Focus ST vs Fiesta ST

So, a few weeks ago, my last rental car was a Focus. It looked nice, drove nice, was nicely equipped (other than the rental car automatic), however that car had the least amount of headroom of just about anything I've ever driven. I am 5'-10" and my head was millimeters away from the head liner at any given time. If I looked up or over my shoulder to change lanes, it usually resulted in contacting the headliner with my head. The car had a power driver's seat, but as far as I could tell, it did not get any lower. The car did have a sunroof and I suppose that eats up some headroom,but it was ridiculous. My Mini and Miata have more head room than this thing.

That experience makes me not want to consider the Focus ST as a possible future purchase. Is the Fiesta have better or worse headroom than the Focus?

The ST would probably have different seats, however I am also interested in the ST and as such I will follow this thread

Surely there is a Ford dealer close by with a Focus ST you could sit in?

That's going to be the only real way to tell considering how people sit differently or what they consider comfortable.

In reply to z31maniac:

That lack of headroom you mention is odd. I'm 6'3, with most of my height in my torso and I have a lot of headroom in the Foci I've rented.

TJ I am in a similar position as you describe. I am also 5'10" and although I didn't find headroom so much an issue and I sit bolt upright in everything I drive. I found getting in and out of the Focus and the general feel of roominess to be so much worse then my other 5 Foci I was shocked. The wife and I rented one for 2 weeks to give it a real try before deciding on her next car. I also rode and checked out the Focus ST and Fiesta ST and didn't find much difference between normal Focus and ST other then seats which are much better for support as expected. As for the Fiesta ST is was leaps and bounds better for ingress/egress and also felt roomier around the dash and knee areas. The one I tried had no options including seats but they still were comfortable and supportive enough. With no moonroof there was tons of headroom as I place my fist on my head to see if there will be an issue when wearing a helmet. None at all even with stretching upward.

I drive an 09 Civic Si with I/E/Tuner ,TSX brakes and rear swaybar. I go for cars several years old for depreciation and my frequent switching. The Fiesta ST is one of the few cars that has me thinking about going new. I will likely wait and see how the new WRX/Sti turn out before deciding.

Friend of mine has a Focus ST, and he is probably 6'5" with a longer torso... His does NOT have a sunroof.

FWIW I'm 6'4" 220 and fit fine in both the newest fiesta and newest focus. I have a 34' inseam and a 6'9" wingspan so I'm long armed and short legged and end up laying flat in cars. I really liked the dynamics of both and hope to make the Fiesta ST our first new car purchase EVAR- If there are any available...., I think Ford has a minor hit on their hands.

I'm thinking it was how the seat was positioned. I had plenty of room in both the ST cars when I drove them at the Ford Challenge. I'm a six footer.

I'm 6'4 and I have driven both (with recaros) and fit fine. Not sure on the normal seats though.

Anyone here pick up a Fiesta ST yet? I finally saw one in the wild the other day.

turtl631 wrote: Anyone here pick up a Fiesta ST yet? I finally saw one in the wild the other day.

I dove one at the press launch. There's a review in the new issue of the magazine. I thought it was an excellent car.

I've got to run to the dealership to have some keys made. Broke one off in my wife's trunk. I may run in and drive a Fiesta ST.

I know Lesley (Yep, I know how to spell her name) has driven both and had great things to say about the Fiesta.

N Sperlo wrote: Broke one off in my wife's trunk.

Nicely done!

Sunroofs eat up tons of room. I have enough in my 'rolla to fit comfortably with a helmet on. Drove one with a sunroof and my bare head was rubbing the roof in a normal sitting position.

My local dealer has 2 Fiestas and are already offering nearly 2k off sticker. That makes me think I could possibly grab an ST Fiesta with just the Recaros for 22.5K. Not bad if I say so myself. I will have to go drive one of these in the very near future.

T.J. wrote:

N Sperlo wrote: Broke one off in my wife's trunk.

Nicely done!

By some miracle I just sat my coffee down before reading that.

The drivers seat height is adjustable, as is the steering column/wheel. Most should be able to find a comfortable position. Most reports say that the Fiesta ST is more fun to drive than the Focus ST.

Not sure why a Focus would have head room problems- I've just spent a few weeks test driving Focuses and Fiestas, and all of them I had space. I'm 5-10, too, and prefer to sit as low as possible. Hope something was just broken in the rental.

Anyway, I test drove a Fiesta ST- really quick, and great handling (from the short drive I took). Since my commute is 2 miles on either end in a town, and then 30 or so miles of freeway speed traffic- the car is a lot more than I need for my commute. (funny side- the part that I really like about my Miata is the convertable part, which SWMBO tells me that I can't with skin cancer, the moon roof will have to do)

Go drive them, they are quick.

There are some rather annyoing annoyances, though. One that would drive me nuts during a commute.

I autocrossed them back to back -- I thought the Fiesta ST was pleasantly racy and entertaining for an econobox, but the Focus ST had noticeably better power delivery and plenty more refinement. At $24,100 I think it's well worth the three grand premium over the $21,400 Fiesta... but when you notice that the 305 hp Mustang V6 lists from $22,200 the other two are pretty much forgotten.

No interest in a Mustang - just not my thing. Maybe I'll take a look at a Fiesta ST next time I'm close to a Ford dealer.

I suppose my rental Focus may have been some sort of operator error on my part and that the seat did indeed have an up/down adjustment that I just couldn't find. I really didn't like driving around with less than an inch of clearance between the roof and my head. I did not like the HVAC dash vents since they were shaped funny to make them look cool, but that seemed to affect their operation and adjustment. Style is good, but style over substance is not. I also pretty much hated the radio and the giant screen that went along with it, but I think that is fairly typical of new cars these days.

iceracer wrote: The drivers seat height is adjustable, as is the steering column/wheel. Most should be able to find a comfortable position. Most reports say that the Fiesta ST is more fun to drive than the Focus ST.

This... I own one, and I've adjusted to my heart's content.

I think I would struggle to justify paying more than $20k for a sub-compact - even if it's a special one. I've driven the Focus ST and liked it - so I would consider it first.

iceracer wrote: The drivers seat height is adjustable, as is the steering column/wheel. Most should be able to find a comfortable position. Most reports say that the Fiesta ST is more fun to drive than the Focus ST.

I drove the two back to back. The Fiesta is definitely more nimble, easy to toss, confidence-inspiring, easy to find the (relatively low) limits in a very Miata-like way. Steering feel and feedback is not sports-car excellent, but it's much better than the base Fiesta, which is numb as novocaine.

The Focus ST, actually, I thought had better refinement, power, and ultimately higher limits and more capable. Still incredibly fun and actually had just the right amount of lift-oversteer on offramps. (the Fiesta is very neutral).

The Fiesta will be more tiring on long trips: Road noise is no better contained than in the base car. And while the interior is nice, you can't get away from certain parts that still feel like an economy car with some fancy bits tacked on.

In either case, get the Recaros. They're fantastic.

Yes, exactly. The Focus has a more sophisticated suspension set up and power. However! I really loved the Fiesta, it was like an eager little flea. I could totally live with that car the seats are perfect - minus the orange racer-boy panels & stitching.

wawazat wrote: In reply to z31maniac: That lack of headroom you mention is odd. I'm 6'3, with most of my height in my torso and I have a lot of headroom in the Foci I've rented.

6'4" and ditto I can take my fist and put it between my head and roof. No sun roof though.