So I test drove one today to replace a daily driver/commute sort of car.

It wasn't bad but may be I had expected more from it after reading all the mag reviews. The test drive was fairly quick and having a sales guy next to you doesn't help explore the outer dynamics

I left feeling like I was not blown away by it however, I haven't stopped thinking back over the drive since I got back.........and I am concluding this little hatchback may have got under my skin more than I realised.

Anyone got one as a daily? How dio you feel about it?

 

Yet to drive one but I want to...But I wouldn't keep it standard.....

It'd have to have a LSD fitted....and a quick trip up to Blackpool and have Stu work his magic

Sound barmy, but its either that, an 9yr old RS4 or a S1...and I still miss having a quick-clear windscreen, even though I haven't had a car with one for 15years.

 

A mate had one, got rid end of last year after 2 years ownership. I had the pleasure to drive it and be a passenger over long journeys. All I would say is the ride is a little hard, yet the reviews all say this. If it was thrown into a bend it stuck just anything other than a dry surface the front wheels light up. I opted for the focus st3, one because the deal was too hard to say no to and I found the ride softer and easier to live with. Still suffers the same issue with anything other than a dry Road and as good as ford say the front differential is the fact is it still squirms over the road. Great car though and in the dry the grip is shockingly good. As a testament to the Fiesta he kept it the full 2 years and that's the first car he's done it with for a long time.

For the cost and what toys you get with it they are hard to beat

Welcome to try the focus if you're local

 

Ali - totally agree about the heated front screen.......missed it on every car I have owned since the last Ford I had......a Ford Puma back in the day........

stevie - thanks for the offer mate! really appreciate it, unfortunately the Focus is just a little too wide for my tiny garage and outside my budget for a commuting car option and I want to get as compact a car as possible for the iffy multi-storey I park in every day

After thinking it over, I am going to go for the Fiesta with the Mountune option to give it some extra Ooomph.

The end price point for the car is making it hard to ignore........lucky to have Ford Privilege as the extra incentive as well...........

 

another plus 1 for the heated screen - had it on a RR, also the self dipping rear view mirror - you didn't know you needed one - until you had one

 

Was nice on Mondeo , but as a rule never actually needed one here on sarf coast and working from home

 

i drove 1 it was ok but eventually settled on the JCW mini which was faster and felt more planted to me.

 

I have an ST3 on a lease deal. I find it terrific tbh. Its quick enough for a daily commute, makes a nice sound, great seats, lots of room (i'm 6"4), i've had it 15 months and no issues. easily 300+ miles to a tank, £200 a year to insure.

Can't believe the kit on it tbh. Keyless, heated seats, Satnav, auto lights/wipers, decent stereo, voice control which actually works well, text message reading etc. The only thing it badly misses is xenons

When my lease is up in December, i'm seriously thinking about getting another.

A fella I used to go to school with has one modded to 317bhp. Must go like stink when rolling

 

Out of the box or with the Mountune remap, I'm amazed at how capable they are on a track. I've driven two on track now and they punch way above their weight.

 

I test drove one as well a JCW but ended up with getting a GT86!

 

Well I signed up for one. Should get it in Early April. Fully loaded with the Mountune kit as well.

Looking at all the reviews and from what has been said, it should be fun!

 

Well picked up the ST today, crikey o'reilly you can tell it's going to be good in the corners

Very pleased with the ride although on the firm side it seems perfectly fine to me. Still trying to get my head around all the features as it's an ST3 and I ticked almost all the options left available.

Not sure on the "Running in" approach, there are so many different opinions on the ST forums it's doing my head in slightly. I'm currently going for the mechanical sympathy but not getting too **** about it approach

Anyone got a view on new cars and the running in of modern turbo engines? Not sure I wanted to ask on the ST forums as there is already a million and one views and they range from rag the tit$ off it from day 1 to producing a spreadsheet plotting a daily diary and covering the full rev range

Looking forward to giving it some welly and getting the Mountune MP215.

The mountune parts have been delayed so I opted to have the car for a while in "standard" form.

Tax is cheaper than on my old 1.9 PD130 diesel so that was a result.

Insurance wasn't too bad either so fairly cheap running costs.

 

presumably being as its got a turbo , you can have any power you want !








*its still a tiny shopping car lol

 

Yeah, I needed a compact car because the carpark I use for commuting is a nightmare with anything larger than a small hatchback.

 

well fair enough I guess

 

...And a Mk7 Fiesta ain't tiny either....park one next to a MK5 /Mk6 /Mk7 Golf they only differ by a few inches in width and about a 1ft in length most of which is wasted due to the front overhang and larger engine bay...unlike the Fiesta!

A 6ftx2ft trellising fits in a Mk5 Golf with ease so by no mean is a Golf a tiny car and the same size trellis also fits in the Fiesta too!

A full size dishwasher will also fit in there...try that with a Mini one

 

I always find it interesting the things that will and won't fit in various cars, I once tried to get a washing machine into the back of my old escort estate, no chance, but 10 mins later, much to everyones surprise, it was in the back of my mums 2 door polo fox and on it's way to the tip, go figure.

Still tempted to go for the Fiesta Red 140bhp jobbie myself, that or the new Corsa sri are at the top of my list for the summer.

 

Ahem, slight whoopsy; the trellis was 6ft by 2ft....would need to chop the roof off to get the 4ft one in LOL

 

I'm sure nobody took a fence.

 

We've got a 2010 Fiesta. One handy tip (for example if you're taking things to the tip....) All the reviews say the rear seats won't fold flat. Yes they will. You just have to remove the rear seat base, which pulls up from the front edge and out quite easily. Then the backs go as near to flat as you could hope for.

I'm sure that's something you'll find very useful in your ST.

Incidentally, Ford owned Land Rover for a while and you get heated screens in some of their vehicles too.

 

Thanks for the advice on the rear seats although I opted for the variable boot floor which allows you to match the height of the bases I think.

Bit of an update on first impressions having owned the car for just over 3 weeks.

The suspension really is very firm, if you are someone who likes silky smooth rides then this is definitely not the car for you. Still letting the engine bed in so I haven't stretched the rev limits but it's a willing gutsy little engine from the brief glimpses of hoon.

Highlight so far is just how the thing corners.....it is absolutely epic, also the car manages to achieve something I haven't experienced in any other car in so much as you feel like you are going faster than you actually are.

I can totally see why every review raves about the excitement of the drive. The car is definitely up for fun and you don't have to be breaking any laws to still have a riot.

MPG wise I am showing around 35 but that is taking things fairly steady so I expect to see around the 25/30 mark once the engine has settled in and I'm doing a mixed style of driving.

This ST3 looks fantastic in black with the style kit and I find the recaro seats very comfortable now I have found the right position for me.

The plastics inside feel pretty cheap but this car isn't pretending to be a premium hatch. It's bargain basement driving nirvana! Now I see why Hammond said what he did. I didn't "get it" on the rather sedate test drive I originally completed but now I am totally an avid fan.

Ford really do understand driving dynamics

A couple of weeks from the Mountune upgrade and the green light to start giving it some serious welly. Can't wait

 

Our 1.6 is the Ti-VCT petrol version. It's only 120bhp but until the ST arrived, it was the quickest one they made. I'm slightly embarrassed to say (on here) that I found its handling to be more confidence inspiring than my old Blob's.

When you rev it a bit, it feels quick-ish (even though it isn't particularly), and it's lighter than the previous Fiesta too, which helps. The way the doors close is much more solid feeling than the earlier one as well.

If we could get away with a two door, an ST would be my first choice, but our elderly mums couldn't get into the back and we often take them out, so it's not on at the moment.

 

I drove the ST, JWC and S1 all in the same weekend, the S1 won me over as the more complete package although more expensive.

 

So I have had a couple of days now with the Mountune MP215 and all i can say is for me it fills in the gaps in the car. Although the changes are subtle (< 10% bhp increase) the overall change to the torque curve are obvious.

It's not going to "rip your head off" fast but the handling and mountune punch combined are fun personified.

I've driven faster cars on paper but this thing oozes laugh out aloud moments a plenty. God knows what the Revo Stage 3 car is like.........

For driving fun on a cheap budget, I can't think of a comparable rival I would rather be in the seat of.

 

Just px'd my GT86 for a new ST3.

Pick it up 4 this afternoon from Evans Halshaw Ford. I've got it booked in for the Mountune upgrade in 6 weeks when I should have done 1000 miles.

 

Nice one I did the same sort of thing over 4 weeks. You might find the standard car a little bit disappointing in terms of top end oomph......then you get the Mountune and it just makes the car what it should have been as standard.

It's a fun car