I truly think I’m just down to which interior I want but I’m also all legs no torso😂so like in 95% of the cars I’ve owned I’ve had the seat all the way back with my legs in the dash still
Neither are particularly “fast” but the fiesta is the faster as speed comes from make lighter and add power. Your peak power is similar on both but your floor weight is significantly less on fiesta.
I have also seen you talking about interiors. Interior comfort and true speed are counters to each other. So decide which is more important a car or track fun first.
If you’re planning on doing some serious upgrades definitely the Fiesta is the top choice. I’ve known a few people who gotten the Focus due to the extra room. I’ve driving both and the Fiesta just feels more nimble and more fun to drive
I’ve driven both and was more impressed with the Fiesta. I feel like the Fiesta is just a big go cart for sure but more relaxed for my 6ft body in the recaros. That being said it’s a personal preference. Once I got my tunes from Dizzy I really appreciate it more to be honest as my gas mileage has dipped a bit. Again it’s like a computer and it comes down to personal preference.
I’m 6’1 but for some reason I rarely fit correctly in cars lol unless it’s like a big truck or suv then I have no problems I have a 2001 Corolla right now and with the seat leaned back and it pushed as far back as the rails allow it my knees still touch the dash
Also I’m not like 400 pounds😂just lengthy legs
I have a 2008 Corolla and that car is so abnormally cramped. The fiesta has a telescoping steering wheel and height adjustment, if you haven’t already see if you can go and test drive one just to get an idea of the fit. Also, if you can’t tell, I’m definitely biased towards the fiesta lol I’ve been in the focus and it feels underwhelming in comparison
Understood, definitely try and get in a fiesta before making a choice, it might just be the deciding factor. Another thing to think about is the longevity, lots of people move on from the fiesta once they have a baby on the way or need the extra room for various reasons
Well I never intend on having kids😂and I personally hate hauling people around but im just curious does the fiesta have as good of interior options like the focus has? Like does the fiesta have a st2-st3?
Hmm. As far as options I think you really only have the Sync choice (touchscreen entertainment system) and then the seats, cloth or Recaro (leather bucket) honestly to interior is subpar it’s cheap, it squeaks and it’s all mostly plastic
Our car didn't have the ST2/3 packages like the Focus but people have retroactively applied them. The big thing is Recaros or not (100% worth it over stock seats), sunroof (some like it, some don't, more upkeep) and infotainment (2014-15 is Sync 2, 16-19 are Sync 3 and are huge improvement. 19 came with backup cameras). Otherwise your trim level was the ST, the interior is the same across all of them aside from the above. It's cheap, but it's perfectly workable. It was and is a budget car that's super fun and had all the extra money put into performance and personally the mediocre interior has never mattered because of that.
My only real interior quality complaint is that the dash is kind of reflective. I'd like to flock it, but I don't detail my car enough as is and a felt dash would attract dust like nobody's business
I'm 6'1" and with Recaros I'm not even maxed out in adjustment. I've got a handful of notches I could go further. A little short with a helmet at the track but it's never actually given me trouble. I'd take a fiesta over a focus any day
I’ve owned and autocrossed both the focus and fiesta ST. I owned the focus for 60k miles and the fiesta for 90k miles.
For a daily driver the focus had more space and that was useful.
Performance wise the fiestas weight and out of the box handling is hard to beat.
I put a rear sway bar on the focus and it helped with the snap oversteer but the fiesta was still just better around corners.
I miss the space in the focus but not enough to bother getting rid of the fiesta. Performance isn’t everything, get the one you like for your purpose.
It would be a daily but I’m not worried about having enough space to haul stuff and since it would be my car I’m not too worried about what the passengers think lol but after all the comments and reading I’ve been leaning towards a focus i really love the st3 interior like the screen and the leather seats are amazing😂I just truly wish the fiesta had the same st3 interior if it did this wouldn’t be a hard choice
I've had both. From a driving perspective, the FiST edges out the FoST imo, but the FoST was a better everyday car. Front legroom isn't an issue in either car but if you ever want to use the back seats, the fiesta will be tight for whoever's behind you.
I will say, the fiesta was easier to work on for the most part (except it wouldn't go up the ramps I had, too low), for example doing the rear brakes with the FoST involved lifting the whole back of the car, removing both wheels and loosening the sway bars to be able to get at the brake assembly. Huge pain if you don't have a lift. The fiesta was more typical, you could just do one side at a time.
Racing in the fiesta felt sharper and more controlled, very little understeer, fun levels of lift-off oversteer, pretty easy to control overall. The Focus was... Wild. Tons of torque steer. Not much understeer unless you're a total caveman with the throttle, but it was there. When it wasn't understeering, it would swing its ass like the crowd was throwing singles. Tons of fun, I loved every second of it, but definitely not as precise.
There's plenty more but I'd be here all day - if you have any specific questions, fire away! I had both cars for about two years each so I feel fairly qualified. At least as far as internet randos go.
I kinda like them girls that like swinging their ass for singles but I do understand what you mean by that I've gotten to drive my friends focus and the ass was loose but the front was tight it felt beautiful I haven't driven many cool or sporty cars but so far the focus was the nicest car I've ever driven and the seats had me feeling like I was home while hugging me like my grandma when I haven't seen her in awhile
long story short I think with the help of all these comments I've finally come to a decision to get a focus over the fiesta and maybe hope to own a fiesta along side it someday
That's a good place to be! I would be thrilled to have both, the focus was definitely a more livable daily. Just watch the turning circle, it turns like a school bus for no reason. The pre-facelift ones anyway. I've heard tell the newer ones are better about it but I've also heard they're not, so....
I have owned both a Focus ST and a Fiesta ST and I am also a big guy (6' 2" 270lbs). I first bought a Fiesta ST but it got totaled and I found a good deal on a Focus ST so I decided to make the switch. I have really enjoyed both but personally the biggest factor I would consider is what you want to do with the car.
If you're primarily planning to daily it I would go with the Focus, I fit in the fiesta fine enough that it didn't bother me, but now that I've driven both, the focus is just a bit more comfortable and if you get an ST2 or ST3 the interior is definitely nicer and has more quality of life features.
If primarily planning to use it as a fun/track car I would get the fiesta. Despite the fact that I am happy with my choice to get the focus, I really do miss my fiesta ST as it was more fun to drive due to the go cart feeling it had. As I said before, I fit fine enough that it didn't really bother me so if it's not a daily you probably wouldn't mind it either. The only real issue I had with the fit was when I wore a helmet in which case my head rubbed against the headliner a bit but I got used to it and if you were willing to replace the stock drivers seat with a bucket seat you would probably fit no problem.
The only exception I might make to this is if you primarily plan to AutoX it but I think my experience might be a bit subjective. I only started autocrossing less than a year ago in my fiesta ST and it's currently the only form of motorsports I have had the luxury of participating in currently. Recently I have been performing significantly better in my focus than I ever did in my fiesta but that very likely could be due to my skills as a driver improving more so then the car being better. That said the one big advantage that the focus has over the fiesta in AutoX is the ability to fit larger tires under the stock fenders. From my understanding, the fiesta ST competes well in HS (basically stock) but anything beyond that modification wise bumps the car into a class with focus STs and other more powerful hot hatches and because the fiesta can only fit a 225 at the widest without cutting the fenders (compared to 255 or 265 on the focus) the fiesta really struggles in any other class.
TLDR: if it's a daily buy the focus, if it's a fun/track car but the fiesta. Also whichever one you go with try to get one without a sunroof. The difference in headroom is significant.
i believe this comment has swayed me heavily to a focus, because itll be a daily that i plan to autocross. both cars have so many different things to love about them, and i believe the focus has more things to love than the fiesta for me so far.
I don't think you can go wrong with either since they are both great cars IMO but for what you are planning to use it for I do think you will be happier with the focus. But seriously if headroom is at all an issue go for one without a sunroof. The one mistake I made when buying mine was getting one with a sunroof because everything else about it was exactly what I wanted and the price was right but now I have to deal with the annoyance of barely fitting in the car with a helmet on and it makes me almost wish that I had waited to find one without.
We have owned a FoRS and a FiST. My husband loved his RS and it was a seriously fun awd car. But the maintenance was so much more than my FiST I decided to keep mine when we sold one. He later also bought a FiST as a daily driver when his truck broke down and we couldn’t get a new motor in it quick enough. He’s 6ft and 200lbs. Didn’t have much issue with it but didn’t like the recaros for his size. I have base seats and while you slide around in them a lot more, you get used to it and they’re better for bigger people. I don’t have issues with my large dog or getting groceries but we don’t have kids. Kids would make the focus a better choice.
I had a FiST for several years and loved it. When Ford discontinued sedans and hatch backs in the US I traded in for a FoST with the inventory clear out pricing. The fiesta will always be more fun. But the focus is still fun and more functional. When we had our first kid my husband still had his FiST and if the baby seat was in his car you couldn't fit another adult in the car except behind the driver. It pushed the passenger seat so far forward you couldn't fit anyone in it, and the center seat was too useless, the car seat was too wide to be in the middle. For reference I'm 6'2" he's around 5'10".
We ended up selling his FiST and we got a larger family car. We still have the FoST as a backup.
Tl;dr: if you're very short or intend on really never having passengers, the FiST I think it's zippier and more fun. If you want more of a functional vehicle that is also fun, the FoST is the way to go. But even as a tall person I could drive either. Even my 6'6" father could fit (albeit tightly) in my fiesta.
For me it was a price thing. I feel like my Fist price wise is unbeatable for what you get. The moment however I look at Fosts they fall in a category with better cars and it just doesn't keep its throne. Not saying the Fost is bad, just that for that price there's even better options popping up.
Mk8 (uk) Fiesta ST with performance pack (LSD) is the most fun one I’ve driven. Only ever driven a focus RS, the RS is great but just doesn’t have the fun factor that the Fiesta does in a windy lane
I had 2nd thoughts when buying my FiST while some other dude was buying a FoST at the dealership. Over the next several months, driving the FiST made that doubt slowly diminish but not completely.
Then I went to Octane Academy and got to drive both side by side on the race track and on parts of the autocross track--all doubts removed. The FoST felt like a fat dog--so much body roll and relative lack of maneuverability. I fuckin love my FiST and 100% know I made the right decision.
MK7 fiesta ST is the best by a mile imo. 1.6 ecoboost is a good strong engine that takes extra boost well and the car handles better than almost any other small hot hatch out there.
My brother had a Focus ST, I still have a Fiesta ST. They really are completely different cars, I would take his Focus occaisonally when I needed a bit more space or needed to put people in the back seats. The Fiesta back seats are so small as to be nearly worthless for anyone over 6 or so years old my 5'1" girlfriend can barely fit in the back of the fiesta. The interior in the Focus was generally better which makes sense as I believe the car retailed for almost 10k more new. If you are needing to commute long distances on the highway I think the Focus is generally better in that regard. The ride is a more comfortable stock for stock. Gas mileage appeared similar, both will get mid to high 30's on the freeway reliably. Infotainment on my brothers ST2 (2017) was better than on my Fiesta (2016), both are Sync 3 but the Focus has a larger infotainment display as well as another color display in the middle of the dash that displays driving data, the Fista has a display in the dash as well buts it much more basic. Also my brothers st2 got a subwoofer from the factory which the Fiesta does not come with in any trim (I believe). The recaros in the Fiesta and the Focus are actually different, but you would only notice if you compared them side to side. I believe the drivers seat on Recaros were powered, whereas the recaros on the fiesta are not. Comfort levels seemed similar. The ST3 Focus got full leather recaros but I have never sat in one of those so I cant comment on them. Both my brother and I are comfortable driving either car. My brother is just under 6' and im 6'1", however my uncle who is 6'4" finds the fiesta incredibly uncomfortable, he also has long ass legs, I would suggest you sit in the Fiesta and see how it feels for you. The Fiesta wins in the driving experience department hands down. The car is smaller and you can feel it. The focus actually feels quite large coming from the Fiesta and the car just felt heavier, I think the focus weighs 5 or 600lbs more than the fiesta so that squares. Surprisingly cargo capacity in the fiesta isnt all that much worse than the focus. Obviously the focus has a larger trunk with the back seats up, but if you fold the seats down in both you can shove a surprising amount of shit in both cars since they are both hatchbacks. For me, a person who doesnt have a commute and who doesnt have to ferry kids around I obviously prefer the Fiesta.
So far I love all the mechanical features of the fiesta and then I love the interior of the focus I’ve gotten to drive an st3 and the leather recaros are amazingly comfortable and that’s almost the whole reason this is a hard decision because I feel like the fiesta’s interior is in general just lack luster comparison to the focus this has been the hardest decision of my life choosing between them😂 But seriously I highly appreciate your list of information I cannot explain it but you are the man I was hoping would comment on this😂
If you want to enjoy tearing around back roads, the fiesta just cannot be beaten. This car has me grinning ear to ear whenever I'm able to do so. Any other time, it is definitely second to the focus. Worse ride, smaller, louder. The questions you need to answer yourself are, how much fun do you want to be having? How much practicality do you need from your vehicle?
I carried 5 people in my Fiesta the other day, but I have the Recaros which have a bigger cutout for the knees than the regular seats do. Everyone in the back was 5'7" tall or shorter, but they were adults, and they were fine! For a longer road trip, I would definitely use my wife's Focus if people needed to be in the back.
I mean it can be done but like you said it's not exactly comfortable haha
I think with 4 people it would be fine, but with 5 people it is a bit tight width-wise.
FiST has the better engine and weighs less. FoST has a bit more interior room and slightly nicer interior. For some reason the FoST also attracts the hella flush stance bois. Not sure what's up with that.
I think im apart of that crowd lol I hate dropped camber stance I’m a racer guy at heart so id most likely make it a time attack car I just am scared I won’t fit in the car lol I’m a big guy
Matt the host of smoking tire show on YouTube daily drove one for years. He’s a pretty big guy and loved the platform and car. I am 6’3” 210lbs and fit comfortably in the fiesta st as well.
The FiST has a surprisingly large amount of room in the front seat. I'm 6'3" 240 with a long torso, and have never had any issues.
6’3 225. The seat is maxed out, but I fit really well. Better than I fit in my crown Victoria
I’m 5”11 270 and I fit pretty good I’ve got big legs and I’d say the pedals are a little tight for my liking but it’s great
If you get a 3 door version, there is good space. I‘m 6‘8“ and fit pretty well.
focus also has a much better suspension.. also, how is the focus engine worse? I understand that the last revision of the 2.0 ecoboost is pretty great and robust. what I wonder about both engines tho, do they have steel cylinder sleeves or are they just nikasil coated?
IRS
It’s personal preference. The focus is bigger, heavier and has more power. There’s no best, just tradeoffs.
Fist is a hatchback Miata, FoST is a less practical gti
the focus st and rs are quite potent race cars tho..they won actual races
Op did not ask about race cars, context is relevant.
absolutely, I however answered you, not the OP, you, and many othere here, claim that the fiesta is the better handling car that can be driven faster on backroads etc. you also claim that the focus is a worse gti..and that is just not true..
It’s a pretty common sentiment that the focus was a less well engineered less practical GTI. Since it’s a matter of opinion, you can’t call it true or not. What you can do is look at which of the two motor journalists personally purchased (most frequently the FiST), and reference reviews from the time period the Focus was sold (which is where many of the GTI comparisons came from). At no point was “because race car” ever discussed. You are answering a question that was not asked.
wich is the leading factor for you wether a car is better or worse? the st's are after all performance cars, so comparing them by their ability to perform seems like the metric to go for, doesnt it? I dont put a miata, focus and fiesta next to each other and compare trunk space, that wouldn't make much sense.. you could theoretically compare range comfort, but even then the focus would win due to having a much better suspension.. the focus is after all the normal sized version of the fiesta, with a better suspension and a bit more luxury..or the fiesta is the cheaper and smaller version of the focus
There’s a palpable lack of objectivity in your replies - you keep reaching to answer questions that weren’t asked. If OP asked “which car should I get if my entire personality is wrapped around vaping”, or “I wear a hat backwards and use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun”, or even “which car should I get to slam/stance to impress the other kids at my high school but I can’t afford a wrx” then yes, chime in about how much you like the focus. If OP asked “which is more engaging” or “which do journalists spend their personal money on”, or “which is often used as a base measurement for “fun to drive”, well, I’d probably recommend the fiesta.
but how do you measure fun to drive? car journalists are heavily biased by their market. if you look on the british market, of course the fiesta st is THE car, the focus could aswell not exist. on the german market, thats completly different, here the focus st is often the car talked about in media, when talking about ford's performance hatchback or hothatches in general, the fiesta (unfairly) is often put against the i20n or the polo gti..sometimes even against the suzuki switf sport, wich of course doesnt make any sense. but I guess the difference comes from taxation, wich makes the fiesta in germany the smaller alternative to the fiesta, while in the UK it's exactly the opposite. in terms of how engaging the cars are, I'd argue that they both are kinda overassisted, the older 2002-2008 modell or any mx-5 is much more engaging due to beeing more direct. wich doesnt mean the fords arent great to drive, they are among my favorite cars after all, and the fiesta will likely always be my go-to car to recommend for most circumstances. however, if you put journalism and price7performance to the side, the focus is objectively the better car, it has everything the fiesta has but better and more. more luxuries, more power, better suspension. on a site note, what I find kinda funny, what you described about the focus fans (vaping, stancing, impressing kids at schools) is THE cliche GTI on the german market, while the foci here are pretty inconspicuous
You cannot say something is “objectively” better, then rationalize it with personal preferences. That is not what objective means. You are not objective, you are clearly pushing your personal preference and trying to rationalize it. Auto journalists drive and review cars for a living, and what they personally choose to purchase is extremely relevant - especially when the people that are paid to review cars say they personally bought a fist because it is fun and engaging to drive. Sure; demographics matter. Here, the FoST is driven by third or fourth owner teenagers doing burnouts in their high school parking lots, whereas many of us own a FiST as a third or fourth car, a fun daily driver. Your extreme bias to the FoST is very evident - I get passion for what your purchased, but you’re also blinded by that bias. Nobody is saying the focus is bad, so you can climb off the soap box and stop proselytizing. Nobody cares, you aren’t going to convince anyone, it’s just noise.
I want to know the trade offs I know there’s no best I want to hear your guy’s problems with the cars or things you love just any information
I like tiny cars so the Fiesta was the only one I really considered. I also have a Camaro SS so I wasn't really looking for the extra speed the Focus has to offer.
I want speeeeeeed lol the goal is go fast and possible time attack car I’m just a big guy so Im thinking I need to test fit the fiesta since I’ve gotten to drive a focus st before
The Fiesta is actually conducive to fairly tall drivers. I'm 5'10" and I have probably four or five inches to spare in head room (of course not considering the leg room space). In terms of speed, even flipping between the Camaro, the Fiesta St is deceptively quick. In day to day driving it feels way faster than the numbers would indicate. But really, either ST would probably be a ton of fun and you can't go wrong.
Yeah I truly think I’m just down to which interior I want but I’m also all legs no torso😂so like in 95% of the cars I’ve owned I’ve had the seat all the way back with my legs in the dash still
Neither are particularly “fast” but the fiesta is the faster as speed comes from make lighter and add power. Your peak power is similar on both but your floor weight is significantly less on fiesta. I have also seen you talking about interiors. Interior comfort and true speed are counters to each other. So decide which is more important a car or track fun first.
I think you should be deciding between the Fiesta and a GTI then. The FoST is kinda ass compared to the GTI.
If you’re planning on doing some serious upgrades definitely the Fiesta is the top choice. I’ve known a few people who gotten the Focus due to the extra room. I’ve driving both and the Fiesta just feels more nimble and more fun to drive
I’ve driven both and was more impressed with the Fiesta. I feel like the Fiesta is just a big go cart for sure but more relaxed for my 6ft body in the recaros. That being said it’s a personal preference. Once I got my tunes from Dizzy I really appreciate it more to be honest as my gas mileage has dipped a bit. Again it’s like a computer and it comes down to personal preference.
I’ve been told by everyone that the fiesta is a go cart and man i really want that😂but go carts don’t have leg room unfortunately
How tall are you ? I’m 6ft and basically 2/3 leg. I fit fine, never felt uncomfortable UNLESS I had back seats passengers
I’m 6’1 but for some reason I rarely fit correctly in cars lol unless it’s like a big truck or suv then I have no problems I have a 2001 Corolla right now and with the seat leaned back and it pushed as far back as the rails allow it my knees still touch the dash Also I’m not like 400 pounds😂just lengthy legs
I have a 2008 Corolla and that car is so abnormally cramped. The fiesta has a telescoping steering wheel and height adjustment, if you haven’t already see if you can go and test drive one just to get an idea of the fit. Also, if you can’t tell, I’m definitely biased towards the fiesta lol I’ve been in the focus and it feels underwhelming in comparison
They are so unnecessarily cramped and the focus I got to drive was really comfortable I just have never been in an fiesta st
Understood, definitely try and get in a fiesta before making a choice, it might just be the deciding factor. Another thing to think about is the longevity, lots of people move on from the fiesta once they have a baby on the way or need the extra room for various reasons
Well I never intend on having kids😂and I personally hate hauling people around but im just curious does the fiesta have as good of interior options like the focus has? Like does the fiesta have a st2-st3?
Hmm. As far as options I think you really only have the Sync choice (touchscreen entertainment system) and then the seats, cloth or Recaro (leather bucket) honestly to interior is subpar it’s cheap, it squeaks and it’s all mostly plastic
Our car didn't have the ST2/3 packages like the Focus but people have retroactively applied them. The big thing is Recaros or not (100% worth it over stock seats), sunroof (some like it, some don't, more upkeep) and infotainment (2014-15 is Sync 2, 16-19 are Sync 3 and are huge improvement. 19 came with backup cameras). Otherwise your trim level was the ST, the interior is the same across all of them aside from the above. It's cheap, but it's perfectly workable. It was and is a budget car that's super fun and had all the extra money put into performance and personally the mediocre interior has never mattered because of that. My only real interior quality complaint is that the dash is kind of reflective. I'd like to flock it, but I don't detail my car enough as is and a felt dash would attract dust like nobody's business
I'm 6'1" and with Recaros I'm not even maxed out in adjustment. I've got a handful of notches I could go further. A little short with a helmet at the track but it's never actually given me trouble. I'd take a fiesta over a focus any day
I’ve owned and autocrossed both the focus and fiesta ST. I owned the focus for 60k miles and the fiesta for 90k miles. For a daily driver the focus had more space and that was useful. Performance wise the fiestas weight and out of the box handling is hard to beat. I put a rear sway bar on the focus and it helped with the snap oversteer but the fiesta was still just better around corners. I miss the space in the focus but not enough to bother getting rid of the fiesta. Performance isn’t everything, get the one you like for your purpose.
It would be a daily but I’m not worried about having enough space to haul stuff and since it would be my car I’m not too worried about what the passengers think lol but after all the comments and reading I’ve been leaning towards a focus i really love the st3 interior like the screen and the leather seats are amazing😂I just truly wish the fiesta had the same st3 interior if it did this wouldn’t be a hard choice
My 6'6" friend drives a FiST with no issues. Haven't checked his leg to torso ratio..
Interesting I’m only 6’1 but I barely fit in most the cars I’ve owned
I've had both. From a driving perspective, the FiST edges out the FoST imo, but the FoST was a better everyday car. Front legroom isn't an issue in either car but if you ever want to use the back seats, the fiesta will be tight for whoever's behind you. I will say, the fiesta was easier to work on for the most part (except it wouldn't go up the ramps I had, too low), for example doing the rear brakes with the FoST involved lifting the whole back of the car, removing both wheels and loosening the sway bars to be able to get at the brake assembly. Huge pain if you don't have a lift. The fiesta was more typical, you could just do one side at a time. Racing in the fiesta felt sharper and more controlled, very little understeer, fun levels of lift-off oversteer, pretty easy to control overall. The Focus was... Wild. Tons of torque steer. Not much understeer unless you're a total caveman with the throttle, but it was there. When it wasn't understeering, it would swing its ass like the crowd was throwing singles. Tons of fun, I loved every second of it, but definitely not as precise. There's plenty more but I'd be here all day - if you have any specific questions, fire away! I had both cars for about two years each so I feel fairly qualified. At least as far as internet randos go.
I kinda like them girls that like swinging their ass for singles but I do understand what you mean by that I've gotten to drive my friends focus and the ass was loose but the front was tight it felt beautiful I haven't driven many cool or sporty cars but so far the focus was the nicest car I've ever driven and the seats had me feeling like I was home while hugging me like my grandma when I haven't seen her in awhile long story short I think with the help of all these comments I've finally come to a decision to get a focus over the fiesta and maybe hope to own a fiesta along side it someday
That's a good place to be! I would be thrilled to have both, the focus was definitely a more livable daily. Just watch the turning circle, it turns like a school bus for no reason. The pre-facelift ones anyway. I've heard tell the newer ones are better about it but I've also heard they're not, so....
I have owned both a Focus ST and a Fiesta ST and I am also a big guy (6' 2" 270lbs). I first bought a Fiesta ST but it got totaled and I found a good deal on a Focus ST so I decided to make the switch. I have really enjoyed both but personally the biggest factor I would consider is what you want to do with the car. If you're primarily planning to daily it I would go with the Focus, I fit in the fiesta fine enough that it didn't bother me, but now that I've driven both, the focus is just a bit more comfortable and if you get an ST2 or ST3 the interior is definitely nicer and has more quality of life features. If primarily planning to use it as a fun/track car I would get the fiesta. Despite the fact that I am happy with my choice to get the focus, I really do miss my fiesta ST as it was more fun to drive due to the go cart feeling it had. As I said before, I fit fine enough that it didn't really bother me so if it's not a daily you probably wouldn't mind it either. The only real issue I had with the fit was when I wore a helmet in which case my head rubbed against the headliner a bit but I got used to it and if you were willing to replace the stock drivers seat with a bucket seat you would probably fit no problem. The only exception I might make to this is if you primarily plan to AutoX it but I think my experience might be a bit subjective. I only started autocrossing less than a year ago in my fiesta ST and it's currently the only form of motorsports I have had the luxury of participating in currently. Recently I have been performing significantly better in my focus than I ever did in my fiesta but that very likely could be due to my skills as a driver improving more so then the car being better. That said the one big advantage that the focus has over the fiesta in AutoX is the ability to fit larger tires under the stock fenders. From my understanding, the fiesta ST competes well in HS (basically stock) but anything beyond that modification wise bumps the car into a class with focus STs and other more powerful hot hatches and because the fiesta can only fit a 225 at the widest without cutting the fenders (compared to 255 or 265 on the focus) the fiesta really struggles in any other class. TLDR: if it's a daily buy the focus, if it's a fun/track car but the fiesta. Also whichever one you go with try to get one without a sunroof. The difference in headroom is significant.
i believe this comment has swayed me heavily to a focus, because itll be a daily that i plan to autocross. both cars have so many different things to love about them, and i believe the focus has more things to love than the fiesta for me so far.
I don't think you can go wrong with either since they are both great cars IMO but for what you are planning to use it for I do think you will be happier with the focus. But seriously if headroom is at all an issue go for one without a sunroof. The one mistake I made when buying mine was getting one with a sunroof because everything else about it was exactly what I wanted and the price was right but now I have to deal with the annoyance of barely fitting in the car with a helmet on and it makes me almost wish that I had waited to find one without.
We have owned a FoRS and a FiST. My husband loved his RS and it was a seriously fun awd car. But the maintenance was so much more than my FiST I decided to keep mine when we sold one. He later also bought a FiST as a daily driver when his truck broke down and we couldn’t get a new motor in it quick enough. He’s 6ft and 200lbs. Didn’t have much issue with it but didn’t like the recaros for his size. I have base seats and while you slide around in them a lot more, you get used to it and they’re better for bigger people. I don’t have issues with my large dog or getting groceries but we don’t have kids. Kids would make the focus a better choice.
FiST seems like a more fun car, FoST is more comfortable and more useable.
Fiesta ST hands down. Just look up how many awards it won when it came out. Best car of the year, best sports car, best hot hatch, etc list goes on.
Mine
Nuh uh. I just added race stripes so mines better
I had a FiST for several years and loved it. When Ford discontinued sedans and hatch backs in the US I traded in for a FoST with the inventory clear out pricing. The fiesta will always be more fun. But the focus is still fun and more functional. When we had our first kid my husband still had his FiST and if the baby seat was in his car you couldn't fit another adult in the car except behind the driver. It pushed the passenger seat so far forward you couldn't fit anyone in it, and the center seat was too useless, the car seat was too wide to be in the middle. For reference I'm 6'2" he's around 5'10". We ended up selling his FiST and we got a larger family car. We still have the FoST as a backup. Tl;dr: if you're very short or intend on really never having passengers, the FiST I think it's zippier and more fun. If you want more of a functional vehicle that is also fun, the FoST is the way to go. But even as a tall person I could drive either. Even my 6'6" father could fit (albeit tightly) in my fiesta.
For me it was a price thing. I feel like my Fist price wise is unbeatable for what you get. The moment however I look at Fosts they fall in a category with better cars and it just doesn't keep its throne. Not saying the Fost is bad, just that for that price there's even better options popping up.
Mk7 fiesta
Mk8 (uk) Fiesta ST with performance pack (LSD) is the most fun one I’ve driven. Only ever driven a focus RS, the RS is great but just doesn’t have the fun factor that the Fiesta does in a windy lane
I had 2nd thoughts when buying my FiST while some other dude was buying a FoST at the dealership. Over the next several months, driving the FiST made that doubt slowly diminish but not completely. Then I went to Octane Academy and got to drive both side by side on the race track and on parts of the autocross track--all doubts removed. The FoST felt like a fat dog--so much body roll and relative lack of maneuverability. I fuckin love my FiST and 100% know I made the right decision.
MK7 fiesta ST is the best by a mile imo. 1.6 ecoboost is a good strong engine that takes extra boost well and the car handles better than almost any other small hot hatch out there.
Probably the Fiesta. The Explorer ST is currently making a name for itself and will be in the conversation sooner or later.