Torn between Fiesta MK8 ST & Focus MK4 ST

[Ryan_Tango]

I'm in a position to buy either of these cars now, I'm stuck between practicality and go kart fun, I currently have Fiesta ST mk7.5 and i love it but its lacking the tech. 

I know the focus has the extra power and larger engine but the fiesta has that feel that made me fall in love with it. Either one I get will be petrol with the performance pack and sunroof.

Help 😭

[TomsFocus]

Do you 'need' the practicality, or is it just a nice thing to have?  It sounds like you'd prefer the Fiesta tbh… 

 

[Ryan_Tango]

I sort of need the practicality now I'm working away from home, I take everything from my bedding to my tv and xbox, but i do manage to fit everything in, having the space would be nice though.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Do you 'need' the practicality, or is it just a nice thing to have?  It sounds like you'd prefer the Fiesta tbh… 

 

 

[TomsFocus]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Tango said:

I sort of need the practicality now I'm working away from home, I take everything from my bedding to my tv and xbox, but i do manage to fit everything in, having the space would be nice though.

 

Ah ok, where are you working now?  If it was me I'd go for the Focus but I'm not interested in go-kart handling!  I just think you might be wishing you'd bought Fiesta every time you get to an empty B road... 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

  @alexp999 has made the move from the Mk 8 Fiesta to Focus 4, so might be along with some helpful comments. 

I'm chewing over the same thing. I like the Fiesta but while it's great one up it can seem a bit tight with a passenger/full load of luggage. Also I doubt I could get on with the ST seat, which I find too narrow at the hip though I'm told it eases a bit over time. I'm by no means a big chap either.

Focus seat I found spot on, but don't really need that size car and of course there's the little matter of £8k.

Currently wondering if the ST Puma might be worth a look when it appears. 

[alexp999]

I had a Mk8 Fiesta ST for 16 months and have now had the Mk4 Focus ST for 4 months. I had a Mk3.5 Focus ST for nearly 3 years before those two.

The Mk8 Fiesta ST compared to the Mk 3.5 Focus ST definitely has the go-kart feeling, the Mk3.5 could feel cumbersome and nose heavy and it had the turning circle of an aircraft carrier. The Mk8 Fiesta ST is a lot easier to live with than the Mk7, the twin dampers and more refined setup meant I even managed a 4000 mile road trip to Norway and back. I had the MK7 Fiesta ST for a couple of days when mine was in from some work and hated it, 20 mins on a concrete dual carriageway was unbearable.

After about a year of the Fiesta I did find myself missing the added practicality and refinement of the Focus. The Fiesta's engine feels very well matched to the chassis, but after having a Mk3.5 Focus ST I just missed the slightly more brutish nature of the Focus ST.

When I test drove the Mk4 Focus ST, I was amazed at how much they've improved it over the Mk3.5. Like they've been reading forums like ours reading comments about it's short comings and tried to do something about it. It has lost it's heavy front end, it feels as balanced as a Fiesta ST with the "pivot around an imaginary pole between the front seats" feeling. I also love the engine, it's more linear now, still has a bit of a brutish character, but not in the same dollop of torque trying to spin the wheels, it simply just has more go on the road than the Fiesta and you can feel it.

The E-Diff in the Focus is much better than the Quiafe in the Fiesta, it is smooth and you can feel it pre-empting on corners rather than waiting to transfer torque. I found the Fiesta had really heavy steering at low speed because of the diff, the Focus doesn't have that trouble. Speaking of steering the MK4 ST is now as manouverable as any other "normal" Focus, so I rarely even notice the larger size.

The adaptive dampers are also amazing, the Fiesta's passive dampers where good, but proper adaptive dampers with the more refined ride of the Focus, it is now a proper Jekyll & Hyde car, which is ultimately why I bought it. I just found that I wanted to sometimes turn the Fiesta down a bit, after doing my road trip I knew I wanted the Focus back and I'm so glad I did.

You need to test drive both but imo the Mk4 Focus ST is fantastic. I thought I might miss the Fiesta, but I don't.... well other than maybe the MPG. 😛

[Ryan_Tango]

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Ah ok, where are you working now?  If it was me I'd go for the Focus but I'm not interested in go-kart handling!  I just think you might be wishing you'd bought Fiesta every time you get to an empty B road... 

Working for BDV Recovery, currently on the M1 between J12 and J16 love it,  the b road blasts are a main reason I love the fiesta but might be worth trying for a 24 hour test drive with each car

 

9 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

  @alexp999 has made the move from the Mk 8 Fiesta to Focus 4, so might be along with some helpful comments. 

I'm chewing over the same thing. I like the Fiesta but while it's great one up it can seem a bit tight with a passenger/full load of luggage. Also I doubt I could get on with the ST seat, which I find too narrow at the hip though I'm told it eases a bit over time. I'm by no means a big chap either.

Focus seat I found spot on, but don't really need that size car and of course there's the little matter of £8k of course.

Currently wondering if the ST Puma might be worth a look when it appears. 

Saw the Puma in Manchester had a sit inside it lovely inside, outside I hated it at first but its grown on me, like the idea of being able to fill the boot space with water to clean my dog's paws 😂, the price difference is quite substantial might see about trying to get a test drive for 24 hours with each one 

[alexp999]

Also just to add, the seats in the Mk8 Fiesta ST are quite narrow at the hips, I had pressure points in them, it almost felt like I was sat on the bolsters rather than between them, although I did still manage 8-10hrs driving a day so not that bad, the Focus seats are still hugging in the same spot, but being a bit wider are much more comfortable for me. I guess it depends on the shape of your frame if it would be an issue.

[Ryan_Tango]

2 hours ago, alexp999 said:

Also just to add, the seats in the Mk8 Fiesta ST are quite narrow at the hips, I had pressure points in them, it almost felt like I was sat on the bolsters rather than between them, although I did still manage 8-10hrs driving a day so not that bad, the Focus seats are still hugging in the same spot, but being a bit wider are much more comfortable for me. I guess it depends on the shape of your frame if it would be an issue.

Thanks for the input, I'm touching the bolsters on my mk7 but only just, on the topic of fuel economy I expect it's around 30mpg maybe a little more on a 200 mile motorway run. Going to have a serious look around should have one by time ford fair comes round hopefully 😀

[alexp999]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Tango said:

Thanks for the input, I'm touching the bolsters on my mk7 but only just, on the topic of fuel economy I expect it's around 30mpg maybe a little more on a 200 mile motorway run. Going to have a serious look around should have one by time ford fair comes round hopefully 😀

Trip computer says 29 mpg, exactly the same as my mk3.5 did. Ford pass says it’s actually 27, but I haven’t worked it out myself. Thats a 15 min, rural road commute twice a day plus a few miles at lunch. Haven’t tried a proper motorway run in it yet. 
 

The Fiesta was getting about 38 on the same journeys. If that helps compare the hit in mpg to the mk7 you have now, as I don’t think the new mk8 is any more efficient. It kind of goes out the window when you press on and are having fun. I just wish they fit a larger fuel tank than the standard focus so I didn’t have to fill up quite as often, lol. But it’s not really a big deal with my mileage. 

[Ryan_Tango]

2 hours ago, alexp999 said:

Trip computer says 29 mpg, exactly the same as my mk3.5 did. Ford pass says it’s actually 27, but I haven’t worked it out myself. Thats a 15 min, rural road commute twice a day plus a few miles at lunch. Haven’t tried a proper motorway run in it yet. 
 

The Fiesta was getting about 38 on the same journeys. If that helps compare the hit in mpg to the mk7 you have now, as I don’t think the new mk8 is any more efficient. It kind of goes out the window when you press on and are having fun. I just wish they fit a larger fuel tank than the standard focus so I didn’t have to fill up quite as often, lol. But it’s not really a big deal with my mileage. 

I'm currently getting 49mpg but my journeys only consist of motorway runs mainly, only tend to do around 700 miles per month since changing jobs due to it staying parked up for the 3 weeks I'm at work, so will likely only cost me an extra £30-£40 a month in fuel. Time to start looking at selling my car 😂