-
What I'm trying to say is, if you use an M140, a C63, an M3, or an E63 as a comparison, in that straight line drag out of a roundabout onto a dual carriageway, the Fiesta ST is going to be left behind. It doesn't stop it being a great car, that current car pitched against 10 year old big engined saloons would probably do really well, but against current cars it's not got punchy pace.
A car that's quick and good round corners but not fast has its place, that's why I own an MX5, it's great on a tight curvy road, and really fucking fun on a track.
However, compared to even your average hatchback or saloon accelerating out of a roundabout, it can barely keep up.
So if 90% of your driving, you're going to have to suffer medium performance, then you at least want decent comfort, which the Fiesta and Focus STs don't provide.
I think that's one of the things that make Alfas really desirable. They look beautiful standing still, they generally have really lovely interiors, they sound really good and the hot ones are fast otherwise they handle well with middling performance.
Problem with the M140 is that the interior is lower rent than the bigger models so the gap between something like the Focus ST and the M140 in terms of interior comfort is reduced.
NurseHolliday-
TBH i've not looked at the "hot hatch" market for decades and just assumed the (VAG range) GTi / R / 4motion / Cupra etc was the nuts for speed - but they aint when compared to big german estates i was looking at - but i dont want to drive around in something that feels tacky inside (which i've found on almost all hatch rentals apart from Golf/Audi) , and to be brutally honest i feel Ford are like that - and lets not get started on Fiat or BMW Mini .
so from the above i can take BMWs slightly smaller space if i can get epic performance and solid nice interior.....
saying that i've just been sent the Topgear BMW v GOLF video link where the BMW 1 almost killed Clarkson when driving in a straight line on a wet airfield - sobering viewing.
Perhaps i should go retro and look to the 80's/90's jap hatch turbo market - I used to own an EP71 turbo when living in NZ.....
anthonyj
Many people do not want to run big, large engined cars, even if they can afford it. The STs may not stand out, but you're comparing with real high performance items. Agree not special, but a Fiesta is perfectly capable on a motorway. As much as they don't excite me, the M140 is a good size with performance only a tiny minority of vehicles can match.