2004 Ford Fiesta ST from UK and Ireland - Comments

No faults to report.

This is a fast little car with loads of torque and precise handling.

The interior rally style seats are the Fiesta's trademark. They are very comfortable and hold you firmly when most required.

I was very impressed with the large front and rear disk breaks which really give the car serious stopping power.

The engine sounds very sporty and can sometimes like a top of the range sports car.

The driving position is very high and you always know what is happening on the outside.

First and second gears are not really quick although when you change into 3rd and 4th the car accelerates like a rocket. The car has so much confidence at high speeds and there is no body roll whatsoever.

The sound system is top quality, for standard, with a 6 disk in-dash CD changer.

The car comes with a set of side skirts and rear spoiler which do make the car look good. The spoiler does actually function at high speeds which improve aerodynamics.

Fuel consumption is OK, as long as you keep the revs low. When the car is tested to the limits, it uses a lot of fuel. This should be expected of a hot hatch, especially with it being powered by a 2.0.

I couldn't agree more with the comments. I purchased one this week and love it to bits. I was a Honda man before buying this car. I used to say I would never ever buy a Ford and after 5 years with a Japanese car, I changed my mind. It's a superb "get around town car" and when it comes to it, A perfect long run car as well. I love the ST to bits.

Chris.

What a car! drove it for the 2nd time today, mine has been ordered and I have a three day wait.

Matthew Muir.

The ST is a fair car. I have owned a Clio 172 which was not very well built, however was extremely quick.

I am disappointed with the lack of power from my ST, so many people thinks it's fast, am I missing something?

Fiesta is a supermini.

Evo figured it at 0-60 in 7.9 against 7.1 for the Clio 172.

Its laptime round the Nurburgring when tested by Auto Bild (German magazine) was only half a second slower than the Clio 182.

The Clio is a performance bargain, and a blinding hot hatch overall, but Renault's build quality and reliability across their entire range is a joke. Would you want to own one for 40,000 miles?

I agree with the last comment: the ST is the more complete package, a better all-rounder when considering all aspects and not just outright speed: build quality, relatively cheap running costs, gorgeous modern looks (in my opinion anyway) with nice subtle styling touches -especially in white with just blue side stripes, a superb handling chassis. It only loses out to the 172/182 in ultimate performance figures (but not by as much as you'd think) and the 172/182 is just that bit more lairy/old-school on the limit, however, if more power is a must, I've heard that the ST150 can be mod/tuned with relative ease. For what is essentially not much more than a 'warm hatch' power-wise by today's standards (definitely handles like a 'hot-hatch'though!), the standard ST is an absolute corker and will catch out quite a few more established 'hot hatches' on the twisties.

I've always thought from reading reviews that the Clio 182 was a lot quicker than the ST, but if there was only half a second between them on a 13 mile track, performance should be about the same shouldn't it?

ps passed an ST today white with a carbon bonnet black roof black wheels; absolutely stunning!!!

I don't know where the 1/2 a second difference was found or who by, but sounds very unlikely to be honest! The Clio variants are both lighter and more powerful. The Fiesta is about 135 bhp per ton (the same as a Saxo VTS), and the Clios are from about 165-175 per ton, depending on which model (the same as a Civic Type R). The 0-60 is about a second faster for the Clios at about 7 seconds, and the Fiesta at 8. There will be more in it than half a second over a circuit that long!!