http://lmgtfy.com/

 

Got a link? There's like twelve comparos. JP

 

I have both, I like both.

 

I saw a Fiesta ST the other day at Ford and at first didn't even know it wasn't a Focus. I wasn't looking at the front of them obviously and indoors they look much more similar in size in such a cramped environment.

I'm curious about the Fiesta.

 

Had one with exhaust see me coming up behind him and floor it... didn't work out too well for him.

 

I dont get that the fiesta ST guys think they are faster than us. Even on fiestast.org there's a few clowns talking about pulling on focus ST's while stock. I even know of a guy who works for a ford dealership, and has driven a fiesta ST, but not a focus ST. He is convinced the fiesta ST is much faster.


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I dont get that the fiesta ST guys think they are faster than us. Even on fiestast.org there's a few clowns talking about pulling on focus ST's while stock. I even know of a guy who works for a ford dealership, and has driven a fiesta ST, but not a focus ST. He is convinced the fiesta ST is much faster.

I don't know about that entirely. I believe that some FoST's are clearly be faster than FiST's. Also, that Ford dealership guy really should drive both before making such proclamations.

But still, my FoST is frequently and unpredictably very down on power. I often just don't get what I expect when I step on the gas. I could see my car being beaten by just about anything with a modicum of power if my car was having one of it's many slow spells.

 

I think the FiST's have a better power-weight ratio, but that still doesn't compare to our 252 bhp 270 lbft torque! However, I will admit sourly that I kinda wish the FoST was a bit lighter though.

 

I drove both Fi ST and FO ST. The Fo ST is clearly more powerful. The Fi ST can be a bit more fun because it is lighter and you can rev the gears more without going way above the speed limit and getting in trouble.

Neither cars are race cars, it's all about fun. In that perspective I think the Fi ST probably has an edge on the Fo ST. The reason I went with the Fo ST is because the Fi ST feels like a tiny smart car... too small.

 

I agree smaller and lighter is cool and fun, but....

The FoST is a 'real' car, one that you could drive coast to coast with 4 people(total) in reasonable comfort and luggage space.
If I did primarily city/suburban driving, the FiST would be awesome, much better turning radius, super easy to park and probably 20% better MPG...

But, the FiST is cramped, 2 people 5'10" and above up front will elbow each other occassionally, and the back seat is tight, as is the trunk.
I haven't driven a FiST, but I'm sure it's a ton of fun and more tossable than a FoST.
But the FoST, like a GTI, is more practical and comfortable, and will beat on a FiST as speed increases.

 

When we talk about the focus st in general we say it's a great all around car. That it's not made for straight line speed.

Now when we talk about focus st vs. fiesta st the main argument is how much slower the fiesta is than the focus.

It's pretty funny honestly.

 

Nope, main argument is that it is too small for most people's requirements, has an antiquated rear suspension (my main complaint, coming from similar in a Fiat Abarth), and creates a napoleon complex in their drivers. We know what the ST was designed to do, and it is not a drag race machine. But lord save you if you suggest it may actually be fairly quick, as every VW, GM, Hyundai, whatever owner creates an account to give color commentary.

 

I've autocrossed both a few times, and that's what lead me to buy the Focus. Both are great cars, but here's my breakdown:

Focus is definitely faster in a straight line. Even though it does weigh quite a bit more than the Fiesta, it does have a higher power to weight ratio. Fiesta does have the benefit of not completely dumping torque at low RPMs, which makes it a little easier to launch/put on the power than the Focus. Coming out of a hard turn and flooring it, the Fiesta just bogs and then pulls out of it while the Focus bogs, then roasts the tires.

I feel that the Fiesta is more neutral handling than the Focus and that coupled with the lower power makes for a drive-it-like-you-rented-it. No real bad habits; the car just wants you to drive it as hard as possible.

The Focus, despite its city bus-like turning radius, has the added benefit of being to call up absolutely perfect oversteer on throttle lift. The Focus requires a little more finesse to drive fast, but its more capable.

Also, performance aside, the Focus is a significantly nicer ride than the Fiesta (materials, quality, storage room, etc).

 

When you compare weight to hp or tq ratios, you have to compare apples to apples. The following numbers were taken from the Cobb website, taken on the same dyno under mostly the same conditions:

Focus ST:
Weight: 3150 lbs
WHP: 241
WTQ: 276
Weight / WHP ratio (Lower is better): 13.07
Weight / WTQ ratio (Lower is better): 11.41

Fiesta ST:
Weight: 2700 lbs
WHP: 177
WTQ: 207
Weight / WHP ratio (Lower is better): 15.25
Weight / WTQ ratio (Lower is better): 13.04


The Focus ST clearly has better weight to power ratios. That said, I do a lot of racing, in autoX, they're pretty comparable. On a track, the Focus ST is definitely faster, especially at places like Road America.

 

Hmm, seems like the FoST is slightly underrated from the factory. No way it's only losing 11 hp through the drivetrain.


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The fiesta st has 197 bhp...unless you're going by Euro stats.
Regardless, the FoST is much more powerful with much more available torque. While it's bigger and heavier, that's the main appeal to buy it over the FiST BC its more roomy and practical, in terms of carrying capacity and space.
However, if I were living in/close to a big city where I worked everyday, the FiST would make a bit more sense BC it's smaller and gets impressive mpgs, and it would still be somewhat usable.
It's also important to note that these 2 cars are in different classes. Whereas the focus competes with ms3s and gti's, the FiST is the subcompact class and competes with....uhh... The veloster turbo..? Probably the closest competitor would be a mini cooper s

 

If there was no TP in my house, i would gladly wipe with a R&T magazine. :thumbup:

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I drove both cars and actually preferred the free-revving nature of the Fi but lack of independent rear suspension(vs twist beam) nixed it for me.

 

Those numbers from Cobb are their actual dyno runs on a stock Focus ST and Fiesta ST.

Yes, Ford way underrates the power available at the crank.

 

My May R&T came in the mail today. Apparently they like the FiST because it understeers more and does not oversteer like the FoST, and because it has less power and torque steer. And it has the same power to weight as the first BMW M3... yay?

Ok. Might want to get someone that actually enjoys tossing cars around to review fun cars.

 

Later in the mag(R&T 5/14), they had the long term test of the FoST.

They drew much the same conclusion that I had when test driving it and since:
It's not perfect, it's bit of a 'renegade', either thrilling or maddening depending upon the driver or his mood.
But very practical for a small family or hauling or cruising.

This is the precise thing that drew me to the FoST, it's imperfect(torque steer, slowish trans) compared to a GTI, but much more fun and challenging and, ultimately rewarding.

And mine has been flawlessly reliable.