I departed with my last of the line Fiesta ST back in early 2018, that came with an ST200 Chassis and the Mountune 215bhp pack on top of the ST-3 spec. It was close to perfect but the departure was forced by getting the Mustang and we needed a larger car. Going into the Focus ST we spec’d everything the Fiesta had, because the intention was to keep it for a number of years, so instantly at ST-3 level and on top of that we got blind spot monitoring, heated steering wheel, tinted windows and painted brake callipers, upgraded headlights but stuck with the smaller 18” wheels for the marginally better ride. We get a decent discount so list was £33k, after our discount and dealer discount we paid £24k (rounded up) but on 0% we spread the cost (better in my account earning interest than in theirs)
It started out ok lugging three of us and our luggage on a stag do across Englandshire with no complaints, something the Fiesta wouldn’t have coped with due to its size. Following on from that it was the main commuter car, tip running car etc. On the cold mornings I managed to stick the heated steering wheel on and bask in warmth whilst the ice melted on the windscreen and that’s probably the best thing about the whole car.
The ride was better than the Fiesta ST but it was still ruddy firm, swerving for road imperfections was a must otherwise you’d break the car and yourself. The Mrs knee didn’t enjoy the ride, more on that in a bit. Not only was the ride hard but unlike the Fiesta ST it couldn’t get its power down at all. If it was below 15c, wet or the road wasn’t perfect then anything more than half to two thirds throttle would result in wheel spin. In the wet following Granny Smith round a T junction it would spin up the inside and thump away at the interior like the subframe was about to drop off, but at 5mph. When you finally got a clear road with no imperfections on a dry day at above 20c you’d end up with a broken arm from the torque steer. It just became annoying, it couldn’t use its engine and it understeered with a heavy feeling nose when getting to the limit. I found corners were quickest by going round at constant throttle and when back to being on the straight slowly feed the throttle in so you didn’t end up spinning away the power or getting dragged off by torque steer into the hedge. I even had the geometry checked by a reputable place which used to race ST’s and does some of the Mountune Chassis development work but it turns out they all do that
As such I spent most of my time driving round the flaws in the Chassis; want to over take? I’ll do it in a gear higher so I’m not wrestling the torque steer. Want to drive somewhere without a hard ride? Take the Mustang. And in fact, any journey nearly ended up in taking the Mustang. I averaged 31mpg over 9,000 miles in the ST whereas the Mustang is on about 28mpg average. And thanks to rotating the ST tyres, I nearly killed a set of fronts in 7,000 miles. Oh and servicing the Mustang is cheaper, too, by about £50 a service. Go figure.
Following the other half’s knee op in 2018 she didn’t drive the ST much and the final conclusion came when yet another knee op was on the cards for Easter this year. Ford announced the new ST with a revised Chassis, an LSD and better all round comfort and performance. What Ford also did was announce an automatic which, given it’s a left knee problem, looked to be an ideal trade in. Prices were announced and for the petrol auto we’d be looking at £35k-£36k with no discount and no 0% interest. £36k gets you into a lot of car elsewhere and having had a look at a new Focus ST it’s in no way worth the price hike. I could run a second lightly used Mustang V8 and have change for modifications at that price. But I already have one of those so I was banned from getting another and supercharging it after a few years
TL;DR, a permanent left knee issue coupled with a poor Chassis which couldn’t cope with its power and a significant price hike for the new Focus ST in Automatic spec has meant I’ve bought something else for almost the same money. The only memorable thing is the heated steering wheel, which the new car has. It made me really miss my Fiesta ST and I want another Fiesta ST in the future.
Replacement car? Jaguar F-Pace, collected it on Saturday. And given the flaws in the Focus ST the Jag is just as quick but a lot more fun and engaging to drive whilst being far better at filling the practical, comfortable car role.
