FiST on Truth about cars

Nice post. It really is odd just how much people get on the "GTI love train"! It's nice, no doubt...

So, I agree that the VW is nice -- nicer than a FiST (and as said before, even my GF's base Golf is nicer).

I've owned an R32 and drive the Golf quite a bit. I have also driven a few different GTIs, a bunch. It's a nice car, and the one to get if you value "nice" over performance. Yes, you can make a GTI fast. Drive one back-to-back and it's amazing how different they are!

The car I just sold, a 2013 Audi S5 is perhaps the nicest car I've ever owned. The real carbon fiber "Atlas" inlays and "Silk Napa Leather" and slick MMI don't do a bit to make it drive better. Oh yeah, it has a Stasis/Revo ECU too. Guess what? I don't miss it at all.

But...I split my daily driving with a VW Touareg TDI, and it's a sweet ride. It's great value and safe for the kids too (if you're saddled with those critters). As I mentioned in another post, now that I have the FiST, I'd be happy with it as an only car.

Steering feel alone is a good reason to pick the FiST as a performance car. The other reason is the low weight (not power-to-weight!). Driving this car has been a revelation. Consider that most new "lightweight" cars are 3200+ pounds.

It's okay if other people don't love or appreciate the FiST the same way we do.

I don't understand people who complain about the ST interior.

It doesn't fall apart in your hand, everything fits properly without big gaps, almost all the plastic is nicely textured (although I'm not a plastic texture connoisseur).

I only have three minor complaints, with the Recaro package they should have continued the contrast stitching to the steering wheel cover and shifter boot, the sun visors need lighted vanity mirrors and the arm rests in the door panels could use a nicer upholstery and a pocket to grab when you open the door.

You've got to be really spoiled if you can't live with the Fiesta ST.

Feeling unsafe in a Fiesta is dumb too, they have to pass all the same crash tests and have tons of air bags. If you are a good defensive driver, the ST is just the car to avoid trouble too.

The car is small but in my mind that's a virtue.

If you have two kids in baby seats it would be a pain but short of a mini-van or SUV, every car is a pain with two baby seats.

I'm glad its working out for you.

I completely agree with the interior quality outlook, wash. I don't understand the complaints about it. You have to take note, it's Ford's cheapest car so the interior quality isn't going to be luxury, but compared to my 2003 Ford ZX2, the interior is pretty freaking nice. I've seen plenty of people wreck or be wrecked into in their Fiesta over on Fiesta Faction. I don't recall anyone having any major health problems because of it. Shoot, I've seen even more ZX2s get wrecked over the years and it's a smaller car with only two airbags. Unless you're driving like a retard then you'll survive just fine, and toting a child you shouldn't be driving like a retard. A larger car would make the kid thing easier, but it can be just as "unsafe" as a small car... I like small cars. They are easier to drive and a lot more nimble. That makes it easier to avoid an accident in some cases. Take a quick turn in a large boring family sedan and you'd likely lose control, and an SUV might flip.

I don't know that I'd want a VW, when it breaks I'd think the parts would cost considerably more.

Cligedy said:

I don't really have any serious complaints about the interior either. The door pulls/ handles are a little flimsy, and a sunglass holder would be great.

That said, I am getting more disappointed in the seats. I didn't like the recaros, and got the standard seat, but they are pretty so-so.

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The point about the seats is a good one. I drove a couple different configurations with and without Recaro seats and it was a *very* tough decision for me. Probably like you, I was after good support along with comfort. I almost didn't go for the Recaro setup, but I did. Something I hoped would happen, did happen...

The Recaro seats "break-in". They were a bit too snug for me initially (and I'm only 5'10" and 175 pounds but have wide shoulders). We've all seen reports of very big guys being happy in them, so YMMVG as the saying goes.

I'm sorry your seats aren't working out. Maybe you can find a single Recaro seat from someone that has turned their FiST into a race car? That might sound like a stretch -- but it's exactly what I did on my 1999.5 Audi A4 1.8T. Someone campaigning a 2000 S4 sold me his entire interior! It was pretty sweet.

On the way into work today, I was reflecting on the current C&D story about the 2015 Mustang. The choice to use a 2.3l Ecoboost *4 cylinder* is very cool! There will be lots of engine choices, but the prevailing thinking was that a 4 wouldn't make it to the line-up. Anyhow, the paraphrased sentiment was "the Focus and Fiesta was designed by the Europeans for the Europeans...the Mustang is all about being American" (F'Yeah!). Regardless of what Ford says, the Ecoboost engine and "refined" looks will rope in more Europeans, even if it happens to make Americans happy too.

The point here is that this is about perception. We know that the FiST is loved overseas. They have lots of comparison points, and the FiST still wins. Here you really cannot find a direct competitor, but that doesn't stop the inevitable cross-shopping and comparisons with cars that don't really match up (for reasons of price, size, weight, performance, etc.).

Few things in life invite more passionate comparisons than a car ownership decision. Take for instance, my situation. Categorically, I do not like SUVs, but I love my Touareg TDI! It actually gets better MPG than my FiST driven under the same commuting conditions! No sh*t (~30MPG gives me about 800 miles a tank and quells my fears around range anxiety). It's a better perch to see over traffic, and it also can tow my Jeep and the FiST, should it become a dedicated track car! So, the cars are nothing alike, but since I have both, it invites a comparison. We can love what makes the FiST great while appreciating something good about another car. The VW is simply much nicer. Why?

Lots of moto pundits have said this car "punches above its weight", and it does! Until recently you couldn't buy a car of any kind much below $20K. There are lots of example of fine cars in that range today, thanks to the imports. If you play the "remove the badge game", you'll see examples from Kia, Hyundai, and others that beat their rivals. I also found myself wondering if the public would think the new CLA was so cool if it wasn't a Mercedes (again thinking about Hyundai examples with similar #s). FWD MB, WTF?

MT's Carlos Lago said "...open the glove box and it cheaply falls down..." Another reviewer didn't like how our center console moved so easily under load from your arm. Those are both true statements and typical of a small econo car. It's also true that this thing is way nicer than most in the segment.

Back to the original point -- many Americans still hold ideals about what makes a good/safe car, and that's *size*. I was down in the weeds reading the OP's reader comments, and it points this out. Other links have user feedback along the same lines. One that really made me laugh was "I don't want to be in a car that small when I run into the back of a dump truck at 100 MPH!" ... "What kind of car do you want to be in when you run into the same truck?"

We're a surprisingly objective group. I'm having more fun here than any forum in recent history. I'm allergic to the crap on most forums (like most Jeep ones, for instance). We're car guys -- enthusiasts and enjoy the banter.

Edit: "Above its weight" (not "about")

Cligedy said:

I don't really have any serious complaints about the interior either. The door pulls/ handles are a little flimsy, and a sunglass holder would be great.

That said, I am getting more disappointed in the seats. I didn't like the recaros, and got the standard seat, but they are pretty so-so.

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Oh yeah, I think the doors close with a surprisingly solid thud. I let another friend drive my car recently, and he was very impressed -- and actually commented about the solid feeling in the doors and overall. He loved the performance, and his current stable of cars is:

1) 2014 Nissan GTR Black Edition,
2) 2005 Subaru STi
3) 2006(?) Mistubishi Evo IX
4) 2013 Scion FRS
5) 2010 Lexus IS-F
6) 1991 300ZX TT
7) 1995 200 SX SE-R (race car)
8) Toyota Tundra

He's in "the business". I'm sure I'm missing one or two of his cars.

McRib 1s Back said:

One that really made me laugh was "I don't want to be in a car that small when I run into the back of a dump truck at 100 MPH!" ... "What kind of car do you want to be in when you run into the same truck?"

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Haha! :biglaugh:

I've always driven small cars, myself, as I prefer them, but I've heard countless people equate bigger with safer, and I only partially agree with that because it seems to be situational. As Sil3nt611 mentioned, it's often easier to avoid a collision in a smaller, more nimble car, and any good defensive driving instructor will rightly tell you that it's easier to steer than to stop in an emergency situation. Also, when colliding with a stationary object like a tree or a pole, a larger, heavier vehicle will have much more momentum and cause a much harder impact. Consider an 8lb bowling ball hitting a tree vs. a 16lb bowling ball hitting the same tree at the same speed. Which would be a "safer" impact if there was somehow a tiny occupant seatbelted inside the ball? When it comes to colliding with another moving vehicle, however, in most cases it seems that it would be safer to be in a larger, heavier vehicle (all other factors being equal).