So I looked at a fiesta and drove a focus ST today

I decided to check out Costco pricing on the Focus ST. It turns out it is 300 bucks less than dealer invoice. This puts its pricing about 600 off the best price of the A-Z plan options for Ford employees and direct family members and much better than the X plan.

I drove a performance blue base model 200a package IE no recaros and sat in a 201a with recaros to compare (had sat in them before at car shows but wanted an immediate comparison)

With the seat adjusted for myself (32" inseam 6" tall) there is 25" behind the driver seat to the back of the rear passenger seat. In the Fiesta there was just under 23". Note: 25" is also what my mk4 jetta TDI measures while 30" is what my wifes 2005 Matrix measures. These measurements are important for me because I have to deal with car seats and my Jetta is a little tight for getting the kid in and out but it works

The shifter location on the Fiesta did not feel right and the non ST fiesta at least had horrendously long throws

The clutch on the Focus ST was very light, I am sure you would get used to it but I had trouble initially being smooth. The window seems far away and the dash feels very thick. The car has no drama power everywhere but did not really feel "fast". It definitely got up and moved but merging onto the freeway I expected 270hp would feel a bit more exciting than it did

I actually think that I would consider the Focus over the Fiesta ST now just based on space concerns. I also think that while nice the recaros are not worth the money unless you want the screens and XM radio etc.

At this point I would go with base package, no moonroof and keep the stock seats. This would put me at 22,998 before fees and taxes. With sales tax and everything here it put me in the 24k range out the door

This is relavent to me because I am stuck with car seats for a few more years.

My oldest just turned 3 and we have one in the oven for early next year. In fact sometimes I want something a little bigger than the Jetta's backseat because rear facing seats are kind of a nightmare in it. Unless the passenger seat is pulled way forward

That Focus is a really sweet car, and a pretty good deal at $24K.

I got really excited about the new ST, then I drove one back-to-back with the current MS3. I'd still buy the MS3 hands down, every time. My feelings were a lot like yours, it just didn't "feel" fast or special.

But if you were going to buy an MS3 why would you buy the new one then? The hwy mileage on the ms3 is horrid compared to the Focus ST however

jstein77 wrote: That Focus is a really sweet car, and a pretty good deal at $24K.

Agreed. I'm curious to see how they will hold value 1-2 years out from now. I sat in one when we went to look at the new escapes, definitely liking the much improved quality an appearance of Ford products these days.