[Teki04]

Originally Posted by MISTA FIESTA

Hmm honestly i wouldnt care that the rims are slightly heavier. If the overall package is better than the Zetec S then its enough for me. If people are gonna have a cry then bang on some lighter 17s. Simple. Plus the St has firmer suspension wouldnt that compnsate??

That is actually the first review ive read dissing the 17s on an ST. Hmmm find me more like it then maybe i will take his advice. Until then ... Nope. Jeremey Clarkson or Tiff Needle didnt have any issues with the rims did they. Nope, it just shat on all the other cars in the track tests.

I myself went from 15s to 17s and prefer the 17s. Maybe becuase they are a lighter type of rim (im not too sure) The car handles much better and very responsive around hard corners. It never has felt excessivly bumpy or gives a harsh ride.

Ok Damo,

Now I know you - so this is nothing personally attacking you, but within 5 minutes I've found this;

Hop into the ST and it's easy to get settled; the chunky wheel adjusts for rake and reach and the seat cushion height can be tailored. Initially, the 2-litre Zetec sounds a bit ordinary but the gearshift has a nicely weighted, connected feel and the ride feels quite supple. However, even before we'd got to the end of the airport access road, some of the depressions and ripples in the asphalt suggested that this chassis might not be one of Ford's best efforts. The reverse is usually true - I remember thinking that the new Mondeo was going to be great within yards of driving off, and the same went for the SportKa, Focus and Puma. Maybe it was just a strange bit of road...

Sadly not. The area to the south of Sienna is choc-full of superb ribbons of tarmac that cling to the hillsides and present mile after mile of bends, many of them second and third-gear fodder - prime hot-hatch territory. While the ride is indeed supple and able to soften the worst ridges and pot-holes, this doesn't go hand-in-hand with confident composure. Indeed, there's a vagueness on turn-in combined with a lack of steering feel that knocks your enthusiasm for pressing on and discovering how much grip there is.

...

However, this isn't a chassis that flows, the odd bump unsettling its poise while the wooliness on turn-in and the lack of steering feedback in those vital fractions of a second as the car turns are dissatisfying. The ST is more like the flat-footed 206 GTI than the nimble Clio Cup.

The engine isn't a source of joy either. Coarse and characterless, it labours up through the mid-range and you find yourself at the redline wondering what happened to the sweet spot where it comes alive. There's noticeable shunt when you get on and off the throttle, too.

It then goes on to speak about the lesser Fiesta models...

Right now, though, the ST feels like an unfinished project, as though it hasn't been subjected to the final ten per cent of development that smoothes off all the rough edges and tightens and hones the chassis' responses to the level that Ford is now renowned for.

A drive in the diesel-powered Zetec S (petrol versions weren't available) showed that the Fiesta platform can be poised, responsive and enjoyable. As it stands, the ST is a missed opportunity.