Ok, so I have had the car a good few weeks now so thought it was about time I do a write up, for all those who might be considering buying/leasing one (if you haven't already!)
Firstly the positives; the car is quick. It certainly feels faster than any 182 I have had, and also faster than both Mk5 Golf GTI's I have had in the past. The low down toque is brilliant, which means you can pootle around all day and have some performance 'on tap' when you need it. You don't have wring its neck, like a 182 that's for sure.
The car also, unlike a Mk5 Golf GTI, doesn't seem to run out of puff towards the top end. Although I must admit, as peak torque comes lower down in the rev band, the car has not been past 5K RPM that often!
The noise it makes on acceleration is fantastic. The car literally growls on acceleration. Not sure if this is induction and/or exhaust but it sounds bloody brilliant. I was 110% going to 'Mountune' the car, given it wouldn’t affect the warranty. It doesn't need it, so I'm not bothering. I think that says a lot about the car right there.
In terms of economy, the car returns in the high 40s/low 50s mpg on a motorway run and about 32 around Halifax's stop-start traffic and hills. In comparison, around town my 182s returned about 26 mpg and the GTI about 25mpg. Its certainly better on fuel.
Build quality is miles ahead of Renault, but still behind the VAG cars in my opinion. My passenger door seal is faulty resulting in having to slam the door to close it, and there is a rattle coming from the instrument cluster (although admittedly this seems to have fixed its self in the past day or two). There is a hole behind the handbrake, which will gladly swallow up change/keys if you're not carful! Strange thing to overlook by Ford.
I have had many cars over the years, and this has been the only car to actually get people come over to it and ask questions. This didn’t even happen with my Z4 in full-on top down hairdresser mode! People seem to love the thing. It also seems to turn heads when driving past people on the street. It's crazy to think it's 'only' a Fiesta in this respect.
The turning circle is rubbish. No point sugar-coating this, its rubbish. I'm not sure why it's so bad but it's comparable with my RB182 which was about an inch off the ground on coilovers. This can make parking in supermarkets very annoying on occasion if its busy.
Handling is spot on. It’s a very quick rack, meaning very little input has to be put into the wheel before the car reacts. It's very similar to a Mini Cooper S' steering, albeit a little lighter, which is nice day to day. Grip is massive. I haven't pushed the car, but when I have gone into a corner at speed, it's never felt like letting go.
Gear box is classic Ford - slick as anything, and very satisfying. It's what Renault could only dream of to be honest…The cabin is ain general a nice place to sit. Very little wind or road noise on the motorway. Feels like a bigger car than it actually is.
The stereo system is good, if not 'amazing'. It's about on par with the standard Golf GTI system, but miles better than a Renaults/BMW system. The interface with the iphone is good, meaning you can make hands free calls (although it sometimes struggles to understand my Yorkshire accent)
The floor mats are paper thin and wearing already (after 700 miles) and for some reason, whoever designed the headlights, designed them with no access room behind. This means a bulb change will result in a headlight removal. Not great considering they have projector lenses and I was looking to fit some 'whiter' bulbs….The LEDs don’t stay on as bright when the lights are on (a picky issue, but I would like them to stay on like the AUDI units).
The seats are great. Very similar to the GTI's Recaros, but the have more lower-back support. I have done some long journeys in the ST and not once have I had backache. Absolutely brilliant design, and they don’t look as 'in your face' in real life. The seats are heated also, and are very hot! Will be nice in the winter, along with the heated screen!
I'm sure I have missed things off this write-up but I have been fairly honest about all the positives and negatives. If I could go back a few months and decide again whether to get one, I still would. It’s a cracking car and I can see why all the motoring press raved about them.
started snowing here around 4pm last night, stopped within 10min and hasn't since. It was meant to snow all night too, lame!
