A Ford Fiesta RS ??? - Rumors, Reports, and Discussion Thread

[koozy]

I think they said the same thing about the Fiesta ST.

 

[dyn085]

I can't remember correctly but didn't ford say the same thing about the Focus RS a year before it was released that it was being made.

No, Ford didn't deny the FoRS. They didn't confirm it, but 'insider information' had been leaked into the Focus community two or three years ago. A couple of photos of test mules surfaced not much longer afterwards, then it was mostly speculation as to the drivetrain and, since then, cost.

If a FiRS was in the making then something should have hit the community by now.

 

[CivicAssassin]

Well...A small part of me is happy that I won't have to trade my FiST in, in the next year or two, now.

 

[frankiefiesta]

I'd be surprised if there is a Fiesta ST for the next gen fiesta. If there is, I couldn't see it being more than a new platform with the same engine

 

[JasonHaven]

Thank goodness... I can't afford a new car

 

[jfdana]

Agreed. What with all our high performance bolt-ons and tunes, there's plenty of room to make any FIST a great rally/sports car.

And under the radar works just fine for me.

 

[Phreak]

Did I read that right?

The genius that is Jamal Hameedi, is saying the Fiesta RS is out... and instead he plans to make a Kuga (AKA Escape) ST? Seriously? The hell is wrong with them?

 

[CivicAssassin]

lol...After the tranny lock-up my wife's escape had, spent the $3k to have a new one put in. Went to the nissan dealership, and traded that pos for a new frontier. Will never buy another escape, or Ford automatic, in that case.

 

[Strife]

Well hopefully they continue production of the Fiesta ST.

 

[D3 SS 3D]

Granted i live in a smaller town, but i have yet to meet a person who knows what it is I am driving, "Oh, its just a Fiesta...." drives me nuts.

I've experienced something similar with the GT500 being called just a mustang and it initially bothered me too. The guys over in the GT500 forum have debated this extensively and what's proper, mustang, cobra, GT500.....the truth is that most people don't even care what your driving, they see a Ford at worst and a Ford Fiesta at best. The "car people" should know it's a FiST and what that means, if they don't then that's on them. Don't let it bother ya.


Personally, I'm not too sad about not getting an RS version, seems like too specific a niche. Who knows, maybe Ford will change their mind.

 

[Sil3nt611]

When I was in the process of waiting for my car order I got asked quite a bit what car I was getting. I opted to just say it's a Ford Fiesta in most cases just because most people don't even know what a Fiesta is and those that have an idea have no clue what the ST part means. I kinda got the same thing with my Ford Escort ZX2. I mostly just said it was an Escort (because it was) and no one even knew what the ZX2 designation meant anyway.

I like the Fiesta ST being uncommon. It's much less common than the Tesla Model S around my area and I see Focus STs everywhere. But with it being so uncommon means it's not selling in any kind of volume. The Fiesta in general isn't all that common. The people that are in the market for the Fiesta RS already own a Fiesta ST. While some of you would be willing to trade in a car that's only a couple years old for an RS, there's others that like the idea but wouldn't take the loss on selling a newer car to get another new car. Then there's others that just can't justify the cost of getting a Fiesta RS even if they would buy it if it was cheaper. There are already so many people that dislike the Fiesta ST solely based on the cost that adding any extra cost on top of a Fiesta that's not going to be getting any interior parts upgrades (at least not without significant cost hike on top of the cost hike) is not going to go over well with most people. When I posted up pictures of my Fiesta ST on my ZX2 forum and told them I spent $25K OTD on it with the Recaros, nav, and orange paint a lot of them had a problem with that price for just a Fiesta. A lot of those people also dislike hatchbacks and would prefer a return of the compact front wheel drive coupe like the Escort ZX2 was.

The dealer I bought my Fiesta ST from is in a smaller town that sells mostly trucks. There's not a market there for small performance cars. While my car was there waiting for me to come pick it up they had my car up front by the door. The salesman said they should just stock one even though it won't sell through them. It will get people in the door or get them talking to sell something else. He said several people stopped to look at it or asked about it even though they weren't in the market for that kind of car. In the right color it's a very eye catching car and people get curious. The idea behind some of these performance variants of cars does sell other more common cars, and I think that's partly what Ford is going for which is why the went for the Fiesta ST. A Fiesta RS wouldn't be a viable enough option IMO though. If they do actually decide to do it I know it will be a very limited production.

 

[dyn085]

Did I read that right?

The genius that is Jamal Hameedi, is saying the Fiesta RS is out... and instead he plans to make a Kuga (AKA Escape) ST? Seriously? The hell is wrong with them?

Considering the fact that the Focus and Escape/Kuga share the same global C1 platform, it makes pretty solid financial sense. They probably utilized the Escape to some degree while designing the FoRS drivetrain, and now all they have to do is re-fit the tested and completed drivetrain back into it and do some suspension tweaking. Add some Recaro's and some body tweaks and you've created appeal to the domestic performance-SUV market, which is pretty much wide-open in the lower income brackets.

 

[PhoenixM3]

With the notable exception of AWD, I think most of us (here) are making our own version of the Fiesta RS

 

[dyn085]

With the notable exception of AWD, I think most of us (here) are making our own version of the Fiesta RS

Many will try, but there's always much more to RS platforms than a bunch of bolt-on parts. RS platforms go through multiple years' worth of design and testing before being released for sale and typically incorporate enhancements that just can't be done by the shadetree mechanic. In short, it's more than the sum of its parts.

It's still fun trying, though.

 

[RyFiST]

Well, at least I won't have to decide which RS I'm going to buy anymore.

 

[Joker328]

When I was in the process of waiting for my car order I got asked quite a bit what car I was getting. I opted to just say it's a Ford Fiesta in most cases just because most people don't even know what a Fiesta is and those that have an idea have no clue what the ST part means. I kinda got the same thing with my Ford Escort ZX2. I mostly just said it was an Escort (because it was) and no one even knew what the ZX2 designation meant anyway.

Had to laugh at some of this because I was in the same boat. I would just tell people it's a "sporty hatchback" or something. Nobody knows what the hell a Fiesta is to begin with and if they do, they just think it's a shitty economy car (not entirely wrong). The ST doesn't mean a whole lot to them until they ride in it.

On the subject of an FiRS, I don't see the appeal. For an extra $10K or whatever it would cost, I think I would move toward something with more room and/or better quality/luxury before I would go for an even higher performance economy car. Maybe an A3 or 228i. I don't think the market is there and Ford probably knows that.

 

[bradst]

I had hoped for a RS version, but this keeps it simple and me from buying another vehicle in a short time-span. I love my FiST more with each passing day and each $$$ mod. It would be difficult emotionally to justify stepping up to FoRS, and at almost twice the price of the FiST. My BMW 135i WAS my favorite car (at FoRS pricing), but this little thing is way more fun for less money.

 

[kjohn09e]

Had to laugh at some of this because I was in the same boat. I would just tell people it's a "sporty hatchback" or something. Nobody knows what the hell a Fiesta is to begin with and if they do, they just think it's a shitty economy car (not entirely wrong). The ST doesn't mean a whole lot to them until they ride in it.

Exactly, I got more shit for my "tiny little car" from people at work than I could ever keep track of. Until they tried to keep up with it or got to ride in it. Completely different tune then. I got stopped by some guy at a gas station the other day asking if my car is basically another honda fit....

 

[sharpie]

Did I read that right?

The genius that is Jamal Hameedi, is saying the Fiesta RS is out... and instead he plans to make a Kuga (AKA Escape) ST? Seriously? The hell is wrong with them?

Obviously you know not very much about the automotive business as a whole. Performance Crossovers/SUVs are hot. GLA45, Macan Turbo, Cayenne GTS/Turbo S, X5M, X6M, GLE63, GL63, SQ5, Jeep SRT8.

 

[Rocket]

If ford does discontinue the fist after 16 , there's no way I'm selling it , it will be much more of a collectable car . Mabye a dumb question , does ford put the sales number on the fist , or is that not public info .