[RavynX]

Hey all,

I currently drive a 2005 Acura TL and have had it since last March. It's been an okay car and I got it so I could keep the miles off of my S2000 that I autocross. We had a 2011 Fiesta SES in the family a year and a half ago but my fiance traded that in for her current truck; in hindsight I would have bought that from her for my daily driver but at the time I was trying to find a car that had a balance of power & comfort. I'm really hating driving a bloated TL and it gets terrible gas mileage (I average 21-23 mixed city and I haven't broken past 28-29 on the highway). The issue is that the dash cracked on me a month or two after buying the car (yay, typical problems) and I would have to shell out 1-2 grand for a dealer to pay it off.

Anyway, I went from looking at newer Focus hatch, then a Mazda 3 hatch, back to keeping the TL for a while to see if I can live with it, and now looking at the Fiesta ST. I finally test drove one this past Saturday and was pretty impressed. The Recaro seats were definitely snug which may or may not hamper it as a daily driver getting in and out (I'm 5'6", 170 lbs, gonna get back down to 150). The only other issue I've been trying to work out is getting my mountain bike to the trails. My fiance's Fiesta fitted a hitch just fine but it looks like the bumper on the ST might be an issue with a hitch. I refuse to use roof-racks because (1) I can be a klutz at times and (2) I'm fairly short and it would be a stretch for me to hoist a 32lb bike on top of a car.

Has anyone else moved from a larger sedan to a smaller Fiesta and regretted losing passenger or trunk space? We have two young kids so I think they'll be okay for a while with the back seat; we have an EcoBoost F150 if we need the space. ^_^

Sorry for the TL;DR, but just wanted to spill my thoughts out and get some opinions on whether the car is worth moving to even if I have to pay money to get out of my current car.

 

[WScottCross]

I went from an Escape to my Fiesta SES in 2010 and didn't regret it at all. And now with the ST, it's a great daily driver for me. Tons of fun! As long as you have another larger vehicle when you need the space or cargo capacity, I say go for it. I put my mountain bike in the back of my SES after I took the front wheel off. I don't like racks, on the roof or hitch mounted.

 

[Cligedy]

I came from an Infiniti G35S, similar size to the TL. No regrets here. More fun to drive, cheaper to drive, and enough room. I have daycare pickup /drop off duty for a toddler, and the FiST does just fine. Two rear facing seats would be a challenge though. I have another thread on this board about whether the FiST will "baby", with good pics of the car loaded up.
A bike will fit in the rear with the seats down and the front wheel off too.
Hope this helps

 

[jcr557]

I went from a 2014 Subaru WRX to a 2014 Fiesta ST due to gas mileage. Still have the Subaru which I drive in the snow or whenever I want to haha but the ST has become my daily driver and it's a very fun car. I'm happy with the performance.

 

[frismanis]

I had (have) an '06 Audi A4. I absolutely love the Fiesta. I still drive the A4 when the weather is crappy (like today in Houston), but the Fiesta gets all the fun miles.

 

[mamiata1]

This being a Fiesta ST forum and most people here loving their cars you're probably going to get a lot of yes votes. I say buy the Fiesta and use the truck when you want to go biking. I'm about 5'10" and 190 and the Recaros are fine just a slightly different process getting in and out of the vehicle.

 

[stuntdoogie]

I traded a mint 2006 Silver TL for my FiST...No regrets! Im having loads of fun. Got a Fully loaded Black with Orange Recaros.

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[RavynX]

Thanks all for the replies. I figured I'd get a lot of yes-votes to the Fiesta but figured if people missed something about a previous car or something else they'd speak up. I can make do with putting the bike in the car with the seats folded but would prefer a hitch. I'm still deciding on the Recaros because I found out you can't put an aftermarket seat in w/o disabling the airbags (big no-no) but the $2k option is a bit pricey where I stand with a car that I owe $9k but the dealer is probably only going to give me $7k since the typical wear-items decided to rear their head during my ownership. I was also asking on another thread how the Recaros feel on longer drives (several hours) and if they got hot being that they wrap around you well around the thighs and rib cage (my body tends to generate a lot of heat).

 

[stuntdoogie]

Deleted

 

[RodMoe]

Coming from a larger car two cars (Dodge Challenger RT) ago to a smaller underpowered car but dead sexy FRS to this FiST with Recaro's I can say yes i missed the trunk on the RT but not so much the lack of power on the FRS I could live with the space in the FiST as it is a smidge smaller inside then our other DD a Honda Fit Sport. and if we need to haul stuff we have the truck and trailer. Can't say if the Recaro's will get warm as it is one of the coldest winters up here in a long long time but the heated seats are sweet. also the Recaro's seem to just get better with age and I have only gone maybe 2 hrs at most for a long drive and never felt uncomfortable or needed to adjust anything. I too looked at getting a nase model and ran into the same issues you are finding . Get the Recaro's if you can swing them they are that good.. Either way the car will make you giggle like a school girl when you drive it like it wants to be driven...

 

[WScottCross]

I'm driving 9 hours to Virginia on Monday, so I'm about to find out how comfortable the recaros are for long trips! I'll post after that.

 

[jimclark]

I went from a Honda Fit Sport to the FiST as my daily driver. Mileage about same, maybe slightly better with Fit around town, but a LOT less fun. Definitely more space in Fit. Putting a bike in the back of the FiST will be . . . interesting, I think. Not tried it yet. The Recaros are simply great seats, in my estimation (5-8, 165). Driving the FiST is a much more "alive" experience than with the Fit. Take all this for what it's worth, though. Vehicle choices are personal. Make yours what you want/need it to be!

 

[stuntdoogie]

I got one of these....no problem fitting it in my ST

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[jimclark]

My two-wheel ride, though, looks like this:

It doesn't do the origami thing quite so well.

 

[RavynX]

hah, nice on the fold-up bike. Here's my mountain bike...

 

[RavynX]

I have two people interested in buying my TL. I'm trying reaaaaaally hard not to get my hopes up it'll sell this week. Really wanting to go get a Fiesta ST...

 

[RavynX]

The TL is SOLD!

 

[stuntdoogie]

Grats! Now let the fun begin. But remember, there will be a difference in quality build between the TL and FiST. So if you can put that aside your good. Think Fun cause that what this car is about.

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[RodMoe]

Congrats indeed

 

[RavynX]

Grats! Now let the fun begin. But remember, there will be a difference in quality build between the TL and FiST. So if you can put that aside your good. Think Fun cause that what this car is about.

Thanks! Yeah, I figured I would be missing some of the luxury that the TL provided but I'll at least I won't have to have a 'meh' feeling when looking back at her.

We'll be going to the Ford dealer today to see if they can do a dealer trade for a Performance Blue FiST that's a couple hundred miles away. They only have Molten Orange at the dealer we shop from. As much as I'd like the Recaro seats, they seem like they would get terribly hot for me in the summer being wrapped around my torso and legs (my body radiates a ton of heat, IMO). If someone finds away to add aftermarket bucket seats later while keeping the airbags then I'll find something that works. For now I'll save the $2k option. The heated seats would be nice though as I've definitely been using those the past few weeks in 20*-40* weather.