Ford Fiesta Thread: MK8 ST with 200 BHP 3cyl EcoBoost

[Eric.]

I put it in the same category as automatic headlights. They were nice to have on my first car ('99 Grand Am GT), and missed at first when I got the Civic. And now I think nothing of turning my lights on (or off) and appreciate being able to so.

 

[Moglet]

since when do people bother to signal a pass? i get guys blast past me at eighty-90 mph when I'm actually doing the speed limit. they don't care.

I always do it, as do quite a few people in this country although the numbers are dwindling. You can still get pulled over and fined for driving without due care and attention for it though.

 

[homeforsummer]

No number of gadgets could distract me from the hideous interior and exterior of the Fiesta though. Plus everyone has one already.

EDIT: My interior comments are based upon sitting in a few at the Motor Show. They're horrible, the dash looks cheap and flimsy and it's too cluttered and angular everywhere. They've tried too hard to be 'cool'. A lot of people agreed with me too, they were sitting inside and then just going "Oh......" and getting back out again

I'm with you on still not liking the Fiesta. Not a patch on the Mazda 2 it's based on. It's just a shame the Fiesta is such a great car because it means my dislike of it is completely irrational and subjective...

And yeah, I'm one of the guys who indicates when they should too. Especially on relatively small UK motorways and in dodgy weather, signalling your intentions clearly can be a lifesaver. One flash simply isn't enough.

 

[Moglet]

I'm with you on still not liking the Fiesta. Not a patch on the Mazda 2 it's based on. It's just a shame the Fiesta is such a great car because it means my dislike of it is completely irrational and subjective...

And yeah, I'm one of the guys who indicates when they should too. Especially on relatively small UK motorways and in dodgy weather, signalling your intentions clearly can be a lifesaver. One flash simply isn't enough.

I too love the Mazda 2 instead! My next door neighbour's dad has a nice one in a dark grey colour and I drove one with grey stripes at the Motor Show 2 years ago. It's an awesome little car to chuck about!

 

[Jondot]

That 3 blink signal thing has been around over here for years. My 500 has it too, as do most new Fiats IIRC.

Mmm, every car I've driven has had it bar the Ka, and I think I've only just noticed it's actually missing it. Not what I'd call a huge impact on my life, put it that way.

No number of gadgets could distract me from the hideous interior and exterior of the Fiesta though. Plus everyone has one already.

EDIT: My interior comments are based upon sitting in a few at the Motor Show. They're horrible, the dash looks cheap and flimsy and it's too cluttered and angular everywhere. They've tried too hard to be 'cool'. A lot of people agreed with me too, they were sitting inside and then just going "Oh......" and getting back out again

Agreed on the interior front. It's horrid - like Ford couldn't decide whether to make it funky or sensible, and so it got lumbered with weird shapes and a silly coloured dash that are neither one nor the other. But, I don't think it's particularly flimsy. The doorhandles, which appear to have been taken from a 1989 Land Rover Discovery, are however.

 

[YSSMAN]

Which brings up an interesting point. Even if the Fiesta's interior is comparably "not so good" based on European tastes, it probably means it will be totally awesome here in America.

 

[Omnis]

Just saw this car in person. My god, it's small! It's tiny. The sedan is actually smaller than the hatchback. That's what it looks like anyway.

 

[Jim Prower]

It's about the size of my Nova. Which is Tiny.

 

[Joey D]

My god, it's small! It's tiny.

That's what she said.

The car is pretty small though, especially for something coming from an American manufacture. I haven't seen a sedan floating around but there are couple hatches in the area.

 

[JacoJa]

Hmm, I wouldn't say it's tiny. Seems like a normal small sized hatchback similar to the Corsa. Compare it to the Ka, and it looks massive.

 

[Omnis]

Hmm, I wouldn't say it's tiny. Seems like a normal small sized hatchback similar to the Corsa. Compare it to the Ka, and it looks massive.

Trust me. It's tiny. The only thing smaller than it at the auto show was the Smart car, and it wasn't by much.

 

[Joey D]

My car is smaller then the Fiesta which comes in at 160.1" long where the Cooper is 145.6". There aren't many cars smaller then it though. Possibly a Yaris too and maybe a Fit but I'm not sure on those.

 

[Omnis]

My car is smaller then the Fiesta which comes in at 160.1" long where the Cooper is 145.6". There aren't many cars smaller then it though. Possibly a Yaris too and maybe a Fit but I'm not sure on those.

Yeah but by the looks of it the interior space of a Mini is much larger than a Fiesta 4 door.

 

[niky]

If the Fiesta four-door is like the Mazda2, (which it shares platforms with) no... the Mini has less rear legroom.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah but by the looks of it the interior space of a Mini is much larger than a Fiesta 4 door.

There's nowhere near as much space inside a MINI as there is in the Fiesta.

 

[Omnis]

There's nowhere near as much space inside a MINI as there is in the Fiesta.

You sure? Then maybe it just looked like that because they put the Fiesta on a pedestal, surrounded by F-150s and a Taurus.

 

[Joey D]

The interior of a Cooper isn't really designed to fit anything larger then a couple bags. Although if you play Tetris you can fit a decent amount in there. I would think the Fiesta has more room just because it's a bigger car and has at least 4 doors if not 5.

 

[homeforsummer]

You sure? Then maybe it just looked like that because they put the Fiesta on a pedestal, surrounded by F-150s and a Taurus.

Yeah, maybe it just looked small in it's surroundings. But it's definitely bigger on the inside than the MINI. On rear seat space at the least the MINI isn't even better than my old Fiesta. And it has a smaller boot than the my old Fiesta too.

The MINI is great if you essentially treat it as a two-seater. Then it has bags of room, and room for bags.

You know Clarkson's test of the Fiesta on top gear where he had the three army blokes in the car for the beach landing? They'd never fit in a MINI.

All that said, space isn't a priority for me because me and my girlfriend are both quite short, so nothing would ever persuade me to get one of the new Fiestas over a MINI.

 

[Joey D]

Then it has bags of room, and room for bags.

Why yes, it does

But you can fit people in the Cooper, three of us went to Toronto (a 4 hour trip) in mine with our bags, backpacks, and camera equipment in tow. We were cozy but it wasn't that bad. I've had 4 people in the car before too and while tight you could manage as long as no one was fat.

The back seat is a bit to small for somethings though...if you know what I mean .

 

[Omnis]

Yeah, maybe it just looked small in it's surroundings. But it's definitely bigger on the inside than the MINI. On rear seat space at the least the MINI isn't even better than my old Fiesta. And it has a smaller boot than the my old Fiesta too.

The MINI is great if you essentially treat it as a two-seater. Then it has bags of room, and room for bags.

You know Clarkson's test of the Fiesta on top gear where he had the three army blokes in the car for the beach landing? They'd never fit in a MINI.

All that said, space isn't a priority for me because me and my girlfriend are both quite short, so nothing would ever persuade me to get one of the new Fiestas over a MINI.

Yeah, I thought the Mini was bigger because I fit in the front seat with lots of leg room, but the back seat was compromised as a result. Not sure how that would've worked with the Fiesta, but they had the seats so that front and rear leg room was about even, and in that even position it looked like it would be very, very cramped for all passengers.

 

[JacoJa]

Trust me. It's tiny. The only thing smaller than it at the auto show was the Smart car, and it wasn't by much.

Probably just my personal opinion then . For me, the Fiesta is big enough to be a practical car. I test drove the Fiesta a couple of times a few months ago, because I was very interested in buying it (ended up buying the Celica). I’m 6 foot tall, and I still thought there was plenty of space for passengers and the shopping.

And like Omnis said, it could look a bit dwarfed next to those massive American trucks. Looks well scaled in Australia.

 

[YSSMAN]

They had both the Fiesta(s) and the Mazda2 at our auto show a while back, and the Mazda seemed smaller than the Ford... Which surprised me. I'd have to drive both back-to-back to make a reasonable decision as to which is better, but as far as I could tell, I preferred the Ford out of the gate.

It will be interesting to see if they stack the Ford or Mazda in the basement in terms of pricing, though.

 

[eSZee]

They had them both at the Chicago auto show as well. I preferred the Mazda looks wise.

 

[niky]

The Mini is tight if the guy in front is tall... I can't sit behind a six foot driver, but I can sit behind myself. Of course, being 5'5", that isn't saying much.

Really aching to try the Fiesta now... but our local dealerships won't get it till later this year.

 

[Jim Prower]

Hm. My car's about the same way...there's no knee-room if you move one seat all the way back. Thankfully for my backseat passengers, I'm short and they're usually middle-school kids.

Overall, this is looking more and more like a direct replacement for my Percy. I'd like to get a blue "S" sedan with the accessory wheels, as I've said before. I'll probably call it "Duck."

and then Percy can play on the branch line weekends.

 

[homeforsummer]

They had them both at the Chicago auto show as well. I preferred the Mazda looks wise.

I don't blame you. The Mazda is a good looking car. The Fiesta is an over-egged pudding. A small, insignificant difference in refinement matters not a jot when one is an over-styled, poorly-accomplished design and the other has effortlessn good looks. We're talking about small cars here, if the difference in refinement between a Mazda2 and a Fiesta really matters to you then you're in the wrong market for a car.

 

[eSZee]

I just figured they were the same thing and only looks differed so I didn't pay any attention to the fit and finish.

 

[homeforsummer]

Essentially, they are. Most important for me, the Mazda is lighter, and looks better.

I'm sure the Fiesta has nicer fit and finish but if that's your bag then I reckon the supermini class is not for you anyway - I'd happily trade some soft-touch plastics for a more pleasing design and a better looking body.

 

[Jim Prower]

I respectfully disagree...I'm not huge on the 2/Demio's design myself. It's SUPERHAPPY. I don't need SuperHappy.

 

[JCE]

I wonder how long before we can see actual road testing on this hot Fiesta. I want to hear the turbo.