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CarGuideWeb.com's Review: Not Very Flattering

4K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  pelotonracer2 
#1 ·
This out of the many articles I've read about the FiST is the most critical out of them all. I can't say I'm happy with his review but this is his opinion and I want to read all articles about the FiST, good or bad. Feel free to chime in on your own thoughts of this review...this guy went so far as to accuse Ford of "lying", wow.

"Underrated / OverratedThat’s not to say that the 2014 Ford Fiesta’s turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder motor isn’t the spoon that stirs the subcompact’s coffee. Officially, Ford is advertising output of 197 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque, but dyno results from a number of publications as well as a few independent tuners peg the engine’s real performance at close to 190 horses and 221 lb-ft of twist…at the wheels. This means that somebody’s lying, and for once, the truth is better than the advertising copy."

I don't know about you all but when it comes down to losing 7hp and gaining 19 ft pd of torque....I'll take the torque all day! :)

http://www.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/22841/2014_ford_fiesta_st_in_the_shadow_of_greatness/
 
#2 ·
I tend to think the author should quote the source of where the dyno numbers are coming from. Are those at the wheel? Are they considering driveline loss? What conditions was the engine tested? To me, the article is void without backing up the comments with actual test results. Besides, the author clearly loves the Focus ST, which oddly enough, doesn't hold up on the track as well as the Fiesta ST. To boldly come out and say that somebody is lying when you provide very little evidence to support your claim is plain stupid.
 
#3 ·
Um...they're saying that the engine is underrated (ie overperforming).
"real performance at close to 190 horses and 221 lb-ft of twist…at the wheels."
"for once, the truth is better than the advertising copy."

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to underrate turbo engines (why? I have no clue).
 
#4 ·
Well there ya go...We have balance a not perfect review but .. I wonder if in the moment on the AutoX track he forgot to lift to get the tail of the car to come around .. I know ill have to work on thato_O
 
#5 ·
It is common to underate to make sure that even an engine that doesn't produce as much power as others will produce the advertised amount. It is common for all engines. There are more variables in putting a turbo car with an intercooler on a dyno since you need a method of replicating the air passing thru the intercooler while the car is stationary.
 
#6 ·
I could be wrong but, the Fiesta ST is rated at 197 hp and 214 lb-ft at the flywheel. He is saying it puts down 190 hp and 221 lb-ft at the wheels. If we take 10% driveline loss that means it is making 209 hp and 243 lb-ft at the flywheel. So how is the advertising better than the real thing? He is not comparing apples to apples here, he clearly doesn't know what he is talking about. We also don't know what kind of times he was putting down with the Focus ST and the Fiesta ST. One reason the Fiesta was pushing is because he was going faster than what he did the Focus ST.
 
#8 ·
Zach Bowman is one of my favorite journalists, he actually gets cars. So many times his writing mimics my thoughts on the same car, and the Fiesta ST article is no different. The CarGuideWeb author proves that anyone can be an auto critic, but Bowman shows that it takes talent to be a good critic.
 
#9 ·
Chassis dynamometers vary widely in measurement due to poor calibration and incorrectly applied correction factors. Any number you read should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

As a tool they are best used for back to back runs with tuning in between, the results should be equally inaccurate allowing you to see the before and after change. Comparing between dynos or results generated weeks apart, the variables are too big to conclude anything.

Any way the author isn't swaying the Fiesta ST is down on power, he is saying its better than Ford's rating.

He thinks the Focus ST is easier to drive fast which seems bizarre to me but he's Canadian, he might have a brain freeze or Hockey injury.
 
#13 ·
odd. the fly in the ointment in that comparison was the focus ST. he compares the fiesta to the focus and finds it wanting.. to me they are different segments.

i have a WRX which i will probably replace with a vette or perhaps the new STI if it is impressive enough. to me the focus competes with the WRX in size and performance and price more or less. roughly the same size and weight and tunability but the WRX has a lot more potential.

the fiesta on the other hand is a small, sub 3000lb sub-compact and for me its a different segment entirely. i wanted a small (as small as possible more or less) around town car with go-car like ergonomics and the potential for modest performance upgrades. the fiesta fit that bill. the focus on the other hand has more potential than the fiesta per se, but in its class, weight and potential performance upgrades, there are much better choices.
 
#14 ·
Chassis dynamometers vary widely in measurement due to poor calibration and incorrectly applied correction factors. Any number you read should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

As a tool they are best used for back to back runs with tuning in between, the results should be equally inaccurate allowing you to see the before and after change. Comparing between dynos or results generated weeks apart, the variables are too big to conclude anything.

Any way the author isn't swaying the Fiesta ST is down on power, he is saying its better than Ford's rating.

He thinks the Focus ST is easier to drive fast which seems bizarre to me but he's Canadian, he might have a brain freeze or Hockey injury.
I wrote exactly the same thing (but in my own words) on another forum... ;-)
 
#15 ·
so far every chassis dyno result that I have seen [including mine] indicate that the Fiesta ST has more than 197hp and 202lb-ft of torque. yes please.
I've seen a couple under 175hp (at the wheels) which seems to be the lower end of the spectrum. Can't wait to put a few more miles on mine and then take it to a dyno for some baseline numbers.
 
#16 ·
so far every chassis dyno result that I have seen [including mine] indicate that the Fiesta ST has more than 197hp and 202lb-ft of torque. yes please.
You have any dyno runs you want to share with us? ~grins~
 
#18 ·
Thanks! :)
 
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