Irishbri
Go Kart Champion
Test driving the the Fiesta ST was what got me into the hot hatch market to begin with....just prior I was trying to narrow my choices down between the (mostly) uninspiring Dodge Dart Rallye and the Mazda 3......
The Fiesta was truly a blast to drive....it plastered a grin on my face during the unaccompanied hour long test drive...I loved it....it seemed to have torque to burn and it was available anywhere, I mean anywhere in the powerband.... (this is my minor gripe with my gti...the throttle response lag lower in the band).
During the test drive, I brought the ST home and quickly discovered that my 14 and 12 y.o. kids would never be even remotely comfortable in the back seats.....i mean they are tiny...
Still, I pretty much had myself talked into it by the time I got it back to the dealer.
Walking in with an exhilaration in my step, and a grin sewn on my face, we started crunching the numbers. The whole time my thoughts are vacillating between the crazy fun factor and the down right impracticality of this little beast.
Ultimately we couldn't reach numbers that I was comfortable with, and he either couldn't or wouldn't find me a slightly stripped down version to get there.
I was disappointed until I found a used 2012 Gti that struck a perfect balance between what I struggled with on the other. Serious spunkiness with DD comfort....
Having just gotten APR Stg 1 tuned....i have to say that, based on my memory of the ST, I am hands down happier with the more refined and (now) more ballsy GTI.
PS...<aside>.I have read on multiple threads (including this one) where there is at least one naysayer who states that the improvement of a Stg 1 tune is lackluster over stock....
My response to all of them is twofold...
1) There is something wrong mechanically with your car, and/or
2) You are not as spirited a driver as you like to think you are.
I loved the GTI stock.....but APR Stage 1 is rocking my world....
The Fiesta was truly a blast to drive....it plastered a grin on my face during the unaccompanied hour long test drive...I loved it....it seemed to have torque to burn and it was available anywhere, I mean anywhere in the powerband.... (this is my minor gripe with my gti...the throttle response lag lower in the band).
During the test drive, I brought the ST home and quickly discovered that my 14 and 12 y.o. kids would never be even remotely comfortable in the back seats.....i mean they are tiny...
Still, I pretty much had myself talked into it by the time I got it back to the dealer.
Walking in with an exhilaration in my step, and a grin sewn on my face, we started crunching the numbers. The whole time my thoughts are vacillating between the crazy fun factor and the down right impracticality of this little beast.
Ultimately we couldn't reach numbers that I was comfortable with, and he either couldn't or wouldn't find me a slightly stripped down version to get there.
I was disappointed until I found a used 2012 Gti that struck a perfect balance between what I struggled with on the other. Serious spunkiness with DD comfort....
Having just gotten APR Stg 1 tuned....i have to say that, based on my memory of the ST, I am hands down happier with the more refined and (now) more ballsy GTI.
PS...<aside>.I have read on multiple threads (including this one) where there is at least one naysayer who states that the improvement of a Stg 1 tune is lackluster over stock....
My response to all of them is twofold...
1) There is something wrong mechanically with your car, and/or
2) You are not as spirited a driver as you like to think you are.
I loved the GTI stock.....but APR Stage 1 is rocking my world....
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