GTI v. Fiesta ST Mountune

[RobS23GTI]

Right before I get shot down...what are people's thoughts on the GTI stacked up against the new Fiesta ST with the Ford sanctioned Mountune upgrade? EVO and various others have raved about the Fiesta ST with the remap.

I know for some it would be too small, personally, I don't like/need 5 doors though and would definitely consider it if I were to switch from the BMW in the future.

Raw stats are fairly comparable to the GTI and the Fiesta supposedly handles better than any hatch this side of the Megane RS.

Having never owned a Ford, am ashamed to say badge snobbery would come into it a little, plus all old ST's seemed to be owned by chavs! I suspect build quality would be lower as would residuals.

But for circa £10k price difference, you would have to consider it?

Has anyone on here test driven a Fiesta ST?

[monsta]

No - It's a Ford & My mum drives a Fiesta.

Sure the price is lower but that's because it's cheaper to build not because VW want to make loads more money.  The thing you live with on a day to day basis is the interior, the Fiesta will feel cheap in comparison to the Golf.

I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to drive though so it depends what you're after I guess.  For me it's something comfortable for motorway cruising not just performance and the Fiesta just doesn't tick that box.

[Ricepop]

Surely you should be comparing the Fiesta to the Polo GTI, come to think of it the BMW 1 series is more of a Polo size too.

[RobS23GTI]

The problem is that the performance figures are very close to the GTI to at least have the conversation. Think CraigW said on here the GTI PP should have been 250bhp then it puts it out of the reach of the smaller hatches (Clio, 208, ST) and I totally agree.

Also my 1 Series is bigger than the Golf and heavier so cant really compare to the Polo...

[wigit]

for me the Fiesta ST is the spiritual successor to the old Clio RS (now Renault have meddled with a winning formula) the Golf not its obvious competitor given the size

yes hacks will go on about handling but don't live in the real world when you may need five doors and are trying to load the car with flat pack furniture at Ikea

i know people say golf interiors are boring but ergonomics are spot on for using stuff, i had a current shape fiesta courtesy car once and hated the stylised mess of buttons and test on an angle

having one to hoon around a track would be great fun though

all depends what you want out of the car as we are all different

[barrym381]

The problem is that the performance figures are very close to the GTI to at least have the conversation. Think CraigW said on here the GTI PP should have been 250bhp then it puts it out of the reach of the smaller hatches (Clio, 208, ST) and I totally agree.

Also my 1 Series is bigger than the Golf and heavier so cant really compare to the Polo...

revo have 1 of these wee fiestas at near 260bhp seen it at crail a few weeks ago 

[wigit]

It's SCC's car and was upsetting so more exotic stuff at the Ring and Spa

[RobS23GTI]

It's SCC's car and was upsetting so more exotic stuff at the Ring and Spa

Yeah I can imagine!!

[Bill_the_Bear]

I suspect build quality would be lower as would residuals

I doubt it.  I've driven many Fiestas and owned a mk7 Zetec S from new and can honestly say it is the best car I've driven (in terms of what it is).  Build was superb, perfect reliability, brilliant handling and for sheer fun, although it was underpowered at only 120PS.  Best part was the cost.  I purchased for £12.7k and sold for £6k after 4 years!  Car never missed a beat and never needed a drop of oil.

So the only problem with this car was the power and the new Fiesta ST fixes that.  They may have made the ride too stiff though...  Its not even that small.  Its compact, so parking is a breeze, but inside the Focus offers only small gains in space.  Features are obviously less than on a GTI, but on a GTI you are paying for it.  On my Zetec S I added almost ever option you could and still paid less than £13k (admittedly I got an unbelievable discount + £2k scrappage scheme so the car was RRP at £17k).

In my opinion this car is a serious contender and anyone who says otherwise is engaging in badge snobbery.  It offers a huge amount and at vastly less moulah than a GTI a BMW or any other of the traditional hot hatches out there.  The only faults you can really level at it are that its less featured and can't do 0-60 in 6 seconds, but these are things you can't complain about when you see the price tag.  If you have to have the best quality and performance then buy a BMW GTI (my bad, slipped for a second there ), if you want value for your money then Fiesta all the way.

[RobS23GTI]

I suspect build quality would be lower as would residuals

I doubt it.  I've driven many Fiestas and owned a mk7 Zetec S from new and can honestly say it is the best car I've driven (in terms of what it is).  Build was superb, perfect reliability, brilliant handling and for sheer fun, although it was underpowered at only 120PS.  Best part was the cost.  I purchased for £12.7k and sold for £6k after 4 years!  Car never missed a beat and never needed a drop of oil.

So the only problem with this car was the power and the new Fiesta ST fixes that.  They may have made the ride too stiff though...  Its not even that small.  Its compact, so parking is a breeze, but inside the Focus offers only small gains in space.  Features are obviously less than on a GTI, but on a GTI you are paying for it.  On my Zetec S I added almost ever option you could and still paid less than £13k (admittedly I got an unbelievable discount + £2k scrappage scheme so the car was RRP at £17k).

In my opinion this car is a serious contender and anyone who says otherwise is engaging in badge snobbery.  It offers a huge amount and at vastly less moulah than a GTI a BMW or any other of the traditional hot hatches out there.  The only faults you can really level at it are that its less featured and can't do 0-60 in 6 seconds, but these are things you can't complain about when you see the price tag.  If you have to have the best quality and performance then buy a BMW GTI (my bad, slipped for a second there ), if you want value for your money then Fiesta all the way.

Did you test the new ST bear when considering a new car?? I also think its a big contender, the Mountune upgrade gives it 212bhp for £600, bargain!