Test drove a new 2017 FiST yesterday

[Wjones14]

I started looking at the FiST to replace my 2003 Mini Cooper. It has 106,000 miles. As background, the Mini is my daily driver or beater. I also have a 2015 M235i that I drive during nice weather and the occasional HPDE track day, and the BMW is stored under a cover from Dec through Mar. Most days I drive the Mini. I like that the Mini has the unique looks and personality, the super sharp steering, good fuel economy, and it's tiny size makes it easy to drive and makes it feel like it's going a lot faster than it is. It's fun. But it has given me a lot of problems in the past couple years, and doesn't seem to be letting up in that department.

A local Ford dealer just got a new 2017 FiST in stock in the past week. It is black with the Recaros, moonroof, and black wheels.

Impressions from looking at it in the parking lot:

• It's a good looking car on the outside
• The interior is typical economy car, with fewer features than most - no rear camera yet?

Driving impressions:

• Firmer than I expected, about the same as my Mini (but fewer rattles)
• Steering has more weight than I expected, just about perfect
• Steering is not quite as quick as the first gen Mini, but still very quick. I liked it.
• Clutch is somewhat mushy, but is a nice light effort and works fine
• Outward visibility is very good, as expected
• Shifter feel is good, more robust than I expected
• Recaro seats feel solid. Not as much bolster as my M235i, but easier to get into the car without rubbing the bolster and wearing it out
• Nice power output! No complaints.

It's a fun car. I had it for 15 minutes maybe on a variety of roads. The temps were cold, maybe just below freezing, and the roads were slightly wet from snow the night before. The Fiesta had all-season tires (I was surprised it didn't have summer only), and the first time I jumped on the throttle in first gear, they broke loose a little and the front end squirmed a bit. It was fun.

I'm still undecided whether I want to switch to a Fiesta ST. I'm cross-shopping it with a 2014+ Mini. The Fiesta has 4 doors, but the Mini interior is a lot better. The Fiesta is the better performer, especially compared to the non-S Mini, but the Mini is still a lot of fun, and good enough for a commuter and grocery-getter.

Bottom line, the Fiesta is very good, but it didn't blow me away enough to make this an easy decision.

 

[Truth in Ruin]

I started looking at the FiST to replace my 2003 Mini Cooper. It has 106,000 miles. As background, the Mini is my daily driver or beater. I also have a 2015 M235i that I drive during nice weather and the occasional HPDE track day, and the BMW is stored under a cover from Dec through Mar. Most days I drive the Mini. I like that the Mini has the unique looks and personality, the super sharp steering, good fuel economy, and it's tiny size makes it easy to drive and makes it feel like it's going a lot faster than it is. It's fun. But it has given me a lot of problems in the past couple years, and doesn't seem to be letting up in that department.

A local Ford dealer just got a new 2017 FiST in stock in the past week. It is black with the Recaros, moonroof, and black wheels.

Impressions from looking at it in the parking lot:

• It's a good looking car on the outside
• The interior is typical economy car, with fewer features than most - no rear camera yet?

Driving impressions:

• Firmer than I expected, about the same as my Mini (but fewer rattles)
• Steering has more weight than I expected, just about perfect
• Steering is not quite as quick as the first gen Mini, but still very quick. I liked it.
• Clutch is somewhat mushy, but is a nice light effort and works fine
• Outward visibility is very good, as expected
• Shifter feel is good, more robust than I expected
• Recaro seats feel solid. Not as much bolster as my M235i, but easier to get into the car without rubbing the bolster and wearing it out
• Nice power output! No complaints.

It's a fun car. I had it for 15 minutes maybe on a variety of roads. The temps were cold, maybe just below freezing, and the roads were slightly wet from snow the night before. The Fiesta had all-season tires (I was surprised it didn't have summer only), and the first time I jumped on the throttle in first gear, they broke loose a little and the front end squirmed a bit. It was fun.

I'm still undecided whether I want to switch to a Fiesta ST. I'm cross-shopping it with a 2014+ Mini. The Fiesta has 4 doors, but the Mini interior is a lot better. The Fiesta is the better performer, especially compared to the non-S Mini, but the Mini is still a lot of fun, and good enough for a commuter and grocery-getter.

Bottom line, the Fiesta is very good, but it didn't blow me away enough to make this an easy decision.

You’d think differently if it was 60* degrees outside on dry pavement with the 140 tread wear summer tires. I’ve done things in this car that I never thought possible.

 

[Flaco]

Your impressions were all spot on. Buy and begin modding in the spring. You won't look back afterwards !

 

[Wjones14]

You’d think differently if it was 60* degrees outside on dry pavement with the 140 tread wear summer tires. I’ve done things in this car that I never thought possible.

I could be wrong, but I doubt I would think any differently if the test drive was during the summer on high performance summer-only rubber. I didn't have any issues with the performance. It was about what I expected after reading and seeing a lot of online reviews and comparisons.

My hesitation is with the interior. That's where you spend all your driving time. Both my Mini and BMW are white with a red interior. I love a contrast like that. My '03 Mini interior is far cheaper than the M235i interior, but both are colorful rather than just being a drab black.

My wife (total non-enthusiast) has a 2015 non-S Mini 4-door. The interior on that car is close to BMW-like. Most of the surfaces are soft touch, and it has personalized bits all over. She chose the off-white door panels, red accent trim, and checked dash panels. She got the JCW interior package which came with the red-stitched leather wheel and striped buckets. It's a really nice and unique interior and I never get tired of it. Attached is a pic of hers.

The FiST interior that I was in was pretty basic in comparison, even with the Recaros. I did see a post elsewhere in this forum where someone dressed up the interior with some colorful trim stripes and other clever ideas, so it is possible to improve it. I was just commenting on the stock appearance of the interior.

 

[M-Sport fan]

That Mini's steering wheel (shape, rim thickness, texture) is the ONLY thing that I would really want over my stock FiST's interior.

But then again, the overall PERFORMANCE for dollar spent is MUCH MORE important to me than any interior 'status feel' could ever be, and YES that can always be changed/modified (seats, steering wheel, alcantara trim, etc.) if the need and desire to do so is overwhelming.

 

[Plainrt]

Why not find one with the orange seats?

 

[Dpro]

Why not find one with the orange seats?

That's exactly what weant through my head when I read his comment about the interior. Personally though I have never been a fan of the Mini's interior especially the one pictured. Lol to each their own.

 

[apex1]

Compare the price of a new 2017 FiST with a $3000 rebate to the cost of a new Mini that has comparable performance, and the value equation is very easy to solve, assuming you care about price. A brand new FiST vs an almost 4 year old used Mini? You'd really need to love that old Mini.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

That Mini's steering wheel (shape, rim thickness, texture) is the ONLY thing that I would really want over my stock FiST's interior.

But then again, the overall PERFORMANCE for dollar spent is MUCH MORE important to me than any interior 'status feel' could ever be, and YES that can always be changed/modified (seats, steering wheel, alcantara trim, etc.) if the need and desire to do so is overwhelming.

You should feel the wheel in a 500 Abarth - it’s ridiculously good, flat bottom, really thick and comfortable, with really need stereo controls (front and back of the wheel, bunch more controls). That and the exhaust note are the things I wish I could bring to the st.

When I test drove a giulia I was disappointed by the steering wheel

 

[Wjones14]

Why not find one with the orange seats?

I actually do love the molten orange seats, though I've only seen them in photos. The problem is, you can only order them with the Shadow Black paint. I love the looks of a black car, but I am too OCD to ever own one. I would be forced to wash it daily, and that's not happening.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I could be wrong, but I doubt I would think any differently if the test drive was during the summer on high performance summer-only rubber. I didn't have any issues with the performance. It was about what I expected after reading and seeing a lot of online reviews and comparisons.

My hesitation is with the interior. That's where you spend all your driving time. Both my Mini and BMW are white with a red interior. I love a contrast like that. My '03 Mini interior is far cheaper than the M235i interior, but both are colorful rather than just being a drab black.

My wife (total non-enthusiast) has a 2015 non-S Mini 4-door. The interior on that car is close to BMW-like. Most of the surfaces are soft touch, and it has personalized bits all over. She chose the off-white door panels, red accent trim, and checked dash panels. She got the JCW interior package which came with the red-stitched leather wheel and striped buckets. It's a really nice and unique interior and I never get tired of it. Attached is a pic of hers.

The FiST interior that I was in was pretty basic in comparison, even with the Recaros. I did see a post elsewhere in this forum where someone dressed up the interior with some colorful trim stripes and other clever ideas, so it is possible to improve it. I was just commenting on the stock appearance of the interior.

How has reliability and cost of ownership been on the mini? Watching a friend go through some “trials” with an early mini s chased me off. Did they get better? He had weird issues, like pulling into his driveway at an angle would shear the windshield and crack it. Probably early model teething, but it was quite a trial getting them to resolve it.

He has a brand new JCW mini, still complains about it a lot but he loves it. I can’t judge, I love fiats and they’re pretty awful on paper

I cannot believe how much he spent on that jcw!!!

 

[Wjones14]

That's exactly what weant through my head when I read his comment about the interior. Personally though I have never been a fan of the Mini's interior especially the one pictured. Lol to each their own.

Well, if you don't like my wife's Mini interior, you would probably hate the interior in my BMW as well (pictured).

I have to point out that the replacement for my Mini doesn't have to be a track star. Yes, I want a fun car that's nimble and easy to drive. But I don't drive anywhere near a car's limit on public roads. I live within 2 hours of 3 nice race tracks: Lime Rock Park, Thompson Speedway, and Palmer Motorsports Park. I have also made the trip to Watkins Glen 3 times. I take my BMW to HPDE track days at least once a year, and I get that need for speed out of my system that way. Even though the FiST is quite capable on a track, I probably wouldn't use it for that purpose - though I would be curious what kind of lap times I could get out of it.

 

[Wjones14]

How has reliability and cost of ownership been on the mini? Watching a friend go through some “trials” with an early mini s chased me off. Did they get better? He had weird issues, like pulling into his driveway at an angle would shear the windshield and crack it. Probably early model teething, but it was quite a trial getting them to resolve it.

He has a brand new JCW mini, still complains about it a lot but he loves it. I can’t judge, I love fiats and they’re pretty awful on paper

I cannot believe how much he spent on that jcw!!!

The reliability of the Mini is why I test drove the FiST. It's not good. Again though, my Mini is a 1st generation model with almost 107,000 miles, and I'm the third owner. My daughter bought it with 40,000 miles, and she learned to drive a stick on it. I bought it 4 years ago for $5,000 with about 85,000 miles and since then have spent another $5,000 on repairs - clutch ($1400), water pump ($700), exhaust ($1200), emergency brake cables ($600), right front wheel bearing ($300), etc.

In 2014, Mini introduced the 3rd generation, and they are much improved reliability-wise. My wife's 2015 has had no issues so far. And the Mini did not make Consumer Reports 2017 Least Reliable list, like some other car that shall remain nameless...

 

[Plainrt]

The reliability of the Mini is why I test drove the FiST. It's not good. Again though, my Mini is a 1st generation model with almost 107,000 miles, and I'm the third owner. My daughter bought it with 40,000 miles, and she learned to drive a stick on it. I bought it 4 years ago for $5,000 with about 85,000 miles and since then have spent another $5,000 on repairs - clutch ($1400), water pump ($700), exhaust ($1200), emergency brake cables ($600), right front wheel bearing ($300), etc.

In 2014, Mini introduced the 3rd generation, and they are much improved reliability-wise. My wife's 2015 has had no issues so far. And the Mini did not make Consumer Reports 2017 Least Reliable list, like some other car that shall remain nameless...

The fiesta is on that list due to crappy auto trans so yeah that was a dumb comment.......... seems like your set on your flashy interiors so I'd stick with a mini.

 

[Wjones14]

The fiesta is on that list due to crappy auto trans so yeah that was a dumb comment.......... seems like your set on your flashy interiors so I'd stick with a mini.

Wow touchy. The crowd here is not as friendly as I thought. Too bad. I was just passing through to get some opinions. Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[TrickSTer]

I actually do love the molten orange seats, though I've only seen them in photos. The problem is, you can only order them with the Shadow Black paint. I love the looks of a black car, but I am too OCD to ever own one. I would be forced to wash it daily, and that's not happening.

If you go to the Ford site and configure an ST, it would appear the only color you can't get with Orange interior inserts is Platinum White (now that's odd; you can even get the Spice with Orange, which would be God-awful in my opinion)

I see a lot of BMW's with red interiors and continually wonder why anyone would buy that color!!! To each his own, I guess!

I also don't know how you could compare an ST's interior quality to a that in a Beemer that costs twice as much. (The leather in my Rolls is much softer and more luxurious that the leather in my ST!!??)

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Wow touchy. The crowd here is not as friendly as I thought. Too bad. I was just passing through to get some opinions. Sorry if I offended anyone.

I think “tone” is hard to convey via text, and many always assume the worst

 

[Plainrt]

What about a gti if interior is important. I drive my st around 70 miles a day and yes the interior does get to
Me at times but the smiles for the little money makes up for it.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I love the looks of a black car, but I am too OCD to ever own one. I would be forced to wash it daily, and that's not happening.

That I FULLY understand, since I swore off black cars after owning two of them, the last one not even by choice (the ONLY way to not have a 'stand out' black roof on an LS1 4th gen Z28 was by opting for a black car ).

So I said "NEVER AGAIN" to the impossible to keep clean and swirl-free on a daily driver, color.

 

[M-Sport fan]

You should feel the wheel in a 500 Abarth - it’s ridiculously good, flat bottom, really thick and comfortable, with really need stereo controls (front and back of the wheel, bunch more controls). That and the exhaust note are the things I wish I could bring to the st.

Personally, I could give two s**ts about steering wheel infotainment controls, as I don't use them anyway.

I'd rather just have, right from the factory, a full alcantara covered wheel rim, with a thick, oval shaped cross section, anatomical grip.
In other words, a Sparco 383 with an exploding whoopee cushion in it (so I don't have to listen to everybody screaming about how DEATH IS INEVITABLE without one, in an 'incident' ).