Jun 10, 2016 - Road and Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29492/fiesta-st-bmw-e30-m3-comparison/
Why The BMW E30 M3's Spiritual Successor Might Be A Front-Wheel-Drive Economy Car
Start with just the facts and figures. Four cylinders. Four seats. About 200 horsepower to push about 2,600 pounds. A unique rear wing and front fascia, Recaro-style seats. Steering that feels alive in the hands. That all describes the classic E30-generation BMW M3 that we brought to the Thermal Club to face the M2, 228i, M235i, and 1M in our recent BMW coupe comparison test (on newsstands now!)?but it also describes the Fiesta ST. The original M3's credentials as a driver's car are time-tested and unchallenged, but the little turbocharged Ford hot hatch has managed to make quite a reputation for itself in the three short years since its release.
For about twenty years, the price of a solid used E30 M3 hovered in the $15k range. No longer; the best examples are clearing fifty grand and even bumps-and-bruises examples are fetching prices that would have been unthinkable until recently. No surprise that would-be M3 buyers are examining the alternatives, with the Fiesta ST serving as perhaps the most left-field way to get the original E30's pace and capability at a reasonable price.
On paper, the Fiesta is a good match for the M3. So why not give them a chance to run together at the Thermal Club? Our loaner ST was provided by my wife, the woman previously known as Danger Girl. She'd bought the 2014 Performance Blue four-door from Matt Farah of "The Smoking Tire" fame two days previous. It wasn't exactly stock, thanks to a wide variety of suspension upgrades and a Stage 3 tune by COBB Racing.
The plan was for R&T Editor-At-Large Sam Smith to drive the M3 and for me to follow him in the ST. I figured that I'd be able to get around Sam in short order, thanks to the approximately thirty-horsepower edge provided by the COBB tune. Unbeknownst to me, however, the Fiesta had accidentally received a tank full of low-octane gas at a budget-price California truckstop immediately before arriving at the track. The ST will run on 87 octane fuel, but it won't boost very hard. So much for the straight-line advantage. Down Thermal's main straight, the ST and the M3 were neck and neck.
Amazingly enough, neither Sam nor I could pull out an advantage on the rest of the track. After five laps, I was still tucked in behind his bumper. The M3 would gap the ST by a couple of car lengths around Thermal's massive left-hand Carousel. Chalk that up to the Bimmer's 50/50 weight balance and slightly more flexible demeanor at the limit of traction. But at the exit to the Carousel, the M3 found itself geared a little too high to keep that distance, and the ST would sneak right back up to the BMW's tailpipe in the hard right-hander and left-hand 180 that followed.
Neither one of the cars could come within five seconds a lap of the 228i, which itself was about three seconds a lap down on the M2. But the stopwatch doesn't tell the whole story; it never really does. The M2 can be real work to run quickly around a track like Thermal's North Course, particularly when the heat makes the tires a bit greasy and traction management becomes a full-time job. In those same situations, the old M3 is a complete and utter joy. You can dial up whatever slip angle you want and adjust it on the fly via the throttle with the precision of a Snap-On ratchet wrench. The Fiesta does the same thing. The only difference is how the driver communicates his wishes to the chassis. The M3 will yaw at command with the addition of throttle; that same input causes the ST to tighten its line. You need to lift the throttle quickly to rotate the Fiesta at speed, but it's no less predictable or enjoyable than the BMW once you learn how it's done.
Both cars have more than enough brake to run all day, even in the heat, and they both come from the factory with 205-width rubber. No surprise, then, that their absolute cornering capability is very close. The Fiesta is more tippy, thanks to its supermini shell, but there's surprisingly little to distinguish between the two when you're making rapid progress. Another similarity is the outstanding visibility, although the M3 is slightly better in this regard thanks to thinner, more upright A-pillars.
If you like to drive with big steering motions, and you're not afraid to trail-brake into every turn, the Fiesta is for you. If you're more a fan of making small inputs and carrying a relatively high amount of speed into the first half of a corner, then you should go M3 shopping. Neither car has what we'd call a first-class interior in 2016; the BMW delights with its perfectly-placed shifter and driver-angled center stack, while the Fiesta counterpunches with flawless Bluetooth integration and voice-activated nav.
Most drivers will have an obvious preference between the two. I've raced enough Spec E30 cars and tracked enough older BMWs for the M3 to be my clear favorite. But I can see how drivers who grew up on hot hatches would prefer the ST's torquey immediacy and superior midcorner stability.
Most importantly, these two cars share a minimalist approach to having fun on a back road or a racetrack. In an era where most performance cars feature a gourmand's share of weight, power, and raw grip, the ST and M3 offer a more restrained and tasteful approach. You could learn the art of high-performance driving in either, and you would enjoy the hell out of the process.
So which should you pick? The M3 is arguably the superior experience, if only by a tiny bit. So if you can afford to drop fifty grand on a thirty-year-old car, then go right ahead. The rest of us will be very happy with the Fiesta ST. It's a true enthusiast's car. It satisfies all levels of drivers in virtually all conditions. Best of all, you can buy it brand-new at a dealership for less money than an M3 would have cost you in 1987, even before you adjust for inflation. For most of us, that's the most important fact or figure of all.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29492/fiesta-st-bmw-e30-m3-comparison/
Why The BMW E30 M3's Spiritual Successor Might Be A Front-Wheel-Drive Economy Car
Start with just the facts and figures. Four cylinders. Four seats. About 200 horsepower to push about 2,600 pounds. A unique rear wing and front fascia, Recaro-style seats. Steering that feels alive in the hands. That all describes the classic E30-generation BMW M3 that we brought to the Thermal Club to face the M2, 228i, M235i, and 1M in our recent BMW coupe comparison test (on newsstands now!)?but it also describes the Fiesta ST. The original M3's credentials as a driver's car are time-tested and unchallenged, but the little turbocharged Ford hot hatch has managed to make quite a reputation for itself in the three short years since its release.
For about twenty years, the price of a solid used E30 M3 hovered in the $15k range. No longer; the best examples are clearing fifty grand and even bumps-and-bruises examples are fetching prices that would have been unthinkable until recently. No surprise that would-be M3 buyers are examining the alternatives, with the Fiesta ST serving as perhaps the most left-field way to get the original E30's pace and capability at a reasonable price.
On paper, the Fiesta is a good match for the M3. So why not give them a chance to run together at the Thermal Club? Our loaner ST was provided by my wife, the woman previously known as Danger Girl. She'd bought the 2014 Performance Blue four-door from Matt Farah of "The Smoking Tire" fame two days previous. It wasn't exactly stock, thanks to a wide variety of suspension upgrades and a Stage 3 tune by COBB Racing.
The plan was for R&T Editor-At-Large Sam Smith to drive the M3 and for me to follow him in the ST. I figured that I'd be able to get around Sam in short order, thanks to the approximately thirty-horsepower edge provided by the COBB tune. Unbeknownst to me, however, the Fiesta had accidentally received a tank full of low-octane gas at a budget-price California truckstop immediately before arriving at the track. The ST will run on 87 octane fuel, but it won't boost very hard. So much for the straight-line advantage. Down Thermal's main straight, the ST and the M3 were neck and neck.
Amazingly enough, neither Sam nor I could pull out an advantage on the rest of the track. After five laps, I was still tucked in behind his bumper. The M3 would gap the ST by a couple of car lengths around Thermal's massive left-hand Carousel. Chalk that up to the Bimmer's 50/50 weight balance and slightly more flexible demeanor at the limit of traction. But at the exit to the Carousel, the M3 found itself geared a little too high to keep that distance, and the ST would sneak right back up to the BMW's tailpipe in the hard right-hander and left-hand 180 that followed.
Neither one of the cars could come within five seconds a lap of the 228i, which itself was about three seconds a lap down on the M2. But the stopwatch doesn't tell the whole story; it never really does. The M2 can be real work to run quickly around a track like Thermal's North Course, particularly when the heat makes the tires a bit greasy and traction management becomes a full-time job. In those same situations, the old M3 is a complete and utter joy. You can dial up whatever slip angle you want and adjust it on the fly via the throttle with the precision of a Snap-On ratchet wrench. The Fiesta does the same thing. The only difference is how the driver communicates his wishes to the chassis. The M3 will yaw at command with the addition of throttle; that same input causes the ST to tighten its line. You need to lift the throttle quickly to rotate the Fiesta at speed, but it's no less predictable or enjoyable than the BMW once you learn how it's done.
Both cars have more than enough brake to run all day, even in the heat, and they both come from the factory with 205-width rubber. No surprise, then, that their absolute cornering capability is very close. The Fiesta is more tippy, thanks to its supermini shell, but there's surprisingly little to distinguish between the two when you're making rapid progress. Another similarity is the outstanding visibility, although the M3 is slightly better in this regard thanks to thinner, more upright A-pillars.
If you like to drive with big steering motions, and you're not afraid to trail-brake into every turn, the Fiesta is for you. If you're more a fan of making small inputs and carrying a relatively high amount of speed into the first half of a corner, then you should go M3 shopping. Neither car has what we'd call a first-class interior in 2016; the BMW delights with its perfectly-placed shifter and driver-angled center stack, while the Fiesta counterpunches with flawless Bluetooth integration and voice-activated nav.
Most drivers will have an obvious preference between the two. I've raced enough Spec E30 cars and tracked enough older BMWs for the M3 to be my clear favorite. But I can see how drivers who grew up on hot hatches would prefer the ST's torquey immediacy and superior midcorner stability.
Most importantly, these two cars share a minimalist approach to having fun on a back road or a racetrack. In an era where most performance cars feature a gourmand's share of weight, power, and raw grip, the ST and M3 offer a more restrained and tasteful approach. You could learn the art of high-performance driving in either, and you would enjoy the hell out of the process.
So which should you pick? The M3 is arguably the superior experience, if only by a tiny bit. So if you can afford to drop fifty grand on a thirty-year-old car, then go right ahead. The rest of us will be very happy with the Fiesta ST. It's a true enthusiast's car. It satisfies all levels of drivers in virtually all conditions. Best of all, you can buy it brand-new at a dealership for less money than an M3 would have cost you in 1987, even before you adjust for inflation. For most of us, that's the most important fact or figure of all.
![[rockon]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_headbang.gif "Rock On [rockon]"){kind=icon}
