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Being impulsive I visited my local Ford Dealer that same weekend, maybe it was fate that they happened to have a Colorado Red ST in their showroom. I generally dislike car salesman (apologies to those who might be reading), they tend to assume that as I am female I dont know my Alloys ... Read review
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Advantages: Sporty Looks, good equipment, fun to drive Disadvantages: Long lead times, ECU faults.
...impulsive I visited my local Ford Dealer that same weekend, maybe it was fate that they happened to have a Colorado Red ST in their showroom. I generally dislike car salesman (apologies to those who might be reading), they tend to assume that as I am female I dont know my Alloys from my A-pillar. Luckily as I work for the local DVLA office I knew someone from used car sales who pointed me in the direction of the assistant sales manager who I was ... ...really do not understand why Ford couldn't of spent another ten pound on making a co-ordinating leather one!
This aside I wouldnt sell my fiesta for the world right now, I am enjoying every minute of getting to know it better, using all my gadgets and being a proud ST owner.
If you want a car that looks good enough to attract attention, is quick enough to put a smile on your face and has the luxuries associated with ... more
When I found out from my employer that my new job would require me taking my own vehicle out on the road, doing in excess of 150 miles a week I decided that my 306 petrol guzzling cabriolet would not, by any means, fit the bill.
If you read some of my earlier op's, especially the one about myself, you will see that I have a passion for sports and performance cars. Even taking my own personal car out on the road for work would never cause me to compromise on having a car that I liked to drive and loved to look at!
I knew that I wanted something reliable and preferably new so that should (touch wood) a major mechanical fault occur within my first three years of ownership it would be covered by a manufacturers warranty and not leave me out of pocket. I also needed reasonable fuel consumption, good performance and a car that I would be happy being in for more than three hours a day.
My attention was first drawn to the Fiesta ST when I saw one parked on a street while I was out on the road with a colleague. I consider myself to be quite versed in the new hot hatches but I was really stumped on this. I had seen no brochures or advertising regarding the ST and wanted to know more about the package.
Being impulsive I visited my local Ford Dealer that same weekend, maybe it was fate that they happened to have a Colorado Red ST in their showroom. I generally dislike car salesman (apologies to those who might be reading), they tend to assume that as I am female I dont know my Alloys from my A-pillar. Luckily as I work for the local DVLA office I knew someone from used car sales who pointed me in the direction of the assistant sales manager who I was assured would look after me.
I spent about half an hour generally looking around the car, moving seats, opening doors and the bonnet and probably being a nuisance. Deciding that the factory fit bodykit, half leather seats and 17" alloy wheels were definitely up my street I sat down to discuss a test drive and other possible options with the salesman. There are a whole host of options available to a potential buyer, including the stripes that have become so closely associated with Ford's racing history. Not being one for gadgets, preferring to get my enjoyment from the cars peformance and handling I decided that a white ST with blue side stripes, tinted glass and interior pack comprising floormats and dash applique would suit me, providing I was happy with the test drive.
The test drive was fine, although not a particularly long one. I was happy with the handling of the car, the performance through the rev range and really happy with the amount of attention I got while driving it.
Imagine my dismay at finding out there was a twelve week lead time due to demand. I am impatient, I really didnt want to have to wait that long for a car that I really liked. Fortunately the dealership managed to secure me a car from a cancelled ordered, but it meant I couldn't have the tinted windows or interior pack as they were a factory fit option only. The blue side stripes were supplied and fitted by the dealer so I was extremely lucky to only have to wait three weeks to pick up my car.
I have now owned the car since the end of May and have thus far, covered just under three thousand miles. As I expected, with this being a new model, there have been some teething problems. The main fault was that from quite early on the car would idle erratically, especially when being in neutral. It would simply rev up to about 3000rpm and then die back down. i did some research and came across a forum of ST owners, many reporting a similar problem and a simple fix of an ECU upgrade. The upgrade was done my local dealer, free of charge of course and I have suffered no similar occurences since.
I was also told by the salesman that some ealier cars, ie built late 2004 very early 2005 were having problems with the quick clear heated screen and that should I find mine didn't work I should take the car back and they would remedy it. Mine is fine thankfully.
Another reported problem is that a few vehicles were fitted with Focus Air Conditioning units which may cause a malfunction or be extremely noisy when being operated, to the best of my knowledge those vehicles have been identified and recalled as necessary.
The handling of the ST is good for a factory produced car, and the 148bhp are easily accessible throughout the rev range. The car comes with half leather seats in a choice of red or blue colour fabric inserts and are comfortable but give good support as sports seats should. The drivers seat is height adjustable and there is plenty of room in the back. The rear seating area provides three three point seat belts and there are also slots to put the seatbelts in when not in use and attachments to keep the seat belt buckles in place so they are not lost should you need to fold the rear seats.
The standard six disc in dash changer is very good and easy to use, the speakers provide good clarity and all around sound. One of the most striking features is the styling of the ST, it comes with an aggressive looking bodykit and alloy wheels as standard, some subtle touches such as the ST logo in the steering wheel and ST branded sills are included in the OTR price.
As with any car I do have a few gripes such as no cruise control, one touch windows and for some odd reason no internal thermometer. I think that Fords estimated combined mpg of 38 is a bit optimistic if you want to use the power. The head rests in the rear cause discomfort to back seat passengers if left down and if left up, cause you a pain in the neck trying to see past them! While the stereo is good, anyone wishing to change it would have to either have a new fascia made or cut the existing one due to the size of it. My main gripe is the gear gaiter, its plastic bubbly and simply horrifying, as all the seats are half leather I really do not understand why Ford couldn't of spent another ten pound on making a co-ordinating leather one!
This aside I wouldnt sell my fiesta for the world right now, I am enjoying every minute of getting to know it better, using all my gadgets and being a proud ST owner.
If you want a car that looks good enough to attract attention, is quick enough to put a smile on your face and has the luxuries associated with a new car then the ST is surely worth a test drive, at £13595 before your options it wont break the bank and being the current top of the range Fiesta wont depreciate as much as the Zetec S and other lower models. Many dealers now have ex demo cars up for sale and there are even some cars for sale second hand so it may be worth shopping around, especially if you want to avoid the lead time of 10-12 weeks.
I hope people find this review useful, I didn't want to fill this page with statistical data that can be found in any Fiesta brochure but wanted to provide you with an account of my buying and driving experience so far.
Advantages: looks good, performs nicely, handles like a dream, nicely equipped Disadvantages: few, if any
The fiesta st has two modes - the gear you are in, and the ones below. I've had mine now upto 1500 miles and at first i was a little annoyed. Running the car in it felt a little tight, like it wouldn't open up, i just wasn't sure what it was trying to say to me. I couldn't stand it any longer and at 800 miles i had to surpass the 3500 rev limit i set myself and take it up to 5000. These brief little nips into the higher rev range gave real food for ... ...on the edge of 4500 - 5000, as i hovered for at most 1/2 a second, i felt something stirring. I was happier, perhaps something pleasant really did await me. I am now up to 1500 miles and the car has come a long way since 1000 miles running in. The car still felt a little tight right up until around 1500 miles. Thats when the sun came out and i had a day off. So let me take you back to those 2 modes.
Mode 1: If you take this car out for a little ...
terraslate 28.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST
Advantages: Cheap thrills, practical, easy to afford, you won't destroy the environment Disadvantages: not too fast and involving as some of its competitors. Thats it
...but you have to admire Ford for being brave enough to offer them.
*Interior *
The interior is another area where Ford's Team RS successfully tweaked a fundamentally bland piece of design into something that hits all the right notes. Sure the architecture is as plain as it always was, but thanks to silver plates on the stereo and fake metal door pulls, the whole feel has been lifted. It's no Mini Cooper but in terms of build quality and materials, ... ...just when you think that Ford has got it all wrong that the ST suddenly comes alive. Pull off the motorway and onto a badly surfaced B road and the Fiesta changes its character.
*Drive*
Ford has reworked everything it could in the process of creating the ST and it shows. Sure the standard car is a tidy piece of chassis engineering, but the newcomer is something else altogether. The body and suspension have been stiffened, the brakes upgraded to ...
rambo 04.07.2005 (18.10.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST
Advantages: Performane, Styling, Gearchange Disadvantages: lack off footrest, poor speakers
I have had my ST now for two months now, it is black with silver side stripes (not the overhead ones) and black leather and red cloth, on a '07' plate
I've done 1200 miles at the moment. When I was running the engine in it seemed very tight, but now after giving it a hard time it has loosened up and also sounds a lot better too. To get the best performance from this car and the 0-60 time of 7.9 secs you need to use all of the rev range. This car ... ...way to the redline. Sometimes driving like that can make the engine sound coarse, but the engine needs to be worked hard to get all the performance from it. The exhaust tone is also very pleasing and burbles when you pull off at low speeds, and opens up at high speeds. It's the right balance between performance sounding and ease to live with. Gear change is quick smooth and fast, which is short shift. Handling on the car is superb you can quite happily ...
Evlambios 30.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST
Advantages: Very nice looking car & quite quick Disadvantages: Steering pulls.
This review is mainly for the female readers which understand all of the car jargon you generally find in car reviews! Well this car, I must admit didn't really appeal to me at the beginning, it was my partner that fell in love with it and persuaded me to agree to buying it! I had a VW Beetle and my partner had a Vauxhall Corsa, and we decided it was a waste having 2 cars, when one car would be sufficient. So off we went to the car dealers, where ... ...the Fiesta ST and literally got on his knee's and begged me! So off we went on a test drive and I have to admit I was amazed with the whole smoothness of the drive, it felt unlike any other car i had ever driven.. and I don't know what came suddenly over me but i agreed to buy it! .. So here are the facts i know about the car:
Colours available: Red (Solid), Blue (Metallic), Silver (Metallic), Black (Metallic).
Interior Trim: Half leather, Half ...
rotherhamutdgal 02.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST
Value for Money
Road Handling
Comfort
Fuel consumption
Looks
Quick review of Ford Fiesta ST
i bought the car from new , in the first month i had problems with the ecu ,had to call out the AA once (flat battery), took the car back to dealer the next day , they kept it for about a week ,new ecu and alternator fitted. on 8000 miles ,uneven wear on rear tyres,back to dealer again, new rear axle + tyres fitted,18560 miles on the clock now,same problem ,tyres wearing unevenly again(third set of rear tyres to be fitted).car booked in to be investigated on 14/6/07....
On about 1000 miles cd player failed ,new one fitted by ford but i lost my cds (never to be seen again).
i love my fiesta st .......... ha ha (ford !! never again) ...
fireservice 09.06.2007
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST
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Advantages: Fast, cheap to purchase, good handling Disadvantages: expensive road fund licence, expensive to run (petrol), boy racer magnet
I am the owner of a 2005 ST 2.0. I purchased this car having many years ago had a Mk II Fiesta XR2. I have not been disappointed. It goes like stink, handles pretty well too. The interior on mine is good, half leather, and have 'piano dash console' - shiny black with subtle ST stripes in grey on it. Have had this car 8 months but not sure i'll keep it for much longer - thanks to Gordon Brown I believe it is now going to be one of the highest bands for road fund licence, and also thanks again Gordon due to the cost of petrol (increasing weekly) this obviously not an economical car for pottering around in (which is what I use it for). Another downside is I find I constantly have boy racers up my a**e wanting to race me - yes I like speed, but at 41 with 2 kids aint prepared to dice with death to show them I can win! ...
amsiego 03.05.2008 (02.05.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Fiesta ST 2.0
Advantages: Sporty looking and fun to drive, smooth gear change Disadvantages: Interior quality
I very recently took this vehicle out on a test drive. This is a very good and sporty looking car, that has a very 'tight-fit' seting position. It almost gives you the feel of driving a go-cart! I was extremely disappointed with the interior though. I would imagine that Ford only had a few bob left after producing the rest of the car and threw together a basic, plastic interior. The drive was good. Not as much ooomph as I expected, but fun! Again, I likened it to driving a go-cart. I felt safe in the vehicle, Ford have come a long way in safety in todays market. I don't think the model I drove was necessarily the 'top of the range' ST, and I would be interested in comparing to the one I drove. ...
I have recently been looking at buying a new car. I really fancy the FordFiestaST, in black. After searching and searching the internet I found one in Carcraft, Newport.
Carcraft was established in 1951 and is an independent used car hypermarket. They have many stores across the country. I went to the Newport branch in South Wales.
It is comfortably warm inside has a café and is very welcoming, a bit too welcoming. The sales people don't leave you alone to browse and are constantly pestering you to buy buy buy!
The Newport branch is very easy to get to, it's just off the M4.
So, off we went (me and my boyfriend).
When we walked in we were immediately greeted by a salesperson, we told him exactly what we were looking for and he showed us the ST. He then asked us if we would be wanting finance, which we weren't.
After ...
