The Hot Hatch Discussion Thread: VAG? I prefer my FiST.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The Hot Hatch Discussion Thread: VAG? I prefer my FiST.

What hot hatch do you own? This poll is closed.
Golf GTI / R / R32	196	0.02%
Impreza WRX / STi	133	0.01%
Mazdaspeed 3	92	0.01%
Veloster Turbo	20	0.00%
Focus ST	149	0.01%
Other Hot Hatch	230	0.02%
Elantra GT	1000001	99.92%
Total:	1000821 votes

[Edit Poll (moderators only)]

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

oRenj9 posted:

Hey there, don't forget about the Focus' little brother:

Fiesta ST

Weighing in at a paltry 2700lbs (500lbs lighter than big brother), the Fiesta ST is powered by the same 1.6L, 197 HP, 214 ft. lbs engine in the base model Fusion. The Fiesta ST can also be had starting at $22,195.

I wish the 3-door version came to the US though. I'm looking to buy a car in the upcoming months and this is one of the options I have my eyes set on.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2013 04:20

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 11:25

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Bob A Feet posted:

FINALLY, THIS THREAD. Everyone else got their own, even those silly wagon owners.

Bought in February on impulse. I wanted to see how much the dealership would give me for my Honda Fit and they over estimated by about $2k so I pulled the trigger on the ST (its an ST1) that day. Put on MRT exhaust* which doesn't do poo poo in the way of HP numbers but creates excellent sound. Getting tint done sometime soon to Florida legal standards. I had planned on buying a GTI as my second car and had driven one alot (my dad owns one). But after driving this thing...there was no comparison.

*http://www.mrt-direct.com/2013-ford-focus-eco-flow-exhaust.html

The only complaints I have are that the stock radio/bluetooth computer is wonky as hell, there is no dead pedal surface (got allweather mats for that though), and that it is a blast to drive so I get awful mileage figures. I mean going from a Fit to this is like a kick in the dick on mileage.

Good lord that is a hot hatch. (see what I did there?) Can you go more into the radio/bluetooth being wonky? What kinda issues do you have and what kinda phone do you use?

albear fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jun 27, 2013

# ¿ Jun 27, 2013 19:28

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

xsf421 posted:

Do you happen to have a link to this? It might tide me over until I give in to an ST.

Maybe this is what you are looking for: http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=12195

# ¿ Aug 1, 2013 08:01

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Ireallylikeeggs posted:

I got an ST3 Focus ST in April. Prior to that, I daily drove a 98 Grand Cherokee for around 10 years, so the ST is a pretty big improvement on just about every level. I shopped it against a regular WRX as well as a GTI, but ultimately the performance/practicality ratio of the ST was just too good. This was also my first manual daily driver, and holy crap I hope I never have to go back to an auto again.

Things I like about the car...
The steering feels fantastic.
The Recaro seats are incredibly comfortable.
I've got the premium stereo, but it does sounds good.
With the back seats folded down this thing holds a ton of stuff, and with the seats up it seats my 6'2" roommate without any discomfort.
Compared to the other manuals I've driven, the clutch and shifter feel great. Admittedly, the other manuals have been an 86 CRX and 89 Prelude, each with 200k+ miles.
I live in a city with approximately one trillion stop signs, and I've averaged 26 MPG.
There's very, very little turbo lag in 6th at highway speeds. I'm sure a more impatient person might want to downshift, but I've never had any problems getting around people.
I really like how subtle the styling is.
The ride is a good balance of firm but still comfortable on the horrid streets of Saint Louis, Missouri.

Things I'm not so fond of...
Both the Bluetooth and Nav systems are absolutely infuriating to use. I gave up on both about a month in.
The turning circle really is complete poo poo.
Depending on how tough our winter is, I might have to invest in some more suitable tires.

All told, it's a phenomenal car, and I highly recommend giving one a test drive. My biggest complaint is the Bluetooth/Nav bullshit, but I knew Ford was terrible at that when I bought it. I've lived with it around four months now, so if you've got any questions I'd be happy to answer them. No PMs though.

As an aside, the switch from a lazy old 4 speed auto to a short geared 6 speed manual was interesting for the first month.

Are you going to leave it stock or are you planning on doing any modifications to it?
What kind of phone do you have? Do you still use bluetooth with it for music or do you plug in via analog?

# ¿ Aug 14, 2013 20:04

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Sappo569 posted:

That should tell you enough about how much the Si belongs in this thread

But it's not even a hatch.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2013 07:52

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Butt Wizard posted:

Meh, it just pisses me off that the 'rally on Sunday, buy on Monday' rules no longer apply to the WRC anymore. The fact there's an AWD Fiesta in the WRC but not one available for sale to the general public is sort of weak.

I would love to see an AWD Focus/Fiesta but from what I know, the last few iterations of the RS have all been FWD. I doubt we'll see an AWD variant.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2014 01:10

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Butt Wizard posted:

Yea it blows. I'm saving my pennies for a RS Cosworth but by the time I get the $$$ together I'd imagine most of them would have rusted through.

According to this article from a year ago, it looks like Ford was at least considering/attempting to put an AWD system on it.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2014 08:01

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Motor Trend compares the 2015 WRX with the Focus ST.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCVA7_6uzZ0

# ¿ Jan 25, 2014 01:04

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Voltage posted:

Normally I hate stupid cold air intakes, but apparently the stock intake on my Fiesta ST muffles the choo choo turbo noise, which frankly for me is half the fun of a turbo car. Would this be an obscene waste of my $300? The build quality seems solid and it makes an excellent sound in the video, but I have never heard of FSWERKS. I figure a less restrictive intake on a turbo can never hurt though.

http://www.fswerks.com/products/fswerks-green-filter-cool-flo-air-intake-system-ford-fiesta-st-2014

The FSWerks CAI is pretty good, though it doesn't really deliver any power gains (until you start adding on other parts and get a tune). This is based off of what people say on FocusST.org. Plus, the FSWerks guys are usually pretty active on that forum as well.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2014 04:23

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Bajaha posted:

How would you describe the Veloster with it's three actual doors and the hatch?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXfNiiG91wc

# ¿ Jun 13, 2014 08:02

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Ringo Star Get posted:

The 2015 Focus ST will have a flat-bottom steering wheel, new rear and front fascia (slightly), cleaned up interior, improved steering and suspension, same powerplant:

http://jalopnik.com/2015-ford-focus-st-this-is-it-1596682576

Looks like they went with the electronic parking brake too. Sort of jealous of the interior, that cubbyhole in front of the shifter would be a huge asset in my '13. Wonder if I can switch out my steering wheel?

Found this from the comments of that article.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Nskp2FU4A

# ¿ Jun 28, 2014 08:54

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Apparently I haven't posted it about five years but here's my Golf R I got about a year ago.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ¿ Apr 13, 2020 00:23

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

MunchE posted:

Sweet shot. I'd love to try AutoX in the wet

It was my first event in the wet. Combine that with it being the first run, cold tires, and a new rear sway bar, I got surprised by some lift off oversteer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Qefocuakc&hd=1

# ¿ Apr 13, 2020 00:36

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

MunchE posted:

All the 22 year old dipshits in the Focus FB group with loud rear end exhaust and intakes seem to get hassled by the police all the time, but mine never gets me any ill attention.

I'm in my mid-30s but having never had a cool/fast car earlier in life, I kinda like a loud exhaust and intake. However, I also don't want it to be obnoxious all the time and remain lower profile.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2020 19:00

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Warbird posted:

So just out of curiosity, what would be a decent hot hatch/GTI community with minimal sperging/elitism if this place were to, oh I don�t know, disappear suddenly?

If you use Facebook, the VW MK7 Golf - GTI - R - MQB group is pretty chill.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2020 08:24

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

blk posted:

Was the Mk 7 GTI available with a pano roof in the US? Is it rattly and unreliable?

Any guidance on Mk 7 ownership without a warranty? Not sure if I should do that or wait for a Mk 8, although I�m guessing that will have plenty of bugaboos out of the gate.

I owned a MK7 GTI for two years with the sunroof option. It rattled but other than that, was fine in my period of ownership.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2020 04:02

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Okay long shot post here to see if any of y'all are Mk7/7.5 GTI or R owners in the PNW. (I tried the MQB Facebook group and VWVortex)

I'm in Portland and got some extra GTI/R parts that I wanna give away:

2 sets of cloth floor mats
1 VW CarGo tray plus plastic dividers
2 sets of OEM side mirrors (non-BSM)
1 set of OEM GTI rear headrests
1 OEM skid plate from a GTI

They have been sitting around for months and months and I just need em gone. Grab em and sell em if you must. Either way, if you're interested, let me know.

albear fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Jul 9, 2020

# ¿ Jul 9, 2020 08:50

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

big crush on Chad OMG posted:

You might want to put what generation these are for.

Good call, I thought MQB might have been clearer about that but I've edited it.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2020 22:33

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 11:25

albear: Jun 7, 2001; the doctor will see you now..

Loaned out my R for some R&D and to be used in marketing material and got a free catback out of it from Nameless Performance and some cool pics and video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdYeu5H3B00

Quick info: I'm on stock downpipe and UM ECU tuned (as well as TCU and Haldex).

albear fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Oct 9, 2020

# ¿ Oct 9, 2020 19:15

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