Considering Between A Fiesta Zs And A Suzuki Swift Sport

[MattDRX]

My civic never needed any of that and I did about 40k in 2 years, never even changed the rear discs.

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[kristriple]

Every winter my bike back brake seizes. I have to be careful with greases and oils, because of contaminating the tyres. Ive tried EVERYTHING and it still happens. Its worth thinking about I suppose. Real pain in the bottom!

[E5GDM]

If your a hairdresser it's got to be the 'swift'!!

[kathyp]

If your a hairdresser it's got to be the 'swift'!!

haha I have zero interest in perceived images of various cars, although I've actually heard lots of comments along the hairdresser lines towards the fiesta!!

but it wouldnt bother me any more than driving the ST makes you a 'chav' apparently!

[kristriple]

but it wouldnt bother me any more than driving the ST makes you a 'chav' apparently!

Good job you said "apparently"! You'd have had a war on your hands with some of this lot! Haha

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[NQbbe]

For the calipers not the discs I'm guessing?

Correct it's only the calipers that are greased up. Putting grease on the discs seem a bit counter-productive :D

[666Damian666]

haha I have zero interest in perceived images of various cars, although I've actually heard lots of comments along the hairdresser lines towards the fiesta!!

but it wouldnt bother me any more than driving the ST makes you a 'chav' apparently!

Haha, a girl with her own mind (you don't see that much), lol ;-)

[The Admiral]

My wife as a '09 Fiesta Titanium met black from new and we test drove the top specs of the swift , Corsa, Yaris ,Polo etc nothing comes close to the Fiesta's handling and comfort , spec ( heated windscreen, folding mirrors, cruise control, bluetooth etc.. and alround enjoyment, She's looking at a replacement next 12 months but definitely getting another Ford .

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[fiestalux]

Kathyp, did you reach a decision in the end? I have to say here there are a lot of Swifts about, so they must good little cars as people are quite fussy here.

[fordnathanst]

I currently own a 63 plate swift sport and I will say it has been a faultless car for the 6 months iv owned it. I am in the process of trading it in for a fiesta st tho but that's coz iv always wanted an st and I'm fortunately in a position to buy one. But that is the only reason. I haven't got one complaint about my swift sport. What ever car you go for ul be happy as there both great cars x

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[The Admiral]

Your've got to think long term? Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter and so on, one reason I started buying Ford's in the '90's was the heated windscreen sounds weird but when ur gettin up to frozen car? It's great to jump in press 3 buttons. Windscreen, rear window and mirrors & heated seats with a few minutes your on your way without any hassle. swift's are great but no Fiesta

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[MattDRX]

Suzuki are !Removed! plain and simple, nasty cheap plastic crap everywhere and gutless.

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[The Admiral]

Lol ,MattDRX simplified it for you !, he is right on the plastics though I'd forgotten about that my Wife past comment on how the dashboard wasn't really that good when test drove one.

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[paul ta]

i owen a suzuki ingnes sport for the last 10000 miles also a fiesta 1400cc zetc just purches the service book stampt every year .The suzuki is a better bult car fould down the seat and plenty of room will be found.the handling is 2nd to nun this is a car that wil bringe a smil to your face when you hit the bends.

[ZSMJ]

Got to be the Fez! For the handling alone throughout the range. I started by borrowing a 2012 ZS Diesel for a holiday. I loved how it handled so much that I bought a 2012 Petrol.

Think about testing the Diesel at least. It's not as smooth in power delivery overall compared to the Petrol (mainly because it produces 30hp less) but you get some nice surges of boost from the turbo (really throws you out of corners), it's a better motorway cruiser and it's very economical. It's well worth a test.

As for the Ecoboost ZS. My mate recently got one in that amazing dark blue colour. The interior is better than the 08-12 model and it is slightly more powerful. I personally prefer the sound of the old ZS 1.6 engine but that's nitpicking. Also the engine is so tiny that it looks quite funny in the massive bonnet space! I've heard nothing but amazing things about the 1.0T though so it sounds like a good step forward.

Fiesta hands down.

[The Admiral]

I drive my Wife's '09 1.4 Fiesta Titanium every week ( valeters ) and I drive my petrol '10 plate Mondeo 2.0 Titanium X everyday and the handerling on both cars is nothing more than amazing, The Fiesta makes me feel 18 again! It's like a go-kart & smiles all the way and the Mondeo amazing as it go's round bends as though it was on rail tracks.

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[kathyp]

Kathyp, did you reach a decision in the end? I have to say here there are a lot of Swifts about, so they must good little cars as people are quite fussy here.

It's still up in the air, I've had a test drive in the Swift and it was a great, solid car. Bigger than I thought though, guess I thought they were fiat 500 kind of size and they're not - good foot longer than that and consequently little bit boxy in the metal. Lovely lovely smooth engine though and the power really comes on from 4000 up to 7000 ala CTR's.. Can foresee bad fuel consumption though because the engine just begs to be revved all the way to the redline, something I have missed! Handling is amazing though, can see why they're raved about it felt more like a go kart than the mini's I've been in ever did. I was lucky enough to have a solo drive and boy did I thrash and chuck it round the B road nearby! Grip was up there with any car I've been in. And the brakes smelt nice and toasty after I got out of it back at the dealership hehe

The interior is a bit meh on passenger side - just a mass slab of plastic but clear enough dials drivr side. it's certainly got all the kit, far more even than a fully specced Fiesta. ie satnav, touch screen info system, xenons, climate, twin exhaust, starter button, cruise, just goes on and all standard!

So will be testing the Fiesta soon and go from there. also want to try the new version of the 500 Twinair, now up to 105bhp and an all digital dash display that looks pretty cool. And of course I have a soft spot for them after owning an Abarth 500 for couple years.

So I guess at this stage the Swift is out, unless the Fiesta and 500 are real let-downs. More though because of fuel consumption fears (guess low 30s if pushing, and of course £145 tax to go with it) and a slightly disappointing interior than anything else. Have to reiterate it was a great drive and for the money bit of a bargain and only ruled out pending other drives right now!

Will keep you all updated and thanks for the advice and comments, they are much appreciated :)

[Hotcookie]

Sadly I've only been driving now for 4 months so haven't driven a huge range of cars (Fiat Punto grande, Citroen DS3, Fiesta 1.6tdci ZS (mk7.5), 1.0 125 ecoboost Fiesta, VW Sirocco and Fiesta ST) but out of those the Fiesta is by far my fave. I got the 1.6tdci fiesta on the day I passed and I loved that car. I really agree with the previous post about it coming out of corners, it just slingshots!

When I originally went to the dealer Id wanted the 125 ecoboost but they didn't have any in black in stock and so offered me the 1.6tdci at a really good rate so I took that. After 3 months I was itching for the 125 ecoboost though so went and test drove that. It's a cracking little engine, people don't believe it's only 1 litre and rightly so cause its got a real punch to it. Although i can't say anything about the swift I'm sure you won't be dissappointed with the Fiesta.

That being said I didn't get the 1litre I got the ST instead, which, if you have the money I cannot reccomend enough. Fuel economy aint the best, I average between 30-35mpg but it is a fun machine. In truth it's not much more than the ZS anyway and for the difference in price, what you get is excellent value for money. My neighbour has the fiat500 abarth and its a fierce little motor so i can see why you liked it so much.

Anyway I'm sure you will make the right decision in the end :D

[fiestalux]

Hi Kathyp, as I said in an earlier post it was the plastics that I also found disappointing in the Swift. That said do not expect the worlds best interior plastics in the Fiesta either. It may be better in the higher end versions but in my view that is one area that lets the Fiesta down especially when compared to my colleagues Fabia (similarly priced it should be said).

I have to say I have a Ecoboost 100 Fiesta and even although that is no speed demon (well in comparison to the Porches round here) it's really great to drive. So if you go for a sportier Fiesta I think you would be on to a winner there too. If you can tolerate the styling then it may be worth looking at the Mazda 2 as well, which shares a lot of similarities to the Fiesta. They are also according to the German reliability stats among the most reliable car around. It is a bit more of an acquired taste though but the sport version apparently is also a great drive.

[Drew1000rr]

I'm on my second zs derived fiesta . It's a sport van which is basically a zs without rear seats and windows . Had an 012 mk 7 and just had the facelift mk 8 model . Absolutely love them . Drive like a car twice the price and the spec is great ...

Fiesta everytime

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[kathyp]

Thanks for comments guys, and yep fiestalux you were right with the swift. I'm no big worrier about not having german level interiors but it really was a bit poor from suzuki. even with the touchscreen system in the middle of the dash it felt extremely cheap sitting in there :( but full marks to the dealership concerned for letting me go out solo and for not hassling me too much after the drive or subsequently.

I should be going in a fiesta zs on tues or weds

[fiestalux]

So far I can only recommend the Fiesta, sure there are a few things that are not perfect (such as the plastics) but overall it's a great car. It hugs the road like a friend, yet feels fluid and smooth to drive. Road noise is really pretty low and it handles less than perfect roads with ease. I took mine out for a spin in Luxembourg and Germany over the last few days and the more I drive it, the more I like it.

I am not sure what others would say here but if you can see if they will throw in a free or heavily discounted extended warranty. That is one area Ford is really pants on and one area that nearly made me look at more reliable brands (e.g. Mazda) or those with silly and very long free warranties... There is no reason in this day and age why a car manufacturer should not be offering 5yr or 100k miles. The Fiesta comes out ok in most reliability scores I have seen but it could be better, so I hedged by bets. As this is my first Ford experience others here can perhaps offer more enlightened views.

[kathyp]

long overdue update on my situation.

I waited because the dealer persuaded me to go out for a drive in the ST a few days after I'd been out in the Zetec S. I didn't need much persuading, not because I really intended to buy the ST but was curious to have a blast in it while the opportunity was there!

I think the Zetec S impressed me more, because the engine technology...1.0 3cyl putting out that kind of power in a smooth way - amazing. Handling was precise and enjoyable. Felt fast enough, in fact faster than the Swift Sport did, which has 136bhp and half a second quicker to 60. This car feels faster than it is, for sure as opposed to Swift Sport which was a bit gutless and felt slower. Really was all about the torque with the ecoboost. I liked the 3cyl sound as well, refined at standstill but nice gurgle under acceleration. I thought it was comfortable inside, the privacy glass was darker than I've experienced before but sure would get used to it. I went out in a Deep Impact Blue and 100% would be the colour I went for, suits the car down to the ground.

So, the ST? Wasn't surprised so much by the power in this, I've been in and owned faster cars...it felt about as quick as it should do. But was impressed by how EASY it was to drive it fast. Ridiculously easy in fact. I'd only been in it a few miles and was throwing it around country lanes foot to the floor. Feels very stable. But I know for a fact I would be done for speeding owning one. And worse than that, massively increased chance of an accident in a car like this. A doddle to reach 60 anywhere, and I'd be blasting it on any stretch of clear road, hard not to. I can see why it's raved about but the thought of how many drivers won't be careful in them scares me! Especially after reading some of the threads on here. Terrific fast hatch though, don't misunderstand me on that.

As to where I go from here, I actually don't know. It won't be the ST, it never was going to be, although if I was looking for an out and out fast hatch it probably would. Problem is that the Zetec S starts to look poor value for what it is when you look at the difference between it with 17" wheels and an ST1, which is more or less identical spec level. Talking less than £1500 difference. So paradoxically driving the ST and looking at pricing and specs has put me off a Zetec S from a value for money angle, cheers for that Ford!

May have to settle for a decent little city car with no pretensions of performance, as I think I've learnt that for me the 'warm' models ala Zetec S, Suzuki are neither 'performance' hatches, nor 'economical to buy and run' city cars, and I think I'd rather sit on one side of that line and reap the full performance or cost benefits rather than in the middle where perhaps they are.

But it's been fun, and great test driving them. and never thought I'd be out in an ST so that's ticked off my 'cars driven' list at least!

[MattDRX]

That's precisely why a few people went for the ST after getting a 1.0, well worth the difference for next to nothing per month.

There are lots of cars out there to chose from though, were you looking to own in the end of the day or just do a PCP and give back? if leasing look at Gateway2lease, they currently have ST3's for just over a 1K deposit and £198PM all in and even serviced with road tax in the second year.

Dirty cheap compared to Fords offer.

[fiestalux]

I have the basic 1.0 so no sports pretentions; even that is way more than adequte for me and the handling is perfect. As you say easy to drive... I personally would not spend the extra on something that is sporty when the other ones are still fun to drive and not expensive.