ST Line ride - Too firm or okay

[MCF]

                       Hello Fiesta people.  Can any St Line owners give me their thoughts on the stiffer suspension as compared to regular Fiestas such as  Trend, Zetec and Titanium ?? Always had regular type Fiestas but looking to buy new and would like an ST Line but would appreciate any owner thoughts first. Dealer and nearly new dealer seemed reluctant to offer test drives recently.   Many thanks.

 

 

 

[Matt Alsop]

Personally I prefer the stiffer suspension and better handling as it gives the car a sporty feel. I have the Red Edition (ST Line mk7.5).

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

You seem to be looking at newer cars, so I would say the Mk 8 ST-L has a better ride than the earlier version.

This Is very much a personal thing and it's a shame you can't get a test drive, preferably on a road you know with a poor surface.

I've always preferred cars with a firmer ride and I find mine (which is on 17" rims) perfectly acceptable but it can be a little "jiggly" on poor surfaces. It seems worse at lower speed. On a decent road surface (a rarity I know) the ride is pretty good and we've done long drives for holidays etc with no problem.

It's certainly no limo though and if ride is your most important consideration perhaps a Titanium or similar on 16" rims would be a better bet.

That said, I've had "sporty" cars in the past which would give your back a painful jolt over bumps (Audis on Sport suspension were particularly bad at one time) and the ST-L is certainly nothing like that. 

I would try again on the test drives though, maybe a different dealer? I'm lucky in having a helpful local dealership who will let you drive a similar used car they have in stock if no "official" demo is available.

 

[TomsFocus]

If you're asking that question, you'll probably find it too firm...  Test drives really are the only way to know unfortunately.

[MCF]

Many thanks to all. More stock seems to be getting through so I'll push for thorough test before making any final decision.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

11 hours ago, MCF said:

More stock seems to be getting through so I'll push for thorough test

I think that's the best thing. As mentioned earlier, do try and get on a road you know well with a poor surface (not hard to find these days😃) so you can make a meaningful comparison with what you are used to.

[Smartd00d]

18s quite a bit more harsh than 17s too.

Not as bad as you might expect though.

[MCF]

Quick update.   Managed to test drive a 2 year old 125ps ST Line with standard 17 ins rims today. Not as harsh or crashy as I was expecting although the strict fairly short test drive route failed to include any serious tests for the ride but felt decent on normal roads.  Going to get a few more in this week if I can to finally decide.

[Blatto]

If you want a good 2019 ST-Line X 140 you could try this one.

I looked after this car for 3 years from new and it was in immaculate condition, full service history, never done any short journeys.

Swirl free paintwork, 17" alloys were like new, not even the slightest scuff.

Had two new Michelin Pilot sport 4's on the front at 42,000 miles (did about 2000 on them before I got rid of it) and the rears had about 15,000 miles left on them (if you drive it like I did )

Spent most of it's life at between 1500 and 3000 rpm, never thrashed it, and run it in carefully.

I doubt you'll find a better used one than this.

https://www.carsnitch.co.uk/used-cars/ford/fiesta/used-ford-fiesta-st-line-x-uk-19985407.html

[MCF]

Thanks, Blatto but any purchase will be brand new. Hoping the dealers will finally be more keen for me to test drive the new ones.

[alexp999]

14 minutes ago, MCF said:

Thanks, Blatto but any purchase will be brand new. Hoping the dealers will finally be more keen for me to test drive the new ones.

You know it’s final orders this month? I’m not sure exactly when the books close. 

[MCF]

Yes, local dealer warned me a while back but current stock levels appear healthy.  Thanks.

[DaveT70]

Yeah, 18's are the ones to avoid.

Mk8s are better than mk7s with 17s

[Eric Bloodaxe]

23 hours ago, MCF said:

Managed to test drive a 2 year old 125ps ST Line with standard 17 ins rims today.

A point to bear in mind is that unfortunately you can only get 17s on the "basic" ST-L these days, so If you want the extra features of the "X" you have to have 18s.

[agraham]

It may seem odd to some but I bought a facelift Fiesta Titanium 3 months ago (ordered in December 2022) precisely because it came with steel wheels and highish profile tyres. With the rural roads round here degenerating my previous 3 litre V6 Mondeo with very low profile tyres on alloys crashed and banged over every pothole. I have not regretted the decision as the new Fiesta rides much better on the roads round here - and it's pretty good on motorways too. I wouldn't want a stiffer suspension than what this has got.

[agraham]

I can't edit my post above but if anyone wonders how I got such a short delivery, I didn't! I got the year wrong, I actually ordered the car in December 2021 and had to wait ten months for delivery.

[MCF]

Thanks, all input appreciated.

 

[MCF]

Okay, been a while but here's where I am.   Decided on Fiesta Titanium and went to dealers last week and set up a potential deal.  A family member has decide to change cars after 9 months and has a Trend 1.0.  After considering my needs I have a potential deal on the table also for a Trend 1.1.

So which one, head says one thing another part of me says otherwise.

Brand new Titanium  1.0                100ps      no options    Chrome Blue            £  19,428

Brand new Trend       1.1                  75ps      no options    Any colour                £  17,424

9 month old  Trend   2,000 miles    1.0      100ps     16" alloys      Red               £  15,200.

[unofix]

Brand new Titanium  1.0                100ps      no options    Chrome Blue            £  19,428

It will be the last Fiesta you will ever buy so get a decent spec.

[MCF]

Thanks.  Only thing is I was taken aback at how under-specced the latest Titanium's are.  No Sync3, no navigation, no alloy wheels and 15 inch steel rims.   My 2017 Zetec seems better standard equipped.  However, it is time to change.

[DaveT70]

Yaris is fully loaded

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Yes, pretty much, but starts at 22k list though that gets you a 2 pedal 1.5 hybrid with 115ps or so, up to 10 years warranty, etc. 

[pwarbi]

On 2/2/2023 at 4:33 PM, MCF said:

                       Hello Fiesta people.  Can any St Line owners give me their thoughts on the stiffer suspension as compared to regular Fiestas such as  Trend, Zetec and Titanium ?? Always had regular type Fiestas but looking to buy new and would like an ST Line but would appreciate any owner thoughts first. Dealer and nearly new dealer seemed reluctant to offer test drives recently.   Many thanks.

 

 

 

I've had a number of Fiesta's but this is my first ST-Line and I have to say I did find the ride a lot harder than I thought I would. While it's not uncomfortable, I do think it might take a bit of getting used to and can take you by surprise.

When you're driving it yourself I don't think you notice as much but I wouldn't recommend having a drink while you're driving unless you want to be wearing half of it at the end of the journey...