Practicality as a daily driver?

I daily drive my current car with stiff suspension and low profile tires. I don't feel every bump in the road, but you get a little more perceptive of bumps, cracks, potholes and such than you would if you were driving a car with factory suspension and tires with larger sidewalls. I prefer the small car with good handling over the big truck with boat like handling though.

After driving my mom's truck around several weeks back I kept forgetting I was in a taller vehicle with not so great handling and I took some turns that made me feel like I was gonna tip it over that my car could have taken at a faster speed without any feeling of control loss. The truck definitely absorbed the bumps so much better than my car could, I hit a small pothole with the truck and had I not known it was there I wouldn't have felt it where with my car that pothole could be a very large bang and a possible bent wheel. That's the two extremes to the handling and ride quality aspect, but I much prefer a rougher ride with better handling over smoother ride and the constant feeling of lack of control.

A regular Fiesta would be more towards better handling, but the ride quality will be no doubt better than an ST. With a larger car you'd start losing more of the handling aspect and get into better ride quality. It's all about where you feel is right. With the ST you'd have to be aware you can't just run over every pothole you come across like you can with a truck, and you might have to take something like a railroad crossing or an abrupt bump in the road at a lower speed. You won't feel every pebble in the road, but larger cracks, bumps and such will not all be absorbed by the tires and suspension and you will end up feeling it.

If you feel like you (and your wife) can sacrifice ride quality for handling then the ST might be the car for you. If not, you might be better suited to a regular Fiesta or even a larger car like the Focus or Fusion.

Go test drive a 2014 Fiesta... And test drive a Focus ST. It will give you a lot of insight as far as what to expect in the Fiesta ST.

That is exactly what I did. It really helped in making my decision. It is not going to be exact, but it is going to give you a rough idea. The Fiesta for the dimensions, and the Focus ST for the more performance oriented suspension/driving experience + recaro's.

No two people are going to feel exactly the same about their driving experience with any given vehicle...

I don't even agree with the poster above as far as trucks+handling vs stiff suspensions lol But I respect that everyone has their own preferences/comforts. Which is exactly why you need to sort that out for yourself.

I have made the mistake of trusting other peoples opinions in the past and was quite disappointed when the car was delivered and I had to live with it and strongly disagreed with majority of the opinions that I read.

And I am by no means saying anyone else's opinion is invalid... But just keep in mind that you might feel differently.

Not something I would gamble that much money on "again" without testing the waters first hand. Granted I haven't driven an ST and I have one on order.... I trust that the '14 Fiesta titanium + Focus ST test drive back to back.... is more than adequate testing for myself.

And if you are not 100% sure at the test drive... Test drive again.. It's easy to have the blinders on due to excitement/anticipation. And try to drive it in places/conditions relevant to the places/conditions you are concerned about as far as living with the car goes.

As far as back seat space... It never ceases to amaze me how widely people vary in opinions of what is "enough" back seat space and what isn't....
I still can't get over guys on the Raptor forums complaining that there isn't enough leg room in the SuperCab Raptors.... I have had no problems transporting people who are 6'7 ish? Yet you'll find people who are 5'8 complaining, that they can't fit their kids in the back. lol

And on the flip side, you'll find some people on Scion FR-S forums who think the back seats are adequate for adults.... I am not a big guy but wow is that an uncomfortable place to be... lol

There are a ton of videos on youtube of people driving around in the Fiesta's.... Many of which clearly you can see 2-3 grown adults in the back seat... Taking road trips across the country.....

And being as popular as the Fiesta is in Europe...... given the conditions of some of the roads out there.. I find it hard to believe that it isn't suitable for a daily driver with those circumstances....

Everyone's different though. Bring the kids and wife along to the dealership, when you test out a '14 Fiesta titanium & a Focus ST. Best to be thorough so you and your family can be more comfortable in the decision.