Finally test drove a FiST and FoRS and I finally get it…

[SpeedandPower]

Hi again all, I’m new here and have been asking questions as I am in the market and want to say thank you to everyone so far. After getting to test drive a stock FiST sans Recaro seats and a FoRS I have to say I think I finally get it.

There are a few local RS’ to me and one is Nitrous Blue, so I was definitely interested and the price is a bit below KBB. Damn that car sounds good when you get in it and was fun. The Recaro seats also felt fine to me, maybe even good, so I can see what others were saying about about I need to test them out for myself to decide if the issues people do have with them apply to me or not.

Granted, it was a short test drive. Just down the road to the freeway on ramp and then off at the next on ramp, down the street and back at the dealership. So I definitely wanted more time in the car but I got on it as much as I could in that short time. I’m not a racing driver either and wouldn’t say I am at all practiced with actual sport cars but I’d say I’m at least above average for just your daily driver / commuter.

I’d have to say overall what people have said is true. The RS is damn fast, no doubt about it, but… I guess never meet your heroes? It’s not that I didn’t like it, nor that it wasn’t fun, and not that I wasn’t impressed. But it definitely felt like it lacked something.

I think what others have said here and Matt from The Smoking Tire podcast/YT channel said sum it up nicely. The FiST might not be as fast as other cars, but it sure does feel fast and is fun.

The RS was nice to drive, but don’t feel thrilling or exciting. Again, granted I didn’t really get to do a lot with it. But the FiST test drive wasn’t that long either, but I got to get it’s tail out in a round about, and had some fun with it on both a few roads and a few different sections of two different freeways.

So I think I get it now. Damn the FiST is fun as hell. The teat drive of the FiST really helped me realize how amazing this little car is even with it being stock and the test drive of the RS, along with the $10,000+ price difference and the rusting in several areas (car was owned in Nebraska for a couple of years) also bad curbing to all rims helped me make up my mind.

I have a PPI appointment tomorrow morning for a FiST I’m looking at and might be mine before thr end of the day tomorrow!

Thanks again to everyone that has helped me out so far!

 

[XR650R]

 

[SpeedandPower]

View attachment 64897

I’ve seen the light. Amen sister.

 

[atlantaM3]

Yep, the RS at 55-60 mph on a country backroad doesnt even feel 'on' yet. Sort of boring in that situation. Even more so on a straight road. You need tight canyon/mtn roads to really experience what its capable of, which is a LOT. When tuned, they are something to behold on a tight road. Several Porsche have been confused...

Fiesta is a way better choice for a daily - its fun, gets really good MPG, generally reliable, parts are cheap, easy to park due to size, etc. Do a mild tune and it will be a riot.

It is really good on a tight road with the stock suspension. Only change there I would recommend is a front traction brace or torque gusset such as TB Performance Products Traction Bar 2014-2019 Fiesta ST – whoosh motorsports. Also the rear trunk brace seems to be a good add for the $ too.

Recommend one with Sync3 and a backup camera if you can. Both are easily added if you want later on, so get the best condition car.

 

[SpeedandPower]

Yep, the RS at 55-60 mph on a country backroad doesnt even feel 'on' yet. Sort of boring in that situation. Even more so on a straight road. You need tight canyon/mtn roads to really experience what it’s capable of, which is a LOT. When tuned, they are something to behold on a tight road. Several Porsche have been confused...

Absolutely, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to really get into it, plus I lack the driving skills to really do so anyway. Hopefully only for now. But I knew that and knew I needed to compare the RS to the ST in the settings that I had available.

Fiesta is a way better choice for a daily - its fun, gets really good MPG, generally reliable, parts are cheap, easy to park due to size, etc. Do a mild tune and it will be a riot.

And this is the result I came away with. Daily driving, picking the kids up, etc. I think the RS would just be on cruise control and it would be subdued. Obviously there would be moments, but it definitely feels like a car that needs to be pushed to really get the most out of it. A la Ken Block, rip.

It is really good on a tight road with the stock suspension. Only change there I would recommend is a front traction brace or torque gusset such as TB Performance Products Traction Bar 2014-2019 Fiesta ST – whoosh motorsports. Also the rear trunk brace seems to be a good add for the $ too.

Recommend one with Sync3 and a backup camera if you can. Both are easily added if you want later on, so get the best condition car.

Nice, I’m definitely open to buying either stock or one modded, of course within reason. Ideally I’m in the market for an 18 or 19, in rust orange, but for now I need to get a car asap as my ‘04 Corolla finally went out on me.

So if everything plans out with the 15 tomorrow after the PPI, then I’ll have time to look for an 18 or 19 that I really want to spend money on.