Fiesta ST or BRZ for DD?

robbiedawg · 2 December 2015

my dd now is a 2008 m3.it's an incredible car,but way overkill for me.i live in town,and days go by that i don't get in a car,and i don't travel much. it's so fast that it's hard to really open it up without getting arrested.

so,what i'm thinking is one of these might be more enjoyable for regular driving.i'm wondering who has one of these,how much fun it is.i'm looking for good steering feel and handling,but don't want too rough a ride.

also wondering how reliable they are,if there are any mechanical issues or pitfalls to be aware of.thanks all.

RYU · 2 December 2015

I owned a BRZ with the intent of using it as my primary DD. Mind you, LA streets are horrid. Driving dynamics are great however, you will notice the econobox feel coming from a BMW. You need to come to grips with it. I sold it because the rear suspension comfort is terrible, barely acceptable in stock state. It's pretty much shitty if lowered. There is so little travel in the rear dampers that you really notice it on anything but smooth roads. It does get good MPG (low 30s) if you keep the high efficiency tires on there.

You should test drive one.

I've driven Matt Farrah's Focus ST. While not the Fiesta, I was pretty darn impressed with the Focus.

solidol · 2 December 2015

I'd take GTI instead.

robbiedawg · 2 December 2015

i'm sure a gti is a more finished car in the hot hatch category,but I had terrible and expensive maintenance problems with a vw before,and my mechanic warned me away from gti's for the same reason

solidol said:
I'd take GTI instead.

solidol · 2 December 2015

robbiedawg said:
i'm sure a gti is a more finished car in the hot hatch category,but I had terrible and expensive maintenance problems with a vw before,and my mechanic warned me away from gti's for the same reason

What was it? If no GTI love then Fiesta ST. It's more fun than Focus.

robbiedawg · 2 December 2015

it was a rabbit,this was a long time ago,but the memories linger

solidol said:
What was it? If no GTI love then Fiesta ST. It's more fun than Focus.

Moses · 2 December 2015

Have you seen the new 2016 Civic Coupe:

solidol · 2 December 2015

Moses said:
Have you seen the new 2016 Civic Coupe:

After posting this you cannot call yourself a man with great taste. Even owning an NSX

Moses · 2 December 2015

LOL

I, myself, prefer the 2015 coupe, but either year is better than a Fiesta.

Jinks · 2 December 2015

A used Acura ZDX...

robbiedawg · 2 December 2015

thanks regan,that's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find out.

RYU said:
I owned a BRZ with the intent of using it as my primary DD. Mind you, LA streets are horrid. Driving dynamics are great however, you will notice the econobox feel coming from a BMW. You need to come to grips with it. I sold it because the rear suspension comfort is terrible, barely acceptable in stock state. It's pretty much shitty if lowered. There is so little travel in the rear dampers that you really notice it on anything but smooth roads. It does get good MPG (low 30s) if you keep the high efficiency tires on there.

You should test drive one.

I've driven Matt Farrah's Focus ST. While not the Fiesta, I was pretty darn impressed with the Focus.

has anyone had a fiesta st?

kaede · 2 December 2015

I have driven both cars and personally, for a DD, i'll prefer the fiesta st.

The fsr/brz (i drove the brz in this instance, my buddy's car) is a very ideal sports car. Low, tad bit uncomfortable, tad bit raw shifting and driving (similar to nsx, but no where near of course). Great planted solid feel but grip doesn't kill the fun (when it gets wet and you're in a safe environment, turning the traction off is rather amusing). Also, if you enjoy the awesome forward visibility of the NSX, the frs/brz comes REALLY close, its amazing. As RYU mention though, it is definitely not a comfy cushy ride and yes, a big big downgrade in terms of quality compared to the E9x M3. The fsr/brz then is a ideal one car solution for the economically minded car enthusiast who doesn't mind the compromise of a two door, lack of power/torque (it has "enough" for its intended purposes, but you will feel it especially coming from the M3), and the slight discomfort of the ride + build/fit and finish quality.

Onto the Fiesta ST. I had the pleasure of having this car to myself for the weekend from the dealer!! This little hatchback is amazing. It's definitely more livable day to day, better ride height, getting in and out of the car is much easier. The car feels small and agile, less planted but definitely doesn't loss the sense of grip. Pushed hard, the car sticks to the ground with surprisingly little understeer (or maybe i am not pushing it hard enough lol, but at least for aggressive street/windy mountain roads, it is very good). Ride is more compliant since i was expecting the "ST" to be harsh. Throttle seems a little bit more dull versus the fsr/brz, but by no means a slug. The car feels immensely powerful and torqy for the size and displacement thanks to its turbo. To sum this car up, it is a perfect pocket rocket that drives with urgency and character. It sort of reminds me of the first time as a teenager i jumped into a Integra Type R lol.

Both are superb "Fast Slow Cars" (feels fast, but not actually that fast, rather, they are "slow" cars when compared to M3/other performance cars out there nowadays). You can rev them and enjoy it and still do "relatively" within driving limits (below 50mph xD).

Speaking of the Integra Type R... for the money you're paying up for a frs/brz/fiesta st, you can pick up a really mint integra type r (if you can find one that is)! That will be an epic DD (personal opinion, and i am bias because i ownd one). Go out and test drive both cars and feel for yourself which one you like more! Cheers!

robbiedawg · 2 December 2015

thanks kaede,

that's really helpful,especially from someone who has basically the same cars i do (plus one more.) i'm going to drive an st and see if it's fun,and doesn't feel like too much of a downgrade.

edit-a question-would you be comfortable having a fiesta st after an m3,or would it feel too cheap?

robbiedawg · 23 December 2015

does anyone else have any experience with a fiesta st?

The King · 23 December 2015

robbiedawg said:
does anyone else have any experience with a fiesta st?

Not likely. It is a Ford after all. Don't forget to get the one that parks itself!

eddie_82 · 23 December 2015

95nsxtc · 23 December 2015

RYU said:
I owned a BRZ with the intent of using it as my primary DD. Mind you, LA streets are horrid. Driving dynamics are great however, you will notice the econobox feel coming from a BMW. You need to come to grips with it. I sold it because the rear suspension comfort is terrible, barely acceptable in stock state. It's pretty much shitty if lowered. There is so little travel in the rear dampers that you really notice it on anything but smooth roads. It does get good MPG (low 30s) if you keep the high efficiency tires on there.

You should test drive one.

I've driven Matt Farrah's Focus ST. While not the Fiesta, I was pretty darn impressed with the Focus.

Are you on crack, blind, forgetful or straight lying? Matt Farah has a Fiesta ST... Unless there's some parallel universe or time gap I missed where Matt has/had a Focus and not a Fiesta, idk how you claim "drove" it and dont remember.

- - - Updated - - -

robbiedawg said:
thanks kaede,

that's really helpful,especially from someone who has basically the same cars i do (plus one more.) i'm going to drive an st and see if it's fun,and doesn't feel like too much of a downgrade.

edit-a question-would you be comfortable having a fiesta st after an m3,or would it feel too cheap?

Back to the question at hand tho ill answer in 2 ways, first the original, then the question above

Between BRZ and the FiST, ive driven both, definitely get the FiST for a multitude of reasons:
A - you'll save money in just about every aspect, gas, repairs, and price
B - it's funner (totally acceptable use of a non existent word) bc of forced induction
C - the BRZ just feels slow, and it took me a while to realize why, its because the chassis is so good that it just NEEDS more, plus it has the torque of a hamster wheel
D - the BRZ interior just seems so incredibly cheap to me and im not a fan of the seats

But to the question above, it will feel cheap, but its new and you will be fine even tho it will be a massive change in quality. And what i mean is, if you go from your e92 and into the NSX and dont worry about having certain interior this and that, then you'll have even less of a problem with the FiST

RYU · 23 December 2015

95nsxtc said:
Are you on crack, blind, forgetful or straight lying? Matt Farrah has a Fiesta ST... Unless there's some parallel universe or time gap I missed where Matt has a Focus and not a Fiesta, idk how you claim "drove" it and dont remember.

- - - Updated - - -

When you don't really care does it matter what car it is? He tossed us the keys and off we went. I did drive it on Angeles as we were filming the NSX Drive video.

Since it was a Fiesta, I do have impressions on that car I can share.

But since ^^^ this guy was obviosly so offended (get a life dude, its christmas) i'll PM you [MENTION=21474]robbiedawg[/MENTION]

95nsxtc · 23 December 2015

RYU said:
When you don't really care does it matter what car it is? He tossed us the keys and off we went. I did drive it on Angeles as we were filming the NSX Drive video.

Since it was a Fiesta, I do have impressions on that car I can share.

But since ^^^ this guy was obviosly so offended (get a life dude, its christmas) i'll PM you @robbiedawg

Yea i do need a life, havent seen the sun in years, but for now I'm a car guy so its hard for me to understand when other supposedly car people get a model of a vehicle wrong after driving it, and are also giving advice... like if Matt drove your car and was like "this 355 is fantastic, can't speak for the NSX tho"

btw - you forgot to say thank you and when telling robbiedawg how it was, you might want to include that its tuned :biggrin:

RYU · 23 December 2015

95nsxtc said:
Yea i do need a life, havent seen the sun in years, but for now I'm a car guy so its hard for me to understand when other supposedly car people get a model of a vehicle wrong after driving it, and are also giving advice... like if Matt drove your car and was like "this 355 is fantastic, can't speak for the NSX tho" btw - you forgot to say thank you and when telling robbiedawg how it was, you might want to include that its tuned :biggrin:

Yea, seriously man. Lay off the coffee or something. Life is too short to be so angry.

acura_NA2 · 23 December 2015

check out the 2014-2015 civic si (coupe or sedan)

RYU · 23 December 2015

95nsxtc said:
Yea i do need a life, havent seen the sun in years, but for now I'm a car guy so its hard for me to understand when other supposedly car people get a model of a vehicle wrong after driving it, and are also giving advice... like if Matt drove your car and was like "this 355 is fantastic, can't speak for the NSX tho"

btw - you forgot to say thank you and when telling robbiedawg how it was, you might want to include that its tuned :biggrin:

and btw.. @robbiedawg is a long time member. We've both been around these parts for a while now. I consider him a friend as far as online folks go. I'm happy to provide my opinion to him and he takes it however way he takes it. I don't provide my opinion because I like to hear myself talk thru the keyboard. This is nsxprime. It's not like other forums you probably frequent. Leave the bad attitude under wraps, or get some sun, or eat a candy bar. Do something...

95nsxtc · 23 December 2015

RYU said:
and btw.. @robbiedawg is a long time member. We've both been around these parts for a while now. I consider him a friend as far as online folks go. I'm happy to provide my opinion to him and he takes it however way he takes it. I don't provide my opinion because I like to hear myself talk thru the keyboard. This is nsxprime. It's not like other forums you probably frequent. Leave the bad attitude under wraps, or get some sun, or eat a candy bar. Do something...

Lol i think i kno who the mad one is... dont take it out on me just bc u were wrong about something. But just to help you out in life a lil, do your research before you speak, and nvr assume...i do kno robbie, ive met him, i like him, which is why i offered my opinion (and corrected your mistake

) and I only go on forums of cars i own/ed. I speak to everyone the same as i would a friend, bc its who i am and i can. Youd get the same level of sh*t from me if i just met you or we were bffs. Bonus fun facts: i sometimes get paid for my opinion of vehicles so if im helping someone at all in their decision, it makes me happy. And its basically impossible to make me mad, if u knew the life i have, youd understand. Merry Christmas

docjohn · 23 December 2015

are a focus and a fiesta that different that it matters?

95nsxtc · 23 December 2015

docjohn said:
are a focus and a fiesta that different that it matters?

Very much so, the size and weight of it change the driving dynamics and the focus is pretty sluggish in comparison so the fun factor is turned down quite a lot. The focus still has the same amazingly direct steering tho. Like s2000 to a mustang

Fiesta ST or BRZ for DD?

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