Who here owns a Fiesta ST?

[beachBOYken]

Any MK8 owners of ST or in my case ST-line replaced the fogs with LED lights?

I have the LED headlights and the fogs which are used as cornering lights are the amber colour, would like to match them up, but are LED lights ok for foggy
conditions, I heard they are not very good in fog, but perhaps that's changed now?

 

[NooBish AbbZ]

Ok, so, I think I'm gonna end up in a Mk7 Fiesta ST in the near future. No cars are really taking my fancy.

I've been looking at Z4M's, S3's, A3's, Golf GTI's, Polo GTI's, Abarth 595's, Fiestas ST's, Kia Ceed GT's, Seat Leon's and I keep on coming back to the ST.

As i've said earlier on this thread I joined the ST Owners forum about 5 years ago because at one point it was going to be my next car then I went a bit mental and ended up buying a 340i

My main point for concern at the moment, how are they for motorway miles? Naturally, I know they're better suited for B road blasts etc. etc. however in order to get the the Nurburgring and things like that I need the car to be at least decent on a motorway. I'll be going for the ST3, so cruise control, heated Recaro's included etc. but what are your opinions? it's for this reason i've discounted 595's

 

[MrRockliffe]

Ok, so, I think I'm gonna end up in a Mk7 Fiesta ST in the near future. No cars are really taking my fancy.

I've been looking at Z4M's, S3's, A3's, Golf GTI's, Polo GTI's, Abarth 595's, Fiestas ST's, Kia Ceed GT's, Seat Leon's and I keep on coming back to the ST.

As i've said earlier on this thread I joined the ST Owners forum about 5 years ago because at one point it was going to be my next car then I went a bit mental and ended up buying a 340i

My main point for concern at the moment, how are they for motorway miles? Naturally, I know they're better suited for B road blasts etc. etc. however in order to get the the Nurburgring and things like that I need the car to be at least decent on a motorway. I'll be going for the ST3, so cruise control, heated Recaro's included etc. but what are your opinions? it's for this reason i've discounted 595's

Main issue I have in my 125ps fiesta is that the lack of 6th means I find myself between 2.5k and 3k revs on the motorway, so fuel economy can quickly deteriorate the quicker I drive. On some runs, where I average 60mph, I can get, according to the car, 55mpg. If I'm averaging a fair bit quicker on a very clear road with a lack of cameras in great weather, it can be closer to 40.

If you're light footed, I would expect a return of 46-51 on a run - the main thing I've noticed is maintaining the same pressure on the pedal, rather than slowing and speeding up, really helps with mpg.

The M1 around Loughborough is quite hilly, so my average mpg often isn't as good around here. It's pretty flat where you are, so I would imagine closer to 50 with a speed of 65-70

 

[WorTortle]

Mines comfortable enough on the main roads, seats are nice, not too loud and the ride settles down nicely once you're past 40mph

 

[chaparral]

Any MK8 owners of ST or in my case ST-line replaced the fogs with LED lights?

I have the LED headlights and the fogs which are used as cornering lights are the amber colour, would like to match them up, but are LED lights ok for foggy
conditions, I heard they are not very good in fog, but perhaps that's changed now?

If there just normal bulbs like my focus ST has I just changed the bulbs to ones that had a whiter output,
There still not as white as my headlights but are much better then the standard yellow looking ones
(think the ones I changed to were something like 6000k)

 

[Blue160]

Ok, so, I think I'm gonna end up in a Mk7 Fiesta ST in the near future. No cars are really taking my fancy.

I've been looking at Z4M's, S3's, A3's, Golf GTI's, Polo GTI's, Abarth 595's, Fiestas ST's, Kia Ceed GT's, Seat Leon's and I keep on coming back to the ST.

As i've said earlier on this thread I joined the ST Owners forum about 5 years ago because at one point it was going to be my next car then I went a bit mental and ended up buying a 340i

My main point for concern at the moment, how are they for motorway miles? Naturally, I know they're better suited for B road blasts etc. etc. however in order to get the the Nurburgring and things like that I need the car to be at least decent on a motorway. I'll be going for the ST3, so cruise control, heated Recaro's included etc. but what are your opinions? it's for this reason i've discounted 595's

I put 6k miles on my Mk 7.5 in the first 2 months I owned it including a trip from Newcastle to Brighton. It’s absolutely fine on the motorway. Comfy seats, DAB radio and cruise are all I need! It’s not even too loud. If you’re happy to set a leisurely pace you’ll get mid 40s mpg. High 30s if you like to press on a bit...

 

[beachBOYken]

If there just normal bulbs like my focus ST has I just changed the bulbs to ones that had a whiter output,
There still not as white as my headlights but are much better then the standard yellow looking ones
(think the ones I changed to were something like 6000k)

Got some from Autobeam, H8 LED fog unit, they are 6500k and they match perfectly. Quite difficult at first getting the trim off to get to the fog light, was frightened I would snap something, you do have to be careful not to snap the clips.

 

[V_R]

Main issue I have in my 125ps fiesta is that the lack of 6th means I find myself between 2.5k and 3k revs on the motorway, so fuel economy can quickly deteriorate the quicker I drive. On some runs, where I average 60mph, I can get, according to the car, 55mpg. If I'm averaging a fair bit quicker on a very clear road with a lack of cameras in great weather, it can be closer to 40.

If you're light footed, I would expect a return of 46-51 on a run - the main thing I've noticed is maintaining the same pressure on the pedal, rather than slowing and speeding up, really helps with mpg.

The M1 around Loughborough is quite hilly, so my average mpg often isn't as good around here. It's pretty flat where you are, so I would imagine closer to 50 with a speed of 65-70

Not sure how that's relevant tbh, your Zetec S and the ST have different engines and gearboxes.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Not sure how that's relevant tbh, your Zetec S and the ST have different engines and gearboxes.

With regards to revs true, but from various posts on FOC from people that have switched from standard fiesta to ST, the drop in MPG seems to be about 10-15%

 

[WorTortle]

I went from a true 46mpg to a true 38mpg making the swap. Both are entirely different cars despite being the same base model

 

[johnny6]

Ok, so, I think I'm gonna end up in a Mk7 Fiesta ST in the near future. No cars are really taking my fancy.

I've been looking at Z4M's, S3's, A3's, Golf GTI's, Polo GTI's, Abarth 595's, Fiestas ST's, Kia Ceed GT's, Seat Leon's and I keep on coming back to the ST.

As i've said earlier on this thread I joined the ST Owners forum about 5 years ago because at one point it was going to be my next car then I went a bit mental and ended up buying a 340i

My main point for concern at the moment, how are they for motorway miles? Naturally, I know they're better suited for B road blasts etc. etc. however in order to get the the Nurburgring and things like that I need the car to be at least decent on a motorway. I'll be going for the ST3, so cruise control, heated Recaro's included etc. but what are your opinions? it's for this reason i've discounted 595's

I’ve had more powerful cars but there’s just something about the little Fiesta. Yes it rattles, the infotainment screen is way too small and for the life of me I can’t understand why a car built in 2017 doesn’t automatically lock when you drive off but Genuinely the ST3 makes me smile when I drive it.

I’ve never had any problems on the motorway it’s actually not that loud when you settle in. I find the seats very comfortable, even on long journeys. I do find it difficult to stick to the speed limit on the B roads though.

Fuel wise I average in the high 20s/low 30s. But then I only do about 6k miles a year.

 

[Resident]

So chaps. I come for some advice.

In the near future it maybe time to retire my big family diesel as the Mrs wants to start driving again and she can only drive auto.
So my car will be going and I need something for tootling to and from work.

Ive got my heart set on a Mk6 as a decent spec'd mk7 will be out of my budget due to having to buy 2 cars at the same time.

So what are they like to live with as a daily?

Work is 6 miles away so 12 mile commute, mostly 50mph dual carriageway.

 

[Nasher]

I went from a true 46mpg to a true 38mpg making the swap. Both are entirely different cars despite being the same base model

Different suspension, steering and I think gearbox too on the ST. It looks the same but it isnt

 

[NooBish AbbZ]

Thanks for opinions reference motorway driving MPG doesn't bother me at all, it was more general comfort and road noise info I was looking for, so thanks for sharing

 

[lee1101]

The only problem I found with mine in the 3 years I had it was, what sounded like, turbo whistle between 68-72mph! apart from that it was great.
Averaged 38mpg over the 45k miles I had it.

Oh and the seats could do with being a bit lower. I always felt like I was sitting too high up despite putting them down as low as they could go!

 

[reecevxr]

I’ve had more powerful cars but there’s just something about the little Fiesta.

Same here, ive had a 56 plate ST-2 in blue for a year now and i never thought id say it but i love it...still.

I've had much more powerful cars in the past and even my zafira has about twice the power of the ST, theres just something about the way the Fiesta drives that makes it so much fun.

 

[oweneades]

I’ve had more powerful cars but there’s just something about the little Fiesta. Yes it rattles, the infotainment screen is way too small and for the life of me I can’t understand why a car built in 2017 doesn’t automatically lock when you drive off but Genuinely the ST3 makes me smile when I drive it.

I’ve never had any problems on the motorway it’s actually not that loud when you settle in. I find the seats very comfortable, even on long journeys. I do find it difficult to stick to the speed limit on the B roads though.

Fuel wise I average in the high 20s/low 30s. But then I only do about 6k miles a year.

Yep fully agree. Even though our other car is a M140i with all the power and toys of a modern "mega" hatch I still can't help but smile every time I drive the ST. Hitting 40mpg and cramming the full weekly shop in the back is just the icing on the cake.

On that note, is the current "go to" choice for some more power whilst retaining the warranty still Mountune? Way back on the launch of the MK7 ST we had one with the MP215 kit and I recall it really gave the car just that bit more go. I am not really looking to chase power (M140 fills that gap) but wouldn't mind a little more shove at times.

Am i also correct in thinking (remembering) that the MR230 kit is not covered under the Ford warranty (unlike the MP215)?

 

[Nasher]

Only the "MP" tunes are warranty friendly.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Yep fully agree. Even though our other car is a M140i with all the power and toys of a modern "mega" hatch I still can't help but smile every time I drive the ST. Hitting 40mpg and cramming the full weekly shop in the back is just the icing on the cake.

I think it’ll probably be my next car - as much as I’d like something German, the upkeep costs of the Ford are very enticing, and you get plenty of little extras like heated seats etc

Am I right in thinking the ST-3 is the top spec one?

 

[V_R]

It is, unless you count the ST200, of the Mk7 that is.

Mk8 the ST3 is the top spec. Unless you get the performance edition.