# Anyone have the new Fiesta ST yet?



## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Just picked up a '14 Fiesta ST a couple weeks ago and lovin it. Only issue is I can't seem to decide on a good rack option. Anyone install a hitch on one of these cars yet? I'm curious if clearance is an issue at all. I'd rather not go the roof rack option if I can avoid it. Thanks! 


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## trek7100 (Jul 15, 2007)

Did you get a rack yet?


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## thickfog (Oct 29, 2010)

OneUp USA racks work great on these cars. Modular and low profile.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

trek7100 said:


> Did you get a rack yet?


Had uhaul install a hitch a couple days ago. Fits great but the exhaust on this car moves around A LOT while driving apparently and the muffler bangs into the hitch while cornering or hitting bumpy roads. I'll be looking into modifying the exhaust somehow as there is no way in hell I'm sending back the 1up rack I just got

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## natehack (Jul 27, 2008)

I have a soft spot in my heart for Fiestas. First car I ever drove was a 78 bright yellow Fiesta, sport model no less. 

The new ones tug at my nostalgia strings hard. What color did you go with?


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

Skeeter97 said:


> Had uhaul install a hitch a couple days ago. Fits great but the exhaust on this car moves around A LOT while driving apparently and the muffler bangs into the hitch while cornering or hitting bumpy roads. I'll be looking into modifying the exhaust somehow as there is no way in hell I'm sending back the 1up rack I just got
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Try stiffer exhaust hangers. I know Cobb Tuning is dabbing into FiST tuning, maybe they are offering some.

BTW, do you have Recaros?


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## gravitylover (Sep 1, 2009)

natehack said:


> I have a soft spot in my heart for Fiestas. First car I ever drove was a 78 bright yellow Fiesta, sport model no less.
> 
> The new ones tug at my nostalgia strings hard. What color did you go with?


Heh, it's too bad the new ones can't hold a candle to those. I had a 79 Sport and that thing was a blast! Super fun little rally car that rocked on twisty dirt roads and for everyday driving you had to flog it to get under 35mpg. Too bad it had all the typical German electronic gremlins from the '70's rft:


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Stiffer exhaust hangers, good idea I'll give it a shot. Definitely the easiest option if it works. And a Cobb tuner is definitely on my radar. Love this little car so far. Handles great and really gets going when that turbo spools up! I traded my 2013 mustang and honestly think this car is more fun to drive. Went with black and no on the recaros. Sort of wish I got them but the base seats are pretty nice too


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## Mr. D (Jun 1, 2008)

lets see pics


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## Gouda Cheez (Feb 18, 2013)

I've been eyeing this car. Looks like a blast!


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## trek7100 (Jul 15, 2007)

I really like the looks of it. But my co-workers tell me it's too small and it's a younger persons car. Lol


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

trek7100 said:


> I really like the looks of it. But my co-workers tell me it's too small and it's a younger persons car. Lol


You'd be surprised. I'm on a fiesta forum and a majority of the guys on there are older than me, I'm 33. Besides, who cares what others think? If you like it that's all that matters

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## Gouda Cheez (Feb 18, 2013)

Skeeter97 said:


> You'd be surprised. I'm on a fiesta forum and a majority of the guys on there are older than me, I'm 33. Besides, who cares what others think? If you like it that's all that matters
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


How's the MPG on that little sucker?


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Really want to drive one. Currently in a '13 Focus manual HB which is a great little car...drove the ST and it was cool but just not my thing. The Fiesta looks cool but is is a little small....need to drive it.

Why not a roof rack?

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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Averaging 30.9 MPG so far in mixed driving. It'll do better once broken in and I stop driving it like a rally car 😉. As to why no roof rack, basically I'm a clutz and it would only be a matter of time before I pulled into the garage with the bike up there. Plus I don't like the MPG loss 


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Would a smaller exhaust be a solution? Maybe good time to upgrade?  I like those Fiestas as well.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Victory! Had my exhaust shop weld up a firmer hanger and all is well. Cost 40 bucks. Had to go celebrate with a ride ?









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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

That really puts into perspective how small these things are, wow. I'm either getting a FiST or VW JSW to replace my WRX wagon this year.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

eurospek said:


> That really puts into perspective how small these things are, wow. I'm either getting a FiST or VW JSW to replace my WRX wagon this year.


Haha yeah and the bike is just a medium size frame stumpy fsr, next to the car it looks like an XL downhill rig ?. Surprisingly a lot of room inside though. Just took my two dogs on a 700 mile trip and we were all comfy.

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## trek7100 (Jul 15, 2007)

Nice looking in the black. I like the bright green buts it's a $595 option


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm sure the camera angle is not helping, either. They're not *that* small, especially compared to what Fiesta's used to be sized. It's just all others cars have gotten so bloated and big.


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## kntr (Jan 25, 2004)

Same size as a Honda Fit


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## Mr Pink57 (Jul 30, 2009)

Same size as a fit? Wow.

Did you test a Focus Hatchback at all while looking at the Fiesta? I am not a big fan of the new Focus styling on the inside, the center console is just too wide and even at 5' 10" my knees are squished together (more leg than torso though).

I've sat in a sedan Fiesta and I really do like the car and think it is a better option than a Focus, which they would have just gone estate car with the Focus instead of hot hatch.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Mr Pink57 said:


> Same size as a fit? Wow.
> 
> Did you test a Focus Hatchback at all while looking at the Fiesta? I am not a big fan of the new Focus styling on the inside, the center console is just too wide and even at 5' 10" my knees are squished together (more leg than torso though).
> 
> I've sat in a sedan Fiesta and I really do like the car and think it is a better option than a Focus, which they would have just gone estate car with the Focus instead of hot hatch.


I drove a Focus right after driving the Fiesta. Not bad but the Fiesta was just more fun and I was comfy driving it, I'm 5'11"

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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Here is my Focus...drove a ST but it was a bit more than I wanted for a 2 hour daily commute. Love the small Fords.

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## Mr. D (Jun 1, 2008)

thanks for the pics guys, 
when my lifted jeep wrangler bites the dust I am looking at a fiesta or focus


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## Valrico-B (Dec 8, 2013)

Here is my ST. Believe it or not, it's a year old with 95k miles on it. The car has been tuned since the first week, is pretty fast for a 4, and has been really solid.

Still waiting on my frame so I can post it up with the bike on the back. They just started making hitches for this car because of the center exhaust.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

^^^Nice ST! I really like those rims...are they the stock rims plastidipped? I drove one and just couldn't bring myself to buy it vs. the regular SE for my 2 hours a day I commute. A bit too stiff/loud..but man....it is FUN to drive!


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Mr. D said:


> thanks for the pics guys,
> when my lifted jeep wrangler bites the dust I am looking at a fiesta or focus


They are really great little cars...Ford seems to have finally "gotten" w/r to building good small cars. On the Focus, I went with a manual..the DCT (auto) has been problematic for some so do your homework.


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## Valrico-B (Dec 8, 2013)

TiGeo said:


> ^^^Nice ST! I really like those rims...are they the stock rims plastidipped? I drove one and just couldn't bring myself to buy it vs. the regular SE for my 2 hours a day I commute. A bit too stiff/loud..but man....it is FUN to drive!


Yes, stock and dipped. It makes driving 350m a day tolerable. The car is good but man do I hate Ford. They will do whatever it takes to not honor warrantee work. Traded a 2012 VW GTI in on the ST and VW is miles ahead in customer service.


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

Valrico-B said:


> Yes, stock and dipped. It makes driving 350m a day tolerable. The car is good but man do I hate Ford. They will do whatever it takes to not honor warrantee work. Traded a 2012 VW GTI in on the ST and VW is miles ahead in customer service.


What didn't you like about your MK6? That's another car on my list to look at. It's definitely not better on gas as the GTI? What problems have you had with your Ford and warranty claims?


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## Valrico-B (Dec 8, 2013)

eurospek said:


> What didn't you like about your MK6? That's another car on my list to look at. It's definitely not better on gas as the GTI? What problems have you had with your Ford and warranty claims?


I started to put a lot of miles on the GTI and started to realize you can't just take a VW anywhere to get worked on. At 45k on the GTI the fuel pump went bad. It would have cost me 1500$ if not for drivetrain warrantee. I also changed the rims and lowered the car and started to feel silly driving it as a 45 year old! Loved the car, also tuned and also fast. Wanted to try something else. Going to look at a new one or maybe a WRX soon.

The only real issue I had with the ST is the sunroof exploded on me one day. Only had 25k on the car at the time and Ford said sorry...


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Valrico-B said:


> Here is my ST. Believe it or not, it's a year old with 95k miles on it...


95k miles at a year old??!!! 350 miles per day??? That's a LOT of seat time!

Also, wondering what issues you had with the car.

Edit: you answered as I was posting, I guess. Sucks about the sunroof and Ford's reluctance to honor their warranty...


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

So they didn't cover it? Honestly though...would you cover that if someone came in with that? Hard to prove that it was a defect even if it was.


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## Valrico-B (Dec 8, 2013)

Yeah it is a lot of driving. I drive time sensitive medical samples.

The ST really has been pretty solid for me. I've changed the oil, brakes, and tires. The normal Focus has issues. 2 others that do the same as me have them and both need transmissions and one also needed a rack and pinion.

I have been a Ford guy all my life. Blew an engine in a Sport-trac some years back, 18 miles out of warranty (still under drive train) and Ford wouldn't help. They wanted 14k for an engine on a truck I paid 17k for brand new. Geico stepped up and fixed it for 250. Geico also changed the sun roof. I swore I would never own another Ford and then they put out the ST, damn them.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Update: After doing a few trips with the bike on the rack, I've noticed that on the freeway it bounces up and down a little bit. Turns out it isn't the rack but it's the actual receiver flexing a little bit. Uhaul said its fine but I'm not sure. One bike and a rack shouldn't cause that thing to flex. What do you folks think? Is it ok?


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## Valrico-B (Dec 8, 2013)

Skeeter97 said:


> Update: After doing a few trips with the bike on the rack, I've noticed that on the freeway it bounces up and down a little bit. Turns out it isn't the rack but it's the actual receiver flexing a little bit. Uhaul said its fine but I'm not sure. One bike and a rack shouldn't cause that thing to flex. What do you folks think? Is it ok?
> 
> Doesn't sound right to me man. Can you take a picture of it? I haven't mounted mine yet but it is really burly. I would think it has some movement between the rack and hitch. You should be able to move it by hand and maybe you can see where the issue is. I have never seen a hitch move at all.
> 
> Post this on one of the ST sites also. Maybe someone has the same issue. Good luck, nice looking car!


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

Valrico-B said:


> Blew an engine in a Sport-trac some years back, 18 miles out of warranty (still under drive train) and Ford wouldn't help. They wanted 14k for an engine on a truck I paid 17k for brand new.


how could an engine possibly cost $14k??? were you going to put a Ferrari engine into it?


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Valrico-B said:


> Skeeter97 said:
> 
> 
> > Update: After doing a few trips with the bike on the rack, I've noticed that on the freeway it bounces up and down a little bit. Turns out it isn't the rack but it's the actual receiver flexing a little bit. Uhaul said its fine but I'm not sure. One bike and a rack shouldn't cause that thing to flex. What do you folks think? Is it ok?
> ...


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

Why not just use a stabilizer strap? It was recommended to use one by Curt when I bought my hitch and read the instructions and although I've been shunned in the 1UP thread by the use of it, I still use it every time I haul my bikes. Without it the rack with 2 bikes liked to sway a bit on rough roads and road dips, but now with the stabilizer strap, I can drive without a worry about it ever swaying an inch. Puts my OCD at rest lol.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about (btw both of those bikes are long gone)


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Yeah that strap would work. I'm a little upset that it flexes like that with just one bike but oh well. Thanks for the idea I appreciate it 


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

eurospek said:


> Why not just use a stabilizer strap? It was recommended to use one by Curt when I bought my hitch and read the instructions and although I've been shunned in the 1UP thread by the use of it, I still use it every time I haul my bikes. Without it the rack with 2 bikes liked to sway a bit on rough roads and road dips, but now with the stabilizer strap, I can drive without a worry about it ever swaying an inch.


+1

Ha ha about the 1up thread grief! I got crap in that thread for the exact same thing. The fact is: some cars need it. The strap is simple enough to use that it doesn't bother me. I attach mine from the top of the liftgate to the bike itself (typically the stem or seatpost). Not sure it makes much difference where you connect to.

Curt Trailer Hitch Support Strap - Bike Rack Strap with Cambuckle Curt Accessories and Parts 18050


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## phsycle (Apr 14, 2011)

Looks like that would scratch up the paint. Maybe lay down some 3M if you don't want scratches.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Curious how many people with the 1up have a little "bouncing" with their bikes loaded. I'm just too lazy to read that 5 million post thread 


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

phsycle said:


> Looks like that would scratch up the paint. Maybe lay down some 3M if you don't want scratches.


There's three layers of 3M Blue painters tape underneath the strap on the spoiler. Subaru paint is shitty as is, and I would prefer not to have a semi permanent attachment of a single clear bar strip on the spoiler. I usually replace the tape a couple times a season but I leave it on after the rack is off lol.



Skeeter97 said:


> Curious how many people with the 1up have a little "bouncing" with their bikes loaded. I'm just too lazy to read that 5 million post thread
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Not many. I figure add the strap and limit the stress on the hitch itself cause once it starts bouncing around, it takes a few seconds to settle and it just looks extreme in the rear view mirror. I'm sure the bouncing looks less severe from behind than it actually is. With the strap, the "bounce" is almost eliminated 99% of the time. The road would have to be extreme or I would have to be hauling ass to replicate its bounciness before when I added the strap.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Skeeter97 said:


> Victory! Had my exhaust shop weld up a firmer hanger and all is well. Cost 40 bucks. Had to go celebrate with a ride 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice work! Looks swank!



Skeeter97 said:


> Curious how many people with the 1up have a little "bouncing" with their bikes loaded. I'm just too lazy to read that 5 million post thread
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have a 1Up on my A4. It bounces a bit. No big deal. It's way solid. I would be more concerned about the hitch, and who installed it, and how good a job they did. I've seen some cars develop cracks around the mounting bolts. Big Larry had issues on his Subie, IIRC.

The primary issue with my car is that it's really frickin low, and has a lot of rear overhang. On occasion, the rack drags on driveway ramps pretty badly. I'm worried about holding up the entire weight of the rear end with the rack through the hitch. I guess the thing to do is just inspect it closely once a month to see if cracks develop.


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## thickfog (Oct 29, 2010)

eurospek said:


> There's three layers of 3M Blue painters tape underneath the strap on the spoiler. Subaru paint is shitty as is, and I would prefer not to have a semi permanent attachment of a single clear bar strip on the spoiler. I usually replace the tape a couple times a season but I leave it on after the rack is off lol.
> 
> Not many. I figure add the strap and limit the stress on the hitch itself cause once it starts bouncing around, it takes a few seconds to settle and it just looks extreme in the rear view mirror. I'm sure the bouncing looks less severe from behind than it actually is. With the strap, the "bounce" is almost eliminated 99% of the time. The road would have to be extreme or I would have to be hauling ass to replicate its bounciness before when I added the strap.


Try the 3m clear bra stuff. You can barely see it. Not sure who told you It's permanent. It's not. Works very well.


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## trek7100 (Jul 15, 2007)

TiGeo, you didn't like the Focus?


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

Skeeter97 said:


> Curious how many people with the 1up have a little "bouncing" with their bikes loaded. I'm just too lazy to read that 5 million post thread


With 2 bikes, mine gets "bouncy" on my car (Sonic hatch), but the same setup is fine on my wife's car (Vibe). It's the car/hitch, not the rack/bikes. The strap makes it fine on my car, and there's a thick elastomer on the clamp, so it doesn't scratch the paint.


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## Skeeter97 (Feb 2, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies. I'll just keep watching it for now to see if my OCD is making it seem worse than it really is. Will no doubt get a strap if I add a second bike 


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## sparkman95 (Aug 6, 2014)

Here's mine! Had her since May. It's the Curt hitch that says it won't work with the ST. Also says you have to cut the exhaust shield. I didn't, and it works great with my FSwerks exhaust!!


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## Gouda Cheez (Feb 18, 2013)

I finally got a FiST a few weeks back. I love this damn car. Doubt I'll be hauling the bike around on it though.


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## RancidSLP (Nov 6, 2008)

I love my Fiesta ST! I opted for Thule Aeroblades instead of a hitch mount to avoid extra weight in the back causing rubbing issues.


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## Toff (Sep 11, 2004)

I'm guessing a bike will not fit inside with the front wheel off and the back seats down?


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## RancidSLP (Nov 6, 2008)

When trying to fit my medium Giant Trance 29er, I had to take both wheels off to make it fit in the hatch.


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## trekninja (Oct 22, 2007)

just picked up an st a few days ago. my inno rack i had from my honda fit is close but i have to order new fitment hooks apparently. ill report back as it seems these st's are starting to sell a bit


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

Still grinning 6 months in :thumbsup:

Spring is around the corner and I spent the day installing a DrawTite hitch for my 1up adapter + add-on.

More info here in the 1up thread:
https://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/1up-quick-rack-quick-review-602461-99.html#post11853751


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

J_Westy said:


> Spring is around the corner and I spent the day installing a DrawTite hitch for my 1up adapter + add-on.


I got a ride in with my daughter today... here are some pics with two bikes. Always a good day when a teenager will hang with her dad!

Still no clunks... well, I did have one on the 2nd day on a slow left-hander with a big bump about half way through... but other than that, no complaints.


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